Well the time has come. My team mates and i have been playing games with the old 305 and a manual transmission for 4 years. We decided the 150k mile 305 that had 3 races on it was getting tired. so we bought a LG4 350 out of a blazer to replace it with. That engine promptly spit its guts all over the track after 3 hours on the road course. so we did an engine swap back to the old 305 and finished up the race (8 hours from start to finish, not bad with no air tools and no lift at our disposal). Now its time to get serious about our engine.

This build is a longevity build. HP is not the main priority. Making this engine live a happy life at 4k rpms for 15 hours is the utmost goal. so after doing my research on this forum, sourcing a 2002 4 bolt main R block, buying 200 dollars in books regarding endurance SBC engine building and spending countless hours talking with my machinist, this is the parts list i have turned up.

(most of this got scrapped and is shown in the red font - check your local machinist. he can build you a block for way less.)

355 balanced rotating assembly
Kit includes:
Scat cast steel crankshaft
Scat 6.000" 4340 forged I-Beam conneciting rods
Keith Black hyper pistons #KB169
Moly pistons rings
Rod and main bearings
Balanced assembly

Rest of rebuild kit # CH350TLMK
1 MPE100R MELLING FREEZE PLUGS
1 CH8 DURABOND CAM BEARING SET
1 260-1735 FELPRO FULL GASKET SET
1 3017 ENGINEPRO TIMING SET
HV 0155 MELLING OIL PUMP
16 HA2148 JOHNSON ROLLER LIFTERS
1 08-300-8 COMP COMPUTER CONTROLLED .450"I/.480"E
ROLLER CAMSHAFT

Auto Prom Kit
Vortec 4 barrel Dual plane intake manifold
2 barrel carb adapter plate
CFM tech Ported throttle body & Adj FPR
GM stock 1992 TPI Fuel Pump

External goodies:
Accusump oil accumulator
Dual oil filters plumbed in parallel
External Oil Cooler
stock appearing canton oil pan w/ crankscraper, baffel and dual trap doors.

So what i wanted to know from the community is, first off what do you think about the part selection from a longevity stand point.

Second off how much trouble will this combo be to get running and tuned using the autoprom. This will be my first adventure in tuning a Comp controlled engine myself.

Are there things i missed that i dont have listed? O2 sensor conversion, MAF conversion?

im still trying to source beehive springs that dont require me to modify the heads anymore then i have too. whats your take on using new stamped rockers with the cam selected.

This is far from a money is no object build. but using another used engine will never happen again. So far the engine build fund has been capped at $4500. what say you TGO?

 

My thoughts would be to go with the melling select pump with a thicker casting. Theyre a bit more expensive, but theyre less likely to suffer the issues that have plauged the base M55's that Melling uses now. I think its the M10552 for the near stock volume, high pressure unit. The M155 has a thin casting, not what you want in an endurance event. If your going to be running larger than stock oil clearances, then select the desired volume accordingly.

For the bearings, Id go with high end bi-metal aluminum alloy ones. They require CAREFUL attention to clearances, but when set up properly, they are more durable than the tri-metal. They are also the standard bearing of choice for most automakers today. The high end in-house Summit bi-metal aluminum bearings (labeled "performance" on the site) are actually made by King engine bearing, and are chamfered for large radius cranks. I think I paid about $100 or so for a set of summit hi-po main and rod bearings when I rebuilt my current engine. Id go the same route for the cam bearings as well, especially if youll be using a high volume pump, as it tends to load the front bearing up pretty good. My last build failed with a HV, HP oil pump when the front bearing (babbit clemex) overloaded and wiped. For the timing set, Id use a roller with torrington bearings if possible (Im not familiar with the one listed). Also make sure to do the usual mod of drilling a small orafice in each lifter oil galley plug to give the timing set extra oil. Also, make sure to take care when installing the cam bearings. With high pressure springs, the location of the oiling hole becomes an important factor.

