Ok I have been lookin for a 350 block to build up for a couple weeks now. I have found 2 deal that I really like.

1 is a 75 C-10 block that has been fully machined and is ready for a build, the problem is the bolt spots on it, a mechanic said there different than 3rd gen blocks

the other is a 350 tbi engine out of a suburban, it has 145xxx before it was takin out, it was running at that time he wants $100 for it


Im restoring/redoing my car this winter and plan for 383 stroker with 400hp to the ground at least. Im not looking to spend too much

 

look into LT1's they are awesome especially when stroked

 

Im looking for 1 of these choices,

or now there a 355 block that needs to be machined for $150

 

Need more info as to what you're doing with the engine.
Which car you putting it in?
What intake is going on it? Carb, staying with FI?
What heads?

The first one isn't a roller block, probably what the machinist meant by "bolts aren't right". So you'd need to "downgrade" to a flat tappet cam.

Second one - what year is the suburban?
Also, what's the year of the final block that's $150 ??

Yea good luck with that. I'm looking for a car that runs on my own sense of self satisfaction - lets race to our goals eh?

 

LOL! The perfect perpetual motion machine....

 

Haha yea.

Im putting it in my 86 Trans Am, Im going to keep it TPI. Im not sure of what heads to go with

The macanist was not the guy selling the machined block. he said the bolt holes might be different cause it was a 1975 block

the suburban was an 85 or 86 i dnt remember

the last one is an '87

 

i think that 87 355 might be the best choice, good power and reliability with a 355 weather your dragging, road racing, or daily which a buddy of mine does all 3 in his 92 z28 with a 355 L98

 

Ya but the thing is, is that the block needs to be rehoned cause of sitting for a while

 

I meant to say the block needs to be rehoned and clean from sitting, Thats what the seller said. It only has 3-4000 miles on it

 

none of those blocks are roller blocks, so they are all about the same. Flip a coin if you like.

 

What do you mean by "roller"?

 

I think they are talking about using a roller cam and lifters which I think is a 87 or later...I know my 1990 block is set for roller lifters and cam
.
Buzzman1

 

So which of these blocks or none at all would be better then?

 

Price it out.
If one needs $400 more machine work, but is $300 cheaper, then it's a winner eh?
That's the deciding factor at this point. The price of the machine work needed for each engine to bring it up to the level you want it at.
Does it need to be decked?
Does it need to be bored?
Does it need to be line honed?
Is it already done? Do you care if it gets done?

Price each one out in a spreadsheet and determine the best one.
Or wait around and find a roller block (cough, would recommend this route)

 

I still dont know what a roller block is

 

What the difference between the block that I told you about and a roller block?

 

Ok, a roller block is made after 1987 for camaros etc, and after early '90s for others (trucks, etc).
In the lifter valley, there are bosses cast there. They are drilled and tapped for a "spider" to bolt in place. Also the lifter bosses are taller I believe. A roller block can have a factory roller cam installed easily and cheaply. If you want to put a roller cam into a non roller block, you need to buy "retro-fit" roller lifters, and a retrofit roller cam, ~$800 or so.

A roller block is the cheap way to have a roller cam. Therefore it is better.
If you don't have a roller block, you either spend BIG bucks to get the retrofit, or you use an inferior flat tappet cam. Nothing wrong with a flat tappet cam, but if you have the choice, i'd use a roller. You gain HP with a roller cam.
You have a roller cam in your 1989 TA for example.
I'd use that block if you could. Just drive the '86 while you tear down and rebuild the engine from the '89.

 

LOL id never hafta rebuild the engine, atleast not for a long time, It only has 24,927 miles on it. Im probably go with the 355 block cause it only had 3500 miles on it and was built already

 

Ok everyone, I have a block set. Now for what to put in it. It is bored .60 over. What I was thinking was to get a 383 stroker kit. What heads should I get or even try and build?

 

Anybody have an idea what i should do

 

.060 over is risky was it block filled? i wouldnt use that block....my preferance only....i sugest you sell it and buy a crate motor. youll save headache and money in the long run. so many people come on here wanting to build a motor and they dont know anything..sure people can walk you through it here but youll save alot of time and money by getting a proven motor....im sorry if im venting im just sick of the "I want to make 500hp my budget is $1000 what should i do?" do u really think u should be picking out parts for a motor when you dont even know the difference between a roller and non roller motor? I dont, I think the best advice anyone can give you is tell us your power goal, your budget, and plan for usage of the car and let us help u pick out a nice package crate motor..........

 

Ya a crate be nice, but im just building it for the experience. Id like to get 450+ out of it, Idc on the budget, just nothing outrageous. It would be my daily driver because its my first car

This would just be like me building my first computer last winter. I studied up on it, learned what everything was how it worked, etc....

And you telling me that I shouldnt do because I didnt know what a roller was.....psh thats the same with my geeky uncle telling me i shouldnt build my computer when i didnt know what stuff was. And if i make a mistake then I got someone to help

Anythings possible with effort

 

if u plug dont somethin slightly wrong on building a comp it doesnt come one. if u do something slightly wrong on an engine say improper clearance well ur out hundreds of dollars if not more typically.....explain to me again how thats similar? you want the experience buy the crate engine and install it yourself...

