Ok fellers! i just put the 305tbi into my 3.1 equipped 91rs to get her on the road for now. i have a 350 4 bolt in my garage sitting on an engine stand just waiting to be built. I want it to have some horses but not so much as to kill me in gas, and i want to be able to drive to tulsa (about 60 miles away). First i know i need to have it checked for cracks and all the other good stuff at a machine shop. i don't think a 383 is in my budget. for one, i won't build a 383 without spending some green to do it right. but, a 355 sounds fun! what size of crank, rods, and pistons will i need? what would be a good set of "budget" heads,
also, what would i need if i wanted to have a roller top end?(i know going roller might get a little out of budget but i have some time to save) i know i will need a roller cam, lifters, rockers, anything else? and does the block need anything special done to it? i have rebuilt 350's before but back to stock specs.
the reason for the "budget" is i am a 31 yr old single dad working full time! but, i have 2 onry little boys who i have been talking with and this will be a father and sons project!! so any help (of course you all will help this site is awsome) would be greatly appreciated!! by the way my boys are 5 & 6 too young to help dad??? i think not!

 

sorry! forgot to mention it has the 3:42 gears non posi (for right now posi unit in the works) with the 700r4(also stock for now)

 

first of all do you have a roller block (1 piece rear main) or non roller (2 piece)? just asking, as i believe only trucks got 4 bolt roller blocks. Anyway if you have a 2 piece block and want roller it would probably be easier to just get a roller block as roller retrofit items are not cheap. As far as the build all a 355 is,is a 350 bored .030 over. you use same crank same rods. as far as pistons your gonna want to figure out what kind of heads you want that way you know how big the combustion chamber is so that you know how to pick a good compression ratio. I can't help you in the head selection process, but alot of these guys know alot about it. If you can afford it you can go with 6.0inch rods instead of stock 5.7 as it increases volumetric efficiency. but depends if you can find them on your budget or not. How do you plan on feeding the beast? carb,tbi,tpi? If you stay TBI you can get pretty good gas mileage out of it but it will lack in raw power. Just a few questions you need to ask yourself. Hope I helped you out.

 

no i don't have a roller block its a 1969 block 4 bolt. i could go with the 6" rods but what are the benefits and what would i have to do to prep the block? i am planning on going carbed tbi would be awsome but like you said it would lack the raw power! i would like a fairly good compression ratio but, nothing that would make me use a high torque starter. just something that if i decide to take the boys to the track one weekend i could run some descent times!

 

6" rods don't belong in a conversation about low budget. if you want a strong basic engine go with the stock rods and crank, up grade to ARP bolts. hyper flat tops and vortec heads or you can look around for some of the better factory heads. i'd run a cam around .48 or so lift, you need to make sure you have clearance on the guides with vortecs, run springs to match the cam, get rid of the pull out studs, factory rotators, and retainers. m55 for an oil pump, basic replacement bearings, rings, and gasket set. your goals seem a bit undefined "some horses" and "some decent times", but alot of people say it that way.

 

Well, if i could get about 350 horses that would be good but i'm not sure how much dough i would have to put into the motor for that much, or if i'm low ballin myself!! my brother had a 383 in his 83 grand prix and that damn thing would throw you hard into the seat and he estimated it at around 420. would 350 hp be a nice number for a thrd gen? of course a low 13 would be awsome but on a "budget" a man has to be realistic! lol .48 lift would be around a 292 advertised cam wouldn't it? isn't that a bit lopey fore a driver? i don't know you all are the experts. by the way thanks for the replies!!

 

A retro roller valvetrain setup will blow the "budget". You want to spend the money where it will do the most good. $"most bang for the buck"$. Replace the cylinder heads with new aftermarket hi performance heads. Use a hyd flat tappet cam set.
216 to 230@.050. Use stock type rockers with a roller tip. Magnums or Crane.
Build your 350 using stock 5.7" 350 rods and flat top pistons. Summit sells a good rebuild kit using good forged L2256F-30 flat top piston under PN#FEM-CSMHP750-300 Look it up $389 us. This particular kit example part number is for standard bearings but all bearing oversides are availble.
Have your local machinist bore and hone and deck the block.

