What years should i stay away from while im scouring around for a 350 to drop in my camaro. I read some things about high nickel and what not in certain years and would like to start this project with a good foundation

 

That depends... are you looking for a core, or a running engine you don't want to put any work into?

Cores - basically anything will work, if the block can still be machined. There were a few years in the '70s that had problems with the starter bolt holes being in the right place (some slightly off) and some with lifter bores not bored at the right angle - close, but slightly off. This is kind of a hit-or-miss thing... some blocks are good, some aren't, only way to know is to have it checked. Don't worry about "high nickel" or "4-bolt mains" or "corvette engine". When it comes to a street car, none of it really matters.

(Note: there are more 'vette engines in junkyards than there were Corvettes built )

If you want a running engine, then 99% of the 350s you'll find in the junkyard will be lame truck engines with between 160-200hp. Always a chance of something better, like an L98 or something, but its slim.

 

Yea, funny how that happens eh?

I'd try to find a roller motor. That's a post 1988 or so 350 block. TBI motors from trucks and caprice's would be good bets here, but if you're looking at an '88 pop off the intake and double check for roller lifters. If it's a '94 or so, then you're pretty safe assuming it's a roller block.

You've gotta pretty sweet car already, I like it. '87 305 q-jet with 5 speed and 3.23 rear. Those look like slats on the back window...?

 

it wasnt a bad motor when it was running
the pic of the car isnt mine but is its twin without the slats (my wifes stupid cat knocked the digital off the cabinet and broke it)
Im definately sticking with the 5 speed but will more than likely tear it up with a 350 so a TKO is in the future somewhere farther down the line than i can see right now and it will eventually get 3.73 gears out back i think.

I can deal with a lame truck motor if its cheap cause its nothing heads a cam and intake wont fix
Thanks for the input guys

 

Like the iron ape said, blocks from the 70s were PARTICULARLY likely to have quality control issues, that basically are unrepairable. The 2 main ones are starter bolt holes drilled in the wrong place (too far from the crank), and lifter bores that are WAY out of the line that they should be in.

It's often easy to spot those, even when they're out of the car. They tend to be for sale REAL CHEAP; too cheap, by normal standards. They tend to come with some kind of real oddball story attached; like, "ran real good but my wife wanted something that got better gas mileage so I put in the 305 2-barrel out of this old rusted-out Malibu", or "ran great, just needs a cam, I don't have the one that came out of it [because if he did, you'd see the rolled-off lobe]", and so on.

The whole "high nickel" thing is a total myth. A guy that used to work in one of the casting plants back in the 60s and 70s posts over on the Chevelle boards; he tells how they have these flat molds that make the sides of the block, and after a while of of casting blocks, they quit using the right ones for any given block. They put the casting number and all the date codes on it right, like they had to in order for the blocks to be usable; but they didn't bother to use the correct front core plate (they take these plates, and press the sand into shape, and pour the molten iron into the sand) because they didn't have enough of all the right variations and it wasn't encoded into the part # spec anyway so it didn't matter in the slightest to GM. Go do a search over there for "high nickel" or the like, and see if you can find it.

The TBI truck blocks are equipped for the roller stuff; it's just not there. They put flat-tappet cams and lifters in them. But it's easy to get the roller guts on eBay or wherever, so that's a good way to go. That dodges the QC problems with the 70s blocks of course.

Beyond stuff like that, there's no year or range of years that's any better or worse than any other. There's far more variation between individuals than anything else. Look for one with minimal core shift, no broken-off corners, no bolts stuck in the holes, stuff like that. Forget about "high nickel" because it doesn't exist. A block is a block is a block as far as being a "good foundation" as long as it's not screwed up somehow.

 

Depending on what your budget is, and whether you just
want the thrill of wrenching it together yourself, GMPP crate engines
(available from a wide variety of vendors) are hard to
beat the bang for the buck. Plan on 20 franklins to get
any donor stuff into good shape. New/rebuilt performance
heads will be 6-8 franklins. For a bit more, you can get
a product that GM will stand behind. Good luck.