ok i have been told that a working q- jet will more than suffice. is this true is it possible for me to buy a 350 block and head crate set without intake and carb and put my good q-jet on it. would i need to mod or change anything

 

Yes, you could buy a long block and put a spreadbore intake and Qjet on it.

 

well your a mind reader. my next question was long block? considering i dont really know the difference. but after that... im gonna be able to run the same carb but is it possible to run the same distributor and everything since..well i belive anyway that that carb and distributor set up stock on my car controles timing and transmission shifts and lockup and stuff..that being said can i still run the same equipment or will i have to buy all new and not use computer in car

 

A long block is a block sold with heads installed, as opposed to a short block which is just the block and rotating assembly with no heads.

 

wow that seems kinda obvious feel kinda like an idiot right now. trying to look back in forums for answers to distributor questions but not having any luck

 

Computer control is all-or-nothing... if you're going to put the CCC carb on, you need the CCC distributor and the computer as well.

If you're doing this to replace an LG4 or L69, you're usually better off getting a short block and reusing your 305 heads.

 

ya its an lg4 replacement.. wow wouldnt i be losing power with a set of 305 heads on the 350 block i buy. maybe its a stupid question but completely lost with the whole idea. i think maybe i could see that putting new heads and cam in new engine might not be possible with cc equipment because of timing issues or something. but the idea of putting my stock heads on that new motor is blowing my mind right now

 

You'll make more power with the "305" heads compared to most "350" heads, if you're talking about stock. If you're planning on getting aftermarket heads, that's a different story.

 

well heck in that case this will be cheaper than i thought. maybe . well in that case should i do something like roller rockers or well i mean i dont know some kind of changes to my heads

 

There's some work you could have done to your heads as part of a rebuild, like machining the spring pockets for a cam with more lift, and 1.94"/1.60" valves.

 

well then i guess that may be the route i go because it would seem that i can buy the main portion of the motor (pretty much the motor without heads and intake for about a grand) as opposed to 4 or 5 thousand

 

It will be less work, and most likely less money to go with a long block, than to buy short block, install cam/timing chain, and have your old heads rebuilt.
the 305 heads will have a 58cc combustion chamber, and therfore more compression than a 64cc or 78cc 350 head, but they also have smaller valves and intake runners. A 260hp or 290hp gmpp motor would drop right in using your oe intake and carb, distributor, and flywheel. That drop in motor would also have a warranty.

 

Well, LG4/LB9 heads have the same size ports as L98 heads, and the same size exhaust valves. The 1.84" intake valves can be upgraded to 1.94".

The 260 and 290 HP crate engines have the large chamber, poor flowing port heads. LG4/LB9 would be better even without larger intake valves.

 

really so is the valve size something that has to be machined or is that something that i can buy and swap? sorry not to versed with heads

 

so i found two long blocks and thought i would ask if this would be the right kind of idea. .... on summit GM Performance 12486041 and GM Performance 12499529 those look like 9.1.1 compression engines wich is as good as the 305 stock in my car anyways right? i mean thats a good compression i belive but would the 64cc chambers in the 330 est. hp engine be to much for my intake and q-jet that i would like to keep if possible for cc reasons

 

You'd need the seats cut for the larger valves, but it's not terribly difficult or expensive to have done.

 

The valve seats have to be cut to the larger size. That's a machine shop operation.

The first one is the popular HO 330HP crate engine. It has Vortec heads, so you need a Vortec intake manifold. If you have emissions, it doesn't have the exhaust cross-over passages in the heads that feed the EGR valve. Member James C has one in his Camaro (probably many others, his name came to mind). The q-jet would be fine with it.

The 2nd one is the 290 HP crate mentioned above with the crappy heads. You might as well get a short block and put your 305 heads on it. But, it isn't bad if you don't have mongo power expectations. The q-jet would be fine with it, and your intake would fit it (if you have a stock q-jet intake manifold - I happen to have 2 I no longer need).

 

oh ya everything under there except exhaust and emissions is stock (since in my infinate wisdom when i first purchased the car i ripped the emissions off and chunked it all) so of course i do have stock intake. i dont know though if im gonna spend the money i guess i want the power of the HO.

 

ok wait 4 bolt main isnt my engine like a two bolt or something? is that mounts or what will that need modifications? might be a dumb question cause i thought that a small block was a small block but im tryin to run some numbers here and if i need some mod kit thats more numbers i need to add in you know

 

2 bolt vs 4 bolt is how many bolts hold the main caps on. It has nothing at all to do with the external fittings of the engine. Without taking the pan off and looking, you'd never know the difference.

 

im assuming there is a special type of heads on a ls type motor correct. if so what is the difference. the 327 gm performance parts sells is deffinetly not a motor that everyone has(which makes it all that much more appealing to me) but would i need to buy new heads or is it possible to run old 305 heads or maybe even junk yard vortecs on an ls motor

 

LS series engines are completely different, nothing interchanges.

