68 430 or 71 455 and SP T400???

Discussion in 'Street/strip 400/430/455' started by B-rock, Jul 11, 2018.

  1. B-rock

    B-rock Well-Known Member

    I have a 71 455 in my 65 skylark. TA long headers. HEI. 800 quadrajet. Aluminum intake. Electric fans. Internally the 455 and T400 are bone stock. ( Ford 9” rear axle with 350 gears.)

    In my search for a SP T400 I found for sale a 1968 430 with a SP Bolted too it. Possible came out of a wildcat. The owner believes the motor had 70K miles on it before it was pulled. It’s currently all sitting on a pallet rack.

    My question is should I swap engine tranny for the 430 and SP T 400? If eying the engine over looks good. Maybe boroscope the cylinderwalls thru the spark plugs?
    Or swap heads? Or full rebuild on engine tranny? Or????

    I have had my eye on a set of TA Stage 2 heads for quite a while. I’m close to ordering them up for my 71 455.

    Been doing a lot of reading on the 430. But after a while I just get sorts of lost.
     
  2. TrunkMonkey

    TrunkMonkey Well-Known Member

    Make sure it is a Switch Pitch. The SP was on the 1967, but not on the 1968.
    I have a 430-4 and ST400 (non SP) from a 1968, as well as a 430-4 and ST400 (SP) from a 1967.

    But yours could have had a Switch Pitch swapped in.

    Bottom of the pan has 3 "dimples" and the electric switch on the side should have 2 contacts on a Switch Pitch. The SP also has two sets of splines on the input shaft and the hub in the converter.

    If you can get the codes off the tag/plate on the side of the housing, that would help to be sure.

    If your 455 and drivetrain are good, I think the heads would give you much more with less effort than swapping all that for the 430 and a SP trans.

    Likely, unless you experienced the 430 running, consider it a "core", or a crapshoot if you try and "swap and go".

    Hope that helps. :)
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2018
  3. B-rock

    B-rock Well-Known Member

    I can see in the picture there is. 2 prong electrical connection on the side. I agree this is probably a 67 motor. I'm going to try and get some number codes off the engine. But might need to drive up and look for myself (3 hour drive)
     
  4. TrunkMonkey

    TrunkMonkey Well-Known Member

    OK. I am in the middle of the '67 430 build, and have been over some of the "diggin up info" so let me know if I can help with anything.
     
  5. B-rock

    B-rock Well-Known Member

    Thank you! First is there anything that I should look at first? I may or may not run the engine. Just depends. My 71 455 runs good. But as always I'm looking for more. I may use this as an engine to build up. Or run it while I build my current 455. The price seems pretty good for the combo. All sitting clean on a palet rack.
     
  6. Grandpas67

    Grandpas67 Well-Known Member

    If you're talking about that engine and trans in montesano, then that $1350 price tag is a bit of a gamble. The shorty headers are attractive, but i would consider it a core. I'd check it out the best you can before buying it.
     
  7. B-rock

    B-rock Well-Known Member

    That's exactly what I'm looking at and thinking. I'd like a 455 to build up on the engine stand. Or a 430. I still go back and forth if I want a switch pitch or not.
     
  8. No Lift

    No Lift Platinum Level Contributor

    If it is a '67 430 I believe it may have the slightly superior "big port heads". At that point it would be, do you want the extra cubes of the 455 or the extra compression of the 430? I'd do leakdown of both engines and which ever had the best numbers I'd keep for the install. If it is the 455 I'd install the 430 heads with some steel shim head gaskets. That would bump the compression up to around 9:1 in the 455 plus add some airflow. Assuming a low buck upgrade because of possible aluminum heads down the road I wouldn't do a thing to the heads other than look in each port to make sure the valves aren't all gummed up. If they were I'd pull all the valves out and run them around on a wire wheel to clean them off. Make sure you keep the valves in the same position. Lap the seats in, clean the area, and install new valve seals, and possibly add some Stage 1 springs. If you want to get excited add maybe something like a C110 cam to keep the power packed in by 5000 rpm so you can shift at 5-5200 with an old unmodified oiling system. No need to temp fate by shifting higher.

    If the 430 checks out good and you plan a future buildup pull the 455 and install the 430 as-is. Keep the 455 for a future build-up and aluminum head install. Don't forget to pull the pan on the 430 WITHOUT flipping it over and drop it down. If you pull the pan after it is upside down any junk will go into the engine. Be suspicious if you find metal inside and at which point I'd investigate the bearings. I'd consider popping the timing cover off to check the timing chain. Never hurts especially if the chain set is a factory nylon upper gear which is prone to falling apart. Your '71 455 has the larger oil pickup and passage and should have the white "Stage 1" 60 psi relief spring. The 430 will have the smaller 1/2" pickup and passage and only a 40 psi spring. Install a white spring and the larger 5/8" pickup to help the oiling system out.

    As far as the t400 if it is a SP then from a big car it would have the 13" converter which is lucky to have 2000 rpm high stall and is a monumental piece of steel. As-is it has marginally better stall speed than a 13" non-SP converter that it sounds like you are running now if it truly a stock T400 converter so it would be worth something off the line. If you're really bucks up install the SP transmission after you drop the pan and install a shift kit. Even better is locate a stock converter out of a ST300 trans and it will have a high stall around 2800 rpm. All told unless you get the ST300 converter you may be better off with a run of the mill name brand 25-2800 11" $200 converter from Summit because of the weight of that 13" converter, SP or not.

    That's the kind of stuff we used to do when we were bucks up but then the engines were $150-200 for good runners. If it is $1350 as mentioned above ignore everything I said above except adding a higher stall converter to your combo, add a shift kit to your current trans, block off the exhaust crossovers to the intake at the heads, and recurve your dist. I'm assuming some of this stuff is not done. A 500-800 rpm stall increase on your low compression 455 and factory 13" converter combo will be a huge fun factor boost. Then save more money and buy the aluminum heads you mentioned. $1350 is halfway there. Buy the Stage 1's and then your headers will fit. Slap a cam in someday.
     
  9. Grandpas67

    Grandpas67 Well-Known Member

    What's wrong with what you have now?
     
  10. B-rock

    B-rock Well-Known Member

    No lift ,

    You make some very good points. Yes that's the engine trans that in talking about. For 1350. I have plugged my exhaust crossovers and power timed my distributor. Maybe I do need a torque converter. Right now it stalls at 1800 rpm. What or who's converter would you recommend? The TA stage 2 heads and a cam is what I originally planned to do to my 71 motor. Then rebuild the bottom end a couple years later and up the compression ratio.

    Grandpa,

    Nothing is wrong with my current setup. Other then it's a low compression motor and I want more from it. Maybe the aluminum heads can and torque converter is what I should invest in instead?
     
  11. BQUICK

    BQUICK Gold Level Contributor

    The low compression 455 will do better on the best pump gas we have these days. You can even add those stage 2 heads. Years ago a friend put some Stage 2 heads on a bone stock 71 455 shortblock with a 118 cam and headers...we were laughing thinking it was a waste on an 8.5 comp motor. The thing ended up going 10,90s in his drag cars on 93 octane....
     
  12. B-rock

    B-rock Well-Known Member

    I just ordered the stage 2 SE heads and a cam today. Should be here in a few weeks.
     
  13. Bens99gtp

    Bens99gtp Well-Known Member

    I would not use a cheap converter. Especially once those new heads are on. I think you did better with your money buying heads over a motor and transfer that may not even run or shift
     
    B-rock likes this.
  14. B-rock

    B-rock Well-Known Member

    It sounds like the place to get a converter from is TSP. I’ll be giving them a call tomorrow.
     

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