Was given a full car with this engine and I'm thinking of using it in my 63 Dodge. I know nothing about them...good, bad...indifferent???? How do i go about getting rid of the "lean burn" setup if i decide to use it? Trans seems to have no park but the lever moves. Is that an issue that Torqueflites are know for or is it something extremely unusual? Fluid is red and smells perfect. Thanks!
Not a thing in the world wrong with a 400, although they aren't a "traditional" engine. Lots of go-fast goodies for them just like any B or RB Mopar. They make a good base for a 451 stroker motor, and can be built to make good hp and tons of torque. Yes, the lean burn needs to meet the garbage can quickly...
It's basically just a 383, so outward appearence is very traditional. Mopar has a lean burn converstion kit that has everything you need to sh1tcan that garbage. (www.manciniracing.com) I remember when it used to cost about $65 new, including distributor and wires! Not anymore! Torquflite's are about the most bullet proof trans out there. Yours is the big 'un, the 727. I wouldn't be surprised if you simply had a linkage adjustment problem, but I haven't worked on them in years. Still, I doubt it is very serious. The 383/400 motor is about an inch narrower than the 440/413/426 mill. It's a good motor (compared to a GREAT motor like the 440) especially when built as a stroker.
Storm King is right about the 383 being more traditional--it and the 413 have been around much longer. I was thinking of the mid to late '70s vintage of the 400s not really falling into the traditional category... But lots of folks couldn't tell a 383 from a 400.
Shh, don't let the unwashed read this.... how to do a 400 real nice.... http://www.arengineering.com/articles/451.html Paint it tourquoise and tell 'em it's a 383.
On this build I have to be more concerned with cash outlay than absolute era correctness...but still it DOES look like an earlier 383, much as a 350/400 Chevy looks like a 283/327 to the common man. That will work perfectly for me. Will it bolt up to a 318 Poly K frame or will I need to make mounts myself? What exactly is required to get rid of the Leanburn system? I believe its a distributor change but what else? Is the original carb OK to use? Regarding distributors...what do I need one from? Will a 318 distributor fit??? I got a million questions I could ask because I'm a total Newbe to Mopars, but I'm reading and learning as much as I can! It's just that some of the questions need answering sooner than later and I don't have time to do all the research NOW! Thanks for the help guys. Hope you can expand on it all with some additional detail!
Afraid I've not messed with any poly stuff so I can't comment on whether you'll need to fab mounts for the B block. My gut reaction there tells me that the poly mounts would NOT work. I could very well be wrong... Also you'll have to find a distributor for a 383 or 400, a 318 distributor will definitely NOT work. Welcome to the wonderful world of Mopars, they're addictive and more unusual than the more run of the mill stuff.
You would most likely have to fab mounts or use a Big Block cross member if they came in that body. Schumacher creative services, (http://www.engine-swaps.com/Pages/Products.html) does conversion mounts though so they may have something for you or know what might work. The park assy is in the tail shaft section and there is an adjustment to it, looking at the service manual for my 68 Dart. If your rebuilding the engine, don't go too big with the bore. 400's are notoriously thin castings. Std Mopar BB heads will work even the Max wedges but you'll need a special custom intake for that. Distributor has to be for a low block (361,383,400) BB along with the intake, unless using Mopar stage 5 heads. I had problems with my Chrysler conversion ignition where the reluctor was out of round new and had to true it up on the lathe. Buy an MSD ready to run or something similar to that and be done with it. Hope this helps. Paul
According to a drag racer friend of mine the 400 had the biggest bore of any B/RB engine. Drag racers love to stroke em. He has a 400 stroked to ... If I remember what he told me ..472 and burns alcohol in a 70 Barracuda. He told me that if Chrysler had brought out the 400 earlier in the heyday of the muscle car....late 60s it would have been a bad mamma. Put some good heads on it, stroke it and have fun.
Poly, prolly not. However, they did have polys and BBs in 63, so it may work with the correct engine brackets. The late model (lean burn era) mounts are different. Trans bellhousing is different. Lean Burn is the dist (computer-controlled timing) and carb (CC'd mixture). Replace both. Also remove all the thermal switches, sensors, vacuum lines, harness and put it all in a box for the restorer (most have already been trashed, the stuff is HARD to find, but not many looking). They may trade you for a regular carb and dist.
Schumakers mount kits allow you to bolt in a b/rb without any frame modifications - its a no brainer The torqueflite trans will go in, will bolt up to existing mounting points but the cable shift will not work as they earlier ones from 62 to 65 used a different shifting mechanism via the push buttons and the "park" was a separate lever on the dash where as your trans will have a park position off the same linkage as the gear selection. even so - a popular and reliable conversion
The only real experience I've had with one of these motors was with a non-lean burn '71 Chrysler that my dad owned. Probably 6 or 8 years old at the time. Nice enough car going down the road but it wouldn't pull the hat off your head from a stop light. My tinkering around with the tune up never really improved things much. The car went away before I could do any more experimenting but I had more than one person mention that this engine combo suffered from retarded cam timing. Supposedly this was part of Chrysler's emission tuning. This, with maybe a stretched timing chain, would explain the sluggish behavior. Don't know how much you're planning to get into this engine, but it might be worth closely checking the cam timing. The cam grind itself may not be too bad and getting it advamced back to something like '68 383 specs may really help bring it back to life.
