350 block

[charliepickup22]

by stroke you mean how far up and down the piston travels?
well my pockets are not deep but i would take all advise i can.
if necessary save a little to get it right. i 'm not looking for a race engine but a nice street performer.

[01cherryreds10]

I would just go with a stock crank or one built by Eagle, Scat, etc. in the stock stroke. You can easily build a 355 (stock stroke, .030 overbore) to around 325-350 hp using off the shelf parts and it would actually be reliable too for not a lot of money. I'm in the same position as you but the engine was built once, spun a bearing, and needs a new crank, bearings, rings, and hopefully not rods even though I see a little blue on one of the rods. Personally I think it's easier to rebuild to stock specs than it would be to start having to notch for stroker cranks and adjust valve lash with roller rockers. But that is just my personal opinion on building a first engine.

[Maverick2664]

Quote: Originally Posted by charliepickup22

by stroke you mean how far up and down the piston travels?

more or less yes... stroke is measured by the distance between the center of the main journal and the center of the rod journal

[Maverick2664]

Quote: Originally Posted by 01cherryreds10

I would just go with a stock crank or one built by Eagle, Scat, etc. in the stock stroke. You can easily build a 355 (stock stroke, .030 overbore) to around 325-350 hp using off the shelf parts and it would actually be reliable too for not a lot of money. I'm in the same position as you but the engine was built once, spun a bearing, and needs a new crank, bearings, rings, and hopefully not rods even though I see a little blue on one of the rods. Personally I think it's easier to rebuild to stock specs than it would be to start having to notch for stroker cranks and adjust valve lash with roller rockers. But that is just my personal opinion on building a first engine.

i agree... start simple and cheap for your first build, so you can get a "feel" for what it takes to build an engine... like i said earlier, the first small block i built was completely budget, many parts were free or close to free and i still had a engine that made decent power

[charliepickup22]

i have different seen stroke cranks, which would be a stock stroke? also which piston rod height is stock, or should i be looking for?

[charliepickup22]

sorry meant different types of strokes on cranks which would be stock (oem) stroke? is it safe to use a 2 bolts main cap engine for street performance?
should i look for a 4bolt main engine block.

[Maverick2664]

the stock numbers on a 350 are, 4.000 inch bore, 3.48 inch stroke, and 5.7 inch rod

unless you plan to put boost to it, 2 bolt block are perfectly fine for street use... and actually i have heard before that a studded 2 bolt main will be as strong as a bolted 4 bolt main, so if you think youre going to need it, you can get a main stud kit... but like i said, most street engines will never see the need for 4 bolts

[charliepickup22]

what do you mean by studded? i found a 283 thats complete heads crank pistons. but what don't understand is that he says the heads are blind do you know what that means? i guess i can use the block and replace the internals and the heads since they are about 43 years old. the block is from 1966 according to cast numbers.

[Maverick2664]

these are studs, theyre rediculously strong, the dont stretch like a bolt does, and there less stress on the threads in the block because a stud clamps from both ends, a bolt only clamps from one



i do not know what a blind head is, never heard that term used to describe a head before

just a heads up when building a 283... theres not that many parts available to them and is generally more expensive than the other small blocks to build, and you are forced to use heads with small valves because of the small cylinder bore... all for an engine that doesnt make spectacular power to begin with... just know what youre buying before you buy it

[charliepickup22]

yea your right not much for those 283 so completely out of the picture.
still looking at the 350 block. the main caps are screw on but can they be turned into studs? the block i saw the end caps are also 2 bolts the one you have pictured has 4 bolts at the ends. just going to keep looking for a 350 for now.

[SH-60B]

Just buy the studs & thread them in and "presto", you have studded mains. The nuts come with the studs, I use ARP.
A blind hole is just one that's not drilled completely through the casting, it has a bottom.

[charliepickup22]

were can i buy those studs? i looked at the arp bolt main page and could not find engine block studs.

[ka_jd7and1]

Quote: Originally Posted by charliepickup22

were can i buy those studs? i looked at the arp bolt main page and could not find engine block studs.

They're going to be listed under "main studs and bolts" or "head studs" depending if you're looking for mains or heads.

[Maverick2664]

Quote: Originally Posted by SH-60B

A blind hole is just one that's not drilled completely through the casting, it has a bottom.

yeah i knew about blind holes, but why would that guy use it to describe a head? i mean... technically all heads have blind holes

[SH-60B]

The intake manifold holes in pre '95 heads can be drilled though and allow a little oil leakage, they aren't usually blind. Not a big deal IMO, just use sealant.

