I'm gonna go look at an 88 truck block. Its advertised as 1 piece RMS. I know thats borderline for 1 piece seal /roller blocks. How can I tell by just looking at the block?

 

Anything 87-up was roller.

 

If the back end of the crankshaft is round, it's one-piece rear main seal.

'88 isn't borderline for one-piece rear main seal since it started in 1986. On the other hand, being one-piece rear main seal doesn't mean it's a roller block.

Most truck engines were not equipped with roller lifters. Many were machined for the roller lifter hardware, but still had typical old-style flat tappet lifters. For that, look for some nubs cast into the lifter valley on top of the center oil galley - if they are machined flat and drilled/tapped, the tops of the lifter bores, and the front of the block by the front cam bearing is machined drilled & tapped, it's a roller-ready block.

 

Have any pictures to offer? I'm just getting my feet wet all over again into motors. Been stuck on alot of axles/suspension with working on trucks for the last 2 years.

So if the lifter bore in the block is tapped (as in threaded?) at the top its a roller block?

 

I have the block cast number does that help at all?

 

Block casting # will tell you 350 and 1- or 2-piece rear main seal, that's about it.

Top of the lifter bores machined, tops of the cast-in nubs in the center of the lifter valley machined and drilled/tapped.

 

Ok so the big thing I am looking for is drilled and tapped holes in the valley?

Thanks for the help its been a while since I've seen the inside of a motor. Thats why I want to build this one.