 

Im just asking for help on what to do, not an arguement

If i make a mistake, I have someone to help out

 

im not arguing im giving you the best advice youll ever hear dont just throw your money away....know when something is out of your technical ability....im done now for some advice that you want....look at scat for some afordable good rotating assemblies http://www.scatcrankshafts.com/ cant go wrong with a good 383 or there about...11:1 compression with aluminum heads is more then doable given the right quench and cam
afr for heads.... http://www.airflowresearch.com/index.php somethin like there 195cc heads
and look for you favorite cam manufacturer for a bump stick. i prefer lunati or crane....

 

ok thank you that helps alot

 

Where can i get some good heads kits. I can get some 416 heads, but then Id have to build them to match the engine

 

a 450HP engine isn't a daily driver. IMHO with a 350, anything over 350-380HP is pushing it for daily driver. Reason being is the cam, and fuel mileage. The cam you need for that HP level makes it being a daily driver a bit of a handful. For most people at least, some people don't mind it...

416 heads can make up to about 350HP if you port them up right. I'd recommend it for your first engine.
I ported 416's and ran a comp xe268he cam in my first engine. Worked great! Highly recommend it.

 

You won't make 400hp to the ground with TPI (not easily at least).

 

What were the specs on them....if you still have/know them??

It can be done...with a little help

 

and ALOT of MONEY

 

Yup

 

Sounds like me when I wanted to get a 383 built. Then checked the price of gas and had a reality check.

 

Sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like it couldn't be done with TPI. TPI just wouldn't be the..... "easiest" route.

 

Ya probably, Damn us kids

Ya, It kinda added to the whole sleeper kinda look

 

maybe you should look into the LM7 motor swaps and so...someone posted this in another thread and now im hooked but im gonna step up to the 6.0 LQ4....no sleeper there but good power and dependability....
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...ine/index.html

 

Just find a 350 that runs and swap it in. That's the best place to start. Find something that someone has in their car so you can drive it, and check it over real good. Then put it in your car. Even if it's a slow pile that's ok. You can always add heads and a cam later. My 400 was slow as ***** when I got it. It had 882 heads. It's still slow, but not as slow as when I got it

 

if u were down here id sell you my entire setup lol...got to get some money going for my future 6.0 swap...lol

 

Ya that was the original plan, but I change my mind, Ill regret it one day

 

Ok everyone I bought the block: 78 350 c-10 truck block, 4 bolt mains, line hones, and fully machined 60 thousandths over

Im going to be building up a 383 srtoker kit as I stated before in this thread, I have been looking up kit on Jegs and a few other websites, but am unsure which would be the best to get. Hereare 2 that reall caught my eye:

http://www.rpmmachine.com/383-chevy-...roker-sb.shtml

http://www.jegs.com/p/Eagle/749647/10002/-1

Also Im looking for some aluminized heads, and a cam for the build, Any ideas??

Thanks in advanced

 

What is your budget?

 

Well Im not looking to spend all off my money on it. I want a decent engine without the big $3750-5k price tag, I would buy a crate instead. This is somethin over the course of the winter.

Budget..... ...lol jk Im not sure, just nothing outrageous

Someone said Eagle rotating assemly, Dart akuminum heads, Comp Cams,

 

You're just not going to be able to pull it off for that cheap. I spent $600 on my engine, plus $150 for the cam, $200 for the intake, $200 for the heads and $200 for the carb. That's $1300 not including all the other costs like gaskets, fluids, flywheel/balanceplate. Those 'other costs' add up real quick too.

I got a SCREAMING deal on a running 400 for 600 bucks. I paid 600 plus I gave the guy a weatherguard truck box valued at 580, which I actually only bought for 180. So the value to him was probably about $1000 or $1100. So if you recalculate, that brings the grand total to almost 2k. Plus add in the other misc. expenses like head gaskets etc, it adds up. Go look in the Chevy magazines. None of those guys are building any motor for less than 2k. And that's with budget factory heads usually.

Unless you've got a lot of good hook ups, you're not going to be able to build a motor from scratch for less than 3 or 4k.

Just a thought.

 

I have all the gaskets already, Im just going to have to takes pics of what I have so every1 knows

 

The engine, Sorry not takin it out of the bag

Fully machined main caps

Brand new, 350 crank



Brand new bearings

Brand new mounts

Brand new gaskets

Brand new crank scraper



How bout that

 

What is your goal with the build?

 

383 stroker, daily driver, yet ready for strip

 

You need to tell us specifically how much money you can spend on this project. Then you need some specific ideas on what you're looking for performance wise. If you're only willing to spend a few hundred bucks, you're going to have a difficult time assembling this motor.

What type of fuel system do you want? Carb or FI?

I would say if you went with vortec heads, a matched cam, and a 383 rotating assembly you'd have a pretty stout motor for a decent price. You'd probably be looking in the 1000-1500 for the rotating assembly, cam, intake, carb and heads (if you bought everything used except for the rotating assembly and cam).

 

Im goin to be running TPI intake. What aluminum heads, cam would you recomend, Idc price wise cause I still have to get it, but again nothing too outrageous

 

What is outrageous? Most builds in car magazines with aluminum heads usually will run around atleast 3k dollars.