 

anyone ever herd of what this wewbsite shows?..... http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/catalog/frameset.cfm
...
that sounds good!!!
cant seem to actually find the kit for sale anywhere though does anyone know anything about it?

 

The link takes me to a menu.

I don't suppose that is the old (read: discontinued) 350 HO Camaro conversion kit.

 

yup sure is! so guess i cant get that setup that sounds to good to be true huh
none of the part numbers were found anywhere anyway .. is it possible that gm has any of those part numbewrs still in production if i were to go to a dealership

 

I feel I have lots of info in my files on the ZZ4 Camaro conversion, but you don't need half of it if you have no smog test. To duplicate it legally, you are out thousands of dollars.
To run the computer controlled QJet on that 350, GM included a new chip for the computer, and a pair of AH rods and a G hanger for the secondary side of the QJet. Secondary, here, means the 2 biggest holes in the carb.
So. Look in your yellow pages for Automotive Machine Shop. Visit each one. Find out which one has a Serdi. Take them your 305 heads. Ask for the seats to be cut for the 1.94"/1.60" valves, and then to follow that up with a 75-degree-angle "bowl-hog". I'm an automotive machinist. I've done this countless times. testing on a new SuperFlow flowbench proves trhis is worth it. But first contact www.competitionproducts.com for a new set of valves in these sizes. They have them in stock-style, which you don't want. They also have them in one-piece, swirl-polished, stainless steel, for just $80/set. I've never seen a better deal. Ask the machinist to "put a 30 degree back cut on the valves, before cutting the heads."
When choosing your "short block" 350, be sure the one you choose has dished pistons, not flat tops.
You don't want to reuse your original intake manifold. You may not have smog testing, but choosing an intake with EGR can help gas mileage. I'd suggest Edelbrock's Performer EGR #3701, or the Weiand 8000, Or GM's ZZ4 intake. www.sdparts.com has the part number, but you might find a better price at www.gmpartsdirect.com For a distributor I'd suggest the Accel #59107C. If you decide to stay computer controlled carb, I'd try JET for a chip. They've done this kind of thing before. It was for a guy in Nevada with an 882-headed 383 into an '84 Trans Am.

 

You mean these articles?
https://www.thirdgen.org/hr_feb_2000...hird_gen_fbody
https://www.thirdgen.org/hr_feb_2000...en_fbody_part2

 

Actually, you can often tell if a block has 4-bolt mains just from the casting number. Some castings could be either 2-bolt or 4-bolt. Others were exclusively 2-bolt or 4-bolt.

This page has a good list. I don't know if it's complete.

http://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm

If you were shopoing for a block, the list could save you some hand cleaner. I would drop the oil pan anyway just to be sure.

Happy hunting!

The nice thing about Q-Jets is that they are variable cfm carbs by virtue of the secondary air valves, which open according to demand from the engine. Any model including the computer controlled ones canbe optimized for a 350. Most of them are capable of flowing close to 800 cfm and some will do more. A 350 revving at 6000 rpm would theoretically need just over 600 cfm.

The only disadvantage I know of regarding E4ME c.c. Q-Jets is the variety of primary metering rods is rather limited.

You might want to pick up a copy of Doug Roe's "Rochester Carburetors" if you decide to keep the Q-Jet.

CFM = (CID X RPM) / 3456

 

For a mild performance 350, which most of these crate motors will be, the stock ccc-qjet will run fine in my experience. It will require adjustments to dwell and a change in secondary rods and hangers but a new chip and changes to primary rods are not necessarily required. A new chip may optimize the system and provide more aggressive timing but it can be added later.

Purchasing a long block and installing your intake, carb and dist is the quickest, easiest way IMO. Head work and all the little things you need to add to a shortblock can quickly exceed the cost of a long block by itself. Add to the cost of the shortblock cam, lifters, timing chain, oil pump, gaskets, etc. along with machine work to the heads. It also gets the car back on the road quicker, if that's a concern.

Starting with a short block does allow you to fine tune your combination: pick your own cam, work with better heads, etc.

If you still have stock exhaust manifolds the oil dipstick needs to be on the passenger side. Many of the less expensive crate motors will have it on the driver side along with a two piece seal and no provisions for roller lifters. Later roller blocks will likely have the dipstick in the correct location but may not be machined for a mechanical fuel pump. I'd verify this before purchasing.

Your LG4 manifold will work fine, especially to start. Upgrading later to a better intake is always an option.

 

While it sounds like that would work in theory, in practice it never does. The production numbers on the 4-bolt-only blocks are very low compared to the common-as-dirt blocks that could go either way, like the 3970010.

 

2- or 4-bolt isn't dependent upon casting #. The same casting can be used for either one.

 

ok so i think that i have decided to find some SB engines in the junk yards around here. seems like that is the cheapest powere available. its really not to common for a block to actually have problems right normally its the heads and cams and oil pumps and things right?

 

It depends how the engine has been abused.