Yesterday I came across a 350 short block bored .40 over that I decided needed to go into my 92 rs. From the experiences you guys have had, should I get it stroked? Like a lot of people I do not have unlimited funds. As I see it I have a few options on this id like to look at:

1) Stroked to 383 and pretty much unmodified after that.

2) Engine not stroked but vortec heads get slapped on that puppy.

3) Leave it like it is and just slap it in my car after the reassemble.

I suppose its relevant that I am not looking for high end speed as much as acceleration and torque.

 

Does it need to be rebuilt?

 

My motor is .040 over and (i believe) isnt stroked. Its not some snap to it. Definetly a fun car to drive even with stock heads. I do want to do a forged 385 stroker in the future. You wont be disappointed just leaving it as is and throwing it in.

 

It does need to be rebuilt. Its was aquired through a friends friend that didnt know what he was getting into. All it needs to be turnkey and put back together is a single piston head and a set of piston shafts. Got it totally torn apart right now. Im thinking of ordering a new cam because I want the loap slapping it back together dropping it in and doing vortec heads around tax time.

 

Does it need a new crank?

 

Talking about "stroked" at this point is a little bit like getting all lost in how to kill the alligators, and forgetting that the reason you're even there at all is to drain the swamp; and COMPLETELY losing sight of the fact that what you're REALLY trying to do is build a road.

First: what kind of a block is this? Yerbasic 70s thing such as 010? Roller such as 638 or 880? (if it's a 70s one, I wouldn't "invest" too much $$$ in it, regardless)

Next: if it's a 70s block, does it have any of the notorious QC Problems? These would include, in no particular order of seriousness (IMO any one of them indicates that it's trash) the Starter Bolt Hole Location Problem, the Lifter Bores Don't Point At The Cam Problem, the Bell Housing Dowel Pins Aren't Centered On The Crank Centerline Problem (that one is somewhat recoverable sometimes), or the Cylinders Don't Point At The Rod Journals Problem, just to name a few? Good indications of this are, the PO took it out of a "running" car and tore everything good (heads etc.) off of it and is selling it too cheap and it comes with some kind of mealy-mouthed super-LAME excuse that doesn't make any sense, like "wife wanted something that gets better gas mileage" or an unspecified "project went in another direction" when in fact it was replaced in like kind. See if it makes (or made, as the case may be) the awful starter grinding noise that you can hear from a quarter-mile away, eats pump bushings, eats cams (check the cam that's in it, if there is one, for rolled lobes), to name a few REAL GOOD "run away" signs.

Next: does it need rebuilt? Cyl walls in good shape? All bearings decent clearance? (like, no more than .002" ANYWHERE, and no exposed copper ANYWHERE)

Next: what are your goals for this car?

Next: do you have whatever else it will take to make this worthwhile? E.g. you're hopefully not planning on putting stock L03 heads and exhaust onto it?


OK now that you've got firmly re-attached to the Earth, if the short block is built from a 70s block and is ANYTHING LESS THAN PERFECT, pass.

If it has any of the 70s QC problems, pass.

If the price is right and it's a newer (roller) block and can run as-is, do so.

If it's a newer block and needs to be rebuilt (specifically if it needs new pistons), mighta s well stroke it, it's only a few pennies more.

If you're planning on putting your stock L03 heads & exhaust on it, you'd be completely wasting your time dinking with the short block. That's not what's keeping your car slow right now. You need to start with heads & exhaust FIRST, closely followed by gears and a converter. THEN AND ONLY THEN will you get some real payoff from a short block.

Short blocks are common as dirt. There's no point in getting all excited about this one; odds are you'll come across PLENTY MORE as time goes on. It's not like this is a once-in-a-lifetime "opportunity" that you'll FOREVER regret if you don't jump on it; don't hallucinate that it falls into that class. That's one of the surest recipes there is, for POOR decision-making and paying too much for something you don't really need in the first place. Check into high-pressure sales techniques, and you'll find that #1 on that list, is to instill that idea into the "mark" 's mind. Don't be that stupid.

