stroker ? for the engine guys

[jimi121v]

I have my 400 crank turned down to fit the 350 block, I have the correct damper for the 400 crank, and I just wanted to make sure the flywheel from the 350 will work. ???? It is a manual trans 72 4x4.

Thanks, Jimi

[eedgell]

NO! The flywheel will not work as stock. In fact I dont think any 400 sb was out of the factory gate with a manual trans. There are adapters for this application though. The 400 must be balanced front and rear. Or have the whole crank assembley balanced, and use the 350 balancers.

[piecesparts]

You can order a crank that is internally balanced for a stroker motor, but a stock 400 crank is externally balanced and a 350 flywheel or flexplate will NOT work on the 400 crank.

[manimal]

You should have the entire rotating assembly balanced anyway. Are you going to use 5.7 rods or 5.56 (stock 400) rods? Forged or hyperutectic pistons? There are a lot of thing s to concider when it comes to balancing an engine. For the street an external balanced engine is just fine,dont waste your money on having a stock crank internally balanced. JMO
-Lance

[piecesparts]

After my last experience of a rod through the side of the block on my stroker motor, I recommend that you get a quality brand of rods and a good crank when you build the motor. I put mine together with the 5.7 rods, both times; but this last build went together with H-beam rods and a forged crank. The other crank received damage when the rod started doing it's own thing in the block. We chose stock rods the first build and the rod gave away just above the mounting journal to the crank. As I stated above, you can get an internally balanced 400 crank and the one that I ordered this last time was just that. It was not much different in price than a forged externally balanced one. The previous crank was externally balanced and worked just fine on my street truck, but it is now in the salvage yard.

[mnunn454]

One of the problems of assembling all the parts/pieces at home is the individual takes on more of the risk of [failure from] the pieces not playing well together. Building from scratch is great for the technically knowledgable or the person with a fat budget to work with. But if one or both of those are lacking, it may not pay in the long run to take that risk. These days you can get a balanced stroker rotating assembly for not a whole lot more than it'll cost to assemble all the finished pieces yourself. I'm personally well able to build a stroker from scratch. But were I wanting a 383 today, I'd either buy an entire rotating assembly from a reputable company, or a complete shortblock with a warranty.

JMO.

[see ten]

Originally Posted by eedgell

NO! The flywheel will not work as stock. In fact I dont think any 400 sb was out of the factory gate with a manual trans. There are adapters for this application though. The 400 must be balanced front and rear. Or have the whole crank assembley balanced, and use the 350 balancers.

I don't know if it was stock but my little bros Blazer had a sb 400 and a granny 4sp when we got it. When we changed it to a 350 we had to change the flywheel due to the 400 being externally balanced (seems like it had weights on the flywheel). Didn't realize they were differnt til we had it running !

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by mnunn454

One of the problems of assembling all the parts/pieces at home is the individual takes on more of the risk of [failure from] the pieces not playing well together. Building from scratch is great for the technically knowledgable or the person with a fat budget to work with. But if one or both of those are lacking, it may not pay in the long run to take that risk. These days you can get a balanced stroker rotating assembly for not a whole lot more than it'll cost to assemble all the finished pieces yourself. I'm personally well able to build a stroker from scratch. But were I wanting a 383 today, I'd either buy an entire rotating assembly from a reputable company, or a complete shortblock with a warranty.

JMO.

No problem with what is stated here. The only addition to that would be to have a good understanding before purchase, just constitutes warranty support. This means know what they will do and what they will not do. Also remember everything will be by mail and freight--the local machine shops are just down the street. We built my motors locally, because my Machine Shop buddy and I get along real well. What I don't know he is there to assist.

[Longhorn Man]

they did have stock 400 small blocks with manual trannys bolted up... but they are far and few between though.

[cooters]

as far as i know 454 flywheels have the same balance as 400s, and they definetly bolt on.

[crazy longhorn]

Best bet is aftermarket on the 400 sb flywheel......try Northern autoparts for a stock replacement(cast flywheel), or Hays ,or Centerforce (billet) can be had for a few more bucks. IIRC, my Hays was around $225, & Centerforce was a tad more. The stock replacements were around $120. I would rather go this route, than bolt a balance weight on the rear.....but DO be sure to have all the pcs balanced with the crank Best of luck, L

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by cooters

as far as i know 454 flywheels have the same balance as 400s, and they definetly bolt on.

NO THEY DONT!

[kwmech]

Originally Posted by cooters

as far as i know 454 flywheels have the same balance as 400s, and they definetly bolt on.

They will bolt on, but the 454 has more counter weight, it will have to be balanced for the 400. I've done it myself for the 12'' disc surface.

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by kwmech

They will bolt on, but the 454 has more counter weight, it will have to be balanced for the 400. I've done it myself for the 12'' disc surface.

I dont follow? The same sb flywheel that handles an 11 " disc , will also handle a 12" disc. I have installed 12" discs on a 350 sb....the hat for the 12" has the same bolt pattern as the 11"....... L

[eedgell]

Best to have a balanced assembly. Solves most of the trouble.

[cooters]

i think you missed the point crazy longhorn, the 454 flywheel WILL bolt onto the 400 crank, but is the balance the same or not is the question now.

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by cooters

i think you missed the point crazy longhorn, the 454 flywheel WILL bolt onto the 400 crank, but is the balance the same or not is the question now.

No sir, I didnt miss the point! I know that the 454 flywheel will bolt onto the 400 crank, & no the balance is NOT right for a 400 sb. What I question is why use a 454 flywheel to run a 12" clutch, when the 12" clutch fits on the small block 400 flywheel(168 tooth flywheel)? I am sure that you can balance the 454 flywheel with the 400 crank & make it work, but now you have "bastardized" the setup. In the event that you ever have to swap that flywheel, you just may have to rebalance the crank to "fix" it L

[cooters]

the concept of the 454 flywheel came up because it may be easier to find a 454 flywheel than a sb 400 but since the balance is different it is not a good consideration.

[jimi121v]

Thanks for all the input. I guess I'll have a couple "tree-fitty" flywheels for sale on E-Bay soon.

[Billla]

Originally Posted by cooters

as far as i know 454 flywheels have the same balance as 400s, and they definetly bolt on.

The flange is the same and it's also externally balanced - but the size and placement of the weights are drastically different. "Definitely bolt on" to me indicates it can be used out of the box...and it clearly can't.

As noted, a balanced assembly is worth the money. Note that a matched balancer is required.

Am I missing something in this debate about how easy they are to find? Summit has 9 of these in their catalog...

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...115+4294871900