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1971SS350 Jan 30th, 02, 8:55 PM What are the advantages of a 400ci compared to the 400 "destroked" to a 377? ------------------ Ryan 1971 Chevelle SS Nevada Silver & Black Stripes 350ci Automatic Black Bucket Interior SkipD-68 Jan 30th, 02, 9:41 PM That sort of depends on your point of view. Some would say that the 377 has the advantage. To break it down into easy to understand terms we will say that the larger 400 has a displacement advantage which when combined with its longer stroke would tend to favor lower rpm torque output. The 377 with its smaller stroke would tend to favor upper rpm torque output. If both engines used the same cylinder head the smaller one would tend to run out of cylinder head breathing at a higher rpm than the larger one. Hope this helps Skip DZAUTO Jan 30th, 02, 10:04 PM And this is a true statement. Now, keep in mind, a rebuilt 400 will probably get a .030 bore making it a 406, almost 30ci over the 377. That additional 30 inches alone, will make a noticeable difference on low-mid range torque. Trust me, for a street engine, you don't want rpm, you want TORQUE. And cubic inches makes torque. Period. The number one, best thing that you can do to help a SB400, more than anything, is buy a set of BIG port, aftermarket heads (World, Dart, etc) with220-235cc intake ports. Yes, cam profile, headers, intake system, etc. will all contribute to the power output of a SB400-------------------------BUT THE HEADS HAVE GOT TO BREATHE TO MAKE ALL THAT OTHER STUFF PROVIDE THE MAX BENEFIT!!!!!!! HEADS, HEADS, HEADS! FLOW, FLOW, FLOW!!! I've said this a gazillion times, the SMALLEST ports/valves on a BB head (for a 396-402) are still bigger than the BIGGEST ports/valves on ANY SB head. Period. ------------------ Tom Parsons [This message has been edited by DZAUTO (edited 01-30-2002).] 1971SS350 Feb 3rd, 02, 11:07 PM The engine will be for mostly racing if not all racing. So we're talking high compression, agressive cam, all the goodies. Wouldnt that make the 377 better since it revs higher? kazuaki Feb 3rd, 02, 11:52 PM I would stick with the 400, even for racing. It's cheaper to go fast with torque than with high RPM HP. A well built 400 will still have no problem spinning to 6500-7000. Play your cards right and you will have a 10 second car with a small block. ------------------ Greg '68 El Camino w/small block stroker Best E.T. - 11.6 @ 114 Greg's El Camino Page w/Videos and Stuff (http://www.nuibe.com/elco/main.html) Cool MP3 of my car (HTTP://www.nuibe.com/elco/vids/engine.mp3) | ||