Get some vortec heads or something simular 64cc chambered heads with hi flow small ports up to 190cc. and a hi rise dual plane intake manifold.

 

ok found this kit on e-baythought i would run it by you guys what do you think? Item number: 8073068247.
also when i start looking for a set of vortec heads what casting numbers do i need to be aware of? because i know the dude that operates the local salvage here and i can get a set extremely cheap! thanks!!

 

I would avoid "extremely cheap" Junk yard vortec heads. many are "cheap" cause they are cracked. The casting numbers on vortec heads end in 062 or 906.
stock Vortec heads require machining mods for high valve lift, new valve springs and a vortec specific intake manifold.

Many of the generic rebuild kits contain old design 60's muscle car camshafts.
Like the L79 327-350hp "151" cam or L46 L-82 350 350hp cam.

You can get better cams from the aftermarket such as crane, lunati and comp cams that will make more power and torque than these old designs.

 

You said, "i have a 350 4 bolt in my garage," but how much of the engine do you have? Curious because you asked what size crank to get.

Assuming you have crank & rods, get the crank checked before you order any parts. It may need to be turned, but if it's already been turned you may not be able to do so again. So, get it checked. Rods, as said, get ARP bolts, then have them resized. A competent shop will know what you're talking about. Or, get a set of new Eagle replacements - probably about the same as you'd pay for the bolts, installation, and resizing of your existing rods.

If you go with those pistons, you'll probably need to have the block "decked". The rod pin height puts them down in the bore a bit, so shaving off .010" to .015" is probably in order. At any rate, something to check after you get the pistons. And before you get the pistons, get the block checked for overbore needed or what it can handle. If it's already .030" over, and needs to be bored again, shoot for .040" over if at all possible. Typically, a block can't handle more than .060" over, so if you go that far, it's the last rebuild you will do.

As for heads, I'd consider the upgraded Vortecs on Scoggin Dickey at Sdpc2000: Performance Parts, Racing Engines, Racing Engine Parts, Race Engines, Race Engine Parts - SDPC . They have a kit that comes with heads, intake, rockers, and gaskets for around $1000. Might seem expensive, but power is in the heads & cam, and these will give you the capability to do both right. 350 crankshaft HP will be a piece of cake while maintaining the ability to drive to Tulsa as often as you want.

 

i have everything from the crank to the intake! the only thing is i bought the block from my brother who bought it from oreily's as a long block put it into his 73 impala and drove it until one day it overheated and cracked a head. the block has been magnafluxed to check for cracks and everything is ok i just haven't had the rods or the crank checked yet. but as far as i kinow it is a virgin block. so i may have it bored .30 just to be safe, or since i did have it checked out should i leave it alone? but the crank if its ok will be reused along with the rods i just want higher compression pistons.

 

You can check the cylinder bores for wear using a bore guage. If the bores are not worn or tapered or barreled within about .005" you can hone (deglaze) the cylinders to reestablish a cross hatch pattern on the cylinder walls and install new pistons of the same size (over size) as the ones you took out.
if the cylinders are worn or out of round or tapered- barreled beyond the "service limit" (about .005") then you'll have to bore and hone the cylinders to the next oversize and get new oversized pistons.

You can hone your cylinders yourself at home using a drill and a ball hone. ( deglazing hone). ATF makes a good @home backyard honing fluid lubricant.

 

This mechanic I used to work for used diesel fuel, FWIW.

This is wise advice. If you're going to be running this motor like a performance motor : , rod bolts are the big high stress piece to upgrade. I could have paid my local shop ~$200 to resize my stock rods and put in ARP bolts, but instead I got ohio crankshaft ones, (The $159 ones), and was out ~$230CA when the smoke cleared. $30 to upgrade to new aftermarket forged 4340 (IIRC) rods.