400 sbc steam holes cracked magazine

The heads for the 400 are drilled for steam holes between the cylinders. The powerglide hasnt been produced by gm since the early 70s and the turbo 400 bowed out in. Chevy small block 400 questions troubles car forums and. Chevy sb cylinder head id guide vehicle parts vehicles. I had a set of aluminum assault heads to me sbc 400 drilled for steam holes. Learn how to identify and repair your cracked engine block quickly and. I have a 350 sbc and want to know if i can use the cam, lifters, and heads to install on a 400 cu in sbc. The chevrolet smallblock is byfar one of the most versatile v8 known to man. Ive done some investigation and came to the conclusion that 2 holes has to be drilled.

If you have 350 heads, the steam holes can be drilled. Thermal cycling of cast iron causes them, not necessarily overheating. The general thought with the 400ci sbc is, when they are overbored by more than. If you want steam holes, just hold the gasket up to the head and block, and make sure one of those top three little holes in the gasket lines up with hole both in the block and the head.

Used on the sbc 400, so may have steam holes and 1. If not, drill either the block or head so steam can pass through. But i never used jb weld to repair a cracked cylinder head before. If you dont do it you may more than likely, will have an overheating problem. I didnt know where to post this but since the engine is going in a 1970 nova i put it here, i got a 400 small block and i dont know much about them beside they are prone to over heat due to the steam ports, but i know it needs to be bored, i want to go. These heads are also available in angle plug style, and with steam holes. Oct 11, 2007 i have a 350 sbc and want to know if i can use the cam, lifters, and heads to install on a 400 cu in sbc. Whether you race pro stock, super comp, or just want to rebuild your old chevy 350 small block, there are cylinder heads just for you. Next insert 2 dowel pins into the heads dowel pin holes and lay the 400 head gasket. The 400 i just took out of my sons biscayne ran fine but it runs hotter and used more gas than the 350 vortec engine it just got. Next insert 2 dowel pins into the heads dowel pin holes and lay the 400 head gasket onto the head over the dowel pins. Common large chamber smog head, not a lightweight casting.

We are temporarily closed in accordance with coronvirus mitigation orders from the governor of texas. Fiftyfive years of manufacturing have left us with an endless number of different cylinder heads for the sbc engines. A 350 sbc and want to know if i can use the cam, lifters. The 400 ci engines definitely make more horsepower and torque compared to the smaller cube small blocks. Whats everyones thought on a 400 small block chevy for drag racing. You may use those 350 heads, but drill steam holes in them. And you can also read this months issue of chevy high performance magazine.

A funny website filled with funny videos, pics, articles, and a whole bunch of other funny stuff. We decided to put together some real world tips for virgin ls builders, and enlisted the help from lsx magazine sponsor chad golen, owner and operator of golen engine service to give us some tips on building ls engines for a. Usually the people cite better torque, reduced lateral pressure on the pistons, and better rotating assembly integrity. Mike burch 66 mustang real street 302 4speed 289 heads 10. At this time we are only accepting preordersubscription orders. I was wondering if they are absoloutley needed and why. The overheating issue usually lies in the coolant passages sometimes considered steam holes which allow flow from the block to the head. Nov 12, 2012 the 350 and 400 chevy small block cylinder heads share the same casting numbers. The only way to know for sure is to remove a head and inspect for the steam holes. It usually isnt a huge issue or cause any problems with gasket sealing. I heard about this one in a car magazine, and it turned out to be the cure to a problem i was having the scanned picture below is. Whats everyones thought on a 400 small block chevy for drag.

