I am looking for some advise with my setup.

I have an 88 LO3 that has a broken rocker stud.
The motor has 70k on it and a nasty oil leak.
So I will have to pull it to fix

My dilemma is with about a thousand dollars to spend should I look for a better set of used heads, a new cam and a new (used)intake and chip? ( don't have time or equipment to burn one but I did make a cable to hook up winaldl to my laptop).

or get a used 350?

I already have a set of headers, high flow cat. and a new high flow exhaust system and a stage 1 chip from TBI chips .com

Of course I wat more power but it is a daily driver and I am not going to race or anything like that. I just want a bigger smile when I hit the gas!

If I throw parts onto my 305 what is a proven combo of heads, cam and intake that I can use with no fuss?

Also I have 3:42 gears and a stock converter

also will I need a different fuel pump if I re-work my motor?...I just put a new one in a few months ago...I would hate to have to do that again!

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated as this would be my first "go fast" attempt.

Thanks

 

Where's the oil leak coming from?

 

70K is pretty low as far as mileage is concerned. Try to find out where the oil is comming from. Chances are it is from a bad intake seal or a rear main seal or something lese that doesn't break the bank to fix. Take a look at the "new to TBI" thread at the top of this forum. That should help you decide what cam and heads to look for along with everything else that makes these cars tick.

 

The oil seems to be coming from the back of the oil pan. It does not seem to be coming out the bottom of the bellhousing but I cant be completley sure its pretty grimey under there. I will be working on it this weekend to try and figure that out.

I guess what I meant about specifics is what heads work best with what cam, manifold and chip combo?

I would like to be able to bolt together and go. So I would like to know what people are using that worked well right out of the gate so to speak.

You know like if I were you I'd go with....


I did read the new to TBI and it is great, althout I am a bit confused on the LT1 cam. I have seen in some posts folks have made statements that not all LT1 cams have the same specs, so I am not sure on that.

Any way thanks for the great advise so far

 

Just about all LT1 cams are similar enough that the differences won't matter one way or the other. All LT1 and L98 cams are better choices than a TBI cam if you are looking for a cheap roller cam.

A LT4 cam is different from a LT4 Hot-cam. The Hot-cam is the prefered choice when looking at LT4 cam.

 

Good basic info here. On top of that you should consider 416 (LG4) and 081 (305 TPI) heads as a cheap upgrade. They work well stock but really shine when ported. You may also want to consider the World SR torquer 305 heads. OUt of the box they come with bigger valves and better seats to allow for higher lift cams. I would go with a much bigger cam then the LT1 if I had heads that were machined to accept higher than .480" lift.

Chip work will come down to you. So no matter what mods you have you will need it. Since your combo will vary then the next guys you will have to do it yourself. Mail order chips just won't cut it no matter how credible the source.

 

OK

I will probably go with the 416 or 081 heads. That is If the cost of picking up a set from the boneyard and freshening them up myself is cheaper than doing the same with the world products heads.

If I get used heads I Should install new valve seals, lap the valve seats and replace the springs right?

Does the new spring determine how much lift they will handle or do I have to have a machine shop mill away where the spring sits?

Also If I find a set uf used 1.6 ratio rockers will this eliminate the need to get the spring seats milled? do I still have to get new springs?

Also what is a bigger cam than an LT1 that will work well?

Will I need a different fuel pump? I have a brand new stock unit now.

Thanks

 

OK

Well I found out a few things over the weekend.
First there is a small rust hole in my oil pan and that is were the leak is coming from!

I also did a compression test on the motor as well. I used one of those actron Guages from Auto Zone. And now I am real confused!

All cyl except 2 of them read 180-210 psi with no oil added and 215- 220 with oil added.

Cyl number 2 read 150 and 170 with oil added(per diagram)
Cyl number 1 read 180 and 200 w/ oil added(opposite side of motor)

But my book says a normal engine should read 150psi?!

Both the number 1 and 2 plug are always coated in carbon powder. The rest are usualy dry and grayish orange.

So do I have 2 worn cyl. or did I do something wrong?

I followed the instructions to the letter...Warm engine ,throttle plates open, charger on bat, crank 4 times etc

Also it took untill the last crank for the guage to jump up to the highest reading and it would not go higher if I cranked a few more times.

I did this 2 times ( replaced plugs warmed motor up again)

So what does this mean?

Also I am going to look at an 1988 TBI 350 4 bolt truck motor today. It is an Advance auto (parts store chain) rebuild. It has 12k on it and the owner wants 550$.

I am going to check its condition, look for casting numbers and check out the paper work he has on it.

Is this an OK deal? according to autozone this motor was 1300.00 when "new" I figure 12k miles is nothing.

I was going to put it in my car (with a new cam) in place of my old motor if my old one is really shot.

I have seen some people bad mouth these motors on this board, are they really that bad? especially for 550$

What does everyone think?

 

Don't buy any motor from autozone or advanced. Some of those motors don't even have consistant overbores in each cylinder as well as matching heads. They are garbage. You could assemble a better engine with a group of 10 year olds in a junk yard.

 

i have no idea how much they go for but i would look into used LT1s...

and i disagree shifty, 70,000 miles isnt a pretty low mileage.... maybe it is for newer technology motors or diesels but for an old SBC that (more then likely) gets beat on, i wouldnt call it low mileage...

 

Well I just got back from looking at the motor?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I don't get it!

The Block number is 14093638 wich + an 87 and Up 350
It does say 5.7 SGI on the pad as well

BUT

The heads (wich the guy swears they came on the motor)
Are 14102187... Thats a crappy 305 head

Why would they put these heads on this motor...they would raise the compression ratio to high right?

Also there is a tag on the motor that reads 566458 or 88 its scratched the tag says re-manufactured.

I am going to try to call the parts store where he got this and find out more.

He also say's he "can't find" the receipts for the motor. And now that I actually met the guy he tells me the engine missed a lot, had less power than the original motor and he could always smell gas when the motor was on.

The TBI unit came from his old motor and did not look cracked, I couldn't read the injector numbers as they were a little rusty on top.

I think I am gonna skip this one.

Oh well back to the drawing board I guess!

 

I see what you mean but most TBI engines run way past the 200K mark. It is very uncommon to see one crap out before 150K. For carb engines you are absolutely correct. The last of the Gen I's were pretty darn good. It is amazing what fuel injection can do for emssions, performance, and longevity of the motor itself.

 

I'd pull the intake manifold off and look at the lifter valley. There's a 90% chance it's a roller block.

You'll want to look for the 3 stems in the center of the lifter valley. Even if they're not drilled, they can be.

 

yah i hear ya... its just when 70000 mile LO3 pops in my head - low mileage doesnt go with it... its by no means high mileage thats for sure....

you can do a nice lil budget build for $1000 (keyword was budget)