Ok, just had this idea floating around in my head for a few days based on what I found at the local pick it yourself yard.

-400ci small block (3 in the yard last week)
-327 sourced 3.25 forged crank (1 that I could find)
-5.7 forged "pink" rods from 93-94 lt1 (2 in one yard 1 in another)
-lt1 aluminum heads and intake, welded and modded for gen I sbc (I have not seen
anyone mod lt1's for steam ports on here or any other search?)
I can pick up all this with acc with any combo of parts that make a complete engine for just under $200 when the yard has a half price 3 day weekend about every 2 months

Also thinking
-t3 .50 trim garrett turbo(X2) sourced off early 80's volvo (found 8 in the yard, with clean intakes, free spinning, and no shaft play on 2 out of 3 I checked[just under $100])
-7 psi of boost with tpi computer and ebl
-aftermarket pistons custom
-lt1 gen I mods
-diy log manifolds
-custom grind cam to match
-custom main bearings
-bore .030
-I have the scale to do some of the balancing
-heavy weight plug and balance the crank and assembly

Just the junk yard parts should not cost more than $400

It makes a 354ci motor that can easly rev high 7000 rpm+

One online engine Dyno estimates it at about 500hp shifting at 6950.
It seems to me to be a fun combo that would not cost a fortune to get started as I can do most of the work myself. I think it looks like it has a whole lot of potential to get a lot crazier over time.

 

Why not build a 400 that makes 500 HP without having to rev to 7000 RPM?

 

x2

 

Well one it is a cheap way to build a forged bottom end. then there is the ability to run the motor later with a much larger turbo setup and it can handle 9000 rpm with the piston still being under 4900 fpm. The large bore should be able to support any sbc aftermarket head made. really, I have had the car as a weekend project for 2 years now and eventually I want to just make it a racer. 500hp is not the goal having the ability to go much higher as I have money to play is. plus why pull a lt1 or a 350 or even a 400 if just a little more time and work yields something that in theory seems much better, at least to me, and it costs the same. plus I like the idea of telling people it's just got a 350.

 

Whatever floats your boat, but on the street torque rules, which means cubes. Track the car and go for HP on top ok with that combo, but you will need to spend bucks on the valve train.

 

To start that small of a turbo hits boost at a very low rpm. It would have almost no lag, and would have a massive amount of torque. It's not a 1.0005 liter honda. engines flow the same cfm turbo or not, it is just more dense. just because there is a turbo does not mean it only makes power at 7000 rpm. There is a factor of restriction before boost, but nothing even substancial enough to mention.
Building it later would cost a lot to make it a racer. Like I originaly posted, should cost less than a good cast rotating assembly. The biggest cost will be pistons and machine work.
The only reason I posted the idea was to see if anyone had input on if this is even possible. I have yet to confirm things like how the mains would handle an insert like is needed. Also if the journals of a 327 can even be reasonably balanced to the larger piston size.
Another recent curiosity I had today was after runnin the flow numbers for the lt1 heads. I took some flow numbers from both stock and very reputably ported lt1 heads and calculated the area under the curve, It seems that I can not find a single ported lt1 that out preforms an unported stock vortec set of heads*. I'm not talking about peak power by any means. but just head vs head comparing the total curve the vortec has the win by far. Maybe I'm missing something here but it seems that there is a far bigger advantage to just using a set of vortecs that I have already pulled, (you have to love cash for clunkers 2 sets for $82 per set complete) and get a aftermarket tpi setup. I am just comparing mod lt1's to stock vortecs, there is still more to be had in porting the vortecs.

*I figure it best to include the math I'm using I don't want anyone getting offended.
Area under the curve=.05x((0+cfm@.100)+(cfm@.1+cfm@.2)+(cfm@.2+cfm@.3)+(cfm@.3+cfm@.4)+(cfm@.4+cfm@.5)+(cfm@.5+cfm@.6))

TPIS Lt1 (cleaned up) intake 101.5 cfm exhaust 77.15 cfm

" " (ported) intake 101.1 cfm exhaust 75.1

" Lt4 (stock) intake 100.9 exhaust 75.2

modern musclecar Lt1 (ported stage 2) intake 105.6 exhaust 80.52

Stock vortec as done by Popular hotrodding
intake 114.15 cfm
exhaust 85.9cfm

 

You can balance just about anything if you want to spend the time and money on it. If it's a small journal crank, you're going to be two sizes too small in the mains (2.3" crank vs. 2.65" block). Those spacers are going to be hard to find, and expensive when you do. It's also going to have 2" rod journals. You're going to need spacers to put 2.1" pink rods on. Good luck with that, too.

