Im going to be rebuilding my 67 396 soon and was thinking of going with a budget stroker,either with a 454 crank or this kit on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BUDGET-BBC-BIG-BLOCK-CHEVY-STROKER-KIT-396-to-440-RP_W0QQitemZ260159658167QQihZ016QQcategoryZ33620QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Any comments or critique's on the ebay kit?Any of you guys used this kit before?thanks!

I'd stay away from it. Parts are questionable. Cheap is what you get. PM Wolfplace on this site, he can put together a much better kit for you.

Pistons are off the shlef Keith Black. You can use your stock rods and any MrkIV 454 crank. Also will need the 454 balancer and flexplate/flywheel.

The rotating assembly isn't a good place to use cheap parts IMO. I'd spend a little more and get a known-good quality assembly.

Please consider Ohio Crankshaft Company and Speed-O-Motive for this!

And I would suggest using at least a 1/4" longer rods to make balancing easier, imho at a LOCAL MACHINE SHOP after it's mocked up and checked out!!

And right, Mike, (i.e., Wolfplace), can hook you up tooooo............................

pdq67

This is not an extremely common way to go with a 396-402, but it is a GOOD way to go. When you're done, you end up with an engine that is only 14 cubic inches shy of a 454. The seat of the pants difference is almost impossible to notice.
With the "good" parts, this makes an outstanding engine when built the same as you would build a healthy 454.
If a person has a good, rebuildable 396 or 402 block (and they are much easier to locate than a 454 block these days), you can round up a good used cast 454 crank fairly easily. And, for a street performance engine, there is virtually nothing to worry about with a cast crank. If you want to step up to a longer rod, fine, but stock length rods will work fine. All that is left is to buy a good set of pistons and everything that is needed for a rebuild, such as rings, bearings, cam/lifters, gaskets, etc, etc. And if you get everything from one of the mail order sources such as Summit, then a VERY NICE BB can be built on a very modest budget.
YES, YES, YES, I know, you can spend a million dollars and build a 8000 cubic inch engine that produces 5 million horsepower----------------but that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm simply talking about building a VERY healthy BB with an affordable budget.

I dont know about where your at, but it seems to be 454 season in tucson. go to craigslist and do a search for 454 and you'll be surprised by how many pop up. and some of the builders are pretty reasonable. jim

Thanks for the input,seems to be some difference in opinion here,I am definately on a budget and I am going to use my #s matching 396 core motor for the build so I dont want to go with a 454.I basicly want as much power as I can get since i have to rebuild the engine anyway and tray to keep it fairly stock looking.

Thanks for the input,seems to be some difference in opinion here,I am definately on a budget and I am going to use my #s matching 396 core motor for the build so I dont want to go with a 454.I basicly want as much power as I can get since i have to rebuild the engine anyway and tray to keep it fairly stock looking.

With that being said, I think you would be REAL pleased with the stroked 440 result. Keep your original oval port heads (I presume that is what you have) and have the machine shop open them up to the larger STAINLESS valves. DO NOT have hard seats installed (there seems to be enough statistics now that demonstrates hard seats are NOT needed for your type of engine application). Simply by opening up the heads, will make a considerable difference in performance.

as Tom,you'd be better off to get a cast 454 GM crank,reuse your rods and the KB pistons

So DZauto,your saying just do a homegrown 454 crank swap and order KB pistons etc?Believe it or not it may be fairly expensive in my area to get a crank,my car is a 4-speed so do I need a 454 flywheel as well?will I need a 454 cast balancer too?I just spoke to a machine shop nearby and he has a complete assy he's been trying to sell for 1200.00.It is a steel 454 crank ground 010/030,stock rods and KB pistons ,balanced with ARP bolts.To me $1200 seems high,he claimed the machine work is very expensive(here in canada machining is expensive).Im fairly new to the chevy stuff so i appreciate all the tips I get from this board.I have a choice of using my original oval port heads or a set of rebuilt 781 heads we have here sitting on the shelf.I checked ohio crank and didnt see a 396 stroker kit but speedomotive does have one that is cheap but starts getting up there if you add the upgrades,its hard to know what upgrades are even necessary.

http://www.speedomotive.com/ps-75-7-chevy-396-to-434-budget-stroker-kit.aspx

Or install a 4.25" crank in a .030" over, 402 and come up w/ a 461.2" engine.

But I'm telling you, for the difference in hassle as well as cost, an old 454 P/U core motor and a 496 rotating assembly is CHEAP BIG EASY 550hp POWER, imho!!

