As far as the 406 Dart engine JMorgan I think you are the Expert here. After reading your story, you should write a book. (soured on engine builders). I had not realized what a power house the 406 really was. watching Dyno testing and the numbers were very impressive for a SBC 570+ HP and 520+ touque makes me want to build one. I can see why you made that choice, a 77 sleeper. Back in the early 70s I traded (running 64 F-85 Oldsmobile) a 62 Corvette from my (gear head) neighbor, at the time we were going to school Boise State junior college. He was raking auto body and I was taking mechanics votech courses. Jerry was parting out the car when I traded for it, It was missing the engine and transmission, I bought the trans back a close ratio muncie 4 speed, the engine was gone. My oldest brother (a Corvette gear head) had bought a 396 BB from a salvaged 67 station wagon that left the mountain road highway into a river and burned. The engine had gotten so hot it melted the cam bearings. I paid my brother $100 for the engine and rebuilt it. Stuck it in the 62, (tight fit). that car would get 20mpg with a for speed and 3.36 diff. gears. Engine close to stock with 10:1 pistons and a 390 HP 427 hydraulic 90 HP camshaft, good combination. It ran good, good enough all the cops in that town knew who I was. Well that was my first Corvette, brother had a 68 Corvette roadster 327 4 speed that he would let me drive it to high school on occasions, fun car nothing fancy red on red outside and inside. At that time the Chevy dealership kids did not drive Corvette to school, all Chevy dealerships got on Corvette, then ordered for customers no lot stock, so the kids drove Z-28s sometimes. Good Times.

 

My goal was primarily low end torque improvement over the first 350 build. This new engine is more mild than both builds of the 406, with a smaller cam,…..but it’s vastly improved in all the ways both 406 builds failed and I am sure whatever torque and power levels it puts out…it will be enough for me. I just want a strong and reliable engine so I can drive the car….a lot. I can’t continue losing years with car garaged.

 

Yes I had that same thought with the 402. So far it's working well, still trying to find the sweet spot with the carburetor and distributor, it's close. It needs some miles put on it but I haven't made the time to do that yet, soon. Hopefully your new engine meets your expectations and gives you that great GM/Dart feeling again.

 

I am hopeful this 400 build will be what I want it to be. I have no specific torque numbers to meet, and in fact, I care more about reliability at this point. Whatever the feel of the engine is now,....my intent is to be satisfied, as long as it runs well as it should. I do suspect it to be a torque monster, and that is what I wanted. I really don't care what happens above 3500 RPM or how fast the car goes,....because I don't live in those worlds. My driving is mostly on two-lane twisty back roards around my ware in Western PA....which is great fun.....doing 45-60 MPH, t-tops off, windows down. Most of the time.....alone, the way I like it best. I don't go to car shows, not interested in street or drag racing, and certainly don't participate in any abuse of the car, which includes spinning expensive tires into donuts, showing off with ricer boys in their turbo'd Jap cars....or playing with jacked pickup trucks. As I stated,.....my world if different than the majority. I have continuously refined this car to my idea of perfection, and is my masterpiece,.....for me. I am hopeful that spring of next year will be the beginning of another 5000 miles of driving per year....for the rest of what remains of my life.

 

Sounds a lot like my kind of driving!

 

Sounds like a low bar goal and you should be able to do that, it's a Chevy. There is a point where you get tired of being under the car and just wanting to be in the car, and be done with dinking with everything. I hope to do the same, not sure I can refrain from dinking.

 

I guess you could call it a "low bar" goal.. Fact is,.....all it takes to make massive HP is money. Today's technology with fuel injection, turbos and superchargers have reset the levels of power available from what it was in the 60's-70's. A Chevy V8 is no longer the king, and ALL cars today make power and go faster than what it used to be. They also all handle better than the previous generations. So......its another reason I have no interest in the HP obsession......it simply is no longer a measure of value to me. Some people can't handle that and they ONLY measure value in how powerful the engine is. If I wanted my Corvette to make huge power, I have the money to do it......but HP numbers are totally irrlelevant to me.

What makes my car, and a C3 Corvette, special is NOT in the power of the engine. Its the 16 year old ME who from the moment I first saw a C3 Corvette dreamed of owning one, and it took ANOTHER 40 years of living before I could afford one. I get great satisfaction at just "looking" at the car in the garage. But the best part is sitting behind the wheel, seeing those big curved front fenders arching up in the view, the narrow and tight cockpit, the clunky and cool 4-speed shifter,....and the sound of the Chevy v8 with proper exhaust. Its how MY car handles with manual steering and good suspension and tires.....its a unique, different and very special experience...unlike ANYTHING else I have ever driven. Sure....engine power is great, and I have plenty for what I do with the car. In fact, I have excess power.....so having even more "excess" power really makes no difference to me. I am not in the club that sits around on a barstool bragging about HP numbers......cause I am too busy out enjoying the car on the road.

 

I think you have your road mapped out. I would like to say I'm not to far behind you. I don't see many older corvetts ( C-3s) out on the roads around Boise anymore, not sure why. I think a lot of the older guys don't work on them anymore and the younger guys don't know how too. I know very few people who know about how to work on carburators anymore. I would agree a good condition C-3 with a strong smooth running and handling V8 would be my Dream car.

 

For my money, the best sounding exhaust on C2 and C3s is the factory sight exhaust. Although the C2 factory side exhaust on a big block can become very intolerably loud on long trips. It's fine around town though. I learned that lesson on a long road trip in Northern California in my friend's '66 427 roadster that I did a lot of wrenching on over the years.

 

I have under-car StainlessWorks 2-1/2 inch stainless mandrel bent exhaust into their mufflers.....its a great sound. I was using their 1-3/4 inch headers, but their inlet did not match well with the AFR heads, so I bought a set of American Racing Headers 1-3/4 inch headers....and they are beauitiful, fit well, etc. I have never had any heat issues with the uncoated stainless headers. Now, .....I have to get some new transition pipes fabricated for the new headers. I am having trouble finding someone to do it.