Comp has a wide selection of beehives. The 26915's fit with little issues when used with the correct retainer on the vortecs, and are good to around .480" of lift from my memory when I was working with a set of vortecs. Also. for thr cam in a low lift version, see comps line of XE 4x4 roller cams. They have that same cam with .459" of lift. I have it in my engine, and it makes good power out to 6k with trickflow 195 heads and and an edelbrock victor-E intake: http://www.youtube.com/user/dimented.../5/_A12U9pQDG0

Either way, you will want to use the beehives as the lobes still have a rather aggressive profile compaired to stock. I have the 26915's on my engine currently. With stock springs the lifters will just sail right over the tops of the lobes at high RPMs.

For the tune, since this is an endurance event where the RPMs will be modest, and power isnt as much of an issue, you wont need anything terribly fancy for the fuel management. Probably Id imagine that youll want to use maybe a max of 22-24 degrees of SA with an AFR of 12:1 to keep the pistons and combustion chamber cool for prolonged high loading. The stock ECM can deliver this with DIY-tuning if you dont want to put out a few hundred bucks for something else like a later model PCM, EBL, or what have you.

 

Id skip the rubbery stamped steel ones. Use the comp magnums with roller tips. Theyre forged steel instead, and a bit stronger without being overly expensive. Youll want this with the higher spring rates.

 

will the comp magnum rockers clear the stock centerbolt valve covers? ive heard conflicting reports on this and i would like to know if you have indeed used these with success.

The books i have been reading dont reccomend the ports in oil galley plugs. actually they dont mention this all. We were planning on porting the oil return on the front and the back of the block to get the oil away from rotating assembly as quickly as possible. this will add oil flow to the timing case but i will take note of the ports on the oil galley plugs. Will this effect oil pressure by doing that?

On the oil pump. We are still out on a limb with this. The associated piping to remove the oil cooler, dual filters and accumulator from plain sight seem to point to the need for a high volume oil pump. We would like to run 55# of oil when the engine is warm so im guessing a high pressure pump would be required as well. forgive my ignorance to this issue. thats why im here.

the timing set spec'd is a single row roller set. nothing too fancy. my engine parts supplier is trying to work with me on the price to get the best possible components for the least coin. Im also trying to limit my shipping expense and do the one stop shop if i can. the cam they spec'd is the only one they have available for the kit. im not adverse to taking the cam out of the kit and buying one externally, but i know i wont be able to touch the price im getting for the cam and lifters in the kit. so torn.

Your thoughts on the tuning are inline with what i was considering. we already have a chip for the 350 that i was considering using as a base line. then modifying the VE tables to suit the new cam and dialing back the spark advance. i was thingking around 24-26* maybe less and dialing the AF ratio to around 12.5 to 1 for as good gas mileage as i can get safely. i figure if i set the computer to retard the ignition 4* in the event of knock we could keep it together but i have to see how hard it is to do all of this once i get the autoprom in my hands. I think ill start tuning on the 3/4 dead 305 that is in the car now. That poor friggen engine has been put thru hell on the track. and beside being gutless has been a great motor to us. it literally owes us nothing at this point. the fact it still starts (7th crank after the last race i suspect compression is hurting badly now it was low before the race) is a small miracle.

looks like ill be dropping off the block in two weeks to begin the blueprinting. all input and replies are appreciated.

 

As far as teh lifter oil galley plugs near the timing set, you drill a VERY small hole, just enough for a small ammount of extra oil to help lube the front timing set. GM does this on their crate 350s, and some plug sets have the holes included in the two lifter galley plugs. The hole should be on the order of 1/32" in dia.

As far as the oil return goes, if your roller lifters have a dedicated oiling orafice, you can take steps to limit oil return over the rotating assembly. If not, then you may just want to leave it. By diverting oil away, you risk starving the rollers on the lifters of lubrication. At high RPMs, more lubrication is a good thing. If your worried about oil getting tied up in the block, run a pan with a large sump to provide extra volume.

Its possible that those rockers will interfere with the stock style covers. I have stock covers, but have not actually tried them. The rockers are pretty big, and even with my aftermarket VCs they get close. I think there has been discussion on it on the boards. One thing that helps is to buy cast alum. covers and cut out the support posts for the bolts (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G3314/?rtype=10). Theyre not needed, anyway, since the covers are pretty thick and have plenty of strength. This gives plenty of room for the rockers and springs.