It's in my car now!!

pdq67

The options are almost limitless!!!
I'm ONLY saying that if a person ALREADY has a complete, running (well, maybe not running), REBUILDABLE 396/402, then the stroker option to achieve 440cubic inches, is an easy and cheap (sorry, did I say cheap? NOTHING is cheap when building a BB!) way to get a substantial amount of additional power from your 396/402. AND AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THIS IS FOR A NICE HEALTHY STREET PERFORMANCE MOTOR--------------------------NOT A KILLER 5000hp ENGINE. By cheap, I mean if you can round up a cast 454 crank (they're easier to come by than a steel crank), then everything else is basically off the shelf parts and usually the cheapest way to go is one of the aftermarket performance discount places, such as Summit. A rebuild pkg with pistons (4.185in bore x 4in stroke), rings, bearings, oil pump, (in-house brand) cam/lifters, timing set, gaskets, freeze plugs, etc. is going to be fairly cheap (I personally prefer the Speed Pro hypereutectic pistons over KB). Keep your stock rods, have them resized and install new bolts. Have the block vatted, inspected, bored, freeze plugs, oil galley plugs and cam bearings installed and have your original heads rebuilt with the bigger valves and new springs. Have the rotating assembly balanced. Do ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the assembly/painting yourself. ENGINE ASSEMBLY IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!!!
Yes, you will need a 454 balancer and flywheel. Its been 2-3 years since I bought a 454 flywheel from a local swapmeet, but 2-3yrs ago, I never paid over $50 for a good used 454 flywheel.

Now, if you want to step out there and buy a 454 engine, buy a brand new steel crank for it, aftermarket rods, forged pistons, trick alum heads, etc, etc, etc, yes, its going to get real expensive real quick!
I got the impression that you wanted to rebuild your 396 and get the best bang for the buck without having to take on the national debt.

BUILDING A BB IS SOMEWHAT COSTLY, THERE IS NO WAY TO GET AROUND IT! Just be frugal and be a smart shopper for parts and machine work. Don't cut corners, but also, don't buy what you don't need. A motor with a 454 stroke is a lo-mid range torque motor. That's what you want for a street car, not a 10,000rpm rocket! With a well built 440, you will have an exceptionally nice torque motor. Many people will think its a 502.

By the way, as far as I know, ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL 454 balancers are 8in, thus you will need a timing cover with the timing tab for an 8in balancer (lo-perf 396 and 427 motors had the smaller balancer).

The options are almost limitless!!!
I'm ONLY saying that if a person ALREADY has a complete, running (well, maybe not running), REBUILDABLE 396/402, then the stroker option to achieve 440cubic inches, is an easy and cheap (sorry, did I say cheap? NOTHING is cheap when building a BB!) way to get a substantial amount of additional power from your 396/402. AND AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THIS IS FOR A NICE HEALTHY STREET PERFORMANCE MOTOR--------------------------NOT A KILLER 5000hp ENGINE. By cheap, I mean if you can round up a cast 454 crank (they're easier to come by than a steel crank), then everything else is basically off the shelf parts and usually the cheapest way to go is one of the aftermarket performance discount places, such as Summit. A rebuild pkg with pistons (4.185in bore x 4in stroke), rings, bearings, oil pump, (in-house brand) cam/lifters, timing set, gaskets, freeze plugs, etc. is going to be fairly cheap (I personally prefer the Speed Pro hypereutectic pistons over KB). Keep your stock rods, have them resized and install new bolts. Have the block vatted, inspected, bored, freeze plugs, oil galley plugs and cam bearings installed and have your original heads rebuilt with the bigger valves and new springs. Have the rotating assembly balanced. Do ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the assembly/painting yourself. ENGINE ASSEMBLY IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!!!
Yes, you will need a 454 balancer and flywheel. Its been 2-3 years since I bought a 454 flywheel from a local swapmeet, but 2-3yrs ago, I never paid over $50 for a good used 454 flywheel.

Now, if you want to step out there and buy a 454 engine, buy a brand new steel crank for it, aftermarket rods, forged pistons, trick alum heads, etc, etc, etc, yes, its going to get real expensive real quick!
I got the impression that you wanted to rebuild your 396 and get the best bang for the buck without having to take on the national debt.

BUILDING A BB IS SOMEWHAT COSTLY, THERE IS NO WAY TO GET AROUND IT! Just be frugal and be a smart shopper for parts and machine work. Don't cut corners, but also, don't buy what you don't need. A motor with a 454 stroke is a lo-mid range torque motor. That's what you want for a street car, not a 10,000rpm rocket! With a well built 440, you will have an exceptionally nice torque motor. Many people will think its a 502.

By the way, as far as I know, ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL 454 balancers are 8in, thus you will need a timing cover with the timing tab for an 8in balancer (lo-perf 396 and 427 motors had the smaller balancer).


Tom,

Thanks for the info. I too am going to rebuild my 402 this winter and this information is VERY helpful. I didn't start this thread, but thanks for the great info.

When I think of all the 454's I let go cheap in the 80's, it makes me want to cry:mad: Wish I had them all back:yes:

Tod

Thanks for all the info Tom,Im going to see what I can scrounge up in the next couple of weeks and get going on this thing!

