home from machine shop, getting to know each other,lol.

new KB pistons .030 over.

New ARP bolts on original honed rods.
this is the start of my 400 sbc build, all helpful tips welcome, I have a wish list in summit, and will post what I hope to add to the build soon. let me know what you think of my build choices please, if you think they will work. not going for all out racing. will be a daily on summer days. pump gas, CR of 10:1 , Cheers.

 

At this stage, the only thing I can emphasize is to make sure that whatever heads you use have steam holes.
Do your pistons have coated skirts?

 

yes the trick flow heads come with the steam holes, thou ive read lots of different opinions on this I am going with the holes to be safe.
and yes the pistons have the coated skirts, ,, looking for lots of parts bc this is a total fresh build, different from the stock set up do to this was a american car that had the carburetor feed back set up...
so i will need new distributor and carb.
all help welcome

 

I totally understand building a performance engine for a daily driver.
Any good build would include torque-plate honed cylinders, moly rings, computer balance, etc. Seems like you've got this covered.
I don't know anything about trick flow heads other than they're aluminum; I have the bowtie phase 2 racing heads, p/n 14011034, 2.02 intake/1.60 exhaust, which are cast iron.
The thing with aluminum — this goes for any aluminum parts such as intake manifold, radiator, etc. — is you need to have really good grounding of your electrical system. Redundant grounding is recommended. You see, aluminum is prone to electrolysis and if your system isn't fully grounded properly, electricity will flow through the coolant and eat away at the aluminum.
Have you selected your cam and lifters, and your rocker arms? Intake manifold? Carb or fuel injection? Standard exhaust manifolds or headers?
Since my car is my commuter/grocery getter, I don't like to mess with doing a job, or in this case a build, more than once. In other words, once-and-done. At the risk of sounding redundant, take your time, prep meticulously, test fit then test fit again. Kinda like the measure twice, cut once saying. As such, please permit me to offer a couple of suggestions based on what worked for me. I used the Fel-Pro 1205S3 steel core intake manifold gasket. This gasket will not distort regardless of conditions. This gasket doesn't have an opening for the heat riser passage but, then again, my bowtie heads don't have that passage so no problem there. An opening can be drilled or cut into the gasket if needed.
If you're using headers, I highly recommend a set of Proform Self-Locking Wedge Header Bolts p/n 66753. Unless your car is all-show-no-go, you'll likely need to retighten header bolts. That's par for the course when running your car on a circle track or 1/4 mile strip but not so convenient for a daily driver. I put a set of these bolts on my car three-years ago and they still haven't come loose. I ended up getting a set of just the washers for the collector/exhaust flange bolts.
Furthermore, I hate leaks. There are all sorts of sealers out there made for all sorts of applications. There are just about as many opinions about sealers as there are people who want to tell you about them. Please permit me to give my opinion. Mind you, I'm a degreed chemist with more than 30-years industry experience, but what do I know. What works for me is to use a reputable brand such as Permatex and follow the instructions to the letter. Manufacturers invest quite a bit bringing in a first-time customer. What they want are return consumers. Good results from using their products brings customers back to buy more stuff. Directions for achieving good results are key. Manufacturers put lots of time and money into R&D to make sure their stuff works as they advertise and to make sure their customers know how to use their products to achieve the advertised results. I used three different sealers on the intake manifold gasket; one formulated for oil on the end seals, one formulated for fuel around the intake ports, and one formulated for coolant around the coolant passages; like I said, I hate leaks.
Hope this info is useful and keep us updated on your progress.

 

GOOD DAY, thx for all the advice Zucchi. yes my block was honed proper, using moly rings part #HAS2M661030. no computer balance thou. I went with the trick flow heads bc they had the steam holes pre-drilled.,ty for the tip on grounding, will do.
intake mani I have is a edelbrock torker, GETTING MIXED REVIEWS ON THIS INTAKE. some say its not good for a daily driver? others say its a decent intake. for a cam I like the read out of the howard #112571-12 or the 112571-12s, very close in durations and
lift so not sure which 1 yet. going with hydraulic flat tappet lifters, I have a set from the 90's new in box. thinking steel rockers to keep budget down, haven't chosen push rods yet. going carb, planning on headers, but as you said, taking my time to look around and hoping for lots of opinions on here to point me in the right direction.
I have lots of time as I have to pull out the 305 HO in the car right now. as for what I am going for,,, daily driver with some good low end torque and great acceleration, top speed not that important to me. A little bit of a lumpy idle for that old school sound, but not alot, so a cam with 112-114 lobe separation is good I think. heads are part# TFS-30410012-M72, using original rods with new ARP bolts, original crank checked and polished, its a 400 block .030 over, also a OE Style harmonic damper from summit SUM-161400. THATS MY LIST SO FAR.
CHEERS.