For the oil pump, it probably wouldnt hurt to bump up the volume if you have a lot of accessories that it has to contend with. Just make sure you dont use a cheap one. The less expensive ones have been known to snap off in performance applications, killing the motor almost immediately.

 

If this were me...and I recognize that it isn't:

1. I would not select a cast-iron crankshaft sourced out of China.

2. Chinese connecting rods are a non-contender if you can still get the American-made Detroit Power rods from www.competitionproducts.com on closeout. ($300)
http://www.competitionproducts.com/D...info/CPXDP60W/

There's a reason Chinese parts are way less expensive.

3. I would actually MEASURE THE OIL TEMPERATURE before installing double filters and an external cooler. Have any data from the previous engine? Have any problem with plugged filters previously? If that stuff is NEEDED, fine. Otherwise I would resist the expense and potential plumbing problems. In an ideal world, the block water jackets are as much oil cooler as you'd need...but this isn't an ideal world. Does point out that you'll want to be careful about water pump and radiator selection; and cooling system health in general.

4. Retarding the timing increases fuel consumption and increases the heat load on the exhaust valve and port. You don't want either. Set the timing for power without detonation.

5. Definitely go with a "strong" oil pump. The thin pumps have been a source of problems, as has been mentioned.

6. While I like beehive springs, if one breaks there's NOTHING to prevent the valve from dropping. If you break one coil of a double spring you "might" still have some valve control. If this wasn't an endurance application, I'd be right with you on the Beehive springs.

7. If class rules allow, I'd use "aftermarket replacement" Vortec heads rather than OEM Vortec units. There's some evidence that the aftermarket castings are better; and you can get them with the Vortec chamber but the older intake bolt pattern, potentially saving money on the intake manifold.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VORTE...item20b3b8d060

EngineQuest has other part numbers, including some heads with the old-pattern intake bolt arrangement and no heat crossover. The link above is what I could find quickly.

8. Camshaft made from STEEL core but with IRON distributor drive gear and rear bearing journal. You'll want the step-nose cam core so you can KEEP the thrust plate (cam retainer plate) on the front of the engine. Make sure your timing set works with the thrust plate and step-nose camshaft. You will need a melonized distributor gear if you don't use the small-diameter HEI that came on the TBI engines. (the small-diameter TBI distributor already has a melonized gear) I'd avoid the bronze or plastic distributor gear in an engine that's gonna run for fourteen hours straight. You will probably not get a fuel pump lobe on this cam core...but you'll be using an electric pump; and there's a good chance the block isn't machined for an engine-driven pump anyway.

9. Pay attention to quench/squish clearance. The minimum you can get away with is best--typically .030--.040. Better power, less detonation. Both are good.

10. Consider the "Somender Singh" grooves in the combustion chamber. Some folks say they're worthless, some folks think they're the "big secret". I don't know of anyone who says they've HURT power, though.
http://somender-singh.com/content/view/7/31/

 

If your using vortecs, 24-26 degrees is actually pretty close to the timing for mean best torque. With my vortec style heads, 32-34 at WOT provides peak torque. IMO, here its a balance between heat into the piston and heat into the exhaust.

If fuel consumption/pit stops is an issue, then obviously going with more timing and a leaner mix will certainly help, but at the expense of extra heat into the motor.

Using duals with the vortecs will require at least some machining. If aftermarket heads are used, then its a different story. If he doesnt already have the heads, then aftermarket may actually work out to be less in the long run. But, it depends on what he already has to work with.

GM uses the beehive style springs in their stock applications. In my DD, which spent much of its life being driven at 90-100 MPH up and down the turnpike each day for 130 mile round trips with the engine going at around 3500-4000 RPM, its gone a 130,000 miles without issue. While the comp cams springs may not be built to the same standards as GM uses, the springs can go the distance without issue if the lift isnt excessive. The lift is the key to determining how long they'll live before they break. If a high lift cam is used, then I agree too that dual springs should be used instead.

 

Interesting idea. Wonder how much the grooves help with the propigation of the flame front into the quench area?

Its worth saying, though, that this should probably be avoided with stock vortec heads, since they have such a thin deck. Would be a potential place for cracks to form.