If fairness i never ran it with anything but the 850. The purist will want an fhead, or maybe the i6, but a very tame sbc small block chevy is the most reliable, easiest to maintain and cheapest powerplant you will find. Questions about 400 sb withwithout steam holes merged chevy. Connect to your existing cracked account if you have one or create a new cracked username. I just used a head gasket as a template and started drilling. A guide to vortec vs oe small block chevy heads by bobby kimbrough march 03, 2010 small block chevy heads have been manufactured since 1955, and have been used in high performance applications as soon as the first one rolled off the assembly line. Steam holes, the cooling mod for 400based smallblocks. This tech tip is from the full book smallblock chevrolet. I came upon a sbc 400 for sale that the owner said was bored. I keep reading on other threads that a longer rod is better for a 400 small block. Chevy small block cylinder head identification guide. Performance cylinder heads enhance the airflow into your engine, giving you improved power and torque. Im currently building a sbc 400 with 6 inch rods and an internally balanced bottom end.

There is a sidebar article about steam holes on in the cylinder. Engine block and head repair engine builder magazine. A new revisitation of my first coaster the hole 2009 with new track and new custom 3d. I was toldread that the larger stroke engines respond to the 1. Referred to as a smallblock for its comparative size relative to the physically much larger chevrolet bigblock engines, the family spanned from 262 cu in 4. Finding cracked cylinder heads isnt uncommon, and as with cylinder blocks. Chevy small block 400 questions troubles car forums. General motors estimated that through 2005, more than 90 million small block chevys have been produced, which means that there have been at least that same number of sbc cylinder heads produced. Chevy small block 400 questions troubles nonspecific car forums. We are not accepting orders for new or back issue comics at this time. Remember, the hole are just an 18 and 316, and can get plugged with crap anyway.

You can have a machine shop plug and redrill the center 4 bolt holes cheap or like i did and slot the manifold holes. Top ten production csb cylinder heads nos 16 are smallchamber, hicomp and must have dished pistons to get comp below 10. Just use the 400 head gasket as a template for there locations. Hey guys, i have a question about the sbc 400 steam holes in the heads. The first step in figuring out how to fix a cracked engine block is identifying where the. I heard about this one in a car magazine, and it turned out to be the cure to a problem i was having the scanned picture below is from that article. Nos 17 have nonhardened exhaust valve seats which must be replaced for use with unleaded fuel. The 400 ci block is the only chevrolet smallblock that has the steam holes on the deck surface. There are only two steam holes in the 400 sbc head there two small holes right in the center between the two center chambers those two bores are siamese together. Today, hot rodders of all types even smallblock chevy veterans are building their very first ls engines. I put them on and now coolant is seeping into my oil when i drain my oil i can see a constant drip of coolant. Chevrolet performances fastburn 23degree cylinder heads deliver maximum performance for smallblock engines. Nov 24, 2008 checking on this for a friend of mine thats putting a 406 in his 88 chev fullsize.

I just picked up a nice set of edelbrock aluminum heads for my 406 built and not quite sure if you drill steam holes in the heads. Crank reconditioning includes regrinding the main and rod journals to. Repairing your cracked engine block bluedevil products. Yes, jb weld can repair a cracked cylinder head, but hagerty. My 48 chevy had a welded block because the previous owner was too busy putting alcohol. Only 400 heads and blocks had these holes, but they can be drilled into any sbc head using a 400 gasket as a template. Couple that with the fact i have seen many 400sbc heads cracked around the steam holes, i would not drill them. The information about drilling the steam holes in the block is very unclear. General boating discussion drill steam holes in heads for 400 sbc. Small block engine cylinder heads chevrolet performance. I think i might have to grill a few holes in the heads, but is it permisable to do so. I have a 1988 trans am that i want to turn into a drag car and i have a 350 small block in it now that i recently pulled to rebuild. Drilling steam holes mustangsandmore forum archive. Use my facebook avatar add me to the weekly newsletter i am awesome.

A set of goldanodized moroso stamped steel valve covers were the thing to have in the 70s and 80s, and are still perfect on a periodcorrect car or truck with a traditional pushrod engine. The steam holes were designed to rid the cooling system of steam. Drilling steam holes to early ford 289302 block when using aluminum heads. Be sure that whatever heads you use have steam holes in them. Whether its the driving force behind a chevy platform, like ed cole intended, or being part of a rat rod ford model t rebuild, the influence of this engine is unmistakable. Does it have oil all over the engine compartment with no obvious cause for a leak. The 400 block has siamesed bores and has no water flow between the cylinder walls. I am getting ready to assemble my 400 sbc and was inspecting the block after it came back from the shop for a.

