400BB Engine

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Tacfire11

Strike Hard, Strike Deep
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Another dumb question, but I've heard of the legendary Mopar engines 318, 340, 360, Etc. I have seen a 400BB engine on sale recently, but thought that 400 was a GM engine, did Mopar make one? Also what does the BB stand for?

Thanks....
 
Yes,it was a Mopar engine. Had one in a '73 Ply Satelite Sebring. Was very low comp. motor (also very low power) and loved gas. However I understand they can be built into awesome motors. (Largest bore of the big blocks) By the way Ford had a 400 also. GM didn't corner the market on that #.
 
Yes its a mopar engine a great motor to build with.The combo,s to build this with is alot,and can put a smile on your face if you do it right.Its the same shape as all the big blocks,except that this motor is about 3/4 of a inch shorter in deck height.It can interchange parts and can have other machined down to fit and make awesome power.If any can get a hold of one for a good price, you buy it,put it away,and work from their,Mrmopartech
 
they basically bored a 383 out to 400, much like the 413 tuned onto a 440.
the castings are different but it the low deck big block family of 361, 383, 400.
 
The biggest bonuses of the 400 B block (413,426, and 440s are "RB" or "raised block" big blocks) are the bores ize...biggest of any Mopar engine, and the casting cores for the main web areas. They are beefier than any other engine. So if you want a big cubic inch, that is strongr than a typical RB or 383, you build a 400 block. There's also a cold weather version cast in mid '71 that came with much thicker cylinder walls. It's known as the "230" block, but not every block with 230 on it is a thick block. It's only between certain dates.
 
Man, I amazed at the knowledge here. Well, I have an option for a 400 and 727 combo at a very good price. The seller says it has 452 Heads, does that make much of a difference?
 
they are what came with the 400's, they are real close to any other bb open chamber head...

good luck!
 
Tacfire;

BB means Big Block. The 400 is a "B" series big block. Others in the "B" series are the 350, 361 and the 383.

The other Big block engines from MoPar are the RB, for raised block. (Height mentioned earlier) and the RB based HEMI. Theres also lots of other HEMI engines, but they are old.
The MoPar 400 is very close in it's bore and stroke like the Olds 400 found in the "Bandit" Firebirds.
The 452 head has a bennifit of hardened seats for the exhaust valves and can be ported out for very good results.
I currently swapped one into my Magnum (79) from a Cordoba (78) and can agree, it's thirsty and theres no power to it. Then again, the mid '70's performance fel of and continued to fall, rather harshly to the point that even big engines could barely squezze out 250 HP.
This all changes with piston replacement for decent compresion and a cam for better power. It's hard to mill the heads enuff for decent compresion since I measure my pistons down the hole a stagering .112 or so.
 
The low compression pistons from a 440 will put you at 10.1, as they are the same as the high compression 383's with a larger bore.
 
OK, I'm convinced, I'm ordering 440 Pistons. Does anyone have a recommendation for vendor, and also whether to go Flat, Domed, or Dish?

Thanks....
 
The 400 is an excellent motor for a stroker build. Use a 440 crank - and instantly get 451 or 474 cubic inches. It's a little more costly due to machining the mains of a 440 crank to fit the 400 block and you would need special pistons (KB's are relatively cheap) $315 for the set, but if it's in the budget you could make some serious power.
 
The 440 Pistons sound interesting. I noticed when ordering the Pistons they normally ask for .20, .30, or .60. What do these mean, is this the Diameter of the Piston, or the distance between the Top of the Piston, and the first Ring? Normally do the Cylinders need to be bored for the 440 Pistons, or will they fit as is? Also heard about the Keith Black (KB240) Pistons as another possibility to consider. So I was wondering the same thing, if I need to have the Cylinders bored, or just clean them up.

I'm sorry if this information is already published somewhere on the Forum.

I'm pulling the heads this weekend, and tearing the block down probably next week. I'll post some pics as I get her started.
 
Tacfire11 said:
OK, I'm convinced, I'm ordering 440 Pistons. Does anyone have a recommendation for vendor, and also whether to go Flat, Domed, or Dish?

Thanks....
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Flat for pump gas performance, domed for the serious race engine and dished (forged) for supercharged engines. They will, in one way or another, correlate with compression, among other factors. You'll get all sorts of opinions on this. You will need to define your goals.
 
I didnt see where you said you have talked to a local engine builder/machinest??? Are you going to attempt a rebuild whith no help from a shop? If so, I think based on your posts so far that this would be an un-wise decision. Unless you have more engine expierence than what you have displayed here I think you are looking to spend a lot of money and may well run into trouble, I mean your first post states clearly that you didn't even know that chrysler produced a 400 or what BB stood for. You should contact a local shop so that you at least get the basics covered. Doing a stroker motor is not your basic overhaul and will require a little machine work and some fine measuring and detail work to do it right. But it IS a good way to go with the 400 blocks. Just my thoughts :)
 
krabysniper said:
I didnt see where you said you have talked to a local engine builder/machinest??? Are you going to attempt a rebuild whith no help from a shop? If so, I think based on your posts so far that this would be an un-wise decision. Unless you have more engine expierence than what you have displayed here I think you are looking to spend a lot of money and may well run into trouble, I mean your first post states clearly that you didn't even know that chrysler produced a 400 or what BB stood for. You should contact a local shop so that you at least get the basics covered. Doing a stroker motor is not your basic overhaul and will require a little machine work and some fine measuring and detail work to do it right. But it IS a good way to go with the 400 blocks. Just my thoughts :)
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I truly appreciate the advice. I've tooled around alittle, but based on some of the discussions we've had so far will look into finding some local expertise. Is it best to purchase all the rebuild items first, or take it to the shop?

Thanks....
 
I agree, a stroker is agood idea, and can be based on factory 440 parts. But you really want to talk to a Mopar friendly machine shop first. I build a decent amount of engines. I've found it much easier to let the shop doing the work advise me, and in many cases buy the parts for me. I pay a little more, but if something is boxed wrong or the wrong type or size, it's their problem, not mine. If you want to buy all your own parts, have everything measured BEFORE you place any order.
 
I've found a shop close by, and talked to the owner this morning. Seems very knowledgable on Mopar 400 builds, so I'm going to let him walk me through the first transformation. Appreciate all the excellent advice, and arming with me with the things I need to know.
 
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