 

the grooves in the combustion chamber are most certainly intriguing.

The scat set i have spec'd out is rated to 500hp. this build goal power wise (yet again HP is pretty much last on the list of priorities) is about 250-300fwhp. im planning to over build/under use parts wise. While i would love to move up to a forged crank, the finacing dept squashed that idea. this engine will not be spun past 5500rpm. the TBI starts huffing and puffing well before that anyway. i went with longer rods and a fully balanced rotating assembly to eliminate as much friction/vibration inside as possible.

The heads i already have. they came with the 4 bolt main block. now that doesnt mean i will certainly use them as they havent been checked for cracks yet, but as far as i know the 906's i have will be bolted on to the motor. im interested in a spring that cna handle the cam and provides saftey against dropping a valve. but how much of an issue is this at 5500rpm max engine speed?

the oil temp was WAY high with the old 350. well over 200 degrees, taken with an infared temp gun at time of dismantle at the track (it actually had time to cool off) a healthy coolant system was already installed in the car, which will be toss in favor of upgrading to a bigger rad, larger fans and water pump for this engine.

we absolutly need an oil cooler and dual filters on the new engine. the stock set up bypasses almost 90% of the oil when at operating pressure through the pressure relief valve. my engine will be asked to live a horrible life and i want the mobil 1 fully filtered to save the bearings as much as possible.

As far as class rules. its what ever i can sneak past the powers that be. which means high dollar bling parts are not in the picture. nor are non stock appearing parts.

hope this helps i appreciate the responses. the knowledge im gaining is invaluable from this site.

 

His web site lists all kinds of info/history/etc. He has suggestions for quench that go against logic. I'm not giving any testimonial...but...I carved grooves into the quench pads of the last two engines I built. I also built those engines with the tightest practical quench--.040--.045.

If SCAT did the balancing, you will want to have it checked and corrected by a reputable shop.

ATI torsional dampers seem to be the universally-approved high-performance damper. Might want to look into their product line, including the factory eBay store that sells blems at considerably reduced price.

I have NO idea what the emissivity of oil is; but I bet it's way different than shiny silver-colored metal. An infra-red thermometer's accuracy is based on "standard" emissivity.

Please define "well over" 200 degrees. At 250 F., I wouldn't install an oil cooler. At 275 F., probably would.

1. Do you mean the bypass valve in the oil filter adapter, or the pressure relief valve in the oil pump?

2. How did you measure that? I can't think of a convenient way to determine how much oil is bypassing through EITHER valve.

3. Plenty of racing engine builders remove the bypass valve in the oil filter adapter, and tap it for a pipe plug. Not recommended in cold weather, or for Grandma that doesn't know what an oil change is...but in your application perhaps a useful mod.

 

The figures quoted to me that i should be shooting for are 200* coolant temp running (maybe a white whale but im gonna try more airflow with bigger dual electrics and as large of a stock Chevy radiator as i can fit) and an oil temp of 220* as optimal figures for longevity and horse power.

The actual oil temp was about 240*F. the engine had sat for more then 30 mins before we pulled the plug. coolant was around 230-240 (water and wetter only) before things went south in the bearing department. then the temp spiked to 260ish or more and my driver had to pull off when it lost power. Ambient temps were about 110 degrees. and we've never raced at below 95* in 4 years. this thing has to last. so I'm going thru great pains to get there.

The standard pressure relief valve on the oil filter adapter blows open at about 12-15 pounds of pressure. the oil is then just cycled thru to the engine as is. if i end up with any metal shavings at all in the pan this will take everything out in short order. especially when im ripping on a long sweeper or thru the esses stirring up all that **** in the pan. im pretty sure the oil sloshing around in side the pan uncontrolled. Then that uncontrolled volume hits the crank whipping the oil full of air and heating it is what destroyed the last 350. so many high speed corners that the poor street engine just couldn't handle it.

we are taking oil control seriously. i was looking at porting the rear main where the oil pump bolts up as well as the inside the pump housing as per a few tips in the books. i suspect that i will get the uprated pump as recommended by dimented i certainly don't want to port anything that is known to crack. Most likely in the high volume high pressure category.the oil will be controlled with a canton oil pan that "stock appearing" in side it has a crank scraper and two traps for oil control.

the balancing is supposedly done by rpmmachine as part of the kit. my machinist will check it when it arrives. if i can ever get the damn block there to start the blueprinting. as usual i'm working up the funds to purchase the kit. i have yet to talk bearings with him. he said he would review my order and next time i stop in he'll give me the run down on what he does and doesn't like.

ask away.

