The engine the swap is being performed on is an 89' vette 350. The rest of the info is in my signature.


1. Is it ok to use the roller distributor gear on the flat tappet cam?

2. How good are the blazer pushrods and timing chain? They are the cheapest but they are made of the same materials as the more expensive stuff.

3. Will the comp cams 981 valve springs work on my stock heads?

4. What size spark plug holes do my heads have? 14mm or 18mm?

5. Will a regular timing chain work with my block? Are there any modifications that need to be done to the block?

6. What is the difference between the gaskets used on pre-87 blocks and post-87 blocks? I know the valve cover gaskets changed and the rear main seals but what else changed?




------------------
1986 CAMARO Z28 ->
151,000 original miles, 43,000 on 89' vette 350 block, Holley 650 DP, Weiand intake, 1.6 rockers, 1 5/8" headers, no cat, 2 1/2" Flowmaster catback, Mallory coil, March pulleys, B&M Ripper shifter, T5 with 3.35 1st gear and 0 miles, 90% Centerforce clutch, 3.73 posi, Eibach 1" drop springs, Spohn LCA's, Spohn adjustable panhard rod, Subframe connectors, all bushings are urethane, 2 12" Sound Streams, 2 Infinity 6X9's, 2 Pioneer 6X9's, 800 watt Lanzar Vibe amp. ET 13.22@ 106.4MPH 3300lbs less driver and speakers Next mods-> Extreme Energy 268 cam, Holley street dom intake.

1987 TRANS AM ->
73,000 miles, 305TPI, auto, gutted air box.

 

JDM,

I'll try this in the correct order:

#1. Yes, it's O.K., but don't do it the other way around;

#2. I don't have a clue;

#3. Yes*. (* - Some older stock heads may require valve guide boss machining to provide adequate diameter clearance for the I.D. of the spring, but most later heads from 1982+ should have no clearance problems. The O.D. will easily fit in the stock seats.);

#4. If you have 1986 heads, they should be 14mm;

#5. Same chain from 1955-1992, unless you've align honed or align bored the block;

#6. Valve seal kits are different. Some front oil pan sets are two-piece (aftermarket) to allow the timing cover to be installed more easily without removing the oil pan. Rocker covers, rear main seal, some intake port sizes and bolt hole locations, fuel pump blockoff plate versus a mechanical pump, and on some complete engine sets, the intake manifold kits will be different due to induction changes.

How did I score?

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
"I'm'a do Things My Way - It's My way or the Highway."
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

cool, thanks for the info, wise one. Should I just buy all the gaskets individual? The heads are 87+up cast TPI heads, are they still 14mm?

------------------
1986 CAMARO Z28 ->
151,000 original miles, 43,000 on 89' vette 350 block, Holley 650 DP, Weiand intake, 1.6 rockers, 1 5/8" headers, no cat, 2 1/2" Flowmaster catback, Mallory coil, March pulleys, B&M Ripper shifter, T5 with 3.35 1st gear and 0 miles, 90% Centerforce clutch, 3.73 posi, Eibach 1" drop springs, Spohn LCA's, Spohn adjustable panhard rod, Subframe connectors, all bushings are urethane, 2 12" Sound Streams, 2 Infinity 6X9's, 2 Pioneer 6X9's, 800 watt Lanzar Vibe amp. ET 13.22@ 106.4MPH 3300lbs less driver and speakers Next mods-> Extreme Energy 268 cam, Holley street dom intake.

1987 TRANS AM ->
73,000 miles, 305TPI, auto, gutted air box.

 

2) that stuff is sheeoot but ok for a DD and less than 300hp. I would spend the money on Cloys Double Roller set and little better valvetrain stuff. Money well spent. If you have a lot of miles, though, screw it and use the cheap stuff.

5) I believe that you have to use a non-roller cam timing chain and gears, NOT a roller-cam t-chain and gears.

I'm assuming you know that you need different length pushrods than the roller cammed ones.

If I were you, I would use an LT4 roller cam. pretty cheap (150) and you can use your existing stuff, if it isn't sent. just my .02. Just not sure how big you need to go. LT4 Hot Cam is bigger, HT383 cam is smaller. All nice stuff and GM cheap.