[Speargun]

A '67 400 block you perv!

For a street driven, pump gas build, is it worth it to make it a stroker?
Benefits?
Drawbacks?

[racegto65]

No replacement for displacement. If the budget is there stroke it.

[Navy Horn 16]

There is a replacement for displacement, it's compression. If I was on a budget and had to decide between a 400 with a roller cam and aluminum heads vs a 455+ with flat tappet cam and iron heads...you do the roller with aluminum top end and valve stability. You will get more power out of the extra compression and RPM than you will cubes.

Of course, if you have the means...do both.

[indymanjoe]

The down side is a permanent smile on your face! DO IT!

[surfsama]

I'd rather build something once and not redo it (or at least minimize the redos). Smarter people on this board have advised that if you're going to do it right, it doesn't cost much more to build a bigger engine than a stock one.

On one hand, if you know this is going into a street car with an occasional spirited run then I would stick closer to a stock bore and stroke to forego the additional wear and stress big bores and long strokes place on an engine. Build it strong so if power-adders are in the future you're good-to-go.

On the other hand, if you're looking to hand-out black eyes then go big and strong. All the other parts have to be up to the task or you're just burning gas to throw a lot of mass around.

Just my 2 cents.

[Chris65LeMans]

X5 Do it!

[PDC]

You sure won’t regret it. Although Navy Horn makes a very good point about where to put limited dollars in a finite budget build. I can see the benefit of an aluminum-headed roller-cammed 400 over a FT Iron head stroker. Although idunno - it seems like the bad FT cam lobe scare is pretty much behind us now. And most cam companies will offer nitriding for a nominal cost as some extra sleep-at-night. An 041 (Nitrided - if you like) with 1.65s and a set of mildly ported 6X heads will make a ton of power with 455-461 cubes. If you are already planning on forged rods and pistons, then the difference in cost is the crank itself plus minor block prep.

[Formulajones]

I'm of the "bigger is better" camp for most instances.

I like the fact that with larger engines, you don't have to go as crazy with cam timing and compression to make loads of power.

I guess it really comes down to your power goals and how you want to use it.

[Navy Horn 16]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

I guess it really comes down to your power goals and how you want to use it.

An even better question is how much are you willing to spend behind the engine to keep the monster up from from:
Breaking your U Joints.
Breaking your transmission.
Shredding your ring and pinion.
Snapping your axles.
Turning your pizza cutter tires into smoke.

You can calculate the difference between going from 400 to 455cid. BUT, if you are going through all the trouble of a rebuild doing better than stock parts, it's REALLY EASY to build a 400 cubic inch motor that will snap any/all of the stock components behind it.

It's also really easy to beef all that stuff up behind a 400 and still just make tire smoke and be REALLY scary to drive.

400 rear wheel horsepower is an insane amount of power compared to what the chassis and drive line of what these cars were built for, and that's easily achievable WITHOUT going over 400 cubic inches (with aluminum heads and the right cam). If anyone can get 400+ RWHP to stick to the pavement with a street tire (non drag radial), I'd like to know what you are running and if it comes in a 275/60/15.

[tom s]

Again,being in the street section the chances of breaking stuff is slim for most people!I have run a 455 in my 69 bird off and on for a few years with stock 69 bird rear end and axles and have never broken anything.If racing with big sticky tires thing can be diff but that belongs in the race section IMO.The car inbetween the 455 has had RA V engines in it.434 V in it now.Tom

[i82much]

Put your money in your short block. It is a lot easier to change heads, valvetrain, cam, etc. if u want to uograde later than crank, rods, pistons, main caps.

[GTO JONES]

Stroke it. bigger is better.

[locomotivebreath]

My 406 made almost 500ftlb with a small roller and 230cfm heads - factory intake & carb , 2.5 inch ram air manifolds . That’s a lot as is for a M20 Muncie to handle .I could’ve stroked it for the same $$ though . Just decide what your goals are . I don’t race or have an appetite for speed . I cruise .

[GTO JONES]

Originally Posted by Navy Horn 16

An even better question is how much are you willing to spend behind the engine to keep the monster up from from:
Breaking your U Joints.
Breaking your transmission.
Shredding your ring and pinion.
Snapping your axles.
Turning your pizza cutter tires into smoke.