 

No. The oil bypass valve operates on pressure differential, not absolute pressure. Doesn't matter what the oil pressure is, the valve won't open unless the pressure on the "clean" side of the oil filter is "X" amount less than the pressure on the dirty side of the filter. If yours is set for 12--15 psi, then 60 psi on the dirty side and 50 psi on the clean side wouldn't open the valve...but 60 psi on the dirty side and 45 psi (15 psi differential) on the clean side would.

As said before, since you won't be running with a cold engine; and you know enough to change oil now 'n' then, you'd be a good candidate for shoving a pipe plug in where the bypass valve was.

What's your ground clearance? Can you use one of the two-quart "truck" oil filters instead of plumbing for a pair of remote filters?

 

good info on the pressure differential. I stand corrected.

the ground clearance is good question. id have to check that out next time im at the shop. the cars riding on 17" late 80's vette rims. so its slightly lower then the 15's and tall sidewall combo.

as we have to run the oil cooler anyway, that will require at the minimum a squash plate purchase for the existing oil filter adapter, further lowering the filte to provide the ports for the cooler lines. theres alos the headers and y pipe to contend with because the fracking frame rails are so tight in that area. but it wont hurt me to measure with the current 305 in there.

the remote set up would negate this problem. Once you go so far as buying that squash plate you might as well of pony'd up the cash for the parallel plumbed dual remote set up. It comes from the manufacturer with no bypass ports. at least then i could run a filter with a bypass valve and a total/non bypass filter side by side to be safe on both fronts in case the non bypass clogs for some crazy reason.

either way anything is better then the stock set up. the further i get into this the more i realize the concessions chevy had to make to produce this engine for the "masses". I mean it had to live thru knuckle heads abusing it and the little old lady that never knew about oil changes and do so for a fairly long time. The problem is when you take the engine too far away from its original intention with out fixing some those "concessions"

i will measure the filter ground clearance and get back to you on that. do you by chance know how long one of those bad boys is?

 

Example: Wix 51794/ NAPA 1794

http://www.fleetfilter.com/filter/wi...ers/51794.html



7.822" tall.

 

My experience is that 90% of the stuff that makes it into the oil in a normal engine isnt captured by the filter. Granted it likely wont hurt the bearings, but it would still be nice if filters could snag it. 21 microns is kinda large, but then again, if your changing the oil frequently the filters only job is really to keep big stuff out of the bearings.

Anyone else have one of those that can handle finer particulate?

 

The book i have lists several filters and their filter capacity listed in microns. The guy took great lengths to explain that once you get below say 5 microns you actually start filtering out the additive package within the oil itself. So basically it is possible to "over filter" an engine. The reason for the high micron rating is that filter is a Total filtration/non bypass filter. Most of the extremely small micron filters are bypass types due to the flow they rob. Once i get the book back from my driver ill list up the ones he reccomended for use on circle track / endurance motors.

 

I am aware that the higher micron rating is needed for a full flow filter but it seems though that the commonly available bypass style filters with the finer filtration ratings are slowy shrinking as they skimp on cost.

Kind of annoying to see them take a good filter and redesign it down to the size of a Shasta soda can and say it still works just as well. I like the idea of running a large full flow filter but still having the bypass just in case. I did run that large wix filter for a bit, and inspecting the oil shows that it doesnt catch the smaller stuff that would normally be caught by a standard filter, so its not as useful for normal street driving as its acting more as a screen than a filter.

FWIW, if you run the filter by itself, you likely wont have any clearance issues. It just sits level with the bottom of the oil pan. If your running an oil cooler adaptor, though, then it will hang below the pan.

