I am planning on building a mild 350 for my 305 with 167,xxx miles on it. I want to keep it fuel injected (maybe stealth rammed). I was also planning on using some 906 or 062 Vortecs. Funds permitting, Ill pick up a grinder and port them too. I will probably not be spending not much more than 2500-3k for the whole engine which is why I will be hunting through salvage yards and the such for cheap *effective* parts. My question is what blocks make good platforms for a mild 350? A hydraulic roller block is a must as well. Are the 95-00 truck vortec engines decent? Are they hydraulic roller blocks? Thanks for any input!!

 

All vortec blocks are roller blocks, any 87+ block can be used with factory roller setups, The truck blocks dont have the holes drilled and taped for the spyder plate but that is an easy mod for you to do. Why do you need a roller block?

Do they make a stealth ram for vortec heads?

 

Im pretty sure there is a vortec stealth ram... actually i just thought that hydraulic rollers were better. are they easier to maintain or superior to flat tappets?

 

roller= very little or no metal wear at the cam/lifters


what you would want really depends on preference and the size of your wallet when it comes time to buy the cam kit

roller cam kits are alot more $$ than flat tappet ones

just my $.02 anyways


good luck

 

ok, then Ill probably stick with roller lifters, I dont want to skimp out on the valvetrain. few more questions...Hydraulic or mechanical rollers? Does a block have to be machined different for either? And what all needs to be done to machine for the spider hold down? thanks for the responses.

 

If the block isn't machined, go with flat tappet lifters. It just ain't worth it to have somebody "try" to machine it properly for you.

Unless you know what you're doing, porting Vortecs is more likely to do harm than good.

A properly machined roller block will take either hydraulic roller or even mechanical roller lifters of the factory style. You have to be doing something pretty nasty to justify mechanical. I know guys who spin factory hydraulics to 6500-7000 RPMs on a regular basis.

 

i think ill try to find a block thats already roller compatible. would something like the 10243880 95-00 vortec truck 350 block w/ 2 bolt mains be a good place to start?

 

Even if the block isent machined you can use retrofit roller lifters.

 

yeah but those get pretty pricey...I should be fine if I just stick with a Vortec block like off of a L31 right?

 

Speaking of which, retro-fit rollers, that's the only way to go unless you have the block machined for rollers, using an older block ? I've been thinking about finding a 400 block, but looking at the cost of retro-fit rollers (in the high $300's) I don't know anymore

 

If you have an older block, retro rollers are the only way to go roller, period.

 

Unlike the LO5 truck engines, Vortec truck engines got roller lifters.

 

sorry Im so slow on this but let me get this straight....Since Vortec blocks got roller lifters, the only thing that would have to be modified is for the spider hold down? How involved is it to that? And what makes an older block not compatible wit roller lifters? thanks for bearing with me.

 

Vortec engines got factory roller lifters, so there's no need to modify anything.

Older blocks don't have the bosses over the cam to mount the spider, and don't have the area above the lifter bores machined for the dogbones.

 

Thanks Apeiron, I understand that. But when he says that the truck blocks arent machined for the spider plate, does he mean truck blocks besides the vortec?

 

Some of the early LO5 TBI engines in trucks had blocks that didn't have the machining finished to take the factory roller setup. Some of them did have the machining done, although they weren't fitted with a roller cam in that application.

 

Alright. That clears up a lot. Thank you!!