My motor is finally done, and I got to see it on the dyno yesterday. 422HP, 435 ft-lb torque (very flat torque curve..400+ ft lbs starting at 2500rpm), the torque really doesnt quit.

396 +.060" over for 408CI.
9.25:1 compression
Lunati 02005 hydraulic flat tappet cam
Speed pro forged pistons, file fit rings
1969 -063 cc heads with 2.19/1.88 manley stainless valves.
balanced and 'blueprinted'
Used GM HEI unit off my old smallblock, recurved for use with the new setup+new cap and rotor.

Heads had some bowl cleanup, exhaust was unshrouded. Intakes passages were smoothed and radiused nicely.

I will be running this in front of a new Muncie M22W/Autogear 4 speed with 3.38 rear end gears. I have a new set of Dynomax ceramic coated headers and the exhaust is going to be Flowmaster American Thunder 2.5" system.

I am hoping this will be enough to get me into the 12's..will it do it?

You'll probably be lucky to hit mid-high 13's.

Even if that flywheel hp and not rear wheel hp by 2 different engine calculators that I checked you should be into the 12's if your suspension is up to the task of handling 422hp! Goodluck! Nice combo! :D

I could never predict a close ET without knowing more-Like Weight of car -Intake type Etc. Sounds like a very good engine-If it was mine I would like the RPM intake! If the car weighs 3300 lbs. or less I'LL guess 12.95! Good Luck!

What are the cam specs? If you know the part #,you must know the specs ;) :D

ok, figure 3600lbs with me in it. intake is a performer rpm.

cam specs:

advertised duration int/exh: 302/308 degrees

Duration @ .050" int/exh: 224/234 degrees

Lift @ valve int/exh: .534/.559"

Lift @ lobe int/exh: .311/.324"

LSA 114 degrees. intake CL=110

opens/closes @.050": 2 deg BTDC, 42 deg ABC/ 55 deg BBC, -1 deg ATC

the rule of thumb is that it takes an honest 400 flexplate or flywheel horsepower to move a 3600 lbs car into the 12's.....and using every drop of that thru effeciency. if you fall into these lines then yes you have enough to run 12's......barely.....

my car is a very good example of not using my horspower effeciently. its making 360 hp to the rear wheels which is about 450 or better flexplate hp. yet i only run 13.60's but i have a great mph at darn near 106 mph (105.93) in the 1/4 ......i'm pushing just over 3900 lbs with 2.73 gears out back. with proper gearing and convertor it would see the 12's.

for your car i can see mid 13's right off the bat if you do a good job shifting. but i really think like most of us you will have to dial in your motor according to trap speeds to get all the hp out of thru timing and jetting and learning your shift point.

even thou you have your motor dynoed to these numbers its a different story on the track timming and jetting will need to be played with to get the proper tune. for best e.t. and mph.

in a way i have been kinda surprised at some of the dyno numbers that i have seen from other posts on 396 build ups. the numbers on the dynos have been very impressive.

i have built several 396 motor in all kinds of forms and your build up is very similar to some that i have built but have only managed mid to low 13's with in cars that had automatics with weights in the 3600 to 3700 lbs range.

i was giving yours the bennifit of the doubt because of the tranny using less hp to operate allowing you to put down more hp to the ground.

i have seen guys go from 3 or 4 speed tranny to automatics (just for the sake of being more consistent in bracket racing)loose .5 of a second and few mph because of the tranny using more hp to operate.....i myself have not known anyone in my circle of racing friends go faster after having a stick car to an automatic with no other changes to the engine.

The big "if" is traction. But just for comparison, my 69 w/ 408, 9.5/1cr, similiar cam [226/236 @ .050 on 112LSA], T400 w/ 3000 stall, 3.73 gears went 14.25 @ 99.7 mph and 14.09 @ 97 mph on street radials with a lot of wheelspin which for all practical purposes really isn't all that bad. These cars in stock 325 -350 HP disguise were mid 15 cars.

You are going to handicap yourself in ET with a stick, don't get discouraged if you have to really work at it to break 14.0.

i don't think you have enough gear. 3.38's are pretty mild with a 4-speed and the cam you have. traction will be the main factor. but really i don't see why it couldn't get a high 12 if it hooks up good. i've had 350's that were that mild in heavier cars that came pretty darn close to the 12's.

I guess I could always switch out the rear end gear. The 3.38 just happens to be what came in the rear I bought for the car. I dont really think it will be too bad with the wide ratio trans and 2.52 1st gear, but I do agree that traction will probably be an issue, as will shifting. If I wind up seriously running it, I would probably look into drag radials or something along that line.

Jtm,sounds like decent combo,and I saw the dyno test post.I would use drag radials or DOT cheater slicks for sure at the track,its the only way to run.Street tires and torquey big blocks are fun on the street,but at the track,spinning them doesn't cut it.It's even more difficult with a 4 speed.