engine
Everyone's got an opinion... But its still what I'M lookin for that matters.... X2
Well, there's opinion, intention, and reality.
The
opinion in some circles is the earlier blocks are better because the main webbing is thicker.
The
intention of the factory was for the early "230" 400 blocks to be heavier duty and so called "cold weather" blocks. The ones cast prior to 6/72 or so I think.
The
reality is while the main webbing should normally be thicker then even the same year other 400 castings, the standard casting quality rules applied. So both the main webbing and cylinder bores suffer heavy casting core shift and irregularities. Truth is - only with careful inspection of more than a couple "230" correctly dated 400 blocks will you find one that is actually stronger and thicker in the right palces with little core shift. I own 3 400 cores and core blocks, and have personally sonic tested and inspected another 3-4 over the years. If you must have that particular cblock, you will pay a premium for the opinion people selling them, and you will probably have no strength over any other 400 to show for the pleasure.
IMO, the later 70s 400s have the most accurate castings, and as a result the consistently thickest bores with a main webbing stronger than any other factory B or RB block.
Sincerely intended - good luck with your search.