# Stroked 400 foundation



## Luckycat (Jan 23, 2016)

Thinking if having a stroked 400 built, is this a good block to start with..i know its a 68 2-bolt block 9790071 ,But it's still a virgin bore and mains look good. Strictly street driven for fun..Looking for around 500hp and want to switch back to a Manual tranny. I bought my GTO with a bbc in it and auto tranny 
( I know :nono


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## Pinion head (Jan 3, 2015)

Should be fine. being a northern core, would spend the coin on having it magnafluxed. Usually fairly easy to spot freeze cracks, but know of a few that the eye test wasnt enough. At goal of 500 gross HP/ 550-600 lbs of torque, would also have main studs installed, more insurance.


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## oldskool (Apr 26, 2015)

"...Strictly street driven for fun..Looking for around 500hp and want to switch back to a Manual tranny..."


After reading this, I began to think of how much fun I had with just 366hp and a 4-speed, back the the day. A few revs and pop the clutch, and I could get plenty of tire smoke.

I probably didn't have too much over 400 ft lbs of torque--not sure. Anyhow, I can hardly imagine the amount of tire smoke that 550-600ft lbs of torque will produce. I actually don't understand why anybody would even want that much torque, if they are not going to race. 

I mean, if you can afford it, great. But why build for that much power, for just having a little fun, on the street ? Go ahead--some of you younger guys, educate me.


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

How about 800+ and a five speed? ?


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## Luckycat (Jan 23, 2016)

oldskool said:


> "...Strictly street driven for fun..Looking for around 500hp and want to switch back to a Manual tranny..."
> 
> 
> After reading this, I began to think of how much fun I had with just 366hp and a 4-speed, back the the day. A few revs and pop the clutch, and I could get plenty of tire smoke.
> ...


The way I see it I bought a classic muscle car and it shouldn't have the same HP as a stock 2016 2.3l mustang...if I'm going to put 5-8k into having a motor built and that first time I get passed by some little pissant in his daddy's 435 stock HP mustang GT I will now b happy...and if I want to just spin my tires I can take my Duramax out and burn them up in 4wd...the 454 BBC that came in my gto is 500hp and fun to drive, but I want to go back to all Pontiac...what really sux is you can't have fun on the street any more without getting into trouble, to have fun I take my 540 procharged 1000hp boat out on the river and pass the Sherriff at 110mph while he smiles and waves to us...so basically what I'm saying is if I want 300 hp I would have bought a 2.3l ecoboost mustang...but I guess that's just me, sorry for the rant.


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## Luckycat (Jan 23, 2016)

ALKYGTO said:


> How about 800+ and a five speed? ?


There's an idea..I have a 540 longblock spare for my boat..cam change and tunnel ram will prolly put me 700 hp...lol....Then my tranny and 12 bolt would prolly not b happy..


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## oldskool (Apr 26, 2015)

"... that first time I get passed by some little pissant in his daddy's 435 stock HP mustang GT I will now b happy...if I want to just spin my tires I can take my Duramax out and burn them up in 4wd..."


OK, I think I see what you're after. You're not gonna race on a track. But you wanna be able to outrun most anything that pulls up beside you, on the street.

With that in mind, at the power level you mentioned, the main thing is putting all that power on the ground. Since you don't want tire smoke, you need the softest, stickiest tires you can buy, and the biggest that will fit under your car. And you need many of the same suspension mods that drag racers use, to gain traction. In short, the name of the game is TRACTION ! Have it and accelerate quick--lose it and smoke the tires. It's exactly like the nitro cars, on the track. With near 10,000 hp, they either blow up, smoke the tires or go 3's @ over 300mph. 

I assume the Drag radials are the stickiest tires that are street legal. So, the biggest drag radials you can make fit, will give the most traction. 

Stickiest street legal tires? - Team Camaro Tech

Stickiest street tire? - LS1TECH

Using street legal racing slicks on your daily driver? - AnandTech Forums[/url

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/wheels-tires/sucp-0006-street-car-slicks/

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/track/643884-poll-street-legal-drag-radials-best.html

http://www.dragzine.com/tech-stories/wheels-tires/dot-drag-radials-101-what-you-need-to-know-about-drag-radials/

Well, I see that most of these links don't work. But you can just Goggle "stickiest street tires", and find all the info. 