[01cherryreds10]

Wow I'm definately going to use main studs instead of bolts. It's cheap insurance to say the least.

[charliepickup22]

is the 307 just like the 283 ? hard to find parts. i found this 307 complete 40 over all it needs is to install heads complete engine for 200 bucks. unreal

[Maverick2664]

that 307 was made from a 302, and its a pretty rare engine, only came in the camaros for a year or 2 for road racing when displacement was limited to 305 inches, the reason the heads are missing is because stock 302 heads are badass and are pretty desireable... the 302 itself is in the same "family" of block style as the 283, depending on how you look at it, its a 283 block with a 327 crank, or a 327 block with a 283 crank the result is the same, 301.59 inches... though some of the 283 blocks had thick enough sleeves in them to bore out 1/8 inch, making them a 302 on bore alone

short answer, yes, parts will be difficult to find for it

[Maverick2664]

actually... you know what.. is that a factory 307 thats been bored 40 over? or is it a 307 -because- its been bored 40 over?

i realized i made a mistake above... both bored out 283 and a destroked 327 makes a 301.59 or "302", a stroked 283 makes 306.62 or "307"

[charliepickup22]

its a complete 307 he has the heads just not installed. its bored at 40
complete engine.

there also a guy who has a 305 with oem flat top piston 58cc heads 4 barrel intake
that needs over haul never worked on.

[sadexcuse4s10]

a 307 is one of the weakest small block chevy motors out there.

super low compression and super shitty heads. These engines were the bottom of the barrel v8 available in novas, chevelles, c10 pickups, etc.... my '70 gmc longbed has the original 307 in it and it still runs.

mine came with a 2 barrel carb, points distributor, ramhorn manifolds, and th350 tranny. they will run forever with such low compression because they don't really put much stress on any of the internals but they make almost no power at all. I pepped mine up with an ebay special HEI, new plugs and wires, cheap summit headers, an edelbrock intake, holley 600 carb, and 10 horsepower worth of paint and chrome.

you can probably squeeze 225 HP out of one if you rebuild it and do the same stuff i did to mine, but it's not worth the trouble when it's the same weight as a 327, 350, 383, 400, etc.....just start with something better in the beginning. But if you do wanna run the 307, the good thing is that everything you bolt on the outside of the block you can reuse when you ditch it for a 350 or build a nice 383

[01cherryreds10]

I think you should just buy a block or even a shortblock from a boneyard and build it up the way you want it. I also think you are trying too hard to get a V8 in the truck, and if you bought something like a 307 or 305 you'd be dissapointed and upset with your decision. Just take your time the truck's not going anywhere. Last thing you want to do is rush into something like this.

[charliepickup22]

I'm about to pull the plug on my project. i just found out that I'm getting laid off with about another 100 employees ooooouch!!!!

[Maverick2664]

that sucks man... they letting you collect unemployment or are you up shit creek without a paddle?

[sadexcuse4s10]

they don't have to "let" him do anything. anybody can file for unemployment when laid off work as long as they have paid their taxes out of their paycheck regularly

[01cherryreds10]

That's only if he's full time I think though.

[Maverick2664]

Quote: Originally Posted by sadexcuse4s10

they don't have to "let" him do anything. anybody can file for unemployment when laid off work as long as they have paid their taxes out of their paycheck regularly

well yeah, as long as the employer claims it as a legitimate "lay off"... but if they want to be a dick about it they can say you quit or that you were fired and you then have to fight for it, if you can even get it at all

[charliepickup22]

I'm screwed, I'm part time all this has to do with the economy here in puerto rico.i work with transportation.in January about 12,000 gov. employess will be let go.

[SH-60B]

Sorry to hear that charlie. Good luck

[sadexcuse4s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by charliepickup22

I'm screwed, I'm part time all this has to do with the economy here in puerto rico.i work with transportation.in January about 12,000 gov. employess will be let go.

i've collected unemploymnt working part-time. as long as you have a long enough work history to have sufficient unemployment insurance to allot for the payouts then you can collect.

after all, it's your own personal insurance policy just for times like these when you're out of work.