 

Are you talking about bypass filters, or bypass valves in the filter mount or in the filter?

Bypass filters were NEVER real common, although I have a couple--one on my solvent tank and one on my boat.

These are the old "asswipe oil filters" that use a roll of (what used to be common) toilet paper as filter media inside a stamped steel container with hoses attaching to the engine.

Toilet paper is so terrible today that modern rolls won't fit inside the filter housings. Makes owning one of these things something of a hassle--replacement filter media isn't so common any more.





Small -4 hose from a port on the engine suitable for use with an oil pressure gauge to the center fitting on the filter housing, and the return goes from the side fitting on the housing directly into the pan via another -4 hose and a drilled hole and threaded fitting in the pan.

 

I was talking about still maintaining the bypass in the adaptor. Just would be nice if they still had a large filter that was commonly available that wasnt perpetually shrinking down to nothing.

That style of filter you show there is still in use. I know ford uses it for their transmissions in some of the truck apps, and it does look like a roll of ***-wipes. Albeit probably a bit more sophisticated than whats hanging next to the porcelain throne.

 

I have some experience with making engines last a good long time while also belting out above-average power, often using some very modest parts. The one thing that usually gets missed in a build is focussing too much on the parts and not enough on the machining. I'm talking about basically blueprinting the engine here- primarily the bottom end. Not super-important in a street motor that puts around town 99% of the time, but very important in an engine that sees WOT for extended periods of time. Like your applcation.

ANY aftermarket parts MUST be measured and inspected thoroughly before putting them inside your engine. And, of course, the whole bottom end has to be properly balanced for any type of extened high RPM use.

The one GOOD thing about a factory-original engine, even a mostely powered stock one, is that ALL of the parts came from the same manufacturer who has already worked out how they interact with eachother under all possible operating conditions. That includes hudreds of hours of testing at WOT between peak torque and peak HP. No, a stock 350 GMPP crate motor ain't all that sexy or powerful (anyone can build a similar motor that makes more HP for less money), but it will outlast a "frankenstien" of aftermarket parts thrown from their boxes into a 350 block pretty much every time.

If you are going to "roll your own" in terms of parts selection I would highly suggest you plan on spending some serious time and money making them work together properly. In a modest HP application, this is rarely worth the considerable expense of doing it dead-nuts right.

A stock GMPP ZZ4 engine, just to pick one at random, isn't exactly the peak HP champ of the aftermarket world, nor is it dirt-cheap, but they are about as reliable as the sun coming up every morning. If tuned right, they just don't break. And the power level will be night-and-day compared to the little 305s you've been running. In short order you'll probably be looking for taller rear gears to keep from over-revving it on the back straight!

 

OK lets talk hypothetical here.

Lets say someone went half way thru an engine build, to the point that the machinist has the block and its been tanked already, and someone comes a knocking on the door with a interesting deal.

A little something like, will you swap my GM goodwrench 383 for a 454 Big Block. Hmm that can be arranged, how many miles does the 383 have on it...? 15k. the plot thickens...

I could have a free 383 now with papers on the purchase and install date. and im wondering where to go from here. the engine ran fantastic. just wasn't enough for the towing he wanted to do. do i take the 383 and re-cam it, then throw on a 454 TBI and some oil control goodies? that would be a potentially cheaper alternative. i still haven't bought the rotating assembly yet. but i do have the cam and heads ready for the other engine......

Whatcha think? this does go against my mantra of no more used parts, but a goodwrench 383 shows up at my door step, seems like a gift from the big g man. It is not too late to turn back, could still do the work and flip it to help finance the new engine....

 

Figured id update as the game plan has changed dramatically.

The GMPP 383 was removed and replaced, even though when the compression tester came out a couple holes turned out to not look so great. the use of that engine in the race car was denied on basic principle. its sitting in the shop awaiting its as of now undetermined fate.

The block was sent to be line bored after it was tanked and found to be too far gone to attempt to clean up the front main. The machinist said it could be done but he strongly reccomended we find another base block to build from. so scrap that idea. there goes my 4 bolt main block.

