So the time has come for me to start buying parts for the new motor... but seeing as this is my first engine build, I know that I DONT know enough lol. I'm hoping to get opinions on the parts combo.

I am not looking for huge horsepower or anything, this is going to be a daily driver, and I am stripped for cash on the build lol.

Heads/Valvetrain:
-416 (LG4 heads)
-Ported and Polished by me
-1.94 intake, 1.6 exhaust
-screw in studs
-1.6roller rockers
-Comp XE268h Cam (comes as a "K-Kit" from Summit w/ matching valvesprings and such)

Bottom end:
- align hone the mains (using new caps) for the 4 bolt block
- bore cylinders .030 over
- Eagle cast crank
- 5.7 rods
- Speed Pro hypereutectic 4 valve relief pistons (about 9.8cr pistons)

Exhaust:
- SLP 1 3/4 headers
- Hooker Cat back
- Catco High flow cat

Intake:
- LG4 intake port matched to gasket
- CC Q-jet tweaked to 750cfm w/ some rod and hanger (havent figured out which set yet, probably keep the stock in there for a while)
- LG4 fuel pump
- 14" open element w/ paper filter

Ignition:
- Stock LG4 HEI
- 8.5mm plugs

Transmission/differential:
- Corvette Servo
- Stock converter and everything else basically
- Stock open 2.73 differential

so... what parts might be mis-matched, or holding me back a lot?

Thanks in advanced

 

Converter. Without a doubt that will be a killer.

Why are you spending money on new main caps, align bore, and crank? That would be money much better spent on a converter.

Why open element? It would run better with a dual snorkel & cool air ducts.

Upgrade the ignition with module & coil at least.

Not sure the 1-3/4's are needed. 1-5/8 would most likely be adequate.

 

which module and coil would you suggest?

I bought the block as a bare block. I then had to buy some main caps off ebay (thus the align hone), and the crank is because I dont have one lol.

Which stall converter do you think would suit my cam best? I was almost certain that the stock one was supposed to work w/ the xe268, but you know a lot more than I do heh.

The only reason I'm going w/ 1 3/4 headers is because I'm getting a deal on them for fairly cheap.

The open element is because of the budget thing (I've read your posts on the open element vs dual snorkle and wish i had the funds to spend on it, but the hp/dollar isnt worth it to me).

So some upgrade to the stall, ignition module and coil then? Any suggestions on brand name, or even exact part would be great

Thanks for the reply five7

 

rear gears!i have 2.73's and have driven most ratios.3.42-3.73 will make your car feel like an american car.
2.73's give great mileage,but for acceleration they are a slug unless you have a big *** motor(420+cid)
my gears will change after the new mill is in,also posi(eaton)will really help your launch.
good luck!
Eric

 

Thanks for the reply Sleeper. I was thinking gears would be a big mis-match as well. I'll get them done down the road though, unfortunately i'll be spending well over 2k in the motor alone, and this is supposed to be a budget build on a college student's budget lol.

I was thinking 3.43 gears, posi... in my 9 bolt rear eventually. 3.73's would be great, but still want to keep some gas mileage... I guess that just depends though where my shifting points are and at what speeds I'll be, where... 4.11's could put me in a higher gear while coasting, a higher gear, and lower RPM, thus saving me gas mileage... but I doubt it lol.

 

Ditch the stock intake and get a used edelbrock performer or similar dual plane for that Q-jet. That intake will be a big restriction.

 

The Performer isn't much different from the stock intake. Some clean-up work on the stocker will yield as good of results as spending hard-earned cash on a Performer. If you want to upgrade, go for an Action+ or GMPP EGR q-jet manifold (ZZ4 take-offs go for less money than a new Performer).

I'm using the Accel module and Supercoil with no problems. Others seem to think Accel doesn't make anything worth using. Go for MSD or something else if you don't like Accel.

I would think you'd need at least 2500 stall with the XE268.

Building up a bare block is going to cost a lot of money. You might want to consider selling it and getting one that has crank & rods. Turning the crank and ARP rod bolts would be a lot cheaper.

 

The valve springs that come in the kit with that cam, are inadequate for the extra lift of the 1.6 rockers. That will also cause your retainers to crash into valve seals. Stick with 1.5 rockers. Use steel rockers, not aluminum, such as the Comp Pro Magnums; if you can't afford those, use the roller-tip ball-fulcrum ones, which are part # 1412. You don't need self-aligning in any case, since with screw-in studs you'll want to use guide plates; make sure you have your push rod slots in the heads enlarged so that they clear the push rods.

Use the Manley Street-Flow or the similar Comp undercut-stem valves, since you're going to be buying valves anyway. Make sure you get the undercut stems. Manley 10749-8 exhaust, 10776-8 intake.

I'd suggest a ZZ4 intake, which you can pick up off ebay pretty cheap. Far, far better flow than the stock LG4 one, but very close to a direct bolt-in, with all of the factory's attention to correct bolt hole placement, accessory provisions, vacuum & coolant fittings, etc. Much better flow than a Performer.

If you're going to buy headers anyway, I'd go with the 1¾" for a 350.

Don't screw around with "gasket matching". It's the part of porting that pays off the least, yet takes the longest. Just because it's the most visible, doesn't make it worthwhile. Kind of like the "check out my head porting" thread that's active right now; the owner is dinking around with that, hoping to get everybody to join with him in spanking off over how "good" it "looks", while leaving the parts that actually accomplish something (and that don't take good pics.... i.e., no spank-off value there) untouched. The place to concentrate porting efforts is in the bowl, at the transition from the seat cut to the as-cast bowl; the roof and valve guide area, especially on the push rod hole side of the intake; and raising & somewhat rounding the roof at the exhaust port exit, on the exhaust. The goal isn't to "hog out" the ports and indiscriminately remove metal, rather, you're trying to smooth the flow at the critical "pinch" points in the actual flow path. You don't want to lower the floor of either intake or exhaust, only smooth the short-side radius and remove any ridges or casting irregularities, without removing much metal. You'll NEED to unshroud the chambers around BOTH valves; best way to do that is to scribe the gasket's fire ring on the deck, and lay the chambers back to about 1/16" from that line, at the "ends" of the chamber, on the spark plug side (where the valve is up against the chamber casting 100% of its open time).

 

Stock LG4 fuel pump or stock auto store replacement will run out of gas before end of 1/4 mile. Carter makes a good mechanical street pump that puts out less than 6psi that would work fine.

Depending on mileage, might want to have carb rebuilt and throttle shaft bushings replaced if they have a lot of play. Stock L69 jetting for the primaries and CK or CH rods for secondaries, fine tune at the track. If having carb done they can probably set up jetting pretty close with your engine specs.

ZZ4 intake is the best bet, and will agree to disagree the performer is about the same as stock.