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=stickiest%20street%20tires


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## Luckycat (Jan 23, 2016)

No.....All I really wanted to know if the above mentioned 400 block is a good block to use or does that particular casting have issues...I know nothing about Pontiac stuff.
Thanks pinion head


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Luckycat said:


> No.....All I really wanted to know if the above mentioned 400 block is a good block to use or does that particular casting have issues...I know nothing about Pontiac stuff.
> Thanks pinion head


Most 400 blocks are good, its just the later '75 and up were cast a little thinner to save weight and no so good for bigger HP builds, but can still make a good HP engine at reasonable levels.

So, is the block a good one? Yes. Have it magnafluxed. Can you get 500HP from a stroker? Yes, but it'll cost like all big HP builds.

Will you smoke the rice burners? Perhaps, perhaps not, remember, those little turbo suckers run like a scalded dog due in part to power-to-weight ratio's and a 1970 GTO ain't no light weight by any means.

Will it be a blast to drive and will you smoke tires a bunch? How could a 500HP+ Pontiac not? :thumbsup:


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Luckycat said:


> No.....All I really wanted to know if the above mentioned 400 block is a good block to use or does that particular casting have issues...I know nothing about Pontiac stuff.


I can answer. Yes. It is. That's exactly what I used as the base for the 461 in my 69 (numbers matching), and it runs 11.80's at the track. 

Bear


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## Luckycat (Jan 23, 2016)

Great I'll pick it up then.. Thanks Jim and bear


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## dedlund400 (May 17, 2020)

If you Run a 461 stroker based on a 400 block, will it have any over heating issues ? I live in Sacramento where it gets over 100 degrees in the summer. Can I still drive a stroker in the heat ?


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## Mine'sa66 (Oct 30, 2019)

oldskool said:


> "...Strictly street driven for fun..Looking for around 500hp and want to switch back to a Manual tranny..."
> 
> 
> After reading this, I began to think of how much fun I had with just 366hp and a 4-speed, back the the day. A few revs and pop the clutch, and I could get plenty of tire smoke.
> ...


Why?
You know what's better than 400 ft/lbs?
500 ft/lbs


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## GTO44 (Apr 11, 2016)

dedlund400 said:


> If you Run a 461 stroker based on a 400 block, will it have any over heating issues ? I live in Sacramento where it gets over 100 degrees in the summer. Can I still drive a stroker in the heat ?


Nope. Aluminum dual pass radiator. High volume water pump. Dual electric fans with 4,500cfm. You’ll be just fine.

There’s cars on drag week and rocky mountain race week, plus builders like Steve Morris race engines and Nelson Race Engines that routiney build and drive 1,500hp+ cars on the street for thousands of miles and dont have over heating issues.

A 500hp 461 stoker should have no issue. I’m currently building a 461 stoker for a customer that will be daily driven with A/C in the florida heat and this build will be 650hp+ build. Florida heat is worse than california heat and he will be just fine. But you’ll have to get away from the oldschool mechanical fan. Dual electric fans with 4,500cfm+ are much more effient at cooling at idle and low speeds where ambient air flow are at a minimum. And like I said earlier you’ll want to go with a dual pass radiator. Aluminum Dual pass radiators are much more effecient than even the best aluminum 4 core radiators available. The dual pass radiators effectively double the cooling ability of a standard radiator. You’ll most likely get by just fine with a standard 4 core or one of the new designed large tube dual core radiators if you have aluminum heads with only 500hp. But with the new technology of radiators there’s no reason to not get the best cooling design possible. And if you’re super concerned you can go with an oil cooler. Keep the oil at temp and you’ll keep the engine at temp.

I deal a lot with this issue as i build cars that are meant to be driven on street in the hot florida temps and most are high horsepower or power adder combos that run hotter than N/A combos. And most have either factory A/C or Vintage Air. Dont let the horse power rating your shooting for scare you with drivability issues.


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## Old Man Taylor (May 9, 2011)

DO NOT run drag radials if you're going to have a stick shift. Ask me how I know. I went back to the M&H DOT tires.


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## dedlund400 (May 17, 2020)

GTO44 said:


> Nope. Aluminum dual pass radiator. High volume water pump. Dual electric fans with 4,500cfm. You’ll be just fine.
> 
> There’s cars on drag week and rocky mountain race week, plus builders like Steve Morris race engines and Nelson Race Engines that routiney build and drive 1,500hp+ cars on the street for thousands of miles and dont have over heating issues.
> 
> ...


Thanks, you have made me feel much more comfortable in building the stroker. especially since I cant find a 455 engine.


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