 

I regret jumping on the first 70s shortblock I came across...

Ended up with a modern 1 pc RMS block after it was all said and done... much better.

 

Not thrilled with the aspect of it being .040 already.Plenty of virgin roller 96 to 2000 donors out there.

 

I wouldn't stroke it, you sound like you don't have alot of money to work with if you are considering Vortec heads to be out of your price range.

Save the $$$ for other crap, or put it in a bank and wait till you CAN afford to do a stroker right with some better heads to let it breathe.

As for Stroked and Bored? I'm considering stroking my LT1 while its getting rebuilt. I picked up a short block and its at the shop now getting disassembled and cleaned up. Waiting on the shop to let me know whats wrong with it before I decided. Definitely needed to be cleaned up sat open on a pallet for nearly 8yrs.

If the funds allow it, I'll have it stroked but leave it with a stock bore unless it needs one. I don't see the advantages of an extra 5 cubes for the $$$ I'd need to overbore it. I'd rather spend it on better bearings/oil pump/etc. Stuff that really will help it last at high RPMs.

 

Got the block totally disassembled and this is what I have found out thus far.. It was made in April 1979 and will need to be honed. I found a cracked piston. Upon further inspection of the block I did not find anything that would effect its structural integrity. Like I mentioned before I got the block for next to nothing and have nothing but a weekend of my time invested in it thus far. Think Im going to bring it to a machine shop let them clean it up and see what they think about the structural integrity of it. If they say it is a no go ill just sell for scrap and start from scratch.

Thanks for all the comments.. The comment about my budget is accurate. Call your congressmen and tell them the armed forces are worth more than just above poverty level wages. Also happy Vets day if it applies to anyone here.

 

You may know this, but I want to elaborate for the OP.

Boring is done NOT to increase cubes or power, it's a repair to get the cylinder round again as they oval out over time. Often just a rehone and new rings wont result in perfect ring seal and will result in less power, blow-by, and a much shorter engine life (at least as far as compression is concerned. The bottom end is not directly affected).

If you're on a really tight budget, dont stroke it. But if you can swing it at all you should do it. The cost difference is truly negligible in the big picture. It costs maybe an extra $200 total to build a stroker setup. In reality the parts are all about the same price. Just the combinations of them will be a little more, plus the cost of clearancing the oil pan rails if you cant do that yourself (not hard). You'll regret not doing it later.

The main complication is just that 3.75 is not a stock 350 stroke, doing so will require some attention to detail in the build phase. It also highlights any inefficiencies in the intake/exhaust system a lot more than a 350 will.

The other issue is Vortecs arent the best solution for 383's. You can probably go up one cam size or so, and maybe get 10-15hp more out of it. So from that angle, it may not be worth it. Just understand that a Vortec 383 making 380hp with an xr276 cam will make 450+ with some nice aftermarket heads, so you always have that upgrade option later. A 350 will always be more limited.

 

Well your the "one". Tired of reading about someone who wants to do some mod with no money.Just quit.Sell the car and whatever parts you have or leave the car as is.But quit hot rodding .

GO BOWLING.IT JUST TAKES A BALL AND SHOES AND YOUR DONE.THAT WAY YOU WON'T BE INCONVENIENCED HAVING TO GIVE UP YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE CELL PHONE/I-PAD YOU COULD POSSIBLY BUY,TEXT MSG'S,MONTHLY CHARGES FOR THE SAME,150 CHANNELED CABLE TV,SO YOU COULD FREE UP MONEY FOR A MOD ON A CAR.YEAH PLEA BROKE.......................SICK OF IT.OMG WE SURE WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO GO THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT THOSE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT.

Reality check.You can't buy a block already bored/honed without the pistons in hand to set the clearances.Reality check.Do nothing unless you have conservatively priced $3,000 to $5,000 in hand.Big boy pants now needed.Yeah just go

BOWLING AND QUIT HOT RODDING.YOUR JUST NOT READY TO BECOME A LIFE LONG MEMBER OF THE HOT RODDERS.