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View Full Version : A 400 Chevy Smallblock with 305 heads?



GAR
01-29-2007, 10:36 PM
What's the advantage to this now: check out this motor deal..

- we just now picked up a rebuilt motor not knowing anything about it, which of course is dicey. But I checked it out before we bought it and it looks like a freshly rebuilt and machined chevy smallblock engine for $400.

Now here's the deal on why it's dicey: casting numbers on the block, 330817. Heads are 14014416. They're not supposed to go together because the block is a 400 cubic inch, and the heads list to be from a 305.

So why would somebody build a motor like this? We don't know. Apparently a guy in Los Angeles was a mechanic that got canned and he leaves the motor in the shop. He was building it to replace a "street ripper" of an el Camino motor that was getting soft. Then he lost his job, and his interest.

It comes with exhausts, HEI distributor, intake, heads, main pulley and balancer, and fuel pump with line. It was loaded with lotsa delicious golden-honey 30wt and new oil filter, like it was ready to go.

THINGS KNOWN ON THE MYSTERY OF THE 400-305:
- casting numbers
- built by local shop with new Clevite and Felpro parts
- we could part the heads, block, distrib, exhaust manifolds, and the engine stand separately and probably clear $150-250 in sales

THINGS UNKNOWN ON THE MYSTERY OF THE 400-305:
- what bore was done (.020, .030-over, we don't know)
- what pistons
- what lift camshaft
- what crank is in it

.. and of course the biggest mystery of all, WHY WOULD ANYONE PUT A SET OF 305 HEADS ON A 400 INCH BLOCK?

My question: A) does this seem like a kind of "cheapie-383" build? You know, smaller combustion chambers but on top of bigger inches, and then you just "deck" the block for high compression?

OR

Maybe B) the guy just threw together a "mutt motor" together from stock spare parts? Maybe leftover core block hear and core heads there.. and after awhile he had enough components to "make up" an engine?

What seems the more likely scenario here people, A or B?

ELVIS
01-29-2007, 11:15 PM
Small block heads are small block heads...

I wonder what's been done to them ??

Nitro Express
01-30-2007, 12:39 AM
My guess is he was after higher compression. It could be an experimental motor he was playing with? Those heads could be highly modified. If the guy had access to machine tools he could have been experimenting with the combustion chamber shape and air flow patterns.

Maybe both A and B are correct. He was trying to do a high compression street racing engine on the cheap. If he did his own machining that would make sense.

Nitro Express
01-30-2007, 12:39 AM
Do you have access to a stand to run that engine on?

Hardrock69
01-30-2007, 01:41 PM
Do you have access to the proper forum to put this in????
:rolleyes:

bastardog
01-30-2007, 02:55 PM
I think that the block is using low compression pistons (dished pistons) and try to compensate with the smaller 305 chamber

It will do good on low rpm, but when on higher (I mean around 5000 rpm) it will hurt performance no matter what cam it has.

It will not make a 383.....it is still a 400, is just the compression that had been changed (increased enormously)

400 blocks are different than any other small Chevy block because of its water flow between the piston bore (or holes, I don't know the correct word in english) and for the 305 head to works well it has to have drilled the "steam holes" for that water passages in between the piston bores........if not it will run hot and will worn very quickly.
My recommendation is to remove the heads and put anything with bigger runners to have better airflow on higher rpm. Or at least to check for the steam holes on the head and in the process check the bore size.

a standard 400 block have 4.125 inches of bore from side to side of the hole
and a standard 350/327/305 will have 4.00 inches

the .10/.30/.40/.60 are over that numbers.....
good luck

Finally someone that like chevy engines as much as I do. Post about your ride and your ET's or just a photo. I will love to talk about engines and engine combinations all day.

Don Corleone
01-30-2007, 03:06 PM
Originally posted by Hardrock69
Do you have access to the proper forum to put this in????
:rolleyes:

Moved.

Douglas T.
01-30-2007, 03:20 PM
I moved away from the junk yard 15 years ago! We was mostly FORD friendly! I had a 351 Winsor block that got more combinations of heads on it than Prince at a new years eve bash! To much time has past since those good ol' days! I had a rare factory 4 barrel aluminum intake that fit well too! I remember porting and polishing heads and timkering in the junk yard after school! My buddy had a fast back Mustang his grandfather used to run moonshine in! I bet that car woukd be worth a mint right now!

Nitro Express
01-30-2007, 05:22 PM
Three cars I owned as a teenager are worth a fortune now. Would you believe I sold an all original GTO for a Toyota to go to college in?

Nitro Express
01-30-2007, 05:24 PM
A fast Mustang and access to moonshine was a teenage dream! Mix a little of granddaddy's hooch with some Hawaiian Punch and let the party begin!

Nitro Express
01-30-2007, 05:25 PM
Hell, with a few modifications you could run the Mustang off of the moonshine.

Jimmy Jingles
01-30-2007, 06:38 PM
Check the flux capacitor...

Hoss
01-30-2007, 08:00 PM
I'd say B, 305 heads are junk.

Hardrock69
01-31-2007, 11:38 AM
Me loves 351s....I had a 76 Torino with a 351 Windsor, then about 15 years later in the late 90s I got ahold of a '75 Torino with a 351 Modified....

Those V-8s fucking rule!!!!
:D

Douglas T.
01-31-2007, 03:01 PM
I had two, not at the same time, '71 Torino GT's! One was mint condition with the Mach 1 attachments i.e. window louvers, shaker hood scoop, Daytona rear end, two inch dual exhaust, etc.! That was way back before I owned a camera! I have two faded old pictures here somewhere. This is not one of them. This is a picture of the exact car. This picture is scanned of a Hot Wheel's package! The good thing about this car is it floats along at about 110 with no effort! The downside is the steering. The steering slave went out on it all the time! Although I imagine the designers didn't have me, and my Florida back roads, in mind when coming up with that!
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n137/DTSKYNYRD/dtsmachine.jpg

Douglas T.
01-31-2007, 03:07 PM
See the Mach 1 rims! What you don't see is the Mach 1 interior! This one is missing the rear window louvers. Those where the coolest thing. Built tough and kept the sun off the rear dash speakers so the Diver Down cassette could jam with maximum sounds! Does DAVE still own the Benz with the eight six by nines in the back dash? That sounds like a lot f speakers! :drive:

Hardrock69
01-31-2007, 07:50 PM
For some reason I always liked the way mid-70s 4-DOOR Torinos looked.

I dunno why....never got into the two-door variety.

One thing I always loved about them is the fact they have a bench seat in front, and I had so much leg-room I could stretch my legs straight out!

Something you no longer see.....


The auto manufacturers discriminate against tall people.
:mad:

bastardog
02-01-2007, 04:59 PM
Originally posted by Hoss
I'd say B, 305 heads are junk.

I didn't wanted to say it that way.....but yes, 305 heads are perfect to be keeped in the yunkyard