i have a 355 with sbc 400 heads on it is there a way i can figure out what cc heads these are... i got them from a motor building shop an they didnt tell me anything except the obvious 2.02/1.60 valves screw in studs guide plates...ect and that they are new.. thanks  

im trying to decide on a cam.. so if yall can help me with that to id appriciate it. ive got 10.5:1 flat tops.. stock rods an crank.. those heads i already listed edlebrock rpm intake holley 750 dbl pumper an yea i kno its a little to much carb. this is all in a 86 c10 shortbed with 3.73 12 bolt posi. and ill be putting a 3000 stall with it. its driven on the street every day but i want to make as much power while being able to drive it im thanking comp or lunati cams any suggestions  

400 heads I think are about 76cc give or take a cc,look up cast # on line.For everyday driver I would use a 600cfm 2000stall 218int duration max 212int would be better I think.Your current set up w/carb and stall kills mileage,it's a little more than needed for daily driver.Crane,Comp Cam and Lunati are some examples of some current tech cams.I suggest complete valve train kits if possible.   WIEDER  

Do you mean 'cc' as in the volume of the combustion chamber or the intake port?

I can say that using 400 heads on a 350 isn't the best idea. 400 small blocks were low performance engines used in some light trucks and large cars. The heads were usually incredibly restrictive, sometimes with dual exhaust heat risers and even 1.76" stock intake valves. All of the 400 heads that I know of had the larger, inefficient, open chamber design that is supposed to measure around 76cc.

The casting number of the head is usually useful in determining a ballpark figure for the combustion chamber volume and to a lesser extent the intake port volume.  

You don't want a 3000 stall in a daily driver! Not only will it probably not last long it will give you fits throughout it's life depending on how 'loose' it really is. But even if you get a relatively tight converter rated to 3000 rpm, why take the risk of several miles  per gallon with gas prices on the rise and well over $3.00?

How do you explain that flat tops are 10.5:1 compression? With what combustion chamber? 58cc? That surely isn't what you have!  

If you intend to keep those poor production castings there is really no reason to cam very large (like to a 3000 stall). The power that would be gained could be had by other more efficient means.  

Those heads are polluted, wasn't remembering the purpose of those engines those were some dark days for Detroit. WIEDER  

i appriciate the help i wasnt saying i have 10.5:1 i  was saying that is what the flat tops were rated for an like i was saying i wanna make the most horsepower i can.. i aint worried bout gas i also have a honda... i will be driving the truck around town ect.. but not very far so what way should i go to make  the most power with what i got  

Whatever your budget can allow for new heads,also stay around 170cc int. runner.Many choices in this size of runner.  WIEDER  

what would you recomend im 18 an still in highschool i cant afford dart or anythang like that... are 882's good or could you tell me a certain casting that flows better... i jus spent 550 havin these built it sucks to find out they aint no good their brand new not but 3000 miles on em  

It's a shame you were suckered into rebuilding those old heads. Not much than that $550 could have boughten you a new set of aftermarket heads. If you can't take the hit of loosing those heads I recommend keeping what you have together until you can sell the current heads and afford to build it better. If you're looking for a fun truck to make quite a bit of power then the gains per dollar spent are MUCH better if you can use quality pieces instead of trying to rebuild 30-year old parts.

#882's are also a poor smog-era casting. They have the worst exhaust port I've ever seen in a small block Chevy head and have 75cc 'bathtub' shaped chambers. They were used on some car 400's in the '70's and otherwise 350's. Some claim they are alright (in terms of power production) for a production head but there is no justifiable evidence that they will be any better than what you have so you shouldn't put time and effort into putting them on since it's likely they will perform the same way as what you have now...

An important fact that should have been mentioned earlier, any of these heads were speaking of are prone to cracking and need to be magnafluxed thoroughly by a machinist before you even consider them. GM wanted to reduce weight on these cars during the smog era and reduced the thickness of the iron in  many areas. Thus, they easily crack if overheated or if they see temperature extremes.  

Good point on thin casting that started in the 70's.One way to identifie thick casting is below sparkplug holes where the headbolts are.There's only like 2 or so 1/2 circle notches whereas thin casting have less iron around the bolt holes it makes the bolt holes pretrude out. WIEDER  

yes find somthing like a needle surenge from wal mart or somthing and see how many cc's are on it and keep track of how many fill up the chamber  with water and thats how you do it..understand? just ask me  

its kind of hard to get 400 500 hp out of a 350 unless you stroke it or just get a 400 or bigger block i found 400s just kick ass got a good bore like a big block and still have the top end of a small block the best bang for your buck spend 1000 bucks stroke it to a 383 trust me you WILL be happy keep the pistons and the heads and you will push about in the 4oo and some horse power range thats plenty ohh and your heads i think about 64 62 ccs good luck.  

Punctuation please!  

well thanks for the help everyone... an these arnt 30year old heads that got rebuit.. their brand new castings everythang about them is new.. so this summer ill try an come up with new heads and for now ill jus put my lunati cam an roller tip rockers in it