Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

sixnine · 03-14-2009, 06:12 PM

Casting # 3951511. The cylinders appear to be bored .010 over (I'm using a crappy chinese made digital caliper) The average measurement seems to be about 4.133 per cylinder. It's a bare, clean block with new freeze plugs.

**Edit** I forgot to say it's a 400, but can't edit the title.

mudman316 · 03-14-2009, 06:17 PM

two freeze plugs on the sides or three?

sixnine · 03-14-2009, 07:01 PM

Three

sdkid · 03-14-2009, 07:39 PM

Just curious what difference the number of freeze plugs makes?

mudman316 · 03-14-2009, 08:00 PM

very very very few of the two on one side

makes them worth more to some people

like the dirt trackers that are suppose to be running 350's

you can't tell they are 400 without taking them apart.

mudman316 · 03-14-2009, 08:05 PM

I say couple hundred maybe more with the crank. do you have crank?

sixnine · 03-14-2009, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudman316

very very very few of the two on one side
makes them worth more to some people
like the dirt trackers that are suppose to be running 350's
you can't tell they are 400 without taking them apart.

Cool. I never knew that. I have another 400 block. It's a 3951509 2 bolt original bore short block. I just went out and checked it and it only has 2 freeze plugs per side!

I bought both blocks last year from the same guy. The intention was to pick the best of the two to build up a 406 for my stepside. I decided to keep the 2 bolt block...

Hello sixnine, Welcome to the site. Unfortunately this thread is essentially a WTB or Want To Buy thread; and since your name is in pink I can only conclude you are a non paying member. Non paying members are not allowed to post things for sale, Whats it Worth, or Want to Buy threads. Also there is a section for WTB, WIW, and for sale items, this section is really more for talking about trucks and projects.

Dooley · 03-14-2009, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudman316

very very very few of the two on one side

makes them worth more to some people

like the dirt trackers that are suppose to be running 350's

you can't tell they are 400 without taking them apart.

So, how would you hide this block casting number during inspection?

mudman316 · 03-15-2009, 02:46 PM

I don't know much about casting numbers but most folks don't neither. And besides that in a car you can't see it. I'm pretty sure they don't set around with a casting search engine on the internet to log them and make sure they are a 350 instead of a 400. I'm not talking Nascar type inspection here like you may be talking about I'm talking small town race track racing. Last I ever heard they take it apart from the top side and measure the bore when they have a protest. Besides that the protester has to put up last I heard about a grand just to protest cause if they protest and loose the person that has the car that was protested gets the money for the tear down. Most of the time they just forfeit the win cause they have a lot more money than that in the motor and it ant worth the tear down of their high dollar motor for the prize money and the protest money. And if we wanted we could dab into the area of street racing where you might want to tell someone that it is a 350 not a 400. I suppose that you would have to want to be dishonest to do any of this but that is beside the point that it does make the other motor with 2 freeze plugs worth more. I'M NOT CONDONING DOING THIS but it does make it worth more to some people. But with everything it is only worth what you can sell it to someone for. BIRD IN THE HAND IS BETTER THAN TWO IN THE BUSH.

russellmarling · 03-15-2009, 03:48 PM

You can easily identify a 400 anyway by the chunk out of the harmonic balancer, because it is an externally balanced engine. Most people at the local track will know that.

j_cst_10 · 03-14-2009, 08:29 PM

The 4 bolt main 400's are actually pretty weak factory blocks. A lot of people who build 400's buy 2 bolt mains and splay the caps for 4 bolts. I would say a bare block would be worth 200-300.

Dooley · 03-14-2009, 08:53 PM

I've been running one of those engines for 20 years in my old plow truck pushing an 8.5' Western with no problems. It's a 1972 out of an old Biscayne police cruiser, it's 30 over with 9.5 flat tops. I've had a bunch of them in my different 4x4's with no problem. I have 2 of them now and a 509 block also.

Some great info in this thread.

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=297802

03-14-2009, 06:12 PM	#1
sixnine Longtime Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Over Yonder (DFW) Posts: 171	Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? Casting # 3951511. The cylinders appear to be bored .010 over (I'm using a crappy chinese made digital caliper) The average measurement seems to be about 4.133 per cylinder. It's a bare, clean block with new freeze plugs. Edit I forgot to say it's a 400, but can't edit the title. __________________ Rokcrln - *"I'm a major car addict so trying to go as low buck as possible is like asking a coke head to use flower to save money."* 1972 C10 Short Step -http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=261405 Last edited by 70cst; 03-16-2009 at 12:42 PM. Reason: FS by non Site Supporter.

