hey its been a long while since i posted any thing thing up, well actully its been since i was deployed, well any ways i am writing to see if i can get some help building up my 396 bb, i have not the clue what to do when building a engine i am more a body guy, and desiel but never tore one down to rebuild it, and clue where to start a good bok or anything to help and the best place to get the parts to rebuild thanks.
Get Chevrolet's book on high performance engine building...lists parts, procedures, etc. Hit any speed shop and peruse the books available on building BBC engines. Amazon.com has several good books.
I wish you were closer BTChopShop. I know 396's and could help ya'. I could do it with your avatar's bandana pulled over my eyes,LOL. But body work sends me runni'n and I could sure use help in that area. Thanks, Billyts... for your sacrifice and service to our country, by-the-way. Feel free to PM with questions.
It depends on what you want to do with it. I see a fair number of people who have unrealistic expectations of them, simply "because it's a big block". There's also a great deal of Internet bullshit about the 396, including some on here, unfortunately. Two things to remember (IMHO): One, "396" covers a lot of sins, so to speak. There were a lot of different versions of them, all the way from 2 bbl. light truck/station wagon slugs to "375hp" Chevelle/Camaro units. Also, after this amount of time there may have been some parts mixing. If you aren't certain what you have, post the casting numbers if you can. Two: It is very easy, if you aren't careful, to spend an assload of money on a BBC, especially if you start replacing things that don't need replaced, or start with a clunker. If you are going to spend an assload of money, you might as well spend it on a 454 or a 496. I've built several low-buck 396/402s, and they are reliable and strong engines within their limits- but to me, the whole appeal of them is that you CAN build them for a reasonable amount of money. If you are expecting, say, 600 hp, don't spend a dime on it- get a 4.250 bore block instead and go from there. It can be done but you won't be happy about the money spent and the temperamental, snotty nature of the 396 that makes 600 hp. Again, depends on what you plan to do with it, and your tolerance for babying an engine. If you will be well satisfied with a reliable 490-500 hp from 87-89 octane pump gas and a beautiful, flat torque curve from 2000-5500 rpm, and reasonable fuel mileage, the 396 will do ya fine. You will find that a lot of the BBC books either have outdated info, or will tell you all about the 454, but don't cover the 396 in depth. The basic rebuild procedures are mostly the same (there is a minor quirk about the early '65-'66 blocks and cams/oiling). The piston choices for the 396/402 are fairly limited, and depending on the cylinder heads, you may end up with too little compression, or too much. You can always buy custom pistons, but again- at $700 or more- if you are going to throw an assload of $$$, etc., etc. If you have average CC open chamber heads, it becomes very difficult to make much compression at all without a huge, heavy dome. With closed chamber heads, you may have too much compression, or have to have the piston milled. Some of the commonly used forged pistons cannot be milled much at all due to their design. None of the BBC books really address this. It can all be solved with some thought and careful parts selection, hopefully without spending a fortune. And as a final note- when various folks tell you that your 396 can just be bored right out to the 4.250 427/454 bore size with no problems, just nod, smile, and move right along. Some 396/402 blocks can be bored that far, and a lot more can't be safely bored that much. As mentioned, if you can post the casting numbers, we can go from there.
Thank you for your service. I had pretty good luck with Geddes Machine in Colorado Springs, and also with High Pro Engines on South Jason St in Denver. There are some good shops in Denver, but those are 2 that I have had good luck with. In order to really help you we need to know exactly what you have and what you want to do. What car is it for, what do you want this car to do (race, daily driver, weekend cruiser, etc), and how much are you looking to spend. Brian
the casting number is 3916323, today as i was taking the pistons out, i noticed that the block were the heads mout up have a few pits around it in a few areas. now i want to know if i should keep building it up or s the block a big paper weight now.
the casting number is 3916323, today as i was taking the pistons out, i noticed that the block were the heads mout up have a few pits around it in a few areas. now i want to know if i should keep building it up or s the block a big paper weight now.
Good advice! I have a 70 402 that I pretty much can't drive until I lower the compression. I figure I need 103 to 106 cc combustion chambers and aluminum heads to run pump gas in a driver. 90% of the aftermarket heads are for 454 and larger engines. Thanks for your service.
Thanks for your service brother, I only wish you were in Florida, and we would build you something soup-to-nuts. We would be honored. TR
Billyt, Deck pitting isn't necessarily cause to make it a paperweight. First, many/most BBCs have decks that are not 90 deg. to each other and/or are out end-to-end; also many are warped. The deck heights are almost always out to lunch. In short, it will almost certainly need to be decked anyway, which may get rid of the pitting. If not, minor pitting doesn't generally cause a problem. That '68 block casting has the post-'66 oiling and is a true 396...not much else to say about it. If it's in decent shape it's a good starting point. Also, do you know the head casting numbers? What do you want it to do, and what's it going in? Joel- If you want aluminum heads, all the current castings on the market have chamber designs and deck thickness such that you can easily cut them down to under 100cc without any issues. My choice would probably be to start with the TFS 280cc intake "PowerOval" heads or the Brodix 270cc Race-Rite heads, but there are some other options with decent intake ports & chamber sizes. If you aren't crazy about spending the money for beercan heads, and the closed chamber heads will give you too much compression, try looking for a set of 3933148 heads. They were originally truck heads and have a modified open chamber with a nominal 113cc volume, but can easily be cut down. 103cc might be a stretch, or not, depending on the deck thickness, but 106 is no problem. These were originally designed for 402s and have nice intake ports with a volume around 270cc (I've seen a wide variance here). They make a very nice head for a strong street engine or a 4x4 or towing application, with some mild port work.
Ok...so they are oval port, closed chamber heads with the 2.06/1.72 valves. Decent heads, with some work. Given most of the common 396/402 piston choices, you will probably end up with too much compression for the street, but there are a couple of options. To go any farther, though, we still need to know: 1) Budget 2) The car/truck it's going in 3) What you expect it to do. Is it going to be a daily driver? Does it have to run on pump gas? Will you have an automatic? A/C? Power brakes and steering? Is anyone else going to drive it? 4) What parts do you want to use...for example, do you want a blower? A four barrel? A nasty-sounding cam? Gots to tell us some more details....
my budget right now is up in the air the wife just wants it to run. its going to be my dailey driver mostly unless with the family then we use out trailblazer, i put power brakes in the truck already, and it will be running off of pump gas, and i want it to hook to a 700r4 tranny witch i am looking for right now, im wanting to put a 4 barrel demon 750 on it and a nasty cam the smallest lift i want is a .510 lift,
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