ok so, the 350 i have, is about to be yanked out the old 86...and taken apart to be checked and cleaned...magnafluxed ect ect...

the block is not tapped for a spider tray.....do i have to have it tapped to convert to roller or can i use the roller lifters that have the Bar connecting the two lifters togather? Or is there a tray that somehow doesnt have to be bolted onto the block , i doubt there is, just asking though.

the lifters with the bar im speaking of .... is SLP-HT-2148 on summit.

 

What year is the block? What did it come out of?

 

hell i dunno, i ran the numbers and it said 1980 or below.....what i do know is, it looks like there is no room to tapit.....the block # is 3970010

 

You will need hydralic roller retrofit lifters, pre 87 blocks do not have provisions to run factory style roller cams/lifters although some people have drilled into the lifter valley and somehow managed to make it work.

 

yeah see, i will not tap the lifter valley myself....nuh uh no way no how.....so you cant use the type of lifters that have the bar inbetween them???? i asked before but forgot the post, whats the part # for the conversion? i mean i have a 91 305 i could steal the spider tray from IF i have to tap the block....ewk though.....id hate to drill it and weaken the motor somehow..

 

sure you can, thats what they're made for... they'll work in any SBC.... doesnt matter if its a 302 or a 400, a old 350 or new.. they work in them all.

 

The lifters you would need for a non-roller block would be something like part# CCA-853-16 (in Summit) from COMP Cams.



I believe you would also need a thrust button and a wear plate. Someone who has done this before can probably give you a little more info than I can.

 

goood goooood....now....wtf is a thrust button and a wear plate

 

You may want to check into a timing chain set with a torrington to help prevent the cam from wanting to eat into the block behind the big gear of the timing chain. Sometimes they have to machine the front of the block, but the aftermarket is coming out with gears that are machined to work with a torrington so the block does'nt need maching. Depending if you go hyd or mech roller any of the vertical or horizontal type lifters will work. Right now for longevity lots of guys are running the Crower severe duty lifters, but these are for mech cams that see alot of severe race duty of high rpms too. I've got the Luntai horizontal bars for my new solid roller since they seem to have an overall good review from alot of the guys racing that arent running Crowers, plus it'll make cam swaps alot easier in the future should I choose to do so. If your going hyd roller, check into a rev kit depending what rpm cam your choosing. If your not going to take the motor over 6K I wouldnt worry about them, but they will help keep the lifters from wanting to "float" and keep the hp more constent. The roller thrust button is to keep the cam from wanting to "walk" back and forth in the block recking havoc on the distributor gear and possibly leading to engine failure due to the bronze gear you'll have to have, getting shredded and spewed into the engine. You should take your time and not install the rear frost plug so you can get the cam dailed in right. A stronger timing chain cover will be needed since the button will be pushing against the back side of the cover, and flex in the cover will result in the cam having fore and aft movement which you dont want. I've heard guys get so techincal as to have lifter bore alignment checked becasue sometimes they're so worn the lifter cannot follow the profile and then there goes a lifter and/or cam and possible motor. I dont think I'll go THAT far when I put this new beast together, but then again, I'm not assembling it either

 

Heres a pic so you have a better idea what your looking for:

 

cool, thanks for the info....my engine willprolly see more than a 6k rev in itslife honestly...i wanna go for a 7k rpm pull. since its carbed, mostof the poweris made AFTER 2200 rpm --also since i have ported and polished 416's-- i thought this was an easy task to do though...go from hyd to roller....oh and this engine was rebuilt , has 4k on it. so everything in it is fairly new....

stupid question....is it Worth it to go to roller? i mean id like to...and i plan on running something like a .480 lift cam ontop of roller rockers, pinned heads, and new springs, and valves....

i want this engine to be Good. not exactly DRAG only good. keep in mind this needs to be a daily driver too...but i want some decent power out of this...so dont tell me the best of the best stuff to use, but dont tell me the worst either.....just a happy inexpensive medium.

i MAY get into forged pistons....may not. i will prolly be running nitrous on this engine every now and then so i may just go with forged pistons and leave the connecting rods and crank alone...

id love to go with everything being balanced and ...but....thats money...alot of money.....speaking of which....whats a decent going rate for balancing the crank/pistons/connecting rods?

this is a work in progress and i havent ever really BUILT built an engine before so ill prolly be askin galot of questions that seem stupid but hey. i have to learn sometime....

i pretty much have the upper half of the engine taken care of....i just need to know what all to do as far as converting to rolelr cam goes....what all NEEDS to be done, what parts do i need --most of which have been answered already--

so ty so far.....hoping to get this 350 making some good streetable hp.....like i said, as far as the upper engine is concerned....its pretty much done...in fact its on my 305 as we speak.

 

A roller cam will allow the valves to open faster and close faster, which means they will allow more flow. I think it's worth the extra $.

Balancing is abt $200. If they have to add heavy metal, it gets more expensive. I wouldn't rev a V-8 eng past abt 4800 rpm unless it was balanced.

If I was spraying the eng, it would have forged pistons.
If I was planning on more than abt a 150hp shot, I'd run a forged crank and upgrade the rods.
If you're planning on 7k rpms, you may want to consider a forged crank and upgraged rods anyway.

 

Yeah, check around for balancing, I rank this as a must have done with any performance type engine, guess we're lucky around here as the pricce is usually $120-50 being tops. It's been said time and again, build a bullet proof short block then you can do whatever you desire from then on.

 

If your only going to run 416 heads its not worth it to go with a roller setup. You need much better heads to take full advantage of a roller cam.

 

well, as for now imgoing to be using the ported and polished 416s, and im going to port them out More when they are off, use 1.94 1.6 valves, and run something around a .480 lift cam. id HATE to skimp out on the bottom half when its out the car and taken apart and ready to be done.....besides, im replacing the peanut cam anyways...so.....im going roller regardless....

yes im going to have it balanced if its around 150-200, i seriously think its worth it.....itll run so much smoother and wont sling a rod as fast.

i dont plan on 7k rpm pulls all its life, maybe not ever...6k will prolly be the highest it ever sees honestly,

i plan on a 100-150 shot, no mor ethan that ever.....i think the crank and connecting rods will be fine....just forged pistons....forged cranks and connecting rods cost massive money....i just want a Good street engine, nothing too extreme....let skeep it affoardable and streeable lol