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400 c.i. small block chevy transplant


Guest MeanVortecV8

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Guest MeanVortecV8
I have an 88 Firebird w/ a 305 in it (sucky). I am looking to put a 406 c.i. (400 bored .030 over) in it. I'm going to put a carb on it and get ride of the computer / electrical shit (a.k.a. fuel injection). Anyone have any tips, suggestions, ideas on complications, etc.?
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Guest MeanVortecV8

Don't really have the $ for AFR heads...I'm just gonna get the stock 400 heads ported and polished for now...if I do end up getting heads I'll probably buy edlebrock aluminum heads though...

 

Any ideas on how much compression I could run on high test?

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Yeah, what Nick said. Your stock pump puts out way too much pressure for a carb. You'll need to either pull it and replace it with a lower pressure one, or run a return style regulator that can go down to 5-7 psi.

 

The swap is otherwise simple. The increased torque may cause you to break tranny mounts, however. My Camaro has been through several.

 

The stock Vortec heads are considered the best GM production heads by most people and are pretty cheap.

 

For compression with iron heads, I'd stay conservative if you want to run pump gas. No more compression than your cam needs. Without knowing what cam you plan to run, it's hard to say, but the ballpark would be under 10:1. With AL heads, you can go a little higher. Same goes for high overlap cams. Dynamic compression is what really counts. Sounds to me that with the mild heads you're planning on, that your cam won't be too extreme. Pick a cam and go with what the manufacturer recommends.

 

If your CR is too high, you'll have to take some advance out to keep the pistons in one piece. Or you'll have to start mixing race gas in.

 

If it's a TPI car, you should be careful in removing the harness, sensors, ECU, etc. A working TPI system is worth $$$ to some people. Hot rod types love that setup.

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Guest MeanVortecV8
Originally posted by Stolen UFO:

If it's a TPI car, you should be careful in removing the harness, sensors, ECU, etc. A working TPI system is worth $$$ to some people. Hot rod types love that setup.

I am going to go w/ a pretty rumpy cam that makes power from 2500 to 6500 since my stall converter is 2500. I already have a torker II intake making power from 2500 to 6500. I had the tranny rebuilt by a pro-tranny builder. He rebuilt my 700r4 to hold up to 800hp and gave me closer ratio shifts too (plus I have 4.10 gears). I also replaced all the tranny mounts w/ polyurethane ones when I put the tranny back in. And, my 305 does have a working TPI in EXCELLANT condition that I plan to sell, some of the money for that can go towards the heads I want to buy!
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Guest MeanVortecV8

I'm trying to make myself a little beast

I have a holley 750 double pumper that my dad used on his IHRA Hot Rod (10.90 index) car...the sweet part about this carb is that the choke was elimated and the carb was ported and polished :eek:

 

The guy who does my dad's race tranny's did it, Bob's Transmission is the place, but since we do some sponsorship stuff on our families race cars (Ross Family Racing), he benched it for me for $300, fabulous deal eh?

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