My brother got a hell'uva deal on a small block 400.It was recently bored .030 over, stock crank turned .010/.010 and a pair of Dart iron eagle 200 heads.We would appreciate opinions on what rods,pistons and cam to purchase.
Looking to build a streetable motor(10:1 with the occasional 150 shot).This motor will be replacing a tired 350 in a 68 Nova that has a TH350,3000 stall and 3:42 rear gears.
Thanks for any input. smile.gif

I'd suggest a set of Eagle 5.7" SIR rods, forged pistons with the right size dish (or flat-tops) to match with whichever chamber size heads you have, and a Comp XE274

First of all what is the budget he willing to spend on the bottom end? Now I can tell you what I have done to my SBC 400 bottom: Wiseco Forge Pro-Tru Flattop pistons($419.00), Scat 4340 Crank for 6" rods($490.00), and Eagle (stroker) H-Beam Rod ($335.00)and Clevite Main & Rod H-Series Bearings ($110.00)=$1354
I you change to a longer rod you will have to get a and crank designed for that longer rod.
This is a pretty stout bottom end for a street/strip combo. I wanted to build it once and if I deciede to add a shot of NOS (100-150)I would not have to worry about the bottem end. Do not forget to check the clearances (cam to rod and rod to oil pan rails)no matter what type of rod that you use. As for a cam I would call
several(atleast5) companies and get their recommendation, right down all the specs (timing events)of the cam and add the specs than divide it by the 5 companies and that would put you in the middle of all the recommendation. Find youi favorite cam company and give him the specs that you want so they can grind the cam. Too Easy>>>>

SRP pistons, Oliver 5.7 "sportsman" rods, and a Comp NX274H cam.

I'm thinking I read somewhere that the stock crank could be used with 5.7" or 6" rods as long as you got the correct piston to match that particular rod.True?
That brings up another question,would the stock crank(turned .010/.010)hold up under a 150 NOS shot?

Yes. The crank does not care what the rod length is. However, be real careful what rods you get; some non-stock rods will require so much clearance grinding on the block that you will hit water, or be unable to get an oil pan to seal to it because it will have to be dented out so far along the rail.

HP as such doesn't kill cranks, RPMs do. With a stock 400 crank you don't ever want to see the above 6000 RPMs. Whether it's been turned or not, or how much, doesn't matter in the slightest. Except, it's possible to improve the crank's durability somewhat when turning it, by grinding a large radius at the ends of the journals, to prevent stress concentrations at those points that will leak to breaking there.

I would certainly not go out and get $600 sets of rods and similarly priced pistons, to go on top of a stock crank. That's just a complete waste of money.

If you're serious about both making lots of power and having it live a long time, you need to ditch the stock crank; especially a used one that you have no clue what abuse it's already been subjected to, since abuse damage is cumulative. The stock crank is the next weak link after the stock rod bolts and stock rods.

"The crank does not care what the rod length is." Not wholly true. Cheap Chinese cranks often have large counterweights that will not clear the piston skirts if used with 5.7 rods. Rod length and counterweight size also affect the ease of internal balancing.
DF