I am kinda new at this stuff but i got the general knowledge. but to get to the point, i was wondering where i could get an engine that would be worth building for my 84 camaro. i don't care if it is a bare block or a complete engine, it will be mostly experimental for me. i just need to get one now so i can clean it up and i will be able to build it in my college dorm next year. and yes i know it will be cramped but i done got it figured out.

 

Honestly, depending on your needs/wants, it's often cheaper to buy a pre-built shortblock off the showroom floor of a machine shop than it is to build your own. Bigger shops will have many choices of cid, compression, internals, etc...just depends on what you want. The shortblock I have cost me $1K and it was boiled, bored, crack checked, rods R&R'd, balanced with damper and flexpalte plus the new slugs and bearings of course. The same parts if I would've brought in a block and had it done woold've been a little over $1400. Typically the "standard" bill for block machine work alone is right around $500, then you still have to buy all the rotating parts to put it together or have old stuff checked and reconditioned.

 

I've been looking at those "CRATE ENGINES" on ebay.

I'm not to sure about the reliability of them. But the ones I looked at have been around $2500.00 with free shipping, 12 month unlimited mileage warranty.

 

Those are good, but what happens if you have a problem? Heard quite a few horror stories and had one happen to me dealing with those out of state companies. Things can easily go bad and I like knowing if there's a problem I can go down the road and talk with somebody face to face.

 

Junkyard - you can get a complete 350 for $50-150.

 

Yeh but how good are those engines from junkyard? I dont think its that easy to find...
How do you tell if engine from junkyard is allright..at least not all killed?

 

I am also starting to look at my engine options. If I was to buy anything off a junk yard, I'd have to tear it down and have the whole thing cleaned, machined and the rest. That would probably be a pain and not that cheap.

I realize there are a lot of options when going with a short block, which is my best candidate right now. When you look at a short block, I know there are parts that are better than others (and some are just crap), but I don't really know what to look for.

So let's say we take a short block. What crankshaft, pistons, rods, etc. should be good? which ones are better? My goal is for engine that peaks hp somewhere @ 6000 (maybe 6500) rpm for track racing and occasional driving.

Is there a good resource us newbs can read before asking repetitive questions about this stuff?

 

You're going to build an engine in your dorm room???

 

I want to hear/see this...

 

Who was the fella that built the front clip for his '57 in his living room? Anything's possible, hopefully it's a first floor dorm room and he has strong buddies to man handle out to the truck when it's done-that's the part I wanna watch LOL.

As far as internals, your only limiting factor is your wallet. Not proud of the fact I'm running a factory short block with cast crank, gm x rods, and hyperutectic slugs, but it works and has been beat to death at the track countless passes season long and many street miles, oil filter is still looking as good internally now as it did after the first post break in oil filter. Not recommending a stock set-up like mine, but it's lived all summer pushing high 57?-600hp at the crank. Key to longevity is keeping the rpm's down as low as possible. When I built this motor I did not wanna go over 7K at anytime, I've tested shift points from 6K-7K in both 1-2 and 2-3 shifts and the car is not much faster winging it as it is shifting at my 6000rpm shift point. Your cam is going to be the factor that dictates your optimim shift point/max rpm.

Bracket racing tip after saying that, better to keep some power "in the bag" so if you come out and feel some slippage or know you cut a less than competative light you can make up a little ground by using the power in reserve.

 

This is pretty much what I hear and read all the time , but no one would actually come out and say what the different types of components there are. How one type is better than another and so on...

I don't know about other people, but I don't mind paying higher price if I know what I am paying for. The problem is that (like most new guys) I lack a lot of understanding of what makes a good piston good, or crankshaft, or rods (or some other important piece that I don't even know is critical). I know this is a lot of info to just post in a forum, but I can't even find a good place to learn about this stuff.

 

I re-built one in my apartment before. Sometimes you gotta do what you can do & work with what you have to work with.

 

Typically you can find a 350 or something close at a local speed shop, many people build them without having enough money to finish them, and you can usually get them pretty cheap.

~Nick~

 

Yeah i'm gonna build it in my dorm room. it's a decent sized dorm, for being a dorm, and i gotta a couple buddies that are body builders that are gonna help me move it....so that'll make things go a little smoother. my only problem is that my roommate said i gotta keep everything in my part of the room because he doesn't want the plastic on the floor to cramp his "style". if worst comes to worst i'll lock him out and store it in his room.

 

.. i have rebuilt one in my laundry room once but nobody was there to bitch. what happens when you need to spray somthing down with carb cleaner or degreaser? what if your whole dorm smells like burnt 10w30?? you will surely need to use some cleaning solvents not meant to be used indoors. its gonna be a tuff one but i guess everybody loves a challenge.


How are you gonna get chicks with a 350 block next to your bed??

 

simple --

tell them that you have 8 rods that need to find a home :lala:

You can find a fairly cheap 350 block in the classified, I seen a lot of blocks for 350-450 in working order (longblock).