After finding failure at both ends of the rainbow i went to my uncles machinist type friend and started talking hard parts and asked if he knew of anyone with a l31 block that needed a home. turns out he has a mild short block sitting on the shop floor for about a year. Its stockish with powdered con rods and a nodular iron crank, flat tops and arp bolts through out. the problem was that the pistons (.015 down in the hole) only have a 6cc valve relief. that would push the comp ratio to 10-1 ish with the vortec 906 heads i have. So then began the hunt for a large chamber head. Which ended up being the 882's. High performance? no. But the comp ratio will allow me to use pump fuel easily and its one less thing to worry about. The only part Im not so happy about is that the short block has a mystery cam in it. The builder is busily looking for the cam card that came with the "RV Cam" so that we can make sure the heads are ok with the lift. But the builder seems confident that theres no more then say .440" of lift due to the cam being made for stock vortec heads.


We are picking up the short block and heads in a weeks time and the EBL has been ordered. (Thanks Rob!!)

First things first, the engine will be assembled and dressed in tin. THen once the EBL arrives we will install the computer in the car with trusty rusty (aka the 305) to make sure everything is cool with the comp installed and works as it should. A few short tuning sessions to become aquainted with the software and then the 305 gets yanked and the 350 goes into its rightful home. this engine will be dyno'd at the rear wheels to ensure the tune is spot on. I doubt we will make more then 220whp with this combo. actually id be pretty happy with that.


Hope all is well on your side.

 

What's the status of this? Did you get in rolling? I would love to run with you... Our drivers suck but it's all about racing around and having fun. In Jersey we will hook up for sure. It'll be cool to have another f-body to bounce ideas off of.

 

Yes its happening right now as a matter of fact! Most of the parts are at my shop right now awaiting the delivery of the short block and heads.

Short block - L31 4 bolt main
Rods - GM powdered
Crank - Nodular iron
Heads - casting no. 882 76cc Chambers
pistons - KB Flat tops with 6cc valve reliefs.
Cam - RV Roller Cam Lift .420/.443 duration 204/214

Melling HV0155
Canton 3.4" pick up
Canton stock appearing pan
Dual remote oil filters
B&M Super cooler

all controlled by the EBL FLASH (thanks Rbob for the fast shipping. I recieved the package on friday. I ordered it on wednesday Incredible customer service)


ill take some picutres and post them up today so you guys get a little auto **** on!

 

Pictures of the parts for now as promised.


This is the lot so far. more to come when the engine arrives.



The EBL and TT-1 Wideband Controller. I dont know why anyone would try to tune one of these cars without it. For the price its almost a no brainer.



Heres the dual remote oil filter kit and the melling HV0155 with HD driveshaft.



the B&M supercooler. This should take care of the hot oil problem.



The canton 3/4 inch pickup. You need the 3/4 inch pick up when using the 0155 melling pumps.



This is a close up of the baffle and crank scraper in the Canton "stock" appearing pan.



And heres the trap door to control the oil under heavy braking.





thats it for now. When the block shows ill snap a few shots of it and the heads before it all gets thrown together.

 

Interesting... Very interesting. Some pool acid and a day or two in the sprinklers and phil will be paying attention to something else. Actually they laugh at the F-bodies just like they did the gen2 300z cars. They really don't care what you do on these F-bodies until someone actually wins with one. Then you just bribe them

 

i was thinking more: scrap the stickers off, sand paper, flat black and some dirt for antique-ing. but the pool acid and sprinklers is well noted.

 

LOL... Flat black should be fine. I wouldn't sweat the judges. they just don't want you coming to the track with some 13:1 700lift engine. They know even with that your chances of winning comes down to 1000miles of good driving.

 

You sure it's a roller cam? Those specs are exactly the same as the flat tappet Edelbrock Performer cam as well as the Summit house brand K1102 cam. You can certainly put a flat tappet cam into a roller cam block like the L31 (I've done it several times myself), I just thought I'd point that out to you. Not that it wouldn't work quite well from a performance standpoint but modern "off the shelf" oils don't really have enough of the additives that flat tappet cams need any more. An additive that increases the ZDDP levels would be very advisable at least during break-in. Roller cams require no such special treatment.

 

This just in!