[charliepickup22]

I'm going to look into this i have about 1 1/2 working. thanks

[charliepickup22]

Well my project just went to wish list. well i guess i wished santa clause existed. but from all the info you guys gave me i am grateful.

this is what the list looks like:

1-350 block 30 bore
2-stock crank
3-stock 5.7 piston rods
4-flattop piston 4 valve reliefs
5-looking @ pro-comp heads or world prod.torquer
6-cam & valve train calling lunati cams for best fit
7-dual plane intake weiand or edelbrock
8-600 cfm carb holley or edelbrock or if i could find 4 barrel Rochester
9-all the odds and ends you need

feel free to keep giving opinion i will continue to check back and let you know when the build begins. thanks

[charliepickup22]

hey dudes i got lucky did not get cut at my job the list made it up to my friend.soooo i still have a job thank GOD. there is something i don't understand
about cylinder heads i have seen them with 58cc 64cc 72cc what do they mean by this. which is the most common used or recomended for a 350?

[SH-60B]

That was a close call

Those numbers refer to the intended size of the combustion chambers in the heads. 64cc heads with flat top pistons ( with about 7cc valve reliefs) ought to give you about 9.5 to 1, but exact C/R needs to include everything, like measuring the actual combustion chamber volume, (it can vary from 64cc from the nature of castings) head gasket thickness and fire ring diameter, chamfer on piston top, deck height, etc.

[sadexcuse4s10]

less cc's = higher compression ratio

[charliepickup22]

that's ironic the smaller the better

[sadexcuse4s10]

not if you're planning on running a turbo, supercharger, or major shot of nitrous all the time.

[charliepickup22]

I've been looking at pistons what i don't understand is the pricing I've seen from about $150 to about $650 why such hugh prices changes.
which would be good for street set-up ?

[Maverick2664]

pistons can get real crazy, with what youre trying to build you dont need anything fancy at all, just some hypereutecticwhatever flat tops and youll be golden

as long as you dont stick a blower on it

[charliepickup22]

wow having a hard time looking for a 350 at bone yard some are asking ridiculous money for an engine. even found a 327 virgin but did not bother asking a price. are 327 any good? found a few on eBay but shipping to puerto rico not the best looking around $600 just for a block.

[charliepickup22]

any Opinion On The 327????

[SH-60B]

It has a shorter stroke than the 350 but it's still a 4" bore so you aren't stuck with small valve heads, and it should be able to rev higher than a similar 350. IMO a 327 would be cool to have from a nostalgia point of view.

[Maverick2664]

yeah, 327s are pretty cool, not everyone has them, they dont make boatloads of power but in an s10 you dont need one to... they do however rev to the moon which with a nice exhaust system can sound really badass

[charliepickup22]

hey chevy made a 400 engine?? i found one at 600 bucks complete engine. also i have a friend that's telling me its not worth installing a 350 because you loose power because of the weight of the engine in the vehicle.

1-how much horse power do you loose after everything is installed?
2-i know you can fit a 350 in the in the chevy blazer i was looking at the engine bay wow that is a tight fit.is it straight up installation or do you have to fab up to get it to fit?

[sadexcuse4s10]

there isn't much fab involved. you can buy alot of swap parts like headers, motor mounts, upgraded radiators, electric fans, etc....

and for the little bit of weight that a 350 has over a 4.3 or 2.8 you'll notice a major power increase even with a very mild motor. the torque is there. plus, the parts to build the motor up are easier to come by and sometimes cheaper than they would be for the v6's due to these engines being in use since the mid 50's for the early versions of the sbc.

[Maverick2664]

dont listen to your friend, the gobs of extra power you have with a v8 by far makes up for the additional weight... which isnt that much by the way, the stock 4.3 is not much lighter than a sbc

besides... these trucks hardly weigh anything to begin with, whats an extra hundred lbs or so? i mean i have that much in garbage in the trunk/backseat of my monte

[charliepickup22]

how about the chevy 400 is that 350 with more stroke or did chevy really make a 400 engine?

[charliepickup22]

whats a good equation for good low end torque but also keeping it as it accelerates.

[sadexcuse4s10]

yes chevy made a 400 smallblock.

as for the torque, IMO torque is all about stroke. the longer the stroke the harder it will be to slow the engine down. I'd say build up a nice 383. slap a 400 crank in a 350 block, some decent heads, intake and carb, and you'll have torque right off the bat.

[Maverick2664]

383 is a torque monster, i love the one i had in my nova, and im building another one with TPI and way better parts for my truck

though theyre not cheap, a good stroker kit will run you over 1000, you can get cheaper "made in china" ones for around 500... and you have to have some machine work done to the block