I've been in the market for a 350 for about a week now. I see alot of people selling 350's from old trucks, motorhomes, boats, and what not.


Which 350 engines should I avoid (like from which type of car, year, etc.) what are some good tips when checking one out?

and which 350 should I shoot for? There is alot of 5.7 truck partouts on craigslist here in san diego and I want to go and pull the motor but dont want to end up getting a bad one.

 

the preferred blocks are from '87 and newer. Typically the only problems these blocks ever have is a smann minority of them get cracks in the lifter valley, but I've seen this on earlier blocks also.
If you can get the 062 or 906 heads, and the decks aren't cracked between the center 2 combustion chambers, get those.
there's almost never any problem with the cranks or rods, but broken cranks do happen every once in a blue moon.
What else...umm mmmm oh, also look that it hasn't spun a bearing. Look for blued metal. On the big end of each rod, and on each main cap.
If you can't pull the oilpan and heads before buying, make sure there is a guarantee. Otherwise, keep searching.
Avoid the 193 heads, and any 624 heads.
If it's a good engine with 906 or 062 heads, it's worth about $250. Without heads, it's worth no more than $150.

 

And which cars would I look for to find these? I searched a few sites that showed sbc casting numbers but couldn't find 906 or 062 in there

 

I got it. so It'll be best to look for 350's in mid-late 90's trucks/ suv's for the 906, 062 "vortec" heads.

If I have no luck finding an engine with the 906 or 062 heads then at least avoid the older 350's and stay away from 193 and 624 heads.

Thanks man great info.

 

Depending what you plan on doing with the engine, the more preferred block is the older 010 casting 2 piece rear main block. These block were cast over many years and found their way into just about every GM.

Again, what you're looking for depends what you want to do with it. If you want to buy a running engine to use as a drop in replacement then finding one similar to the year of the car is better. If you plan on buying the engine to do a complete rebuild then there really isn't much difference in which engine you chose from. To do a complete rebuild, it can be a lot cheaper to just buy any crate engine to suit your power requirements from a basic stock replacement to a full on powerhouse.

Finding an inexpensive engine for sale or from a junkyard usually means it needs work or doesn't have desirable parts on it. You can probably buy a basic replacement engine from you local dealer or parts store for around $1000-$1500. It won't have any performance parts on it but all the machine work will be done and assembled correctly.

 

010 blocks are NO advantage, plus like all pre-'87 blocks, have the massive disadvantage of not having provisions for the roller lifters.

 

So they don't have slotted lifter bores to allow OEM lifters. Why is that a disadvantage? There are plenty of aftermarket roller lifters which use a link bar.

 

but those lifters cost more. Why spend more for no benefit? When it's cheaper to do it right, it's dumb to not do it right.

 

All Im really looking for is a semi-daily drivable 350.

My plan is to buy a healthy 350 engine to drop in and go.

While im able to enjoy my camaro, I'll be building a street/strip capable motor from the ground up (when I write out a budget).


I need to get this car to smog so I can update the reg. but I dont want to put money into the 305 engine I have. I figure why spend money to fix up this engine when I'm going to go 350 anyway?

 

I know that is right no need to put money into a 305 my 89rs is in pretty good shape runs like a sewing machine but when I crank it, it puffs a light grey blue smoke my dad said it might be valve seats but why spend money in the engine that I plan on getting rid of by christmas. here's my bottom end I hope to make about 300hp:

Fresh 40 over 350 block 2 bolt main with arp main studs
Bored and honed with torque plate, decked
Brass freeze plugs with clevite cam bearings
Cast crank turned 10/10 with clevite main bearings
Rebuilt rods with arp wavelock bolts and clevite bearings
Speed Pro Hyperutectic flat top pistons with speed pro moly rings
Assembled with all clearances checked

 

That puff of smoke is valve seals. Almost entirely a non-issue if you ask me unless it's massive clouds of oil that's blowing out.

I agree with teh guys who say look for a newer block. Allegedly the old blocks had higher nickel content or whatever... but I've never seen anyone melt one of em down and compare it to a newer block. I lump it in there with a bunch of other hot rodder superstitions.

Avoid 91-95 truck engines. They're cast for roller cams, but not machined for it. Not worth the trouble. Worse, they have really tall lifter bores that severely limit your options for aftermarket lifters.

I see absolutely no reason to build a new street motor with anything but a roller cam at this point.

 

thanks for the input does anyone know where I can find a new warranteed set of vortecs Casting #12558062?
someone told me they were roughly 500 a set stock

 

Way too much spending for too much unnecessary machining for too modest a goal.

 

New Vortec heads don't come with any warranty. GM p.n. 12558060, currently selling for $290 each, assembled.

 

In fact there really were some 350 blocks that were cast with extra nickel and extra tin. But roller lifters are more of an advantage.

 

please explain what you mean. cmon help me out what should i be looking for with this setup. and vortec heads and vortec intake and a good elderbrock carb.

 

With the Vortec heads, it would take an awfully small cam to only make 300 horses. You'll probably be closer to 350 horses. At that level, you don't need ARP main studs, which might save you a possibly unnecessary align-hone job, and if the machinist's straightedge shows your decks to be flat to within 0.004", then you don't need decking. If the decks are flat to within 0.002", then you can use Fel-Pro steel shim head gaskets for proper quench. Don't use flat-top pistons in this build, and be sure the pistons are 1.56" crown height, not the increasingly common 1.54"
deck plate honing also isn't necessary at this level.
If you were to use flat tops with Vortecs, you'd be around 10.5:1, then you'd need a huge cam to reduce detonation. That's more like a 400 horse build.
Even so, on hot days, you'd still need to add octane booster to pump premium. It's just not worth it, so get dished pistons.

