Hey all,

i picked up a 69 small block chevy that came out of a 72 nova. the previous owner had too big of a cam which caused a failed piston. he gave me a deal: block with 7 pistons crankshaft and oil pump, heads, holley carb, weiand manifold, engine stand, oil pan, valve covers all for $120. i stripped the block and its goin to the machine shop. im 18, in college, and work a part-time job. i cant afford to put too much in this motor but want strong horse power. if the block checks out and just needs a good hone should i just replace that one piston and connecting rod, replace rings, bearings, and obviously gaskets??? please comment.

my 91 formula has a 305tbi. will the 350 sbc be an easy swap???????????? thanks.

other questions for my rebuild:
what's a good cam to put in? i want a semi-choppy sound and good hp

will accessories from 305tbi easily transfer? i.e.:alternator, water pump, timing set-upulley, chain and gear??

should i just replace rings if pistons and connecting rods are good?

what are good quality and affordable ring/bearing kits, gasket kits, freeze plugs, etc.?

 

All the accessories will bolt right on, but I would suggest a new water pump, as they are cheap enough, and its nice to have a new one on your motor, make sure its for reverse rotation, if your keeping the serpentine belt.

Definitely replace the rings, and all bearings, these are things that go out due to mileage, or poor engine maintenance, and I wouldnt leave them to chance.

When I built my motor, I got most of the parts from summitracing.com, freeze plugs are inexpensive, and the gasket kit I bought was ~$60 if I remember correctly, and I bought the bearings seperately (not as a 'kit') and it wasnt that expensive.

I definitely would not reuse the timing chain, and gears, new ones arent expensive, and will gaurantee that there is no play in the chain, or worn down teeth.
(Let me know if you want to buy one for cheap, I have a Cloyes Double roller set new in the box, pm me)

The swap is quite straight forward, once the new motor is in, you have to regulate the fuel down from the TBI's operating pressure to a more carburetor friendly 5-6psi, but the regulator must be a return style (Mallory 4309 seems to be the popular choice, and its the one I use) in order for it to work properly.

Theres other details that escape me, its late right now, lol.

 

thanks for the advice. what kind of distributor will i need? also, what would be a good cam and good headers??

 

I just use an old vacuum advance distributor. I would not recommend buying a cheap $50 ebay vacuum distributor, though. I got one, and could not get my motor running with it, I out an older (used) one in, and she fired right up.

This should be a good one:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-850001R/

I got my headers at a steal price from the U-pull-it junkyard a while back, theses are similar to the ones I use:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-68723/?rtype=10

Many people recommend Hooker 2055 headers, though, but I like these and they work just fine for me.

As far as cam selection goes, I really dont know. I am planning a cam swap sometime in the future in my motor, and am still unsure, myself.

 

I'm thinking about doing a similar swap, but with an 85 with a v6 efi. Is it just as easy to do the swap to a carbureted v8? And if so what do i do with the wireharness? Please say scissors