Hello,

I am building a 350 and so far I've bought all the parts I need. 4-bolt main 010 block, heads, oil pan, so on, and so on. Anyways, one problem I have run into is since I bought all of my parts separately I dont have any bolts. The oil pan didn't come with head bolts, the water pump didn't come with bolts, etc. So what I have been doing is checking out my local Craigslist for cheap small block chevy ads. This morning there was an ad for a complete 283 small block with a good price.

I was wondering, will a 283 contain all of the nuts, bolts, etc. to assemble my parts? From everything I have read the only difference between a 283 and 350 is the small vs large journal. Everything else should be the same. Just wanted to make sure that this is true before I buy the engine.

 

jegs has all the bolts you need

 

Head bolts, and main cap bolts should be new.

Oil pan, timing cover, valve covers are standard 1/4"x20 bolts. Water pump, intake are standard bolts as well.

you can dig through the bins at the hardware store, or buy a kit from jegs if you want.

I would not buy an engine just for the bolts. There is nothing really exotic that cn't be bought new for a few bucks.

 

If you don't care whether their ARP bolts or not, this seems to be a good way to go IMO:
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...19#moreDetails

 

^ Agreed!

 

The worst thing you can do is to use old used bolts for things like head and mains. Bolts from a 283 are at least 50 years old. No telling what kind of condition they're in. Rusted, stretched, bent, stripped etc.

As stated above, just about every other bolt on the engine is basic grade 5 NC bolts. You don't need to buy ARP to built a basic engine but there are many bolt kits available that will provide you with the proper bolts to assemble an engine.

That Jegs kit is perfect as it also supplies head and rod bolts. It does not however provide bolts for the mains. If your block has main bolts then there's no problem. If you have a block without main bolts, it will get expensive. Putting in new main bolts shouldn't be a problem but having the mains studded requires having the block line honed to make sure the main caps are still sitting true as studs and nuts provide a different clamping force on the caps.

 

I have the main bolts aready, (came with the block). I also went ahead and purchased head studs. So all I need is the other odd and end bolts. Tried searching JEGs but I couldn't find a set that didn't have the main or head bolts.

Thanks.

 

Did you tell you machinist you were using head studs? Mine does the final cylinder hone with them in place.

 

I haven't had the block machined yet. I'm wanting to get all of my parts gathered and ready to where I can have it machined then take a couple of days off work and build it all at once.

 

A



100$ at summit

 

Couple of days? That isn't being built. It's being assembled. Being built will mean taking it back to the machine shop a few times.

Machine shop can bore out the cylinders once they have the head bolts/studs and pistons. You then partially assemble it to see how far down the piston is in the cylinder. It's then taken back to the machine shop to be decked, cleaned again, cam bearings etc.

I you want the machine shop work done properly, get everything required to do the block and bottom end. Block, crank, rods, pistons, bearings etc. Give them all to the machine shop for them to do all the machining and assembly. You get a completed shortblock back assembled properly with all the tolerances checked. You install oil pump, pan, cam, heads etc. You can still call it your build but have the knowledge that the bottom end is done properly. Rotating assembly installation is critical to a good engine build.

If you want to slap the engine together with minimal machine work, it can be done but don't expect it to be a perfect job or to last for a long time. Without knowing all the tolerances that need to be checked, there's always something that can go wrong.

Now after all that is done since you never really said what you're going to do with the engine, it will probably be cheaper, faster and easier to just go buy a replacement 350 long block and drop it in the car.

 

New main and rod bolts are a must on any build IMO .. I would never reuse the stock rod or main

 

Going to take this one step further.If you plan on any power adder(yes any nitrous)you must use ARP on the bottom end.

 

It does seem silly to spend the money for head STUDS, and then re use old main bolts.

 

Don't use head studs unless you enjoy coolant leaks.

Every engine I have ever seen built with them - EVERY SINGLE ONE, NO EXCEPTIONS - leaked coolant around them. Not a terribly big deal for a race car with pure water in the cooling system, and that only runs a few seconds between oil changes, anyway; but ABSOLUTE CERTAIN DEATH to a street engine with antifreeze.

On top of that, you can't remove the heads in the chassis with those in there. With those, the heads have to lift STRAIGHT off, far enough to clear the studs; ain't happenin in the car. When you DO decide to get rid of them, there is no alternative, the motor HAS TO come BACK OUT to fix the problems they will cause.

You don't need those. They're just an all-around Bad Idea. You are spending extra money you don't have to, in return for no benefit whatsoever; but instead, turning all that money into a weapon that will then shoot you in the shorts. Send them back and get bolts.

 

Mind reader. x2

 

^^ X3! ^^

 

My head studs don't leak but I also have an aftermarket block. All the stud holes are blind holes. None go into coolant galleries.

Even using head studs on a factory block, the OEM block is not supposed to have bolts/studs installed dry or with just oil. Any bolt that goes into a coolant gallery requires thread sealer to prevent leaks.

 

I'm running head studs and haven't had any leaks. I did use thread sealant on the ends of them though. Maybe that was something that was overlooked in the cases you have seen leaks in?

 

Ummmmm....

No.

Unfortunately.

Not even, putting a bunch extra under the nuts & washers.

Good thought though: amazing sometimes, how many people will "build" (more like "assemble") motors, and not use sealant there. And even those who do, use the wrong thing; RTV or the like. Fails EVERY SINGLE TIME, NO EXCEPTIONS. Right thing to use would be something that doesn't harden; Permatex "Hi-Temp Auto Thread Sealer w Teflon", Permatex 200, something that stays gooey.