Got a complete 73 400 small block collecting dust, my brother wants to put it in his 68 Chevelle. His goal is to run high to mid 12's....CHEAP! Does not want to spend more than $2200 including machine work and parts. Car already has a 12 bolt posi with 4.11 gears, a good TH-350, will need a new converter though. I believe the heads are a "882" casting but not sure. I feel his best bet is a mild solid flat tappet cam, a good dual plane intake and a 650 DP, he does not have a problem scrounging thru swap meets for a pair of heads if needed. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

well, the heads are 76cc chamber with 1.94/1.5 valves. i have these on my 350. with a .015 steel shim gasket and .030-over flat top pistons (.02" below deck, 6cc valve reliefs) you'll get at least 10.0:1 compression. but people say the 882's are junk and tend to crack. also, i've been told 1.94/1.5 valves arent enough to make the big 400 breathe right.

i would also like to see some semi-hot 400 combos, since my brother might want a 400 in his Nova project.

My 412ci cost me $1300, and that's pretty cheap. I haven't had it to the track yet this year, but my seat-of-the-pants say low to mid 12's easy. High 11's probable with the right equipment. Dyno'd at a bit over 520HP & TQ.

To start the motor, I had a good 400 block, good crank, 350 rods, good heads, etc. I bought the intake at the swap meet, oil pan and other tin was leftover from other engines. I did alot of work myself (rod polishing, head porting, port matching, etc). To save some serious $$, you need to have your own stockpile of parts, do your own work, and visit eBay and swapmeets often.

If you want good power for cheap, you need high compression. I'm at 12.1:1, and it mandates some race/pump gas mix. Do not use stock 400 rods, and if you use the stock crank like I am, do not rev over 6000-6200.

See my webpage for more details.

i would say that mid to upper 12's wouldn't be impossible to do for that amount of money. all depends on what kind of shape the motor is in to begin with. cylinder heads are where the power's at, so i would not skimp on those if you can avoid it.
my 406 wasn't done anywhere near that cheap, but here's what i have: 4-bolt main 511 block, stock crank, eagle "I" beam 5.7 rods, SRP flat tops with 2 valve reliefs, Dart Pro 1 215's with 64cc combustion chambers, CC XE284 cam, rpm air gap intake, 800dp Holley also have a 3310 Holley that i'm going to test too. you could use cast pistons, iron heads, and 305 or 350 rods or even the stock 400 rods if you want to go real cheap. i haven't run mine yet at the track, but if it should be good for high 11's once i get it tuned in.
not sure if it can be done for $2200 without using pre-owned parts. i built a 406 for a buddy of mine and he had about $2800 in it before he was finished, and that motor was a mid 7 sec 1/8mi runner in a 78 malibu. it had stock crank, 350 rods, Keith Black hyperuetectic pistons with the "D" shaped 22cc dish, a set of Dart Sportsman heads that he picked up off a circle tracker for $500, an rpm intake, and a Lunati 292/.480 230@.050 hydraulic cam. it also just had roller tip rockers instead of the Comp Pro Magnums i have on mine. the intake was also used and bought for $75. i did that motor for about as cheap as i could get, and still have reliability at the 400hp+ mark. that would probably have been a very low 12 sec performer in a chevelle set up right. but i also ran 12.90's with a stock 400 that i had about $500 in. but i had the car set up pretty well. had 4.10 gears (which were too low), and a 2800 stall, with sticky tires. it would run high 11's with 125hp shot of nitrous. just don't shortcut the machine work and make sure you balance the rotating assembly, it helps a 400 out alot.