http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/39700...spagenameZWDVW

does this look good for a 350 or 383 build? Or should i look around more. I posted a thread on what im looking to build up and dont want to post another thx.

 

On a build for performance a 4-bolt main block is the way to go,particulary with a stroker or a engine that may use NOS. The 4-bolt 010 block is one of the best due to higher nickel content and can be found, just have to look. This deal on e-bay sounds fishy, so Cavet Emptor(buyer beware)!

 

im not gonna build for high end performance. just want a slightly higher than mild build. i cant find a 4 bolt main anywhere though. i thought it sounded to good to be true also but when you looke at it, it is just the block and cam/lifters

 

Factory 4-bolt 350 blocks are as common as dirt. They come in ALL trucks with 350s, so they're EVERYWHERE.

That system is not effective in any particular way against hte forces encountered in high-performance applications. That's not what it was meant for; it was designed for TRUCKS, to deal with the stress of continuous low- to mid-RPM, high-torque usage. It is useless when confronted with the stresses of high RPM operation (cap walk and so forth).

But it doesn't "hurt", either; just not worth paying extra for.

I'd suggest locating a block out of a 87-up TBI truck. They practically litter the ground at junkyards that have trucks. That, plus the roller apparatus out of a factory roller motor, and you've got a damn good core for CHEEP. And, it won't have the quality-control problems that are so rampant in those crappy 70s blocks that we've all been fighting for the last 35 years.

The "high nickel" BS is just that, BS. According to people who worked in the GM block casting foundry, the factory got the idea of using the different metallurgy in the blocks, for different applications; and had those different end plates for the sand mold, that have those numbers made into them, for each kind of metal. It turned into a disaster because it was impossible to verify what block was made out of what metal, and it cost more to deal with changing the metal around than it saved in using cheaper metal. Within a couple of months the project was abandoned, and from then on (some time in 69, and later) all blocks are made out of the same metal (the better alloy, IIRC), and they just grabbed whichever end plate set was handy as they built a sand mold. Those numbers mean NOTHING WHATSOEVER if the block has a casting date after 1969.

As I've posted before, the things that ACTUALLY matter in selecting an old block to rebuild, i.e. thigns that produce TANGIBLE results in the form of a BETTER MOTOR, include how far it's been bored already (how much life it has left); casting shift; all of the various dimensions that suffered from bad QC (starter bolt hole location, lifter bore alignment, cylinder alignment, BH dowel pin location, BH flange perpendicular to the crank, decks parallel to the crank and same height, oil passages unrestricted, and so on); as well as overall condition, like cracked corners or damaged bolt holes or rust & scale in the coolant passages. 4-bolt is WAY down on the list; and all of that "high nickel" business, isn't even on the list.

 

A lot of the blocks that went into trucks weren't machined for the roller apparatus. If that's what you want, make sure you see for a fact yours is machined.

 

..and if it is machined for roller it may not be machined for a mechanical fuel pump, 'course this could possibly be remedied by a shop.

 

ok guys thanks for the answers. but it didnt really help me on wether to get the block or find another. So an answer to that would be helpful.

 

No crank, 7 rods, no guarantee it won't require additional machine work. Unless you're local to the seller I'd look around where you live. A whole motor can be had for not much more, get the work done to it and know it's good.

 

Agreed; looks like a super ordinary 70s block full of metal shavings and with who-knows-what quality control problems, and a bunch of garbage for the most part tagging along.

Which of course, you'd have to pay shipping on, if you're not close enough to drive. So you'd have to ship yourself a bunch of HEAVY garbage, and THEN throw it away.

Keep looking.

Get a truck block, locally, as described. The only machine work you're likely to have to do, worst case, is drill and tap the spider holes. The rest of it is virtually always done. You can always look at ones you find and see, and keep looking until you find one that's finished and ready for the roller stuff.