I am getting ready to build a sb 400 and I am curious what the best cam and carb set-up is going to be. Any ideas? I am like everyone else and dont want to drop $600 on a carb alone. so any suggestions are welcomed.

It has 2.02 heads and I am using an edelbrock performer rpm intake. stock bottom end.

thanks

 

Need more specs than that....

What cam, compression, tranny, vehicle weight, gearing, and intented use?

 

I'd get a Holley 750 doube pumper. And try a cam with the specs around these figures. Duration at 0.050 230/240 .510/.510 That sounds awfully close to the Edelbrock RPM cam!

 

I thought about the Holley 750, but I was thinking it may be better to buy something a bit larger and tune it down. The ones I am thinking of:

Holley DP 800..........$360....or 850...$400
Edelbrock 795..........$410
Speed Demon 850....$400

And more details: weight approx. 3400 lbs, gearing I have to check. I know 3.42 rear, but all I know tranny-wise is a turbo 350. Not sure of its gearing. It is going to be street use but more performance, not so much a daily driver. Some gas mileage would be nice, though. I would like to have around 400 hp give or take a little. Hope this helps. Thanks for any feedback.

 

i'm just curios what you got the 400 from. I got one from a 79 trans am, and i'm hearing from a few people that i'm gonna have to do some major mods to get it to fit.
As for your carb, i'm planning on using a speed demon 850, just in case i ever want to put a power adder on someday.
aaron

 

i'd recomend the xe284h comp cam or the edelbrock performer rpm cam. as for carb i'd say 800 to 850 cfm, either quadrajet (jet performance, carb shop, or edelbrock) or 850 speed demon.

 

I have been curious of the eldelbrock's reliability. I have heard mixed reviews. And I cant say I have heard of anything about the speed demon. Anyone have these that can tell me what they think???

Zippy, or anyone, how will my idle be with the XE284? I don't want it to lobe too much. I want it to be a bit of a sleeper.

And crash, I think it is out of a 72 or 73 Monte Carlo. If I remember correctly. I will ask my buddy that I bought it from. He pulled it so I can get an answer I know is for sure. I'll let you know. What mods were they talking about? I havent heard of much of anything that has to be done. Maybe its just the diff. in the Pontiac 400.

 

with the valve adjustment, timing, and carb settings correct, the comp cam would idle around 800 to 900 mostly smooth with it only being noticable through the exhaust. not a great sleeper cam, but it would be if you passed it off as less than a 400 cubic inch engine.

 

yeah, the 400 is from a 72 monte carlo. I am looking into all the stock parts to compare what differences in size the cam will have and how much in the carb. I am not sure what all the stock sizes are.

 

I'd reccomend a 750-850 vacuum secondary holley, or a well rebuilt quadrajet (pain to tune though). I'd actually go with a comp xe274 cam. But the man who said we need more info was right, a lot is gonna depend on head spec's (moer than just valve size), compression ratio, how hard you intend to drive it, what tranny, if auto what stall speed your gonna run, etc.