Mild 408 W/1.88" Valves

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RAMM

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Here's a quick post about a just finished 408. Customer brought it to me with blown head gaskets and a number of other small issues. He just wanted it to run well and didn't really care about overall power, just wanted a nice cruiser for his new to him E-body. Oh and he wanted it red, it was blue. Pulled it apart and somebody spent money on good Icon forged pistons but in a stock 4" bore with a worn out 1977 360 block. They even balanced the SCAT 9000 Cast Steel crank internally with 5 slugs of Mallory. Wow talk about spending your money in all the wrong places. Anywho, bored/honed .030", decked, line honed etc..... SRP flat tops went in and turned and rebalanced the crankshaft. Re-used the Comp XE hyd flat, revalve jobbed the '974 heads etc.... Got it on the dyno and it runs great, 15" vaccuum, 50-60psi hot idle and it makes exactly what it should make, about 400hp/470 tq. Very anti-climatic build but it should move the E-body just fine. This is my first 1.88" valved stroker and it behaved as expected--peak power flat lines @ 4900-5300rpm. I forget the cam grind number but I believe it featured 224 @.050" on a 110. Carb was a nice simple 650 dbl done by GB carburetion << the best. J.Rob

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Looks good to me.
Probably 80ft/lbs more than the same cam/top end installed on a 340.

I’m sure it’ll pull good in the car until the point where it floats the valves.
 
Thank You for posting. Which XE cam was used? I imagine it would be an awesome power plant for a moderate performance truck / 4X4 build.
 
Seems like a nice little build. Not everything needs to be crazy rowdy. That thing will burn rubber for miles.
 
Nice build! Not everything has to break records.
 
Fuel curve is nice and flat but do you usually target that rich for an NA engine? I’d think there might be ~10 more hp in leaning it out a bit.
 
Wonder if the seller put the 408 together with a bunch of new and used parts bought on the cheap and tossed together.

Hints of a flipper move? Who knows.

Was it advertised to current owner as “rebuilt” ?
 
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Be a fun street engine, easy to get into the powerband at any speed.
 
I wouldn't cry about those numbers :)

P.S. steal those valve covers for me, thanks!
 
I do believe the 1.88s wills start coming into their own especially for street builds. The 1.88 heads are around and affordable especially the J's...
 
I've been liking the looks of using magnum valves after replacing guides to use 8mm stems in the 360 type iron heads lately. It looks even better with Hi-Po Viper locks and retainers on them.
 
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