I have acquired a 350 nickel block from a mid '80s Suburban.
I'm looking to get low to mid 300s in HP and Torque.

My plans include:
Vortec heads
Mild boring (if needed, otherwise honing)
Flat top pistons (9.0 to 1 CR?)
Stock crank
I'll call Comp cams or Crane Cams for a camshaft
Stock computer controlled Quadrajet (adjusted to 750 cfm)
Headers (not sure whos yet)
I intend to keep her emmissions legal.

Questions:
Should I get the Chevy intake or an aftermarket intake (possibly Edlebrock?)?
Will the computer handle the 350? The car is an LG4.
What would a good, technical book be to put this together? I'm looking for torque specs and the like. I do have the shop manual and will use those specs if I can't find anything better.

Thanks for the help.
Transmission questions are next.

 

use the shop manual, very good chance you'll have to burn your own proms, i'd use a weiand intake and stay away from edlebrock stuff. i doubt your block is nickel, cast iron is a more realistic metal for the block. if by chance you got the only nickel block gm built sell it for scrap, it'd be worth a good bit and could help off set the cost of your engine build up project.

 

Not 100% nickel, Mortec states that the block casting numbers indicate a block with nickel in it. I think it has 1% tin and 2% nickel, as indicated by the Mortec page.

 

oh ok the high nickel blocks, suspose to be more desireable but i'm not sure it'll make any differances to you or most anyone else. it is a good point if you have a block to sell.

 

Vortec heads? To the best of my knowledge, Weiand doesn't make an intake for them. As for GM or Edelbrock, Edelbrock makes the GM Vortec EGR q-jet manifold, so wherever you get the best price.

Vortec heads & emissions legal? You'll have to plumb exhaust up to the intake manifold since the Vortec heads don't have the exhaust cross-over passages.

Cam? Better keep it under .420" lift, or you'll need some more work on those Vortec heads - springs, cut down the valve guides, etc.

I just don't get the fasination with Vortec heads. All the above hassles, and you'll be spending as much or more than you would to port L98 heads or buy & pocket-port World S/R Torquers, w/o any gain in performance with Vortecs over those other two options. Plus, L98 and Worlds don't require any special parts to be emissions legal.

 

I'm pretty sure that the Vortecs with the EGR intake and the heat riser headers will make the car emissions legal. The heads that came with the 350 were 882's, which I have heard are poor flowing heads. The Vortecs are a decent flowing head for little money. They are about $100 cheaper per head. I'll look into what it takes to make it emissions legal.