Hello I am interested in this 396 stroker idea. I just bores my 67 396 out .030 and have my L2242 11 to 1 pistons and rods ready. I also have my 6223 steel crank grind and 20/20 setup done. I also have a cast 454 crank on the floor. If I put in the engine what would I need to change for this to work? Thanks

ogopogo. You have a PM.

P.S. Please add your name to your title. Some of us "old" guys like first names ;-)

Don't take me wrong here but PLEASE price BOTH engines, your B&S'd 396/402 and a 496!!

I figure that after you run the numbers starting /w 396 and a 454 purchased core blocks, that a 496" is the way to go!

And heck, for a mild 550 hp 496, the cast rotating assembly will handle it fine if you don't rpm it and onna them is really cheap if you are really bucks down, imho..............

Check Ohio Crankshaft Company again...

pdq67

Hello I am interested in this 396 stroker idea. I just bores my 67 396 out .030 and have my L2242 11 to 1 pistons and rods ready. I also have my 6223 steel crank grind and 20/20 setup done. I also have a cast 454 crank on the floor. If I put in the engine what would I need to change for this to work? Thanks
=
You are going to have a small problem with a 4" stroke crank with those pistons :D
They will be sticking out of the block about an eighth inch,,,
You need a piston with a compression height of about 1.645 not 1.765

Well,I ran into the local hiperf machine shops owner yesterday and asked him how much for a 454 cast crank,he quoted me $ 350 and when I asked him about putting it in a 396 he said it cant be done!He then said he's never heard of it being done and if you tried, a ton of mallory metal would be needed so it wouldnt be worth it.So now you guys can see what I am dealing with here.I think I am going to find a 454 crank and put it into the 396 and have a machine shop just across the border in Wa state do the machining for me.I will have to tell them exactly what to do so can one of you guys tell me exactly what parts I need and what special machining is required if any?Is the balancing issue going to be a problem?Should I get a set of longer rods?I will likely buy the rebuild parts as well as the flywheel and balancer from summit racing,what is the part # for the pistons?thanks again!!!!!

See if Speed-O-Motive doesn't have a 396, "454-crank", stroker kit??

And you need another Machine Shop!!

AND again, and, there are some 396/402 blocks out there that WILL bore to a 4.25" and can swallow a stock, 454 rotating assembly FINE, NO grinding at all! They were also used to make early 454's..

Check through your freeze plugs and see if an old wooden pencil won't go between the cylinders and if it won't, it's a candidate for a project like this by starting w/ a sonic check to see if the cylinders are good at 4.25" bore!

And my '75, 454 P/U, core block swallowed my 496 rotating assembly w/ NO grinding whatsoever!

Heck, I figure that it would swallow a 4.375" stroked crank w/ min. grinding!!

pdq67

Well,I ran into the local hiperf machine shops owner yesterday and asked him how much for a 454 cast crank,he quoted me $ 350 and when I asked him about putting it in a 396 he said it cant be done!He then said he's never heard of it being done and if you tried, a ton of mallory metal would be needed so it wouldnt be worth it.So now you guys can see what I am dealing with here.I think I am going to find a 454 crank and put it into the 396 and have a machine shop just across the border in Wa state do the machining for me.I will have to tell them exactly what to do so can one of you guys tell me exactly what parts I need and what special machining is required if any?Is the balancing issue going to be a problem?Should I get a set of longer rods?I will likely buy the rebuild parts as well as the flywheel and balancer from summit racing,what is the part # for the pistons?thanks again!!!!!


go to a different machine shop experience is golden

keep the 396 in storage and build the 454

Ogopogo, it might be worth mothballing your #'s 396 engine, and going with the 454/496 option to get the power you want... if you are already considering swapping on 781's why not swap out the whole long block?

Ak

i'm not anywhere near as bright as these guys, and i looked into the stroker kits recently, and many of the venders told me, i'd have to have the bottom of the cylinders released, or the crank would destroy the 396 block.

i'm trying to build a budget 396/402, and unfortunately, after having the block done, i found out my crank can't be saved. i just got off with summit who tells me only eagle makes 402 cranks, and they are $800.

i could have bought a truck, took the 454 out, sold the truck, and been way ahead. i'll be in this engine for about $3k when finished, and it won't be running with the 496's out there.......

It probably would be easier and cheaper to stick a 454 in the car but I will be selling it soon and I like the idea of the original 396 being in the car,although some potential buyers might not like the 396 being stroked either.What started me thinking about doing this is that the 396 needs to be rebuilt anyway so why not spend a little more and make a stroker?It only makes sense to do this if the parts can be had fairly inexpensively though,and if I cant sell the car and have to keep it then I personally would much rather have a bigger engine under the hood.