Like I said initially, some are better than other others. And remember none of these really ever made big power when stock. As you increase the power level it's best to address lots of issues, not just this. But at the end of the day if you don't want to address it that's your call. No problem.

 

Where in Central FL are you? My family is down there. May need to bring you a couple E block 400s in a couple years to clean up. Interested in more power than stock, good manners, and run for 50 years, hah.

 

Mahle makes a really good piston for the 400E you know.
I’ll pm you my info.

 

Yep here in Winnipeg at CP Rail Weston Shops, even helped to install it, huge setup about the size of a football field.

Worse 2 engines I'v seen was a Ford 351M400 that kept scoring 2 pistons, holes were off, relocated by boring just those 2 holes to correct it, not my decision. The other was a Detroit 8V92T leaking oil, I had to replace all the gaskets along with sealer and it still leaked. Put it on the chassis dyno for a 12 hour run under load. Found it was leaking oil through the block, Detroit didn't believe us until they put the truck on their dyno and pressure tested the block. Block was so porous that yes the oil was coming straight through the block, customer got a free new engine.

If you look at tolerances of the 60's and 70's engines to today's engines, today's are much closer because today's equipment is better and computerized. Each engine is centered on the machining bed to the thousands before it is machined, which is something they didn't have in the 60's or 70's. Let's face it, if one is rebuilding an engine that went over 100,000 miles and it's not a competition engine then standard rebuild practices will be fine.

Ray

 

A Ford tech of 20 years commented on how many less motor jobs they did with the switch to EFI. We saw many carbed Ford's come in with stuck needles and seats. Man were Motorcraft carbs junk! I believe the 351M/400, those were a POS from what I saw. Always equipped with Ford's gas guzzling, big 2 bbl carb. Usually starting knocking and burning oil past 100,000. Dodge's were a joke till Daimler then FCA took over. Crappy carbs and so many Mickey Mouse ideas. The steel plenum plate with too long of bolts on an aluminum "Kegger" intake, cracking Magnum heads and flakey electronic controls that ruined once reliable automatics. The Daimler Nag 1 and now the ZF 8 speed are so much better in every way. The Hemi and Pentastar, reliable and efficient. Of course the sbc flat cams and oil usage till the early 80's. I didn't see many Buick V8's, Pontiac's V8's seemed fine from what I saw. I saw enough knocking 454's if pushed hard, the Olds 455 the same unfortunately. The SBO took a ton of abuse and miles before making bad sounds in my experience. The big Cadillac V8's seemed to hold up and make enough torque to move those massive cars even with low 2 gearing. Yeah, it really is good they don't make them like they used to.