 

I'm sure you know the crank for the 400 sbc is unique in that it's externally balanced with a special harmonic balancer and a special flex plate which is why I asked if you had your rotating assembly computer balanced.
Upgrading the bolts for your 2-bolt main caps is a good call.
The Torker manifold is an open plenum design which is better for high RPM performance; according to Edelbrock, it doesn't even kick in below 2500 RPM. I considered that myself way back — late 1980s — but I have 2.76 rear-end gears which means I'm doing around 70mph @ 2500rpm, I'd also need a high-stall torque converter… it just wasn't practical for a car that spends most of it's time sitting in traffic during rush hour or simply running an errand to the post office or bank… I chose the tried-and-true Edelbrock Performer back then which kicks in from idle on up and worked really well for me. Since then, Edelbrock came out with the Performer RPM Small Block Chevy Q-JET Intake Manifold which kicks in @ 1500rpm. It's a dual plane design that's tall like a Torker. It's still a compromise between high-end speed and low-end torque but I found it works great for my application. I topped it off with a Q-jet I tweaked and tuned myself and the first time I really opened up the throttle with that combo was a thrilling eye-opener. The only thing that sucked was the stock fuel pump couldn't keep up with wide-open-throttle demands so I went with a Carter rebuildable performance fuel pump.
I totally hear what you're saying about keeping costs low which is why I do almost everything myself. Nevertheless, I didn't want to cheap-out on my latest build so I went with full roller cam, lifters and rockers from Comp Cams. A heavy breathing cam demands heavier valve springs which, in turn, puts more pressure on the tappet/lobe surface. The cam lobe rubbing against a flat tappet design is very cheap to make and for many decades, passenger car manufactured engines that way because it's more profitable. Unfortunately that design is prone to wear. Back in the day, there was a reasonable expectation that a customer would get a new car about every 3-7 years, well before that setup would fail. Practically all modern automotive engines use roller technology and warranties of 100,000 miles seem common.
You likely know how critical initial startup is. I recommend you smear Vaseline petroleum jelly on the teeth of your oil pump then, once you get your engine together, I suggest you put on the oil pan and a filter then prime the system using a tool that goes in the distributor hole that engages the oil pump and a drill. You should hook up an oil pressure gauge and when you're at pressure, turn the crankshaft a few rotations to make sure oil flows through all the galleries. As you're turning the crankshaft observe the rocker arms to verify that each one gets oil coming up through the pushrod.

 

i agree, the torker looks to be a bad choice for my set up, I will look into something else, I believe dual plane is the way to go. i have talked with summit and the Hdamper I am getting is for external balance, so ty. I believe my flywheel is still good, just needs to be clean up.
a video I watched claimed the same thing about the Q-jet, WOT and soon fuel couldn't keep up, so I will do my research on what to get. Any thoughts on those cam choices? not to crazy but better than mild? I will do
the oil priming as you described and watch it flow, I definitely do not want to kill it before it even starts. with only being a summer daily on perfect days, the thought of wear that you mention should not be a issue, but I appreciate the information.
I belive the gears are stock, so thinking they are a 3:73 from what I have read, no overdrive in this years model, trans is a 350th I believe.

 

The Q-jet is an exceptionally versatile yet underrated and underappreciated carb. That's because the same carb was used for about 20-years on everything GM made with every size engine AND most so-called builders do not understand the fine points about building one to performance specs. I decided to stick with the Q-jet because I didn't have to modify my throttle linkage, fuel line hookup, or anything else, and it has a centralized float bowl. The bowl being in the center of the carb eliminates fuel sloshing/starvation during hard turns. I also like how the small primaries offer better fuel economy than a standard 4-barrel, and the air-valve over the secondaries automatically regulates airflow based on the needs of the engine so it doesn't get too much or too little fuel during WOT.

The numbers on your cam choices aren't far removed from what I have (Xtreme Energy 218/224 Hydraulic Roller Cam and Lifter Kit, CompCam #CL12-422-8) other than mine has about 10% more lift. It has a satisfyingly noticeable idle yet I can use a stock torque converter and it pulls sufficient vacuum to operate my power brake boster, cruise control, AC, etc. Since you want to use a flat-tappet hydraulic cam, you could look into using 1.6 rockers for a little more lift. By the way, If you haven't already thought of this, I recommend you use pushrod guides on your heads.

Regarding an intake manifold, I have my old Edelbrock performer manifold I'm not using that's taking up valuable space in my garage. If you want it, pay for shipping and it's yours.

 

i think I would be fine with a Qjet, as I said top speed and WOT isnt my goal.and as you said, it will save me modifying so potential items.
yes I am thinking my cam choice will have sufficient vacuum for all the accessories of a stock build.to.
the trick flow heads description reads it has guideplates included, says guideplate pushrod size 5/16" Is this what you mean?

if you tell me the wieght of the intake and what town your in I will look up shipping cost, that would be great. I will go do some reading on the edelbrock performer now.
CHEERS.

 

Yes, pushrod guide plates.

The part number for the manifold is 2101.
It'll weigh about 17lb., dimensions about 23x11x6 inches from Azusa California, 91702.