The engine is at the shop and so are the heads. My uncles friend did us a solid. The 882 castings have had the ports cleaned up. no casting flash or associated crap. Just a smooth (but not too smooth) runner to the back of the valve. the guide bosses were also shaped as well. Im guessing these were for a much more umm how should i put it, serious engine. The valve job looks good as far as i can see. once i get the heads and block unwrapped i will take some photos and measure things up. I didnt even ask about the valve size as it was rather unimportant for what this engine is being built for. I was so worried about the compression ratio and dropping it down i didnt even consider it but from the looks of things if i had to guess.... he probably put in the 2.02 intakes/1.6 exhausts for us and cut the throat for them as well. ) i love working with friends.

 

That's great! Hope to see you back east.

 

Subscribing.

 

looks like it is coming along nicely.

 

Tomorrow is the day.

I cant wait to install the EBL and play with the old 305. might put the heads on the block tomorrow as well. ill be taking pictures the whole way.


PS, Any readers of this in the NE united states want a set of 906 vortecs? ill give them away $250 for the set as is. ill post some pictures tomorrow of the vortecs as well.

 

My 2 cents would be to look into good forged pistons, they are much more durable than hypers. They cost a lot more though. You could look into eagle crank and rods too, you might save money there, and are of extremely good quality. I've seen and built many race engines with them.

 

Popped our engine this weekend at TWS. #6 Rod bearing. But the car was fast as heck top three lap of the weekend. Picked up a 1968 4bolt main truck engine in Austin and will put that in. The Judges seen the engine and approved the build.

The pan you have... Is there one that fits the gen3 but for the 2pc rear main seal?

 

there certainly is. Its actually cheaper then one i purchased by a few bucks to boot. Call Canton Racing Products they have amazing tech support. Make sure you grab the HV0155 oil pump and necessary pick up for the pan. once you get the part numbers head over to summit racing to get a better deal on the pan/pump/pick up.

our engine is together. if the server would allow me to upload pics i would have a couple up but I'm having troubles on that side of things.

Hope things are great on your side!

 

Sh*t it worked!

 

Very cool! Yeah I found the pan, pump and pick up. At summit.Less than 240.00 for everything. Looking at the comp cams wet belt drive too. The engine we found is a 68 4 bolt main HiPo with steel crank and 2.02 camel humps Even has 1.62 crane roller tips. Phil seen it and said go for it. He knows what we went through to get so we are cool. Only 1/3rd of the racers out of 58 finished. Texas World Speedway is flat out brutle. That huge front stretch and back stretch was taxing the crap out of everyone.

 

FLyhi - that thing should haul glass with the camel humps and over sized IV/EV. are you going to run the tuned port on top of it?

 

The engine is in and running. As of right now heres the set up controlled by the EBL.

61# injectors
AFPR set at 24psi
stock 350 TBI with Injector Spacer
Edelbrock Performer TBI intake
RV Roller Cam Lift .420/.443 duration 204/214
0* timing

The engine was a little hesitant to start on the stock 91 truck 350 tbi map supplied with the EBL. The timing tables were modified to reflect the LG4 base map supplied with the EBL as the heads im running are not swirl port castings. After two learns the engine was starting consistenly everytime on the second crank. i know i can do better given more time as we fixed the surging and did learns up to 2500 rpms to set the low speed VE tables in under an hour. We were just concerned with getting the car able to start and move out of the shop. Saturday we will hook up the WB and spend alot of time dialing it in around the parking lot to get a base tune in before we hit the dyno. we are renting a full day in hopes to get it completely sorted out before the test and tune day at the track.

Hope all is well on your side. Pics to come when the server starts liking me again.

 

Awesome! We got ours running today also. We will be at the dyno Thursday.

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/f...=VIDEO0013.mp4

 

The engine made it thru the first outting at the track. 10+ Hours of thrashing and some of it was with a massive oil leak. We will be pulling it out to check the bearings before fixing the problem and putting her back together.

It was at the dyno and made appx: 160rwhp @ 4500 and 260ftibs @3000 with a conservative baseline tune at AFR of 12-1 and 30* total timing. final numbers will not be posted. but use your imagination. its healthy.