I have a 1972 406 SBC (400 bored .30 over). Stock heads/etc. Eldelbrock performer intake, edelbrock performer carb, edelbrock water pump. What HP cna I expect? What timing should I run? Anything I should add before I put the engine in my vehicle (yeah, it's going in a ****** MB), like any changing to heads, etc? Any obvious ways to check for wear? Had water in the engine, all looks find except for 3 push rods that got rusty.

Any advice would be great.

 

Were you running it when it was sucking water, or did you inherit the engine? Have you had the oil pan off and checked the bearings for wear, scoring, etc.? If water got sucked up instead of oil, some damage could have been done. You really need to go over the thing with a fine tooth comb, if you haven't already.
H.p. depends on what your c.r. is, type of cam and so on. What are the casting numbers of the heads? Do you know that they are stock 400 heads or not?

 

Casting numbers I'll have to grab tomorrow. I don't know for sure that they are stock. Last owner told me the engine was "rebuilt" and bored .30 over, everything underneath looks nice and clean. It was sitting outside and then I power washed it which is why it had water in it. I coated the thing with WD-40 after going over the whole thing with a air hose blowing it clean. I can get pictures of everything if that would help identify it at all.

 

Ahhh, power washing. It sounded like the engine was drinking coolant. As long as water didn't get into the bearings, pit the cylinder walls, or flood the lifters and cam, it should be fine. Are the heads still bolted onto the block? If so, you can peek down a spark plug hole with a small flashlight and look at the top of a piston. Most aftermarket oversize pistons have a stamp on top, and you should be able to see an 030 if it is .030 over.

 

I'll take a look when I go to the shop a bit later today. I have a strange suspicion that it's not bored out (I trust the last owner as far as I can throw him, and he was a big guy). It looks purdy from underneath that's for sure. Would pics help at all? Hell I'll grab some anyways. Any info on this engine would be GREAT help. I also have to put together the front of it (power steering, pulleys, all that. Need help with that as well. I have to pull the timing cover off and check that stuff too. Thanks for the help man!

 

I have a 1972 400. Mine is a 4 bolt main I dont think they started the two bolts untill 1973(the two bolt main is more desirable). The sticker that was on the original air cleaner said it was 255 hp with a 2bbl carb. I dont have any real flow data on the factory heads but I would bet they dont flow very well(smog head open chamber) the 400 heads have steam holes in them unlike other smallblock heads so if you go to change heads I would have the steam hole drilled.

 

I looked through the spark plug hole at the top of the piston and it's BLACK as hell. I have a feeling the dude BS'ed me on this engine. Sure doesn't look rebuilt, AT ALL. Kind of ticked off now........! Looks like that may be something I have to do now, rip it all apart and bore it myself and build it from scratch, damn.

 

Black like soot, or crusty crap? And how many miles were supposedly on the rebuild?

 

He never said, and stupid me never asked. What it looks like is just black soot. Very black. Cylinder walls are a little worn looking, as in you can see the lines up and down from the piston. Funny thing is underneath looks new, or damn close. Meant to grab pictures.

 

Maybe she was just running rich? Can you still see any cross-hatch pattern on the cylinder walls? Were you able to get some good light in the plug hole to see? I used a home made gun bore flashlight. It's a normal pen flashlight, with a spark plug boot slid over the end. Stuck into the boot is a plastic rod, about 3/16"~1/4" diameter that was heated and bent at a 90 degree angle. I could stick the end in the hole and still be able to see around it. The rod acted like a fat fiber optic, and lit up the chamber fairly well.