the phoenix

iTrader: (1)

Alright guys, after sitting on making any major movement on my T/A. I finally made the decision to pull the 305 and put something with some guts in the car.

After deciding 100% on a 350 swap, my cousin found a 406 block ready for internals on Ebay and I jumped on it.

So here we go... I currently have a 750 Holley carb, high rise single plane Weiand intake, the 406 block, 700R4 tranny, Hedman shorties and an SLP catback. This car will NOT be my daily driver, however, I will be driving it every chance I get. That being said, it needs to be able to get me to and from a store or a meet or the drag strip...

I need internals: I know internally balanced would be best, but cost may be a limiting factor. Also, because funds are tight, I may be stuck in the hypereutectic kits. I know some people have been ok with these, but I've also heard the horror stories. Any opinions there?

I need heads: I had a friend say he knew of some 350 heads up for sale and I had been under the impression they would work. Any suggestions on a good way to go there?

Electrical/cooling: I have seen a number of people talk about modifications needed in these departments. I just don't know how much of this has been necessary and how much was to add performance. My goal is to have a highly sophisticated ICE setup and an engine that has the LEAST electronics as I can get away with. No HVAC, etc. I have a bunch of Speedway Performance gauges to swap out the stock cluster (and add to what was there stock).

I'm sure more will come up, but I'm just trying to avoid as many silly mistakes as possible since I won't have much extra cash to cover any 'redo's.

Thanks in advance.

88 350 tpi formula

iTrader: (9)

1st decide on what cam grind you want. this will tell you what your static comp. ratio needs to be.

now decide what rotating "kits" you want/ can afford. and what cc head chambers you need. (usually around the 64cc cambers)


now look at GOOD heads. I belive the vortec heads are still a great bang for the buck. but I belive your gross lift is limited to .480? unless you cut the guides down. and I bet you intake is for the standard intake pattern so you would need a vortec specific intakeand BE carful not to use swirl port heads being passed off as vortec heads

as for using a 350 head drilling the steam holes for the 400 is a cake walk and should be the last thing on your mind

bassically don't buy one thing befor you decide on the next.

AlkyIROC

402 block? A 402 is a BBC 396 bored out .030"

Boring out a 400 SBC block makes a 406.

Blownz28man

iTrader: (2)

Your building a small block right?? I wouldn't be afraid of hypereutectic. I ran a 383ci w/ 14lbs of boost on some KB's. No probelms ever. Just get the ring gap right. Best bang for the buck is vortec heads. Than match a cam to the flow characteristics of the head. (cfm flow based on lift).

the phoenix

iTrader: (1)

My bad. It's a 406. For some reason I kept wanting to say 402.

Great advice, everyone. Thanks!

I'm not planning on juicing or boosting it since the car has some much that needs done yet. So I may just go with the hypereu's and make sure everything matches 1000%.

the phoenix

iTrader: (1)

Here's a follow up q...

The reason I got the 406 so cheap was because the shop that prepped it for the previous owner left a small chip in one of the cylinders right at the top. My cousin said that using a lower compression setup with plugging the closest water port would make it work just fine. The seller agreed. But since he was planning on going with a high compression, he decided to just start with a new block.

What would a decent cam be using a lower end compression? Again, this will be a 100% N/A engine. Thanks again.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

how big is a small chip...pics?

the phoenix

iTrader: (1)

It is .120 deep down the cylinder, extends .130 into the block from the bore diameter, and is .168 long along the radius.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

I can't really tell from that picture. Looks like lint on the cylinder.
If it's a cut thats .120" deep, i'd be a bit worried. It's high enough that rings won't hit it, but it could very well leak.
Look into putting in a sleeve, that'd be a cheap fix.

What do you mean by ICE?
I think as far as cooling goes, a normal water pump, a decent aftermarket rad, and you should be fine. Throw on an electric fan setup from a taurus, with a 185* coolant fan switch, and you're laughing. Make sure you've got the air dam and you're done.
Keep it carbureted and you won't need any sensors, only gauge sensors (coolant temp, oil pressure etc).

the phoenix

iTrader: (1)

That's what my cousin suggested, I believe. Along with a lower compression setup and a good quality gasket. I have some time before it's time to attack that potential issue.

Thanks a ton on the input.

In Car Entertainment

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i'd sleeve the block for sure, no questions about that one.

when you sleeve it though, you won't have to worry about a "low compression setup" as it'll be just as strong, if not stronger than the original bore. i wouldn't hesitate to run a hot little 10.5:1 street combo in that block once the sleeve is in it.

the phoenix

iTrader: (1)

Ok. That's great news.

Here's the follow up q to that... (beware, I'm v8-dumb) I'm assuming a sleeve is physically going into the cylinder to cover the upper section of the cylinder. Will that change the bore size and therefore the rotating assembly that I'll need to pick up? Or is a sleeve typically above any point where it might interact with the piston?

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

Yea, I sure wouldn't cripple an engine with low compression if the only thing holding you back is an $80 sleeve... (or whatever the going rate is for that).

No, they basically bore your cylinder out much larger than it can be, and press in a whole new cylinder. And yes, anywhere it might interact with the piston. They also cut a step into the top of the bore, and it sits on that. Then they deck the top to make sure it's perfectly flat, and bore/hone it to match the other cylinders.

BIG_J_420

Another nice thing about a sleeve, if u mess it up, all u have to do is change that one sleeve. Dont have to go about rebuild the whole rotating ***. and boring and all the rest of the hassel.