how can u tell the size of a engine in a car?

Question

the motor was put in a work truck, my uncle clamies it is a 400 and it came out of a dirt track car, my granddad said its a 350, but we can't tell, whats a way to tell when you don't know what it came out of

Answer 1

omfg not one person can tell u crap let me try. first of all all small block chevys ie 283 302 305 327 350 400 all look alike as they are the same cast. so here is what u do go to the passenger side by the firewall where the block bolts to the tranny bell housing there will be a string of numbers clean them off and search them they will tell u what it is. PASSENGER SIDE BY FIREWALL RIGHT BEHIND THE HEAD WHERE TRANNY BOLTS TO BLOCK CLEAN AND CHECK FOR NUMBERS DO SAME ON OTHER SIDE.

Answer 2

Getting to the casting numbers can be difficult... Really the only way to tell, but.... If you can find the numbers on either your carb/throttle body or transmission, you can go to a parts house and have them look them up. Most of the time they can tell you if they could be put with a 350 or a 400. That may give you the answer. In my experience, modifications or new parts have to be bought to put a 400 into a vehicle with a factory 305 or 350 (the tranny/converter fit too tight on a 400). They are all 8 cylinders and I think that they are all machined from the same basic form. Maybe someone could help me out here, but doesn't a 400 require a larger oil pan than a 350? I believe the 305/350s are small blocks and the 400s are bigblocks. Since it came from a dirt track car, it could be a 350 bored over to a 400. I'm assuming you don't have it torn down or you could look at the crankshaft. Something you can also look at the 8th number in your VIN (for the engine size originally in the truck - if it's a GM) and then see if it looks like your engine mounts were modified or the exhaust manifolds look like they fit tight - not an exact answer, but it should give you an idea.

Answer 3

Look at the casting number on the block. There's a small machined pad that sticks out just past the intake on the front of the engine, it will have the casting number stamped into it. You can use this number and call your local dealer and they'll tell you what it was orignally in, what size it is, and possibly the original horsepower rating. As far as appearance, unless you look at the harmonic balancer, the engines look identical (283, 305, 350, 327, 400). The 400 uses a smaller, I think 6.25" balancer, where as the others use a larger, which I think is 7.5".

Answer 4

The 350 and 400 are from the same small block Chevy. I don't remember many details but I believe that the coolant passages on the 400 were modified since it ran hotter than the 350. It's been a long time since working on them and can't remember if there are any external signs of this. But the idea might jog someone else's memory.

Answer 5

If I remember correctly, a 400 engine block is bigger than a 350.

A 400 has more cylinders and requires more spark plugs.

I THINK a 350 has 6 cylinders, therefore it only requires 6 spark plugs. A 400 has 8 and requires 8 spark plugs.

Maybe there is a site to visit that can give you better answers.

OOHH!!! I just thought of something....

What year, make and model is it ? Yes, it does make a difference.

You should be able to find a site for the specific make and model ie; Ford F-150; Chevy Blazer, etc. Try it. Let us know how it worked out.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

There are casting numbers stamped on the enging block. Sounds like you may be dealing with chevy engines. Do a Google search for engine identification casting numbers.http://www.aacncclub.com/ would also be a good beginning source for information for whatever it is that you have.

Answer 7

i know the numbers on the block mean something...im not sure if a 400 was a bb or sb..but the small blocks have the exhaust manifolds spaced funny, 1,2,1...big blocks are spaced evenly...that will at least narrow it down.

Answer 8

square the bore size of your engine then multiply it by the stroke, then the number of cylinders as well as by Pi (as in pi in circles, the one you use to find the area.) then you divide it by 4.

The bore is the size of the hole of the cylinder in the block. I belive its just the diameter of the hole.

The stroke is how deep your cylinder goes when it moves.


Usually, this could come out in cc or in litres. if you want to convert it in cubic inches then multiply it by 61.02374

Answer 9

Need to know what brand of car

Answer 10

Look on the log book.