im sorry but im really ignorant when it comes to switching motors and its not something ive ever done before. so i kinda need some help. i have a 305 v8 camaro and i wanna swap to a 350. in the future i plan to make the 350 into a 383. its my understanding that any 350 can be made into a 383. my first stop for looking for a 350 block was going to be at the junkyard.only problem is that i cant really distinguish between what is a good block and a bad one. what should i look for when looking for the new engine? ive also been told that everything on my old 305 block will fit the new one besides the heads. is this also true. i really need help on this. any help is appreciated

 

The "roller" 350 blocks, which have one-piece rear main seals, are usually a good starting point. A search should provide sufficient threads to provide information about what those things mean.

Everything external from the 305 will bolt to the 350, if you start with the type of block mentioned above. The heads will actually bolt to a 350, the real problem is 305 TBI heads aren't very good for performance applications.

What do you have planned for induction and exhaust?

 

are these 350 roller engine easy to find in a junkyard(since thats probaly gonna be my first stop) should i find one that already has the heads with them? waht am i looking for on the engine to tell weather its in good or bad condition.

the only thing i have really done to my 3rdgen is flowmaster exhaust. she was treated pretty badly by the previous owner. neglected is a better word. she'd been sittin in a ditch for about 8 months so there was a hole in her exhaust so i have to put a new one on for her to pass inspection here in va. she even had a rat come out from under the intake. besides that she is stock.

 

Do you have to retain the fuel injection system to get through your inspection? If so, your choices will be a little more limited, but not something to get discouraged about.

Do the searches for "roller block" and "one piece rear main seal", so you get familiar with those choices.

 

not really sure but if i had to guess id say yes just because va is weird like that. ok ill search those. do u reccomend anything for performance on a 350 engine that would later evolve to a 383?i would really like for her to push 500hp one day. straight motor. wut do u think?

 

I am nowhere near the expert as some of the guys on here but I have learned alot since joining. One thing I have learned is if you are going to build a 350 and really want a 383 then just build the 383 now becuase the price for the parts are close to the same. Secondly, I would say 500HP on motor in not really a add on type build. It would have to start life as a motor that was being built for 500 hp, that is to say it would need to be built for that type of power from the ground up.

You are way ahead of the game by just finding this site. A lot of great info here. Five7kid has helped me a great deal with my 385 build (a 383 bored .040 over instead of .030 over). And yes, I was just like you it the fact that I wanted a 350 to turn into a 383 later. Some reading and searching here changed my mind to just do it right the first time.

For performance parts, if you are going to look for those kind of HP numbers than buy the best heads you can afford and build from there.

 

im in the process of doing a 305 to 350 swap myself and i need to find a crate engine!!!!!!!!! just stock
my question is where would i find one?????????????????????
i looked everywhere i have a friend that works at kreagens and shes looking for an engine for me!!!!!!!! so if anyone knows plz help

 

well just so i can get an idea, how much does your 385 put out. my boy is building a 383 out of a 350 thats he says should push about 450 hp. i wouldn't think itd be too hard to push 50 more. i would like to to 450 at the minimum. if i was to go with one of these roller engines, would it be possible to get one out of another car or do they have to be specially ordered somewhere?

 

My motor is more mild than yours will be it sounds like. The motor is still on a stand in the garage right now because I am waiting for the snow to melt before I stick it in. I am running factory style iron heads that are ported and polished with a XE274 cam and RPM intake. I am looking at 425ish I hope on my motor. At least thats what the comp dyno says. If you went with a real good set of alum. heads, a bigger cam and a single plain intake than your goals are attainable but there is a trade off.

The cam you will most likely run will require a 3000 to 3500ish stall, gears and large tube headers. Also the more lift you run the more clearance problems you run into with a stroker crank. Make sure you get a rotating assembly with cap screw style rod bolts. Another consideration will be a powerband that is farther up th RPM scale. What is this car going to be used for? I chose to go with the set up I did because 1. My budget prohibited really good alum. heads. 2. I wanted a very streetable motor that I can still race at the track and run good times. For me a little milder of a motor that I can spray when I go to the track was the answer. For you, you may be able to live with a really big cam on the street. Not mind a 3500 rpm stall, and arew willing to run a vacuum canister for your power brakes. Alot of it has to do with budget. I think if I were running everything else the same with really good heads I could be over 450 but not anywhere near 500+HP.

Again, I am not the expert or anything close to it around here so someone please chime in if I am way off. here.

 

I was just in the same boat as these guys, looking for a 350 to turn into a 383. the problem was finding a 4 bolt main 350 in a junk yard. anyway, i went on craigslist and found a gm crate engine (350 HO, with 330 horse and 380 torque) for 1400. I went and looked at the motor and everything seemed to be alright but you never know when buying an engine off of somebody. I am happy to say that i just got done (literally hours ago) putting the engine in and the camaro is a lot more fun. anyway check craigslist or your local paper.

 

I actually got my 350 4 bolt main block off craigslist also. I paid 150 for the complete engine carb to pan. Its a hyd flat tappet though not a roller

You should be able to find a post 86 roller 1 piece rear main 4 bolt at a junk yard depending where you live. I don't know all the years and models to look for maybe someone could help us out with that? I would think post 86 3/4 ton fullsize trucks would be a good place to start.

 

craiglist huh? ok cool ill have to check that out then. thanks for the help

 

Got my motor right from GM. Turnkey, comes with warranty. I looked around at rebuilts on eBay and other engine builders sites but decided on a GM cause shipping would have killed me from the U.S.

I seem to remember Pace having good prices, think they are in Illinois.

Pace Performance

 

Well at least you all have the advantage of being there from the start of the project...

...I bought an 86' with a 350 crate (or good orange paint an a hearty 350?), half complete. It runs like a champ without the mass air sensor connected and tosses out almost every code you can think of on a brick. Pretty much every sensor fails , found the CV cable was cut.. WTF... found the oil pressure sender not present and half #*$ capped off+leaking... fun!

...I dont even want to speak of the emission system... yikes.... if it was an 83 I wouldnt need all that crap.

...I'll have to keep an eye on this thread, might give me some hints as to where I want to go with it.

Take this as a little venting, not yet a cry for help. I just need to string a couple of days over 40f together without rain and make some progress or I'm gonna go batty thinking about all of it.