Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

67ss · 1K+ Club

396 engine build

bowtie · Secretary

Yeah, why not? Everyone like a motor build. Heck, someone here at work yanks a 3.3 out of something, you get 3 guys standing over it holding thier drinks and staring down at it.

SShink · 3K+ Club

67ss wrote:

If people have interest I post the progress as we go.

No need to even ask this question... of course we want to know!!! Include pics too!

67ss · 1K+ Club

I'll take some before pic's tonight. Going to try and get the crank over to crankshaft supply in the next day or so and get that ground first. Then get the block dropped off to be bored, lined honed, and cleaned.

Dave Seitz · Mega Poster

SShink wrote:

67ss wrote:

If people have interest I post the progress as we go.

No need to even ask this question... of course we want to know!!! Include pics too!

Thats like asking if you walk in with Jessica Alba on your arm would anyone notice!
DUDE think about what site your on, hell yea we want updates and pictures and beverages when it fires for the first time.

67ss · 1K+ Club

Yea I should know better, we are all horsepower junkies. Sorry though I did not get the pictures last night. My new little one required some attention. I should get to it tonight though.

Scott Parkhurst · Super Poster

Is there any way a 454 crank could find it's way in there?

Nothing better than the free power cubic inches bring with them!

67ss · 1K+ Club

My buddy wanted to keep the car period correct with a 396. Everybody was trying to talk him into more cubes but he resisted. He has never had a big block so this will be interesting when he gets to drive it. I am sure he will have smiles for at least a month.

67ss · 1K+ Club

OK here is all the parts that will hopefully become one to make some power.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Are you going to find another block, weld those 2 cranks together, and have a V16!?!?! biggrin

67ss · 1K+ Club

That is a thought but I was actually thinking I should use the other crank and find a 454 block to build a 427. We are using the forged crank in his 396 so the cast crank is going to be a spare. Will have to see what happens. The 427 would be a nice option for a 66 chevelle that I hope to own someday.

jim larson · 2K+ Club

I have heard you have to be really carefull when going to the larger valves. Maybe you so check some of the information on Team Chevelle.

67ss · 1K+ Club

I have not heard anything about bigger valves being a problem. I have read some things about closed chamber pistons sometimes hitting on open chamber heads. But I will check into it and make sure before doing anything. Thanks

jim larson · 2K+ Club

I think it relates to older BB heads and problem with the water jacket being to close to the exhaust seats. I would ask questions in the engine section of team Chevelle.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=18

Have also heard that going to small block valves is an option.

Wasn't the 65 396 vett engine that was rated at 425hp exactly the same 66 396/375HP from carb, to intake, to heads, to cam, to block, to pistions, to camshaft, etc , except for different exhaust manifolds.

-- Edited by jim larson on Tuesday 11th of May 2010 05:23:01 PM

jim larson · 2K+ Club

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232131

here is a response to a question I posed.

67ss · 1K+ Club

Thanks for the link. I have been doing some reading after you mentioned this and came to the conclusion it is not worth putting the bigger valves in. Actually after sitting down and doing some compression math the heads we have are not going to work. I am going to look for a set of closed chamber heads so I can get the compression where I want it to be. Will just so some mild porting with the stock valve sizes and it should be more then enough to make the 400 horsepower goal.

I did get the crank dropped off and it is supposed to be done by the end of this week. smile

Jon H · 1K+ Club

Chris,
Which 396 are you starting with, I have an L78 I want to work on this winter and am very interested on what you start with, what you do, what you end up with and of course the mistakes you make as you go. I hate to reinvent the wheel. Jon

67ss · 1K+ Club

It is a 69 casting and the deck stamping shows it was a 265 horse police car engine so nothing real special. Going to do a pretty mild build on it hoping for around 400 horse. his car is not an original big block car so we are not going for originality. The crank had a small crack in it that crankshaft supply is going to fix and then grind it, hoping to have it back next week.

We are going with a little different cylinder head route though. We are going to get some head from a 96-98 454 truck motor. They are 100 cc chambers and with a little porting should flow enough for what we need. It will be cheaper to do this then to buy old casting and have to completely redo them.

I will keep posting as things progress, we are still in mostly planning stages at this point.

67ss · 1K+ Club

Well still waiting for the crankshaft it ended up having a crack in it that they are fixing before they grind it.

We did pick up a set or 1998 vortec 7400 cylinders heads. I'll post some pictures of them they have a heart shaped combustion chamber and a goofy ramp in the intake port.

67ss · 1K+ Club

Figured it was time for an update. The forged crank ended up being junk they could not fix the crack. Had to drop off the cast crank and they turned that one with no problems. Then last night I dropped off the block at the machine shop to get the full treatment of Decking, boring, line honing, and balancing. Need to get the pistons on order and connecting rod bolts to drop them off next.

Looks like we are going with the XE274 camshaft. Going to try and get the heads off to the porting guy next for some grinding so hopefully everything will be done at about the same time.

bowtie · Secretary

Gonna have Brian at R&R do it, or by Brian D?

67ss · 1K+ Club

Nope is being done by cedar machine in north branch.

bwild70ss396 · Active Member

I have the bigger then standard valves in my #290(?) heads on my 396 and a pocket port. They are the standard Rect port size. I have the Comp Cams XE 270 Truck cam for my "truck" El Camino of course!

bowtie · Secretary

67ss wrote:

Nope is being done by cedar machine in north branch.

Same Cedar machine we used to go to in Eagan?

67ss · 1K+ Club

Yep same one, he says he is retired but still has a full shop at his house.

67ss · 1K+ Club

Got the call from the machine shop on friday the block work is all done. Hoping to pick it up sometime next week. I'll get some pictures and update what is going on.