There is no replacement for displacement.:thumbsup:

 

Yes there is..its called forced induction.My little 461 low compression slug acts like a n/a roller 540.Go figure.

 

Not exactly the answer i was looking for. So why are you running a 350? haha

 

It came in the car, it runs, and I can't afford to replace it. I would kill for a 406.

 

406! :beers:

 

rafael,
If you are strictly looking for performance, the 406 will always be better. Not sure what you mean by the 377 being better at the top end ? Horsepower is horsepower and the more cubic inches, the more horsepower, everything else being equal.

 

You'll luv the 406

 

You'll never catch the 400:noway: but your golden if your racing a 350

 

Build the engine you want to build. If you build the 406, will you regret not doing the 377? Or vice versa? with the 377 you will probably lose a bit of torque compared with the 406 but not much hp if any. You can more than make up for the difference with the other components you select.

In my opinion, yes cubic inches are an easy way to make more tq and hp, but I like the idea of doing more with less. To me, hot rodding isn't about doing things easier, but about doing things the way you want to do them.

If you want 11 second combos search for the thread I started called "post your 11 second combo"

 

377 = rever

406 = torque monster

Me ? I like the sink in the seat torque :yes:

 

depends if you want to spend $$ on a new crank, personally id build the 406 since your race weight is heavy. 377's being better revvers is circa 1985 talk along w 400's overheating. Maybe for endurance racing but for most applications 406 and bigger is the ticket.

 

Thanks guys.

Sik68: i found that post thanks

 

406 for sure if you want the fastest - 377 if your heart's set on it, but it won't keep up with a comparably built 406.

 

With the heavy car you'll really appreciate the 406. Don't be fooled by any old wives tales, the 406 can rev like a son of a gun with the right cam and heads.

What heads are you going to use?

 

Bracket dragster guys are always trying to find ways to chase their opponent down harder at the end of the track.Have you even noticed the trend iin bracket dragster engines?10 years ago a 540 pushing you to 7.90's would have you at the top of the heap.Today 632's and 648's are getting commonplace and 7.40's are the norm.Notice a trend here.Build a 406 AND turn it hard.No reason you cant make a 406 run over 7000 rpm even without trick parts.Why go smaller unless the rulebook requires it?

 

My 406 has seen the 7500 mark a time or two.... no improvement for me... but wasn't built to rev:noway:

 

. . . and my SBC 427 has seen 8,000 on the bottle. Mine wasn't really intended to rev past the low 7,000's but on the bottle it pulls hard all the way to 8k.

It depends on the combo -- heads, cam, etc. Shoot, Sonny Leonard is selling 900+ inch BBC with 5.5" strokes that rev over 8 grand. I'll have to dig up details and post one of these days.

 

It is like when the old timers talk about how they build real mhorsepower and dont cheat with nitrous.I like to say that I can make all the "real" horsepower that they make AND shoot some nitrous on top.

Why have a little engine that revs high when you can have a big engine that revs even higher?

 

It is like when the old timers talk about how they build real mhorsepower and dont cheat with nitrous.I like to say that I can make all the "real" horsepower that they make AND shoot some nitrous on top.

Why have a little engine that revs high when you can have a big engine that revs even higher?

thats how i look at it. nitrous is just a fun power adder you can turn on and off, you can always use a little extra horsepower. :yes:

 

I had a 406 6" rod motor w/ brodix track 1 heads, It was a great motor and saw 7000 rpm all the time.

One of the best motors I had.

 

Another vote for a 406.

 

As for the bottle... it's real easy to add 200+ HP Vs. bumping compression up 3 points

 

Your best money spent will be on a great set of heads. Heads, along with a good cam and valve train, will set up how much hp you can make. Think of it simply, a 377 with good heads will easily out perform a 406 with crap heads.

To run mid 11's, seems to me you could do this with a 406, good heads and hydraulic roller cam. The 400 turbo, with heavy guts, will likely run better with the 406 as well. 377 would be more fun (and slower) with a 4 speed for a street car.

 

406 is the Ticket!
Heres a pic of my 406 going together,
6" rods solid roller lunati 242/249 @.050 595"
210 pro-filer heads 64cc 2.05 - 1.60's
11.1 comp. mahle forged flat tops 2 valve releifs

 

Another vote for never give up displacement, along with 2 other great truths:

Good breathing makes the engine, and a bigger engine takes a deeper breath.

Anyone who says big or long stroke engines won't rev is living in the '70's.

My 383 is up near 7k often, pulls hard and doesn't complain, hasn't ventilated anything yet (cast aftermarket crank, 2 bolt 327 block)
My friend Mark's 427 (and my other friend Harley's) will pull over 7k happily.

 

In my opinion, you need to decide on what heads you're going to run and what rpm range you want the engine to perform in. For any given engine displacement, there is a minimum cross-sectional area of the head's intake port required to make peak hp at a given rpm.

 

In a comparison of a 383 and a 377, the staff of Chevy High Performance magazine concluded the 383 would be a better performer for the drag strip while the 377 would be superior for road racing. Based on that information, the 406 should be a superior performer for a street/strip car. Like most who have posted on this thread, my two cents goes for the 406. Those additional 29 cubic inches make a big difference.

 

The staff of Chevy High Performance Magazine were wrong

The reason is because you can make more or less TQ by picking the right camshaft. If you want a smoother flatter power band for a road race car you don't need to handicap yourself with less stroke and a smaller engine if there are no class rules -- just use a bigger cam with a wider lobe separation angle in the biggest engine you can afford.

If I were after max power I would first buy the best flowing heads I could afford. Then build the most cubes to go under those heads that are a good match for those heads and pick a piston and camshaft that fit what I was trying to do.

Its that simple

 

I would think there is only so much stroke vs. rpm a block can take before the bottom end is compromised, larger ci engines in drag racing shift and run through the traps at 7k+ all the time, but having one of those engines in a road race car at a constant 5-7k for over an hour probably wouldn't hold up.

I also disagree with chp, it has been debated that a 377 is only good in a road race vehicle with a weak trans axle because of the low torque... tell that to my friend with a 650hp 377 in a 280Z that runs almost a 9