is this block unusable???
 

Hey guys found a 400 sbc block that I wanted to possible pick up cheqp and put away to build sometime when I have the cash. I know these are getting harder to find. Found this one but looks to have had a rod break loose and messed up the bottom end. Does it look usuable still or is it just a boat anchor? This is not mine but I was thinking about buying it if u guys think its still good, thanks.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/pts/3670768376.html

Re: is this block unusable???
 

I would steer clear of it but that's just me. Looks like it would need to be bored and sleeved. May also need a new crankshaft.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

Here at jasper we'd sleeve it and run it. I think you'd be ok.
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Re: is this block unusable???
 

If there is signs of a rod coming in contact with the main webbing of the block i would pass.. 400 4bolt main blocks are kind weak to start with so pass this one up..

Also if your dead set on a 400 find a 2 bolt main block and have splayed main caps installed this makes the block stronger do to not having the outer main bolts drilled into the webbing of the block..
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Re: is this block unusable???
 

Ok thanks guys, I have a perfectly good 350 in my truck but always wanted a 400, ill keep looking though, thank you.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

thats bad, what else is wrong?
repairs like that can add up quick

Re: is this block unusable???
 

Not a 100 dollar block. Jay

Re: is this block unusable???
 

I would use it. Not even sleave it. I would send it in to have the block x rated and magna fluxes for cracks (do this with all blocks any way) which you'd still gambling with anything else. And the sonic check. Thaw part that makes this worth the effort is that its virgin bore as the add says. Take it to a shop that can torque plate hone it and give her a go.
The add shows a two bolt main. So just relieve any sharp angles and such to get rid of stress risers at the cylinder base.
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Re: is this block unusable???
 

that block is junk!

and there is a reason i wont buy a jasper engine

Re: is this block unusable???
 

Yea I was gonna offer 50 if u guys thought it would be ok but I dont wanna get stuck with it, ended up stuck with a 78 f350 that way haha.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

That area gets clearances the same way for a stroker crank nothing to fret bout
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Re: is this block unusable???
 

Yea sems like a lot is gone though, love to have a 400 sometime though.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

but the material isnt removed the way that was, you might clearance you block with a big hammer but i sure dont, that block is junk!

Re: is this block unusable???
 

You could sleeve that block... but whats the point?? After all that time and money in machining, sleeving, and buying new this and that you could have saved your wallet and just found a cleaner builder motor...

Start with a good foundation or all your work and money will be in vain! :waah:

Re: is this block unusable???
 

True yes but the surfaces are not thrust surfaces or such either. I think it could be a great 500+hp 406
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Re: is this block unusable???
 

Shp dart if your serious about making power.
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Re: is this block unusable???
 

Amen to that. If your playing with a 400 you better go for power. Otherwise go 383
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Re: is this block unusable???
 

Pass.
400 blocks are a crap shoot anyway, no reason to start with one that's been blown up. When rods break and the crank spins what's left, it tears hell out of pretty much everything. I saw an aluminum 540 that had a wrist pin boss break out of a piston. The swinging crank (at 7500rpm's) literally sawed that block in half.
This one has broken at least two rods - 3/4 and 4/5. Nobody knows how much damage is there that you can't see and may not be found before a build.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

Blocks like this are usually free around here 400 or not. My buddy got a 350 block years ago at a swapmeet for free. We knew it had a crack but he had an idea. Unless you can fix it yourself pass on it. There's still a few out there.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

If it passed a mag and x-ray test, I would have no issues running it without sleeves. Splayed caps are a good idea, but if you are looking for a reliable, long lasting 600 hp/7000 rpm engine, then you should be using an aftermarket block anyways.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

Boat anchor.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

Yup... Boat anchor IMO. Generally speaking, if you have to ask, you already know the answer :) For the money to build that block into anything you could put a stroker rotating assembly in your 350 and have almost a 400cid. Bare blocks aren't the expensive part, it's all the machine work and the rotating parts to make the block into anything that gets you. Might as well start with one that hasn't seen that kind of action if you can.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

I would pass on it. While the area is the same as the clearanced area for a stroker crank, the material wasn't removed in the same manner. As the material was punched out with not a lot of precision. Plus under the residue that is still left on the block can easily hide other cracks that were caused by the same incident.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

A die grinder with a carbide burr will make short work out of the bottom of those cylinders.If it mags okay you would be all set.
Most of the 350 4 bolt mains you find are already cracked so nothing wrong with this one if it isn't cracked or into water.
If it needs hard-blok your another $80 into it.

Re: is this block unusable???
 

It looks like that block has already been sleeved before, and either the bottoms of the sleeves were not clearanced, or the machinist pressed them in further than he wanted too and didn't cut enough off the top (or didn't cut the top at all and pressed them in til they were flush).

That would explain why he had rod problems.

It's really not the pictured block that's discouraging. New sleeves can be pressed in by someone who will clearance them properly, and so on. Often sleeves are considered preferable in racing because of the things that have improved since the original siamesed walls were machined.

What would bother me though are the things he's not showing, but trying to give you for "added value." That means a lot of bolt-on parts, all the way down to the oil filter adapter, are likely damaged and have to be replaced.There's no reason for the seller to take those parts off just to see if he had a spun bearing. He took them off for some other reason, and any part that's good is a part he plans on keeping.

Let someone else spend their money on this one. Restorers would spend the same amount of money on any engine as this one needs spent on it. Same thing with racers. Both are likely to have a stash of probably half the parts that are not included or unusable. It just isn't a bargain for a street build.

Do you know someone who's turning in an engine that you know is rebuildable, as a core for a standard rebuild? If so just offer him a dollar or two more than the core charge he would get, and save him a trip. You'll get whatever spare parts he doesn't need and be further along in your "spare time" motor than if an unknown block is all you could start with.