400 C.I. Vortec

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michael hurd

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I'm glad you feel that way. Being that the 406 would only cost around 1800 to build, what makes that a "unicorn" idea? What's stops me from building the motor and using everything else stock? Tune it to a safe running level and knock it around for a while. The people that built it in the article I read used 882 heads with 202 valves, stock iron intake with matching Q jet carb(from junk yard) and stock manifold. Why can't i do that for a little while?

Uh... in my neck of the woods, you would be talking in the $700 range just for machine work to the block, most balanced rotating assemblies in the moderate price range are still $ 1200+, for real nice stuff, you are talking over 2K for a rotating assembly.

Add in another $2200 for cylinder heads, near a grand for set of rockers, roller cam and lifters.
 

michael hurd

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Yes. Ill be stretching the stock injection but if I get the proper size cam and tune, it'll run just fine. Remember they used a stock quadrajet and cast iron intake on their build and it ran just fine.

And who has Quadrajet tuning parts laying around...? I do, packed away in some corner of a storage shed, various secondary rods, different hangers, jets, probably a few gaskets as well squirreled away. The engine I built just out of high school propelled my '83 olds down the track quite fine, it ran a 14.2 with a very mild cam, a set of hedman headers and an Edelbrock Performer RPM Q-jet intake.

If you can find a carb that's doesn't need the throttle shaft bushings replaced and generally un-molested over the years, you must have a better selection of parts than I do. It's hard enough to find GMT400's that haven't been molested and abused over these years.
 

michael hurd

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These are quite a bit cheaper than they are here in Canada, they go for around $ 2200 a set here, even if I was to order them from Jegs, ship to the border I would be looking at $ 1418+ at least 10% for currency conversion and then taxes when I bring them into Canada from the US.

350-60985

That's not taking into account needing hardened washers under the head bolts, so now you are buying a set of head bolts or head studs.... buy a set of premium gaskets, buy a set of custom length pushrods, etc, etc.
 
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