1975 400 Engine

[bobscuda67]

Hey Guys.
I bought a 400 out of a 1975 Fury last week. I have been tearing it apart all week and now have it done to the block. Its a stock bore and I got the 452 heads with it. The lifter valley is very clean and the bores have no ridge and almost no sign of wear. Amazing! Except for number 8 that had a little antifreeze in it and there's a very shallow rust line where the piston was resting at. Ill bet +.010 overbore would be enough to clean it up. Plus .020 for sure would. The engine turned over easily. I got the pistons out and the bearings were in great condition. The crankshaft has no sign of wear and there is not one grove on any of the journals. Looks like you could polish it and reinstall it.
Are the rods, crankshaft and heads worth keeping? I was going to just scrap them because they have almost no value to anyone. And with shipping cost being so high it would cost more to ship than the value of the parts. With all the stroker kits who would want this stuff?
Right now I have no chassis to put it in but I've always wanted to have a 67 GTX clone with a 470 cube engine and a 5 speed manual trans.

 

[Darter6]

Good deal, I'm with you about the heads.452 while a great head,I had a set and could not even give them away.Machine shops now charge $1000 or more to have them done. For a few hundred more you can get aluminum. You will get pro's and con's,and yes most have found out of the box heads need to be checked for flaws.If you plan on going stroker anyway all you need is the block and main caps.My 2 cents.

 

[EchoSixMike]

The crank will probably be a casting, and is worth little. That one pictured definitely looks like a casting. Externally balanced. The rods are probably the same, although there's not a lot of short B length rods available from the aftermarket, so you might find a buyer.

The 452 heads are worth maybe $100 or so, again depending on what someone wants to pay. S/F....Ken M

 

[rumblefish360]

The 452 can be ported out really well. No one wants them because the heavy. No one wants to port them because iron is difficult to port. The balance between the 452 and a aluminum head should be paid attention to as the aluminum offers more flow IF you need it. And about 50lbs. less if your really worried about weight.
Ask member IQ52 about there ability.

The shorter rods are fine for the current displacement and a small stroker. But you have to look carefully before piston purchase! They are forged. And can handle decent power levels.

Same goes for the cast crank. Depending on what your doing and how often your doing it, the cast crank is fine for many applications.

 

[Dartn440]

452 heads with some work and larger valves is an option for a lot of folks. Yes it costs money, but they certainly aren't scrap.

 

[bobscuda67]

Thanks guys.
I have been tossing around ideas about what to do with it. A 430 horse engine would move a 66 67 b body pretty well so the 400 will need some help to get to that level with the parts I have on hand.
I would want to keep it stock looking and using exhaust manifolds would be a plus too.