ok so i had a late 80's chevy silverado 350 engine that i was going to be putting in my 87 berlinetta. well as i was breaking everything down i found the block was cracked big time. so my stepdad got a gm 350 out of an 80's chevy malibu or caprice, or something. i don't remember what it was exactly but it was a car. it looks like it has been worked on because all the block and heads are painted along with some other parts to it. it is a carb motor which is what i am going to be doing anyway. the casting # on the motor is 3970010. so does anyone know any info on these motors. what kind of horsepower they were putting out? he said i can have it if i want it. he only paid 50 dollars for it at the scrap metal yard. it is basically complete without distributor and valve covers. even has the tranny attatched still. is this something worth fooling with? i am a poor white boy with a family to support. so i have no money to build an awsome engine but i am dying to get my camaro rolling. The heads have the number 14022601 on it. it has a quadrajet carb on it and stock intake. Side bolts on the valve covers unlike the other one which had center bolts on the valve covers.

i bought a edlebrock performer intake for the other motor but it will not fit the heads on this one. is it possible to get some vortec heads and put them on an older motor like this one?

 

I believe you missed the last digit of the casting number on the heads, but I'm guessing they're 601s. 601s were used on LG4s, and have 1.84/1.50 valves with about 56-57 cc combustion chambers. This means they should be used with dished pistons.
3970010 is a common casting number for 350s.
Your power will depend mostly on cam, induction and exhaust. Your Berlinetta probably has a 700R-4 and 2.73:1 gearing.
That gearing is a mis-match for this engine, try to find a 3.42:1 axle from a V6/ auto, '85-'92 F-car.
That LG4 exhaust system will let this 350 run, but it'll peak around 4000 rpm, and be all done by 4500. You'll need headers and a 3" cat-back. Until then, don't expect much more than about 200 horses, no matter how wild the build.
That should be enough to get you started.

 

so being new to this, 200 horse seems weak for a 350. when i think about it my mustang with it's little v6 came with 150 horsepower stock. it can be a bit disappointing when i drive it. what kind of cam do i need to be looking at? i might as well put one in before i get the motor into the car. can different heads help beef it up? the intake i originally got for my other motor will not fit these heads. the heads that were on it were 14102193 heads. are they any better and would they even fit so i would be able to use my edlebrock intake? planning on putting some other headers on it. don't know if long tubes or shorties are better.

 

according to the techdata sheet off the home page the drivetrain list only has one option for the v6. that was a 3.42 gear ratio for the standard and automatic transmissions. i hope i am looking at it right

 

14022601 is the FULL casting number for 601 heads. You are right on the valve size used on them. However they are LE9 truck heads, not LG4. They have 53cc chambers in stock form. On a standard 12cc dished piston 350, they produce roughly 10.3:1 compression.

 

which ones are better heads. the 601 heads that are on there or the 193 heads that were on the other engine. i can use the performer intake with the other heads(193). would that be a better setup than the stock intake and 601 heads?

 

Doesn't matter if the truck LG4 was called an LE9, it's still an 8.6:1 305 with 1.84" valves. Close enough. If you're getting 53, then you're checking some that have already been milled.

 

I assumed you were starting with an LG4 car, sorry. You can keep the axle you have. You'll want to order a PWT-1932-LR from Summit.

 

The 601s will give better performance.
And since your car was a V6, you'll have to change out the entire exhaust system.

 

Shorties are a way easier install. Long tubes help mid-range torque, but the only choice is Hedman. The Hookers are too big for your build.
For a cam, a COMP XE262H12 would be an excellent choice.

 

New exhast is a must since the old exhast was gone when I saved it. If I keep those heads is one thing but what about getting some vortec from the junkyard. Would that really bump me up. The intake I have is suppose to work with vortec heads. Just don't know if they would bolt up to the older block. I did read that any heads other than ls1 and lt1 heads should bolt to any 305/350 block. Can anyone verify this?

 

Your intake from the 193 heads won't work with true Vortec heads. See, in the late '80s, the swirl-port 4.3 became the Vortec V6, then the truck V8s got the same name. But these days, when enthusiasts say Vortec, we only mean the '96-up 350 heads, which are not swirl-port.
These heads are in high demand, but if you can find a set, great. Big power gains. You can put them on your block. Then sell the 601s and buy a Vortec-specific intake manifold.

 

Oopsi double post. Stupid cell phone

 

Ok so the true vortec heads from 96 and up are the best. I will have to check my edlebrock intake application list. The guy I bought it from told me it would take vortec heads. The 193 heads aren't vortec but it looked like everything lined up right. Then I guess if I can't use the intake I can try and sell both sets of heads and the intake I have to get one that goes with the vortec. Am I looking for any chevy v8 96 and up or is there only certain vehicles

And why wouldn't the newer swirlport heads with the edlebroc intake be better than the 601 heads with stock intake?

 

The swirl-port heads are more of a restriction than a stock intake manifold, plus the stock intake is cheaper and easier to change later.
The Vortec heads worth lusting after have 2 different casting numbers. We only use the last 3 digits. You have to pull the valve covers to find them. Look for either 906 or 062.
Don't sell your 601s until you actually get the Vortecs. Also, beware of "the Vortec crack". It's been detailed before, but basically, once you get the heads off, look at the deck surfaces between the center 2 combustion chambers of each head.

 

what would some vortec heads off a 305 do for me. there is one localy that is selling a 2009 gm vortec engine(minus intake) with a cracked block. he says it is cracked from not winterizing the motor. don't know how true that is since it has been in the 90's and 100's for the last four months here. his title says "GM 305 vortec engine" and his descrption is this

"I have a 2009 Volvo Penta Marine, 5.0 rated at 370 hp from volvo. It had 28 hrs when removed. The external block cracked from not winterizing. The heads and rotating assm are in good working condition. The engine ran perfect, just leaked water outside of engine. no intake. Rotating assm and heads still good on and block. This is a Vortec 305. $200 obo "

 

They were UNTOUCHED HEADS from the 1983 G20 Van that has KNOWN history since the day it came from the GM dealer in 1983.......The LE9 is NOT a 8.6:1 305...Its a 9.5:1 engine. They are VERY MUCH 53cc chambers. In fact there was a debate among racers that insisted this same fact and even forced Mortec to change their description of them. They are 53cc heads

 

hey i appreciate your imput, someone told me that the swirlport heads are restrictive but they are mainly restrictive in the really high rpm range. i don't plan on racing this thing into the high rpm ranges. i just want something that will get up and go fast short distances. i am wandering if anyone else has any imput on the two head/intake setups i have and which one would be better.

and atilla, if i was told wrong about the swirlports being mainly restrictive in the higher rpm range and great torque for low rpms please let me know. like i said i already have the performer intake to go with the swirlports, it won't cost me any more money either way

 

This is exactly right. I had a set of 601s that I used on a 350, and before any machinework was done to them I cc'd them and they all came in between 51-54cc. My set was never milled either.