Clean, bare 4 bolt sbc. What's it worth?

[sixnine]

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]

two freeze plugs on the sides or three?

[sixnine]

Three

[sdkid]

Just curious what difference the number of freeze plugs makes?

[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.

[mudman316]

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

[j_cst_10]

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]

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

[sixnine]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[mudman316]

so I was just wandering what if you had one of these covers? I suppose someone will say they have ex-ray.

[mudman316]

I guess they could have one of these internally balance cranks. I'm just trying to say there are a lot of options. But there are some blocks that you can't tell about. It makes them worth more to some people depending on the use you have planned for them. for that matter use a 350 crank if you want there are a lot of options. with rod length and pistions for stroke and compression ratios. which is why i love chevy lot of combo's and options.

Eagle 440037505700 - Chevrolet - Small Block
Chevrolet 400 Forged 4340 Steel Crankshaft 400 Main Journals, No Spacer Bearings Required 3 750'' Stroke 5 700'' or Longer Rod Length 2 100'' Rod Journal 2-Piece Rear Seal (Early Style) Internal Balance 1900 Bobweight

[67_C-30]

A lot of those dirt trackers are building 377's (400 block with a 3.48 stroke 350 crank) , so the balancer would be a moot point. Mudman is right that this used to be a pretty common way to cheat at the tracks, but the internet revolution has helped to stop a lot of that. Two local tracks here have casting numbers printed off Mortec and posted on the walls of the tech house. All but one of the tracks here locally have cubic inch pump gauges anyway and they can tell the cubic inches by just taking a plug out. The pump gauges can't tell whether its the bore or stroke making the extra cubes, but it doesn't matter, because if its bigger than the cubic inch rule limit, its illegal no matter it was achieved. Those 2 freeze plug 400 blocks used to be like gold around here for that reason!

[mudman316]

must have been typing at the same time on my edit.

here the internet has not caught on so much folks here still trying to do it.

i not so sure about the plug check thing here. i've been out of the loop so to speak.

i'll have to check on the displacement thing with a friend and see if they are doing that yet.

it still has it's applications i suppose for some. like i said just depends on the use.

you make it to winchester to race any?

[shooterpcb]

511 is a 400

[cdowns]

on craigslist here theres a bare block 4bolt 400 the guy has a price of $150 // he hasnt sold it in the past 2months

[big_al_71]

I would say 200.00-300.00 bucks for it. I have had great experience with a small block 400 two bolt main, in fact that is what I have in my truck right now. Ton of power and runs great.