The 63 Dodge had B engines from the factory so if you can find era specific brackets it should be a bolt-in. Yes, I know that many folks claim a K-member change is needed, but from high school days I absoultely know that the 413 I installed, where the 318 was, went together with stock parts. As was said, the Lean-burn is a carb and ignition package. since the Mopar electronic ignition has been around since 1970 parts are everywhere. If you need/want additional info check into Moparts and DiamondBack forums. Also, Bob Mazzolini Racing is an excellent parts source, ask him about brackets. .
http://www.olympia-charger.com/2006/07/dolmetsch_built.html This is a 400 I did for this lemans driver practice car. It is now in its 6th year of running. I have also built this motor very similar in drag style as well as street. The 400 is a very good engine in its own right. it has the largest bore of any Mopar v8 even bigger than the 440 at 4.34" (440 is 4.32) It has the same stroke as a 383 mopar. (3.38") which is .100" shorter than even a 350 chev. The short stroke makes this motor almost indestructable ((which is why I choose it for the lemans road race engine as I knew it would be severely punished. Power on the chassis Dyno was 408 at 6400 and climbing(rear wheels). Working backwards from that it is not more than 510hp and not less than 485 Hp at the flywheel. This particular engine runs on not more than 95 octane fuel and is 9.6 to 1 compression. Ross made the pistons for me. You can now buy a set from Kb that will work fine. With this build for a drag car (first 400 experimental project) made them here in my shop from 030" oversize 440 TRW forgings. (that engine is still alive too. Ran 11.55 off the trailer in an 82 Mirada) Both thise engines had iron heads (452 my favorite) ported here in house. The lemans engine had 1.81 2.14 valves and the drag had 1.74 2.14s. Both engines ran my own private cam grind , a stout hydraulic which i also run in my 426 max wedge street car. All three engines run stamped steel rockers. The lemans had a Holley street dominator intake and the drag a severly modified torker. (Not my choice so i beat on it till I was satisfied!) The lemans engine runs a slightly reworked Holley 800 DP. All run mopar distributor electronic on an LX101 box (Blue Streak Standard Ignition Products) Engine will fit poly mounts with the right mounts from Schuhmacher. A mopar MP windage tray, a melling hv pump and a hemi 1/2 pickup is standard in my build of these engines along with at least 1 more Qt of oil with a bigger pan. Only the lemans has special rods. The drag engine has stockers with good bolts. You will not have any trouble with them. Full grooved mains deisred and at the very least 3/4 grooved are a minimum. I have also bult the 400 at 460 cubes (Econo Big Block Chrysler Power magazine late 1997 has my build ) 455 cubes and 426 cubes. The 400 cubed engine make a good acount for themselves and are my favourite of all the builds. Otherwise i build the 440 if cubes are an issue. Great motor you have there. Enjoy it. Max bore on a stock block early core 060. (4.4") Don
I have a 64 Fury that came to me with a 318 poly. I stuck a 383 in to it, no problems, no motor mount modifications.
Sounds like I'll be using this engine for sure! I'm surprised by how little you hear of this engine when it appears to be a real weapon in the right hands. I'm just gonna run it stock though. No racing...just highway cruising. Now, gotta ask some of the local Mopar guys if they have a 383 distributor to part with....if not: Epay. thanks....
The Mopar Performance conversion package, P3690427, runs around $200-$225. This is a good way to get all new parts including the wiring to tie into your stock harness. .
Great read, Don! We're sketching out a build for a powerplant in a '65 Altered wheelbase Barracuda, and the idea of building a 400 came to mind..
Works out great that this thread popped back up! I'm looking at some distributors on Epay and find a company selling a HEI unit for a great price. Has Vacuum advance etc and offers easy hookup with just a 12v live. Thing is...its only available for a small block or the RB big block (440 etc) Am I right in thinking that it would be a simple matter to shorten the 440 style shaft and remill the blade tip to make it work in my low deck 400? I've heard of a spacer that can be used, not sure where to get one, but it seems almost easier to just shorten the 440 shaft and plug it together like stock! Apparently there is no drive gear on a Mopar distributor...just a tab that fits a slot. Can anyone shed a bit of light on this possibility for me????
I think I have a Torqer intake manifold for a 383/400... Let me know if your interested and I'll snap some photos of it once it cools down around here... It's freakin' HOT here today..