I'm in the process of rebuilding my 350vortec. As I tore it down I took the numbers off the main caps and wrote them down. My problem is I lost the paper that I wrote them on and now I can't remember what order to put them back. They have a 2 didgit number on each cap and I'm not sure if they are to go in any kind of sequince or not, ie, low to high or high to low numaricly. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Just attempt to fit them to each of the saddles... it'll be pretty obvious. You do get one small bit of a clue though; most of them have a little arrow on the cap that points to the front.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

Hmmmmm... I think I remember my vortec block only having the arrows on the caps and that was it. I don't think they have any stamping on them that indicates which one is which. I'll see if I can find any of my old build up info. BTW, mine is a '97 Vortec truck block.......

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1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
My GTA

The Minnesota F-body Club

 

I looked at the main caps again and wrote down the numbers, they are B70, B64, B55, B21. They also have the arrows on them as well. I just want to get it right before I button up the bottom end and finish the build up. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Make sure the caps sit flat on the block. Once they are torqued down try to spin the crank. If nothing was machined, a pattern is worn into the caps. If the crank spins really easily, then they are okay. I had one turned around one time, and the crank would not turn at all.



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Joshua Johnston
1991 Z-28
350, T-5, K&N, Ported Vortec heads, Edelbrock RPM, Holley 750 D.P., HEI, 11.07:1 CR, Comp Cams Roller-.510"/.520"-282*/288* dur., Shorty Headers, Dual 2.5 Exhaust, Dynomax Bullet Mufflers, T&R Motorsports custom air intake, Bald tires

 

Man, I looked all over for those pics of my shortblock before I put the engine together but I just can't find them... .... I don't know what happened to them.... I really need to get myself a digital camera so I don't loose all my pictures all the time.... If I find them I'll let you know. You really only need to know about the middle three caps though, right? I mean the rear main cap is a no-brainer and the front cap is the only one with 2-bolts.... Your block is a four bolt right? If it isn't a four bolt block, it must not be a Vortec block as I have not seen a two bolt Vortec headed engine.......

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1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
My GTA

The Minnesota F-body Club

 

Thanks Matt, I was hoping it was a four bolt block because it came out of a 96 Tahoe. well to my surprise it only had a two bolt main. The heads are vortec the block has a one piece rear main along with a roller cam and 4" bore cyclinders. It also had a windage try bolted to the mains so I know it's a factoy vortec, just wish it had a four bolt main.

 

Well, I guess two bolt Vortecs do exist!! I never saw one when I was wrenchin.... My short block came out of a K2500 (it was a warranty engine that the short block somehow just ended up at my house.... ).... so maybe they had an HD and a regular duty 350 Vortec engine.... Anyways, I guess you might just have to run the numbers at the dealer or see if you can find an example to look at. Sorry I couldn't help...

Laterzzzz

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1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
My GTA

The Minnesota F-body Club

 

Again, thanks Matt. The crank turns freely so I guess I'll just finish putting it together and hope for the best.