You can calculate the difference between going from 400 to 455cid. BUT, if you are going through all the trouble of a rebuild doing better than stock parts, it's REALLY EASY to build a 400 cubic inch motor that will snap any/all of the stock components behind it.

It's also really easy to beef all that stuff up behind a 400 and still just make tire smoke and be REALLY scary to drive.

400 rear wheel horsepower is an insane amount of power compared to what the chassis and drive line of what these cars were built for, and that's easily achievable WITHOUT going over 400 cubic inches (with aluminum heads and the right cam). If anyone can get 400+ RWHP to stick to the pavement with a street tire (non drag radial), I'd like to know what you are running and if it comes in a 275/60/15.

M/T drag radial 275-60-15 work good.

[mrennie]

30 years of marriage may influence my advice...stroke it...

In all seriousness, building an engine is $$$ to do it right so might as well get the most out of the investment.

[Navy Horn 16]

Originally Posted by GTO JONES

M/T drag radial 275-60-15 work good.

I Nitto 555s for a while but they wouldn't hold up out of the hole. I went to Mickey Thompson ET Street SS, and went from 12.12@112 to 11.61@116

The MT is a much better tire for the strip, and adequate on the street. I really try to corner with it, the sidewall is mush. The Nitto is a good street tire.

Cooper Cobras are great for making tire smoke and feeling like your are driving on ice.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by Navy Horn 16

An even better question is how much are you willing to spend behind the engine to keep the monster up from from:
Breaking your U Joints.
Breaking your transmission.
Shredding your ring and pinion.
Snapping your axles.
Turning your pizza cutter tires into smoke.

You can calculate the difference between going from 400 to 455cid. BUT, if you are going through all the trouble of a rebuild doing better than stock parts, it's REALLY EASY to build a 400 cubic inch motor that will snap any/all of the stock components behind it.

It's also really easy to beef all that stuff up behind a 400 and still just make tire smoke and be REALLY scary to drive.

400 rear wheel horsepower is an insane amount of power compared to what the chassis and drive line of what these cars were built for, and that's easily achievable WITHOUT going over 400 cubic inches (with aluminum heads and the right cam). If anyone can get 400+ RWHP to stick to the pavement with a street tire (non drag radial), I'd like to know what you are running and if it comes in a 275/60/15.

If you have a few tweaks in the suspension department, it's really not hard to make the cars work pretty well, even with a stock type street tire and 400 wheel hp. PS guys are doing it all the time with factory bias ply tires and I've employed some of their tricks on my own stuff. It works.

If someone is breaking stuff with just 400 wheel hp, then they likely have some stuff in the drivetrain that was marginal to begin with. Most of these muscle cars worth their weight come with pretty stout stuff to start with. 400 turbos, 12 bolt rearends, etc... Even an 8.5 10 bolt isn't much concern. Like Tom said, the chances of breaking stuff is pretty slim anyway, and not really much concern for most people with their street cars in this forum.

In any event, the fact still remains, with the point I was making in the first place, it's much easier to make a HP goal with a 455+ than it is with a 400, and the 455 would be much more tame and streetable. It doesn't need as much cam, compression, or cylinder head, to accomplish the same thing. That's just physics.

[lust4speed]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

It doesn't need as much cam, compression, or cylinder head, to accomplish the same thing. That's just physics.

And add "it doesn't take as much RPM" to the above. People get things backwards sometimes. A 400 is fine on the track because you simply gear lower, raise the compression and run race gas, and then spin the hell out of the engine down the track. All these things are rather counter-productive on the street. Kick the cubic inches up, run pump gas, and keep the RPM levels down and still go very fast. Last but not least, feeling the cubes and the torque push into your back at low RPM is addicting.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by lust4speed

And add "it doesn't take as much RPM" to the above. People get things backwards sometimes. A 400 is fine on the track because you simply gear lower, raise the compression and run race gas, and then spin the hell out of the engine down the track. All these things are rather counter-productive on the street. Kick the cubic inches up, run pump gas, and keep the RPM levels down and still go very fast. Last but not least, feeling the cubes and the torque push into your back at low RPM is addicting.

Agree

[Gator67]

After going both routes myself I would stroke it for sure.