Hey guys. Eventually, hope sometime soon I want to build up a new engine. Or buy something already built Im not sure what to do. I've heard of 350's and 355 engines running low 11's and even in the 10's with a proper build. If that much power can come out of a small block what are the benfits of doing basically the same power build up on a BB? Say we have a 400HP small block and a 400 HP 454, what difference is there? Im just not sure what to build or buy. Ive got a mild 350 right now, it runs strong but im not sure it's fast enough :D

Building a 400 HP big block isn't a hard..a stock,smog era 454 with just a mild cam,intake and headers will get 400 HP easy.Its not the HP that really matters..its torque..a 400 HP 454 will make an alot more torque than a 400 HP 350..it all depends on what you want.

Ah see, this is what I am learning about. The difference between horse power and torque. More I am hearing that HP doesnt even matter so much. Can someone explain some theroy basics? :D

HP = (Torque x RPM)/5252

Torq = acceleration

Maximize torq in the rpm range where the engine spends more time.

HP is a number
Torque is a force.

If you have a heavy street car say a 4,000lb monte carlo, torque will be a much bigger factor than it would be in a 3000 lb chevy II. The monte carlo would be a dog with a high end h.p. Small block because for high end HP you usually have to sacrifice some low end torque and vice versa. But throw that same small block in the chevy II and its just right. See torque is a measurement of a twisting force and alot more of that twisting force is needed to get a 4,000 lb car moving than is needed for a 2,800 lb car. Make sense?

Well it's a start I need to read more and more :D So what are some main factors in building a torqe monster?

the heads are the biggest limiting factor then through the exhuast system. The exhuast system starts at the exhaust value, so the more you can clear out from there the better. Then through the headers or manifolds. If you have smaller primaries you will have better lowend but lose on the highend becuase you could be producing to much gas to go through the system. If you have bigger primaries you will lose the lowend but feel the gain on the upper end. You can search for "the myth of backpressure" to learn more about this.

A longer stroke will give you more torque and a bigger bore will give you more hp.

You can always search the forums for more on this topic.