03-14-2009, 06:17 PM	#2
mudman316 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: chattanooga, tn. Posts: 104	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? two freeze plugs on the sides or three? __________________ BE NICE IT PAYS IN THE END.

03-14-2009, 07:01 PM	#3
sixnine Longtime Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Over Yonder (DFW) Posts: 171	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? Three __________________ Rokcrln - *"I'm a major car addict so trying to go as low buck as possible is like asking a coke head to use flower to save money."* 1972 C10 Short Step -http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=261405

03-14-2009, 07:39 PM	#4
sdkid Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pierre SD Posts: 1,533	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? Just curious what difference the number of freeze plugs makes? __________________ I think the world needs a drink... Help somebody...If you can....VanZant We're not wrong, we're not sorry, and its probably gonna happen again. That's the truth about men. Tracy Byrd Member# 13924 '70 c10, 350/350 '68 c10 250/4spd '68 c10 no eng/trans fac ps/pb/ac/at (future father/sons project) '48 Chevy Loadmaster

03-14-2009, 08:00 PM	#5
mudman316 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: chattanooga, tn. Posts: 104	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? very very very few of the two on one side makes them worth more to some people like the dirt trackers that are suppose to be running 350's you can't tell they are 400 without taking them apart. __________________ BE NICE IT PAYS IN THE END.

03-14-2009, 08:05 PM	#6
mudman316 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: chattanooga, tn. Posts: 104	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? I say couple hundred maybe more with the crank. do you have crank? __________________ BE NICE IT PAYS IN THE END.

03-15-2009, 02:46 PM	#9
mudman316 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: chattanooga, tn. Posts: 104	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? I don't know much about casting numbers but most folks don't neither. And besides that in a car you can't see it. I'm pretty sure they don't set around with a casting search engine on the internet to log them and make sure they are a 350 instead of a 400. I'm not talking Nascar type inspection here like you may be talking about I'm talking small town race track racing. Last I ever heard they take it apart from the top side and measure the bore when they have a protest. Besides that the protester has to put up last I heard about a grand just to protest cause if they protest and loose the person that has the car that was protested gets the money for the tear down. Most of the time they just forfeit the win cause they have a lot more money than that in the motor and it ant worth the tear down of their high dollar motor for the prize money and the protest money. And if we wanted we could dab into the area of street racing where you might want to tell someone that it is a 350 not a 400. I suppose that you would have to want to be dishonest to do any of this but that is beside the point that it does make the other motor with 2 freeze plugs worth more. I'M NOT CONDONING DOING THIS but it does make it worth more to some people. But with everything it is only worth what you can sell it to someone for. BIRD IN THE HAND IS BETTER THAN TWO IN THE BUSH. __________________ BE NICE IT PAYS IN THE END.

03-15-2009, 03:48 PM	#10
russellmarling Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Highlands, NC Posts: 138	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? You can easily identify a 400 anyway by the chunk out of the harmonic balancer, because it is an externally balanced engine. Most people at the local track will know that. __________________ '70 GMC SWB step-side- 454, 4 speed, air bags (in progress) '09 CTS-V M6 '03 Sierra SWB Z71 '82 Yamaha Seca XJ650R Turbo! '04 Yamaha FZ6

03-14-2009, 08:29 PM	#11
j_cst_10 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 592	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? The 4 bolt main 400's are actually pretty weak factory blocks. A lot of people who build 400's buy 2 bolt mains and splay the caps for 4 bolts. I would say a bare block would be worth 200-300.

03-14-2009, 08:53 PM	#12
Dooley Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: North Coast Posts: 1,012	Re: Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth? I've been running one of those engines for 20 years in my old plow truck pushing an 8.5' Western with no problems. It's a 1972 out of an old Biscayne police cruiser, it's 30 over with 9.5 flat tops. I've had a bunch of them in my different 4x4's with no problem. I have 2 of them now and a 509 block also. Some great info in this thread. http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=297802

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