84RIceEater

Hey everyone. I --did-- a search and i found some information but not enough.. hoping i can get a more direct answer...
- I am going to do some window shoping at the local junkyards and making some phone calls to find a decent 350 that wound'nt need to "re-Build".besides a gasket kit. I plan on doing the basic upgrades cam,intake and carb, Maybe some porting in the heads.

*Question(s)*
-What should i atlest do to the motor?(rods,bearings,etc)
-What models should i look for. (Trucks, vans and cars)
-What hp is normal in a stock 350
-What not to get.
-Would a cam be alright in a -Non-rebuilt motor- (kinda silly)
-What would i tell the machinist to port it too? i heard 1.94'' alot. is that just the exhaust or intake?


Sorry agian for a Boring quetion that i think has been answered over and over but i couldn't find anything.
-Thanks agian any info or links would be great.

Streetiron85

A 5.7 Vortec truck longblock would be a good choice.
They're pretty recent and they come with some good heads and a factory hyd roller cam. The downside would be that they have factory dished pistons that yield a lower compression ratio than optimum.
Or you could get an LT1 from the same years as the Vortec. They have higher compression than the trucks, but they have this opti spark thing that no one seems to like.

84RIceEater

yeah i am trying to stay with the old school carb. i have a 84

Streetiron85

If you want carb, then the LT1 would be a bad choice.
A 5.7L vortec truck motor would be good. If you can get one with low mi on it, it might be possible to put a set of flattop pistons in there to replace the dished factory pistons, without a rebore.
Be cautious about crafty junk dealers who'll sell you a truck engine and tell you it's a vortec, when it's actually a TBI truck engine. It happens a lot.
I think the 'real' Vortecs were from '93 -'96. Double check on that to be sure.
Also, an L98 could work for you but you'd be more likely to find a low mi vortec truck engine.