Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! Visit IgorSushko.com and see what it's like racing in Japan
-
Google  
Web AF
Become a subscriber. Browse a faster, ad-free AF. Instantly.

Automotive Forums > Chevrolet > Camaro > F-Bodies (Camaro and Firebird) > Firebird Discussions - 396SS vs. 400HO
User Name
Password
Register FAQ Member Map Calendar Surveys/Quiz Arcade Mark Forums Read

Reply Show Printable Version Show Printable Version | Email this Page Email this Page | Subscription Subscribe to this Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 09-13-2007, 04:45 PM   #1
89Firebird2.8
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 271
396SS vs. 400HO

A kid at my school has recently started driving a 1968 Camaro 396SS. It is stock, and he claims it will smoke a 67 Firebird HO. He also claims that the 400 made by Pontiac is worse than a Chevy 327 for power. What i'm wondering is if there is any truth to this, or if he's writing checks his ass can't cash(i challenged him to do a burnout, and he couldn't even do one). Would a stock 400HO beat the 396SS? If not, would a 400HO with the mods listed in my sig, beat the 396SS? They both have TH400's in them. The bird currently has the shift kit removed.
__________________

1989 Firebird 2.8l V6 Red and White w/flames. Stock. Daily Driver. 197,000 miles, will it make the 200K mark? Who knows? Almost as many starters as miles


1967 Firebird 400 V8 Convertible. Primer Grey with green bondo spots. Cam, Headers, Dual Exhaust w/glasspacks, larger valves, 4bbl carb. TH400 w/ Shift Kit. My dad's ride, but will be mine someday.
Mileage unknown, doesn't have original speedo, switched the 120 for a 160.
89Firebird2.8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2007, 08:00 PM   #2
philly rs
AF Enthusiast
 
philly rs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,696
Send a message via Yahoo to philly rs
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

now here is the type thread i miss around here!!! i would like to know the answer to this one as well!! and a video of the race would be even freaken better
__________________


Quote:
Your import sounds like my ass after a night of mexican food..

And spraying aint cheating, its brining a gun to a knife fight!!

yeah, its a v6 RS...never mind the f1 badges lol

HYPSI87 u will be missed
philly rs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2007, 09:27 PM   #3
Earlsfat
Cheesesteakoholic
 
Earlsfat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,156
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

Bone stock 400 in a bone stock 67 firebird vs Bone stock 396 in a bone stock 68 maro?

I'd say that's a driver's race. And agree with DJ... video needed. (Keep it safe and try to go to a friggin track will ya?)
__________________
Cheesesteak..... It does a body good.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"All you want to talk about is money, let's talk about love, and sex... forget love, let's just talk about sex. "
Earlsfat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2007, 12:10 AM   #4
89Firebird2.8
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 271
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

I wish i could provide that, but A: way too many police officers around here with and no legal race track within 5 hours, B: the 67 Firebird is my dad's and is currently in lawn ornament status untill it gets a radiator, top, and paint job, and C: he would probably back down before racing.

Also, i don't have a stock 400 to try out. Ours has a cam, aftermarket valves, headers, dual exhaust, and glass-packs, as well as being bored .30 over. It is heavier though because it is a convertible, whereas the SS is a hardtop.
__________________

1989 Firebird 2.8l V6 Red and White w/flames. Stock. Daily Driver. 197,000 miles, will it make the 200K mark? Who knows? Almost as many starters as miles


1967 Firebird 400 V8 Convertible. Primer Grey with green bondo spots. Cam, Headers, Dual Exhaust w/glasspacks, larger valves, 4bbl carb. TH400 w/ Shift Kit. My dad's ride, but will be mine someday.
Mileage unknown, doesn't have original speedo, switched the 120 for a 160.
89Firebird2.8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2007, 01:02 AM   #5
Earlsfat
Cheesesteakoholic
 
Earlsfat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,156
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

Is this the same jackass that was spouting off to you before?

