[Bob Rutledge]

Here is what I am looking at with my 400 build. Please give me tips or suggestions, and also what you think this is going to run me. Stock 78 lo-po, 400 bottom end has never been apart before with 6X-8 heads that have never been rebuilt before. The camshaft has a couple of wiped lobes, along with some very badly pitted lifters. I may be able to get some pics up later of the lifters. Anyway, the engine is in my garage, with the heads off. I haven't disassembled the bottom end yet, or taken off the timing cover. Should I leave all of that on and let the mchine shop take apart? This is going to be a fairly mild build, but I would like to see 300-ish horses if that is possible. I will tell you what I have bought so far, and I need advise as to what to have the machine shop do as far as the build goes. I have bought a Comp XE 268 cam, lifters, and full roller timing set. I have also purchased a new oil pump, pickup, and drive rod. I have not bought any bearings yet as no machine work has been done, and I do not know if the machine shop will have to cut anything down. Since it is going to be a mild rebuild, I am looking at stock rods checked for size, with arp bolts. I am also thinking of a set of KB hyper pistons for the build, or if anybody thinks I should just use cast stock type pistons. I was also thinking of trying to get the most cubes I can by having it bored .060 over if the walls check out to be thick enough. I am also thinking about having the block decked, and the heads cut enough to reach at least 8.5 or 9-1 compression. What was already on the car before I took the motor out is a set of 1 and 3/4 four tube headers into a 3" collector. True 2.5" exhaust into T/A splitters. It has a 2400 RPM stall converter I got off of e-rape a few years ago, 8mm wires, and an accell coil on a distributor that I have dialed in to get me to full advace at about 2400 rpm. The turbo 350 also has a B&M shift kit I installed the same time as the torque converter. Rear gears are the stock 2.41 highway gears. So, what do you think of this as a mild type street build? And am I to optimisitic to think I can get 300 horses from this?