The pistons are going to be a killer. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if a set of 8 custom forged dished pistons with a 3.25" stroke, 5.7" rod and 4.125" bore cost much more than a brand new forged crank. Even the closest off-the-shelf piston for that combination at Summit is $609.95 a set, and that's with a dome that makes them useless for forced induction. Compare that with $659.95 for an Eagle forged 3.25" crank. And that's a medium journal crank at least, so it's only one size too small in the mains. The spacers for that you can get off the shelf at least, only $72.95. Better yet, compare those pistons with a set of forged, dished 400 pistons at $423.60, and you don't need to find custom unobtanium bearing spacers.

For what you're building, I wouldn't want to use any stock parts at all, even if they were the best of their breed almost 20 years ago for the rods, and 40 years ago for the crank. Even the 30 year old block needs to be forgotten about. What you're thinking of is at least theoretically possible, but it's not a "budget" or "junkyard" project, especially when you have to start over again when something breaks, which it will at the power levels you're talking about.

 

"Crazy" pretty well sums it up.

 

Yeah. pretty much. Thats what I needed to hear. Someone to talk a little sence into me. I thought if the parts are so cheap why don't more people do something like this. but I guess that there is a reason why you never find combos like that no matter how hard you search. Atleast on anything on the street. I just figured with a cracked head on a 305 I sure as hell am not putting a 305 back in it, and the Pick-Your-Part yards here in Southern California have everything in the world to play with. In GA I couldn't find anything even close to preformance related at a junk yard. I'm just going to have to come up with some different ideas. I would like to do a big block but I have no experiance with them and I like my manual trans. I figured with a small block the t5 wouldn't last real long but but I could still get the g force gears later and I know I can always pull replacement parts. why fix whats not broke. What do you think is the best option to build that doesn't require everything from the floor pans out being replaced at one time; that is marginally streetable, aka not a daily driver but can come off a stop light without too much trouble. I would really like to try and play with some of these cheap turbos, and port injection of some sort. I can deal with gen I and II but Ls's are out. And I never am willing to spend a fortune on the biggest or best. If an item is more than $1K at a time I don't feel like it is something I need. So yeah..."crazy"... any ideas?

 

Go and get yourself an LT1 and a T56 tranny, both problems solved. Thats a great engine and a great tranny for less than $400 and you wont have to worry about mixmatching parts and using 40 year old "forged" cranks (which by the way probably isnt as strong as a modern cast crank lol) (also those 327 "forged" cranks do not use the same steel as 4130 cranks you see now adays, so PLEASE dont get those confused, it will only lead you to a destroyed engine)

When you do want to upgrade:

The LT1 is plenty fast and since 99% of the bottom end is SBC based, you can get a 383 kit (which are cheap as hell now adays), the LT1 intake is a great flowing piece and the heads are very good for factory also. Throw in an LT4 HOT cam (or maybe an XFI) and you will be set.

The T56 can handle almost any HP you are in reality going to throw at it with street tires.

 

Exactly where can I get a LT1 & T56 for $400.......out here in VA the employees at the JY's always ****** all the primo stuff like carbs, stereos and motor/trans combos from wrecked hot rods, if they acually do make it into the yard at the Pick a part yards they are gone quick, and I always had the thought that if a sports car is in the yard and its not wrecked its got either a blown motor/trans or both......and just the shortblock will cost $125 throw in heads, intake, and all the other goodies your over $400 with another $125 to get the trans.....if you can get them that cheap you need to start pulling and selling them......Id buy one.....Hell if I could get them that cheap I would.

 

only in socal. the gov here makes modding cars illegal, the whole hot rod gen has died here. ingenuity has whithered to the point of the only people that do anything to their cars have to try and play russian roulett with the cops. so yeah you can pull a lt1 for less than $400 but are you ready to step up to the table and pull the trigger?

 

An LT1 is smog-legal in California as long as you do everything right.

 

He is in Socal, its a different world there.

About 2 years ago I picked up an LT1 from a Caprice at U-Wrench-It. $150 for the complete engine and $75 for the tranny. It was a 5.7L and when I tore it down it was in excellent condition stilled showed the hone marks in the cylinders.

At U-Wrench-It, no car stays in the yard more than 2 weeks, everyday they are laying fresh cars. Ive seen a few TPI's, LT1's, Ford Mod v8's and a **** ton of Northstar engines there.