If so, next time he starts up.... kick his ass.
__________________
Cheesesteak..... It does a body good.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"All you want to talk about is money, let's talk about love, and sex... forget love, let's just talk about sex. "
Earlsfat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2007, 10:02 AM   #6
89Firebird2.8
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 271
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

Yeah, I should be able to beat him, especially if it's a driver's race. Hell, if you can't even CHIRP the tires on a 396SS no matter how hard you try, you're an inexperienced noob. I know that engine will do it, since i showed him how my little ol v6 will spin the tires. And everybody spouts off to me about my car, so it could be the same person, but not likely.
__________________

1989 Firebird 2.8l V6 Red and White w/flames. Stock. Daily Driver. 197,000 miles, will it make the 200K mark? Who knows? Almost as many starters as miles


1967 Firebird 400 V8 Convertible. Primer Grey with green bondo spots. Cam, Headers, Dual Exhaust w/glasspacks, larger valves, 4bbl carb. TH400 w/ Shift Kit. My dad's ride, but will be mine someday.
Mileage unknown, doesn't have original speedo, switched the 120 for a 160.
89Firebird2.8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2007, 10:37 AM   #7
92zcamaroperson
AF Enthusiast
 
92zcamaroperson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,364
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

...i would be suspicious of whether or not its a real 396ss. That should have plenty of torque to get squirrely in. Or the kid just sucks at life. and from the factory the 327 was pretty crazy for its day. Would it beat a stock 400 pontiac...id say so. But thats just speculation
__________________
92 z28 camaro 5.7 TPI
current - slp intake runners and base-BBK 52mm throttle body-MSD 8.5mm wires, blaster coil, and 6AL Box-edelbrock headers-160 degree stat.-hotchkis strut tower brace

waiting in the garage - LQ4, milled heads 317 casting (10.5 to 1), hardened pushrods, ported LS6 oil pump, manley dual spings with titanium retainers, MTI X1 cam, hawks longtube headers
92zcamaroperson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2007, 10:56 AM   #8
92zcamaroperson
AF Enthusiast
 
92zcamaroperson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,364
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

oh and i second the kick the crap out of him. Not that im an advocate of violence but it sounds like he needs it.






















































yeah....dont actually do it......
__________________
92 z28 camaro 5.7 TPI
current - slp intake runners and base-BBK 52mm throttle body-MSD 8.5mm wires, blaster coil, and 6AL Box-edelbrock headers-160 degree stat.-hotchkis strut tower brace

waiting in the garage - LQ4, milled heads 317 casting (10.5 to 1), hardened pushrods, ported LS6 oil pump, manley dual spings with titanium retainers, MTI X1 cam, hawks longtube headers
92zcamaroperson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2007, 12:30 PM   #9
stieh2000
AF Enthusiast
 
stieh2000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 812
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

I am the only one who thinks that "stock" is a very relative term when talking about 40 year old cars. Even i f there were no major modifications, wouldn't there be a lot of factors that came into play becuase of age?

Oh, and what kinda tranny are the cars running with? Powerglides, or "Rock Crushers"?
__________________
Apperance Mods: Firebird wheels of mysterious origin , Floormats , and a quarter sized dent behind the passenger door from a TV I dropped!
stieh2000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2007, 01:07 PM   #10
balls_to_the_wall
AF Enthusiast
 
balls_to_the_wall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,838
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

Quote:
Originally Posted by stieh2000
I am the only one who thinks that "stock" is a very relative term when talking about 40 year old cars. Even i f there were no major modifications, wouldn't there be a lot of factors that came into play becuase of age?

Oh, and what kinda tranny are the cars running with? Powerglides, or "Rock Crushers"?

If the Camaro has the automatic it will be the Turbo 400.


Ok, take it from someone who drives a 396/325hp on weekends occasionally. If you mash your foot in the fuel from a stop, you will either
A) Spin the tires for a long ways, 'original' tires don't hook for crap
B) Set it sideways, and if your not careful, really embarass yourself.
balls_to_the_wall is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2007, 10:35 PM   #11
hotrod_chevyz
AF Enthusiast
 
hotrod_chevyz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,718
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

Quote:
Originally Posted by 89Firebird2.8
A kid at my school has recently started driving a 1968 Camaro 396SS. It is stock, and he claims it will smoke a 67 Firebird HO. He also claims that the 400 made by Pontiac is worse than a Chevy 327 for power. What i'm wondering is if there is any truth to this, or if he's writing checks his ass can't cash(i challenged him to do a burnout, and he couldn't even do one). Would a stock 400HO beat the 396SS? If not, would a 400HO with the mods listed in my sig, beat the 396SS? They both have TH400's in them. The bird currently has the shift kit removed.