The mutt over 500hp and 565 lbft from fords 400m starting with an engine nobody wants, the ford 400m, we made over 500 hp and 565 lbft with parts from ford, chevy. Skip white performance provides many high performance racing and engine products such as, stroker engines, turnkey engines, cylinder heads and pistons. The chevrolet smallblock engine is a series of v8 automobile engines used in normal production by the chevrolet division of general motors between 1954 and 2003, using the same basic engine block. Whats everyones thought on a 400 small block chevy for. We decided to put together some real world tips for virgin ls builders, and enlisted the help from lsx magazine sponsor chad golen, owner and operator of golen engine service to give us some tips on building ls engines for a performance car. Cracked head bolt holes in bmw m20 block between 2 water jackets. Im wondering because my engine is a new rebuild from a performance shop in. How we got over 500hp from fords 400m engine hot rod. But you have to take an end mill and spot face the.

I have even fixed a block with a hole in it by simply patching it using a product called jb weld, but the. Sbc chevy 400 406 nkb200cc aluminum heads steam holes 64cc str. This is turning out to be the rebuild from helli am getting ready to assemble my 400 sbc and was inspecting the block after it came back from the shop for a. How did we do it, read the full article for details and some great tips. Do you have a small block chevy v8 in your car or truck. The steam holes were designed to rid the cooling system of steam caused by localized heating under some conditions due to the 400 block having siamesed cylinders meaning the cylinders ods are physically connected to each other due to the large bore size combined with the block having the same bore spacing. I have a sbc 400 that has a small crack in the cylinder head combustion chamber. Aug 01, 2011 see all 7 photos one interesting difference with the sb2 head versus a traditional 23degree smallblock head is that the holes for the bolts in the center of the head extend through the water.

An aluminum head casting distinguished by chevy bowtie logos at each end and a valvetrain with highrpm, lsstyle beehivetype valve springs stretches the performance range of the heads to enable greater power at a higher rpm. Rockauto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. I was a little ticked to find that i have a hairline crack in the upper steam hole between cyls 3 and 5. Ran the engine in 90 plus degree weather with no problems, runs about 180 at idle and about 190 cruising. Gm designed the heads and head gaskets with matching holes so anytime we use to have to replace a cracked 400 head we would take a 350 head or some of the racers would use a higher compression head and use the head gasket as a template to drill the steam holes. Discussion in ls1, ls2, ls6, lt1, sbc turbo and other gm specfic turbo tech started by stevedave454, jan 10, 2006. The sbc 400 block was designed with steam holes in the deck and heads. A 350 sbc and want to know if i can use the cam, lifters, and.

Racing head gaskets how proper installation prevents gasket. Whether its the driving force behind a chevy platform, like ed cole intended, or being part of a rat rod ford model t rebuild, the influence of this engine is. The pickup engine compartment is sufficiently large to accommodate the small v8, and an adequate radiator. Drill the 3 remaining holes using a 14 inch drill bit straight down towards the top of the head. Sep 19, 2014 at a basic level, a hot rodder would only change valve covers for appearances sake. A vortec head 400 like the other guy said is a good idea and with those heads you will be close to 10. A cracked cylinder head or engine block may or may not be bad. Heads without steam holes can be drilled for them by using the correct 400 head gasket with steam holes as a template. Bad points no accessory bolt holes, rare, likely to be cracked. The advance design era 19471955 has been overlooked for long enough and deve krehbiel, a wellknown restoration expert from who specializes in these trucks, puts his 40 years of experience restoring nothing but advance design trucks into a very extensive and very complete single volume with more than 500 photos and detailed instruction for every aspect of a proper restoration. I would say more than 50% of 400 block will have these cracks from the steam holes to the head bolt holes.