How Much Horsepower Does a 396 Engine Have?

396 and 402. The 396 cu in (6.5 L) V8 was introduced in the 1965 Corvette as the L78 option and in the Z16 Chevelle as the L37 option. It had a bore x stroke of 4.094 in × 3.760 in (104 mm × 95.5 mm), and produced 375 bhp (380 PS; 280 kW) at 5600 rpm and 415 lb⋅ft (563 N⋅m) of torque at 3600 rpm.

How much horsepower can you get out of a 396 engine?

The average power numbers from 4,000 to 6,250 rpm (where it carried over 400 lb-ft of torque) were 438 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. While power peaked at a high 6,400 rpm, low-end torque was still plenty respectable with the motor peaking 483 lb-ft at 4,700 rpm.

Is a 396 a good motor?

The 396 is a good revving engine, so you'd want to run a steel crank so it would live at the rpm you'd have to run it to make HP. And probably a roller cam, as flat tappet cams in big blocks have a nasty habit of "going away" relatively easily.