Haha so guys, I'm confused. I recently found the original owner of my car and he is the one who did everything to it. To make a long story short I thought my 350 was waaaaay to slow and that perhaps there was something wrong with it. So anyway, I asked him about the engine specs and it turns out it is actually a 383 with a something or other cam lol and stock heads. He went on to explain to me that when he first built the engine it made roughly 430hp and that when he sold the car the engine was pretty much effed. Now I'm not quite sure what he meant by that but I assume that he just beat the snot out of it. (which may be the reason it leaks and burns oil lol) Alright I'll get to the point.. Can I buy a kit to rebuild the engine or do I have to know exactly what parts I need. I will be rebuilding it with my Father so all I need is the correct replacement parts.
Thanks a bunch in advance,
Matt

 

Start ripping it down. If it burns oil and lacks power I'd guess rings. Only replace what you need to and it can probably be fixed cheap.

 

Really? Well, thats quite a relief! What is it I should be looking for?

 

Update: So i just received an email from the po and he said what happened is one of the pistons destroyed the valves and that apparently im running on 7 cylinders. Any thoughts? I guess the engine is coming out but can this be fixed? kinda depressing lol.

 

Do a compression test on the motor. Make sure to test all 8 cylinders and hold the throttle open. If the numbers are low, put a little bit of oil in the cylinder throught the spark plug hole and test again. If the numbers are higher, the rings are bad.

Does it only smoke at idle? How much oil does it burn?

Edit: Just read your newest post. I would be very concerend with how did a piston get near enough a valve to destroy it, and why the hell did he sell you the car like that without telling you the motor needed rebuilding? I would take the heads off and see what everything looks like. I would do this before you drive the car again. Does it make a lot of noise?

 

Well that is exactly the weirdest part. The engine makes no odd noises and runs fine but it is just very low on power. I'm sure this is a dumb question but if I take the heads off and everything checks out can I put them back on and drive it? Or is there more to it?

Edit: Also I forgot to mention that the dipstick was all chewed up when I bought the car. I don't know if that is related at all. I wish that I knew more about cars when I bought this.

 

If everything is good, then yes you can put them back on. Obviously you will need gaskets and coolant, but thats it. I would do a compression check on it then before you pull it apart. Also dont forget that the tune on the motor can have a drastic effect on the power output. When I first got my motor running it wouldnt even think about chirping the tires from a dead stop. Now I can spin them sometimes at 50 mph. Most of that was the tune.

 

Start with a compression test BEFORE you do anything, if you are making poor compression in any cylinder (numbers are more then 10-15 PSI off the highest number) you have to start taking it apart. The first thing I would do if the compression is low is check the heads like the PO claims. If a valve doesn't physically look bent and is completely seated I'd get a fine tip screwdriver and feel the rings on the pistons for any breaks. Usually chunks of ring work their way into the oil pan and if this is the case you need to disassemble the entire bottom end; then check the cylinder walls for damage.

At this point their are too many options to start offering advice --- it can go from installing new valves, to piston rings, to an overbore or new block (in which case you can expect to spend a minimal $600 and more realistically $750-900)

No matter what, while the entire motor is apart I suggest checking all bearings for wear, honing the cylinder walls and if a piston slapped a valve you better check all your tolerances.

 

Well, I didn't have much time today so I just took off the driver's side valve cover and everything looked good to me. What I found out is the guy I have been emailing was the guy who owned the car before the guy I bought it from so there is a chance it may have been rebuilt. when I get a chance I will do a compression test. Could it be possible that it could need a new tune? because like I said it runs fine just low on power....

 

If the guy had a blown up 383 in it and the next guy got it and then you got it and it runs fine... they may have thrown some old smogger 350 in it or a slow 305 in it.

Does it seem down on power compared to the average 170hp 305? Or just compared to what you expect a 250hp 350 to put out?

 

Well, I know it is either a 350 or 383 because it says 5.7 on the block. It seems slow even for a 350. I can tell it has a hot cam by the way it drives. As far as power goes (non-posi) I can spin the wheels from a dead stop to about 20 mph if I pop the clutch but accelerating is just very slow. If I have it to the floor I can get to about 70 mph when I hit the highway. It just feels like it has alot of torque but very little hp.

 

Start with a compression test. if it checks out around 120-140 psi you can attempt to tune it.

 

Not sure if this is right, but the loss in power could be partly to due with timing? Whens the last time you checked it?

 

Do the compression test. Most the major auto parts stores rent them. Easiest way to decide what direction you should go.