what size engine

Ben34

Ben34

Member
a friend of mine just bought a modified and was wondering what engine most of the other mod drivers used and liked the most? 406, 383, 377, or 350 and why. he is going to race at highland and would like to have enough power so all he needs to worry about is figuring out the car itself.
 
engine size

i would say start with a 355 something that you can handle until you get the hang of a lot of hp with very little ( LW ) car.

If you have any other questions give me a yell, i will answer them as honestly as i can.

Kent Schoeck

STICK
 
Id stay away from the 406's, unless you buy a dart block..and be prepared to pay lots for machine work to keep them runnign cool...not worht the hassle. Plus..they dont last long between refreshes. 355 is the way to go..till you get the hang of things because those cars are touchy as can be. Then..go bigger. Note..Mark Leuck ran a 355 in the a mods at Godfrey and Tri City..did really well. its not all the motor. Plus..he had the same result...406's not lasting..blowing up..and taking the heads and cams with them.
 
I Agree, Highland Is A Set-up Kinda Track. Very Dry And Not Much For A Big Motor To Get A Hold Of....... Baby Steps Lol
 
No way Gentlemen, The ONLY CHOICE is a 377. I've been through it all, I know. You only want to do it once, if you build a 355, i'll guarantee you that before long you'll be wanting more, plus your gonna have to turn it at least 500 more rpm than a 377. A 377 is a high rev engine(7500+) produces plenty of power when you need it(early in the night) or rainy weekends, see the key is building something that has enough cubic inch soto not get destroyed by big motors but still be good when its slick, so early in the night you turn it around 6500-7000, right where the motor produces torque, then when it gets slick 7500-8000 so that your over your torque range and its driveable. I know you say that 8000 is alot, but the technology today in eagle, scat and other affordable pieces is good enough to withstand it,and get used to it everyone else competitive in mods are!



Thanks
 
i disagree groove grabber..anything outta a 400 stock block isnt worth it.the castings arent any good and the webings dont hold up as long as needed.they do run well,but arent worth it..it takes alot of money to get a 400 block worth anything and then they dont last as long as they should..to start out your best bet is to take a 010 350 4 bolt and race prep it like we do.grind all the edges and outside that you can(helps strengthen and takes weight off),open up the oil returns in the lifter valley and install oil restrictors..then put the quality parts inside that you need...the 355 is the best all around motor you can build in my opinion.you can scream it,pull however much horsepower you want,and it is very reliable...
 
forgot to mention that if your gonna run a dart block then you can build the big cube engine and not worry about it flyin apart,dart block will hold any amount you wanna put to it..
 
Theres an old sayin ( there is no substitute for cubic inch) for a reason. We have built dozens of race engines over the years and I disagree with you. No doubt the 350 block is better, but the 400 has been just as reliable as it has, we always prep ours by splayed caps, align bore, deck, bore, and even 1/2 treatment with concrete sometimes, and besides the concrete, everything else has to be done to the 350 anyway. oh yea, I love coming up on a guy thats got a 355, winding the guts out of it, and pull by him like its a sunday drive, I think ****ERS!!!
 
i agree with the 377. you have the cubic inches, it revs up quicker with the shorter stroke,that helps getting out of the coners. and with a 8 or 9" tire you don't need monster power. really 550 to 650hp is all you need. no more than 650. 383s work well to, but consult your engine builder about rod length the 5.7 rods seems to cause problems with "notching" the bores. also a well balanced motor with good parts will turn 8,000 with no problems, just be careful on rough tracks that can cause big, quick rpm surges.
 
hey groove,would love for ya to come and try to blow by our 355,all i can tell ya is good luck,i love when guys think that the big motors are all that and can blow by anything that walks and then we make em look stupid with our little ol cubic inch 355,nothing enlightens me more...trust me we have ran with 434 and 420's and done plenty well...the 377 are powerhouses,and wind good,but so do the 355...we turn it 8000 no problem..21rocks,the 383 dont work as well as the 355..the 383 is nothing more than a 355 with a 400 crank,thus stroking it.i dunno about you but i would rather haver the shorter stroke 355 than a stroked 383..we have a 383 as well and im not a fan...but i guess it is whatever you prefer...
 
we also have a very potent 377 and i will say it does have alot more outta the corner,but down the straitaway our 355 will out power it..maybe we just got lucky with the 355 and got everything matched perfect,all i can say is i am very impressed with them ...im not saying every 355 will outpower the big engines but i know i would put this one against any big engine..
 
no substitute for cubic inch bs

I agree with racer 94, a well built 355 will outlast and outperform a 377 on the track,espically a dry,tight track such as highland, now if we were dyno racing, which alot of people seem to do, the 377 would likely be the winner, the easiest thing to do is go talk to someone who dominates, and wins, see what they are running, will give you a idea,
 
thanks busarider but a dyno run dont always tell either.the 355 we have has 637 horse on gas,about what a good 377 pulls...they are alot of times underestimated..
 
Both the 377 and 355-362 are really good choices for a mod. If it is a 23* 355 there will be times you want more power, the 377 may have more than you need at times, but will be real drivable if done properly. It does depend on the track also, a track that is slick early will lend itself to the smaller engine.
 
dean you are right... the 355 i am talkin about is *18 degree,it has just as much power as any motor we have ran so far,it has too much at times..we dont get as much torque out of the hole(when it is dry this is good) but on down the strait we can really scream it and it pulls hard...
 
I was wondering about the 383. Wouldn't you have about as much horsepower as a 355, but with more torque from the longer stroke? Assuming the engine is clearanced properly, wouldn't the 383 be a better option and still let you keep the more reliable 350 block?
 
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