Piston help

[evilmopar]

Parts, cores, and american engine expertise harder to come by in Sweden.

Parts is easily ordered from summit, jegs, mancini etc. Cores are pretty easy to find here but people thinks it is gold now adays when it's Chrysler stuff. Smallblock chevys you can digg up in the back yard together with volvo parts . We have some pretty skilled people here on us made engines, bad thing is machine shops want's alot of money for machining, exc over size a 440 incl top deck and line hone the mains will easily set you back $1000. Balancing crank and weight match pistons and rods cost from $800 and up. Dyno session with tune cost about $800. Thats just machining and machine time.

 

[BSB67]

You know your situation best.

But if your block is good, verses getting another block, the only cost difference is the pistons. Personally, I'd seriously consider paying twice as much for pistons if I can use the known good block already sitting on my engine stand.

 

[33 IMP]

Are you using mopar size piston pins, or big block chevy size?
As an aside, just spitballing. If you are using chevy pins(and therefore maybe chevy rods, 4.400 is a fairly common big block chevy size. Maybe a solid domed chevy hi-comp piston with a little machine work?
Sorry, spitballing- throwing out ideas to see what happens.
Also, what size chamber in your heads?

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Thing is the 400 was a late model smog engine so it's roots aren't performance based.... There aren't many "shelf " pistons that raise the C/R so you step up into custom pistons.... Or build big power the easy way... Don't build a 400 as a 400, mostly folks drop a stroker kit in 400 blocks.. The 451, 470, 493, 500, 511 all start with a 400 block & make good power.. For what your doing if you block checks good I'd build a 451 or a 470 & never look back... Your performance goals will be markers along the way to going faster...

FWIW There are more current ways of getting there but here's an old school 451 build as explained by Andy Finkbeiner

http://arengineering.com/tech/451-manifesto/

And if you like what Andy has to say, here's more of his articles...

http://arengineering.com/tech/

 

[PRHeads]

If you’re willing to step up to a stroker, Icon has a few different pistons for a .060 400 block.

I’d just go right to the 512 myself.
Put you right in the 10’s.