If it will ""smoke"" a 400 stock for stock so EASY, your mods should make for a good race then, right? Tell him to prove it or shut up. When he couldnt do a burn out, i would have pointed at him and laughed right in his face. A 396 that will not shred tires? Yeah right. Any moron can get a 396 car to leave tracks even with a few plugs unhooked and no brakes applied. Call him a big fat liar and laugh right in his face, and point. In front of a bunch of people if possible.
__________________
hotrod_chevyz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2007, 12:03 AM   #12
89Firebird2.8
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 271
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

You know, come to think of it, i don't remember seeing any SS badges....
__________________

1989 Firebird 2.8l V6 Red and White w/flames. Stock. Daily Driver. 197,000 miles, will it make the 200K mark? Who knows? Almost as many starters as miles


1967 Firebird 400 V8 Convertible. Primer Grey with green bondo spots. Cam, Headers, Dual Exhaust w/glasspacks, larger valves, 4bbl carb. TH400 w/ Shift Kit. My dad's ride, but will be mine someday.
Mileage unknown, doesn't have original speedo, switched the 120 for a 160.
89Firebird2.8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2007, 09:03 AM   #13
MrPbody
AF -Advisor
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,012
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

From a "non-smack" point of view...

A Camaro of that era, with 396, would be a 325 horse version. A true '67 Firebird "HO" would have the 335 horse 400, which in GTO, was rated at 360 HP. A small limiter on the carb linkage prevents the 'bird from reaching full power. Remove the limter and the Firebird will run away and hide form the Camaro.

A "rectangular port" version of the 396 (375 HP), would probably outrun the Firebird IF it hooked. Traction for the high-powered F-bodies is a premium in stock form, BBC OR Pontiac powered.

327 has a reputation as a "giant killer". In olden times, it was a VERY good street performance engine. Today, it's woefully inadequate unless you "spin" it to 8,500... (not much fun to drive an engine at that level) Things have changed a LOT since the '60s... When 350/370 was introduced in '69, 327 (and all the attaching hardware) was rendered obsolete. It amazes me, how many folks still believe "double hump" (327) heads are "better" than any of the 350 versions. 'taint so...(:-

And to those that don't belive the Pontiac can make the power of rhe BBC, just remember: GTO did NOT earn a reputation for losing! My GTOs stomped a LOT more SS396s than ever came close to beating them.

Jim
MrPbody is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2007, 05:20 PM   #14
89Firebird2.8
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 271
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

Yeah, we removed that restrictor off the carb a long time ago when we rebuilt it. Er, rather, that carb was rebuilt 3 times in a week. We took it in to the local shop, and they screwed it up, then we took it back and they screwed it up again, so we did it ourselves and it worked fine.
__________________

1989 Firebird 2.8l V6 Red and White w/flames. Stock. Daily Driver. 197,000 miles, will it make the 200K mark? Who knows? Almost as many starters as miles


1967 Firebird 400 V8 Convertible. Primer Grey with green bondo spots. Cam, Headers, Dual Exhaust w/glasspacks, larger valves, 4bbl carb. TH400 w/ Shift Kit. My dad's ride, but will be mine someday.
Mileage unknown, doesn't have original speedo, switched the 120 for a 160.
89Firebird2.8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2007, 10:49 PM   #15
Firebirdlad03
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 220
Send a message via AIM to Firebirdlad03
Re: 396SS vs. 400HO

I hate those kinda kids...the ones that are the worst are the ones with the midshubishi eclipses and the hondas, all the other sporty 4bangers that really arent sporty. they think their car can beat anyone...haha i love my bird.
__________________
Mitch

92 Firebird formula...

Firebirdlad03 is offline   Reply With Quote
 
AF Assistant
 

These Ads Open in New Window
 
Reply

Automotive Forums > Chevrolet > Camaro > F-Bodies (Camaro and Firebird) > Firebird Discussions - 396SS vs. 400HO
User Name
Password



Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:55 AM.

Google  
Web AF
Community Participation Guidelines | How to use your User Control Panel

Powered by: vBulletin | Copyright Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
© 2000-2008 AutomotiveForums.com | Privacy Statement