 

unfortunately this work has already been done I bought the block this way with all the machining done I guess I will have to take to a shop have everything checked and verified adn if I can't use the block for my application 300-400hp cruiser then I will have to sell it and do something else. flat top pistons are already installed and the motor is ready for (heads,intake, carb or FI, oil pump, oil pan, waterpump, and dist.

Not trying to hijack the thread but what can I do? any sugg? or should I just build a drag motor? thanx Atilla

 

You failed to specify that the short block was already done. Since it is, either sell the Vortec heads in favor of something else, or step up your plans to accomodate the compression and flow.

 

getting rid of the vortec would mean getting a less aggressive head to try to preserve compression ratio. or to accomodate the block decking and flat top pistons I need to be ready run on racing gas all the time. GREAT sounds like I really screwed up. In July I planned on trying to buy what I needed for my build on this block looks like I have alot of things to consider. come july I will be on TGO constantly, buying manuals, and getting ideas and advice from experienced builders. If anyone has anything close to this setup for the bottom end and are having good results let me know what you used. Thank you.

 

This is what happens when you buy parts before finishing the research and planning. Now, you could sell the Vortecs for under $400, and put that money toward a pair of Brodix IK180 heads. They flow at least as well as the Vortecs, and go for $700/pr., bare. Good valves will be another $80/set from CP.
Plus they're offered in your choice of 64cc or 70cc, so you could have 10.2:1 or 9.7:1.
Also, they're aluminum, saving more than 40 pounds off the nose of your front-heavy car, which helps acceleration, cornering and braking, and sure doesn't hurt mileage.

 

o.k not trying to tick anyone off but a couple things I have not bought the vortecs I was planning on them but it looks like not anymore. I appreciate the info and your right I'm 30years old and my dad who was going to help me said the same thing just not as nice as you are. but now I have this block that I bought for $600 with the sellers name, number, and address. and the name of the shop that did the work. and that's all. I know that I'm made a bone head move. It sounds like I am about to have alot more on my hands than what I bargained for. now I have to get a diff. heads than what I planned, the block is decked and has flattop pist. so any head dI get will almost have to stock b/c too much shaving or machining of any kind will drive compression thru the roof. and if I get the heads you said I still have to get,valves, springs, rocker arms, ect.... Good thing I gave myself till christmas. and thi time I will ask ?'s before I buy. Thank you Atilla !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Since you haven't bought heads yet, there's no disaster. Save up more, get the Brodix heads, use a 0.038"-thick composite head gasket, and then you can proceed a lot like what you hoped. Even though the Vortec heads come with springs, for any decent cam you still would have had to replace them with better springs, so it's really no additional expense.

 

I've got Vortecs on my 350 and I'm probably barely eeking out 300hp. It was a 3500 lb car with driver and trapped at 102. Maybe it has more in it, not sure, that was the only run I made in it where it didnt shut down halfway down the track (crazy carb issues with fuel boiling at the time).

It's got a 218/224 @.050, ~.470ish lift cam in it. It pulls hard, plenty of torque, but I have my doubts about it making over 300 horses given that trap speed. It's a very responsive, fun engine, but I think the flat tappet cam holds it back a lot.

I never measured quench (at the time I'd had a lot of trouble and bad luck with bad heads and then a bad block and at that point I just wanted to get the motor in the car and running) but it had a .040 head gasket, probably has around .070ish quench, not too good.

But what Iw as gonna say is all my calculations I made back in the day put me at around low-mid 9's for compression, not 10's, and I'm using regular speed pro flat tops. That was assuming a .040 head gasket and 64cc chambers.

 

hey thanx, you guys are just awesome. TGO has got to be the best forum on the web when I start in july there is no doubt first I will have everything and all clearances checked again and ask tons of ?'s. I am saving this thread to my favorites list tht way I don't lose anything and once again thank you!!!!!!!!

 

To trap 102 with an automatic takes well past 300 real horses. Considering that and your lame cam, I'd guess you're around 350 horses.

 

It's actually going through a T-56. The worst part of my car is that the rear end gearing is awful with the T-56, it's a dog off the line but like I said it's a real fun, responsive setup. But I cant even get out of 3rd gear before the 1/4 is out. I know the car has more in it, but I just dont know how much. I didnt really know how to drive it yet when I made that pass last summer. I learned how to drive a stick in this car.

 

Cant this guy just use a very thick gasket? I was just researching gaskets for my build and they can reduce compression amazingly. I'm sure a thick enough gasket can bring his compression down to the 9's

 

do you mean while still using my bottom end in combo with the vortecs or with the brodix? to be honest I would love to 1000hp on pump gas but let's be realistic I would be happy with 300-400hp and be able to drive everyday on 91octane.

 

Thick gaskets also hurt quench, and poor quench with moderate compression is far more likely to have detonation problems than high compression with proper quench. Proper quench is NO less than 0.035", and NO more than 0.045" More is possible, but ill-advised. Since rs owner hasn't bought heads yet, the Brodix heads would solve the problem nicely. At 9.7:1 with aluminum, rs owner can use virtually any cam without problems.

 

Just with the right cam swap, you can have 30 more horses and still be emissions-friendly. That should be worth 3 tenths and 3 mph at the strip. Then re-gearing the axle to be doing 5500 rpm at 105 mph in fourth...
It'd be worth about a half second, and make sixth useful. Your averaged MPG shouldn't suffer at all, and your highway MPG should actually improve slightly.

 

Good info.. I never thought about quench