Today I bought a 350... now since im 16 i dont know everything about motors... Its a 4 bolt.. whats taht mean? it was out of a van... does that make a difference? I'm planning on totally rebuilding this from to bottom.. Im getting it bored out Monday, and then they are going to boil it to clean it up... what else should i know before i plan on rebuilding this.. any tricks.. i want all the good stuff on this motor and i relize its going to take me a year or so before im finished with it... so what should i know before rebuildin this?

 

Good job on buying a 350 4 bolt. 4 Bolt basically means that the bearing cap (this is what holds the crankshaft on the block) has 4 bolts vise 2. If you plan on building a motor with high torque #'s, you are starting out with a good block. I would hold off on getting the block bored and "boiled"(hot tanked) until you decide on what type of a motor you want. There are allot of people on this board that are far more knowledgeable than I am that can help you in achieving your goal.

 

The tanking (boiling) should be done before it is bored. All of the core plugs (also called freeze plugs or expansion plugs), galley plugs (oil passage plugs), and cam bearings should be removed before it is tanked.

The pistons that are going in should be available so they can do the final honing to obtain the proper skirt clearance. Flat-top pistons with valve reliefs are better for compression (higher compression is better for power but may require more expensive gasoline). Hypereutectic or forged pistons are better than cast but also more expensive. Have them press the pistons onto the rods, but before they do that, have the rod ends checked and resized if necessary - they can explain what that is and whether it is necessary in your case.

Before the block is reassembled, the passages should be cleaned with soapy water and bottle brushes, then rinsed with clear water (soft better than tap) and blown out with compressed air - this includes both the block and crank. Lightly oil or WD40 the machined surfaces.

Vans used low-performance truck heads. For a performance car, go with something better - World S/R's or Twisted Wedge come to mind.

You didn't say what this is going into, but the last word is to respect what you have - maintain it properly, drive responsibly.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R4. 2.93 limited slip. 2-1/2" cat-back, ZZ3 intake, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 CC system w/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam, ported World 305 heads, Hooker 2055 headers, 3" Catco cat & 3" catback, restalled TC, Spohn SFCs).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. '66 396, 9.7 CR forged TRWs, Weiand Action+, Holley 750VS w/4150 conversion, GK 270 cam, Magnum rockers, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders & 3" Warlocks, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, MegaShifter, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Idles smooth @ 600 RPM in D. Best 15.02/95.06 @ 5800' Bandimere (corrected 13.93/102.4 @ sea level).

 

Alright this is going in my 87 T/A... I was looking at a big block becase it was super cheap..but i didnt want to change everthing out that would be needed... so i bouhgt this 350... just talking to people i have learned a lot.... Im going ot a get a "rebuild" kit from summit... it includes an new crank, piston, rods, and alll the gaskets and ARP bolts... Its a pretty good deal i think... I heard that if i just got those heads ported and poilsed they would go fine... plus heads are like 1500 for some good ones... so i might hold off on those... so thats the first thing im getting.. i think im going to strip this motor down to the block... I got ever thing (compleate running engine) and a stand for 100 bucks! Great deal!!! im going to sink some money in this thouhg... it makes since to have the pistons and so on, for when i do get it bored (30 over) im looking at a High Perfonce intake manifold.. and a 700 cfm (holly) Carb from this guy i work with... roller rocks is what i hear to get... So thats my plans... now all just need to stay away from the Girlfriensd and save my money! i really want tubs with a new rear end... but that will come a little later... does anyone have any other suggestions on to what i should be getting and looking for> any help would be great! Thanks

 

Porting factory heads will help them work better. But, there's a good chance you'll grind into a crack. Also, truck engines had smaller valves than passenger car engines, so you'll be looking at new valves and possibly seats to get them to run decent, more labor costs, etc., etc., etc.

World Sportman II's can be had for about $750. Spending quality time with them and a die grinder makes a lot more sense. I just started working on my Worlds today, after doing one cylinder on the stock heads for practice. There is no doubt the Worlds are superior castings.

 

dont get the summit kit, waay overpriced. comp products is ok, but nothern is the cheapest place for rebuild kits. they'll let you swap out parts for diff ones too, so you can make the kit what you want it to be.