Well, right now I'm drivin my 2.8L Camaro and really wishin for a 350. I'm 18 at this point, with a pretty bad accident on my record, so I couldn't afford the insurance on a V8 even if I wanted to. But, when the accident is gone, and I turn 21 and my insurance goes down just a little more, I plan on buying a Z28.

BUT, to pass the time, I'm thinking of finding a 350 somewhere around here, and over the next couple years waiting for that Z, I was thinking I could rebuild the engine, paint it, bore it, and all that fun stuff. That way, once I get the Z, I can swap the rebuilt 350 in and go vroom!

Any opinions? And where would one go about getting a motor like this? Do you guys find you can usually find motors good for this application in junkyards? And how much do you think a 350 like that would cost? I'd only be getting the main engine assembly, I suppose... block w/ heads and valve covers. If it's comin from a FI car, I don't think I'd grab the injection system, because I plan on going carb. Well anyways, what do you all think?

 

Insurance goes on the VIN, not on what the car actually is, unless you have inspections i guess.

IF you are going to take the time to build an engine, i would just buy a decent block, then buy a crank, rods, pistons, etc. and build an engine that will run good and have tons of power. If your gonna do it, do it right the first time (atleast thats what my dad always told me)

 

Yea, up here all the insurance companies see is the VIN #. That's why, before I got this idea, I wanted to swap a 350 into my current V6, but after reading all the opinions against doing that, I'd much rather just buy a Z and swap in a rebuilt motor. I enjoy having projects like that, and I've got plenty of friends to help me out, so I know I'll enjoy rebuilding the motor.

How can I tell that a block is "decent," as you put it? Other than looking at it and seeing no cracks or anything, is there anything else that I should look for?

I found a classified ad for a guy around here that is selling some 350 SBC blocks, 2 bolt and 4 bolt. This is probably a stupid question, but which one should I get, the 2 or the 4 bolt?

 

I can't think of any technical reasons why not to start with a V6 car. I think the primary argument against doing a V8 swap on a V6 car is the cost. It's just plain cheaper to buy a V8 car and start there. But in your case that argument doesn't hold up because the biggest cost would be insurance for a V8 car. So it would make more sense for you to do the swap on a V6 car. Plus, you won't have to wait 3 years.

 

I think what you're doing makes a lot of sense. The first thing you need to do is find a good reputable machine shop before you even think about buying parts. Then I'd work with the owner and buy everything through him. That way you don't have to pay shipping and a lot of times they'll give you stuff at cost if they like you. Get a HP and ttorque number in your mind and then start from there. You don't need a donavan block if you want 400-500 hp. You should think about fuel economy and emissions and deceide if those are going to be a factor as well. Good luck on your build. By the way, most 305s aren't listed as HO engines for insurance. I wouldn't rule out crate engines either. If you're buying new stuff they can really be the best bang for the buck.

 

The reason I want to wait till I'm 21 is because by then my insurance will be drastically less, and I'll be able to afford the insurance on a V8 car. With that cost down, it'll certainly be cheaper to buy a V8 car and swap a new engine in. Besides, by that time my brother will be turning 16, and I'm thinking i could give my V6 car to him.

And I'm not looking to have a roarin machine, either. What are the stock HP and torque #s on the V8's that came with our car? Just a little more than stock I guess is what I'm shooting for.

We have no emmissions testing up here, so that's not a factor. However, having good fuel economy is always good; although I do plan on carbing this motor.

My plan was to buy an older, used block that was still in good condition, and work from there. Are you suggesting I buy a new block, instead, ATOMonkey? I was considering buyin a crate engine before, but part of this idea is the whole project of building it myself, that's the kinda person I am I guess. Besides, I'll learn more in the process from building it myself, and that's something I'm goin for too.

 

The only problem with an old block is that you won't know if it's cracked or how much overbore you'll need until you get it fluxed, and start boring. With a new piece you can be pretty sure that it'll put up with whatever you throw at it, and you'll know it's straight. If you want good fuel economy and keep the cost down you should keep the TPI. If you only want a little more power a bigger cam will really wake it up. If you want to get a 350 instead of a 305 then you'll need new heads. However you can get another 30 or 40 HP out of the 305 heads. There is a lot that you'll absolutely need a machine shop for. If you keep your block it'll need to at least be rehoned if not bored and honed. You'll need to get the pins pressed into the pistons unless you buy free floating. If the crank needs to be turned that'll be an issue. Cleaning up the heads and maybe putting in new guides, getting a valve job done so they seal right. Checking the heads and the deck for straight. Balancing the rotating assembly. Even with a crate engine I'd take it apart and put it back together myself so I'd know the clearances were ok. Once you start shopping for parts and adding up the figures I'm sure you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

I see what you're saying, although I think we had some miscommunication, as I don't possess a V8 block at all, I'm looking to attain one (you mentioned getting new heads to go from 305 to 350). It looks like my best bet is to buy a good, new block, then? or maybe I'll just save myself the hassle, and save up for a Z and hope that it has a motor that's in good shape to begin with, hah. Oh well, we'll see, I'm gonna go look in my Summit catalog just to get an idea of the magnitude of this undertaking.

 

I would just start with a basic junkyard engine. Maybe bring along someone who knows what to look for on a project engine like this (is it cracked? has it been bored? etc). But yea, just start with a junkyard block, as that is the cheapest way to get started, then get any machine work done that is needed to it and go from there.