I'm looking to get a 350 5.7 from a 96-00 silverado with vortec heads and carb it. then few years later have it ready to supercharge it but still be able to run it without a sc but be ready for it. is it possible? and what should i look towards when im searching to buy a 5.7 vortec engine? when i get it what should i do? i'm looking to get more hp out of it.

regards,
Timinsk

 

the stock cast pistons might survive 6 psi, maybe 8 with intercooling/ methanol injection, and that's good for a 50% increase, but if you start with a good set of forged pistons, the ones made from 2618 material instead of 4032, then running 13 psi with intercooling and meth is more practical. You can tell 2618s from 4032s by the piston-to-bore clearances listed, 2618s are around .004-.006, while 4032s are more like .002" Next, supercharging Vortecs is somewhat silly, mostly due to the already extremely poor exhaust ports. You should have the heads cut for 1.60" exhaust valves, including a 5 angle valve job plus a 75-degree bowl-hog, then have the exhaust ports fully ported and polished. This will bring your E/I up from 0.6 to as much as 0.8, which is alot better even without any boost. Either way, pick a dual-pattern cam, the ZZ4 would be a great choice for boost on the street every day. Also, changing the pistons gives you the chance to upgrade the rings to plasma-moly. For boost, the top rings need bigger end-gaps, and this is very important.

 

ah ok, this sounds good. thank you, just wanted some ideas on what i could get around to