Ok, I asked about these heads b4 in this thread
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=153515

I realize they arent that great, and I know they dont have accessory holes, but... All i need to know is will they flow as good as or better than the heads on a GM LM1:
http://www.sdpc2000.com/cart.asp?act...id=128&pid=110

Onto the block...
I have a chance to buy a 350 block, with 10,000 miles on it, it has a bad crank. The guy wants $100 for it.
My plan for the long run was to build a 383, so I would need a new crank, rods, pistons, etc. It's a 4 bolt main block, i need to check if the rear main seal is 1 or 2 peice. It looks like its im good shape, I will have some1 check it out extensivly before i buy it though.

I guess i was just wondering if it would be worthwhile to pickup, cause i noticed a lot of places sell 383 short blocks with a blanced bottom end etc, but they are pretty pricey.

Also, if the crank is "bad" could it have damaged anything else, when it broke... of course i dont know how it broke or what about it is "bad"

 

They are about equally garbage.

Power lives in the heads. A 350 short block for $500 or more lower cost than a 383, will outrun a 383 short block, if the 350 has better heads. It is an act of short-sighted stupidity to pretend that you're going to build a fast car, spend gobs of money on a short block, and then slap a bunch of crap on top of it. You will never, ever, as long as you live, get your money's worth out of the expensive bottom end, if the heads don't flow.

If you are budget-limited, spend your money on the heads. You'll get more out of each $$$ that way than adding a few $$$expensive$$$ cubes and then smothering them with a bunch of crappy smog no-flow trash heads.

If you can buy a new 350 short block from GM, and put a good set of even low-budget heads on it, as long as they flow, you will get better results than building a 383 and slapping any of that 70s smogger garbage on it.

Remember that horsepower is the time rate of doing work; and that work is obtained by burning fuel molecules, which requires air. So, horsepower is exactly equal to the number of gasoline molecules per unit time that you burn, which is in turn directly proportional to the number of air molecules per unit time that you can move through the engine. And that is just another word for "flow".

Think of your engine as being a pump, that has to move the fluid (air/fuel in this case) through a number of sections of garden hose. Let's say that you have htis pump, and on the suction (intake) side you have a 25' piece of 3/4" hose (carb), a 10' peice of 5/8" hose (intake), a 25' piece of 1/2" hose (crappy intake port in the head), a 50' piece of 3/8" hose (crappy smog exhaust port), and a 25'piece of 3/4" hose (nice free-flowing exhaust).

OK, now imagine the flow through that system, with the pump pumping at its maximum capacity (peak HP RPM). What is the one thing that determines ultimately how much fluid flows through it? OK, now imagine doubling the displacement (cubic inches) of the pump. How much did the flow (horsepower) change? OK, now triple the size of the pump (cubic inches); how much change did that produce in the flow (horsepower)? the same amount as the previous doubling, right? which is exactly zero. Because the thing that's limiting the flow is the 50' piece of 3/8" hose (exhaust port).

Now imagine that you take that 50' piece of 3/8" hose out and put a 35' piece of 1/2" hose in its place; but at the same time, reduce the pump size (cubic inches) by 8%. Now how much flow (horsepower) do you get? Actually, you'll end up with nearly 50% more flow (horspeower), because you opened up the restriction! In the example at hand, the pump's (engine's) flow (HP) would probably now be limited by the 25' piece of 1/2" hose (crappy intake port in the head), which would be the next thing you'd attack.

That's how your engine works. A bit oversimplified, but still pretty much real-world.

So.... do you want a 383, or do you want a powerful engine? They aren't necessarily the same thing.

 

RB,

Why don't you quit holding back and tell us how you really feel?

Yes, there are a lot of 180HP 460 CID Ford V-8s out there, and 190 HP Chevy 262 V-6s right along side (or in front) of them.

It's all in the flow...

 

eeeK, hehe

Ok, I had no intention of putting the old heads on the 350 block and then building a 383 with it. Sorry, I kinda forgot the say what I was planning to do. =\

The 350 block would be put away till have have $$ to start buying parts for a 383. The 383 is gonna be all new stuff.

The 70's heads I was going to put on my current engine, mostly for compression (they will take me from 8.5:1 to 9.2:1) I was also hoping they might outflow, even if its only a small amount, the heads that are on there now.

Sorry, you had to type all that stuff RB =(
I posted in a rush, and left out some info