ok i just got my car painted and got the appearance lookin good, the system is almost done, now its time for the motor. ive got about 2k and im wondering if i should go to a local junkyard and get a 350 block or go crate. i just rebuilt my carb so that is good, and i can reuse my intake on whatever motor i choose. it has to be smog legal. i was thinking of getting a junkyard block and buying a 383 kit and having a machine shop do their thing. im sure it will run me over 2k but for now thats what ive got to work with. at autozone they have a 350 ho crate motor for 2,100. it is loaded with carb, distributor and headers. would that be the way to go? im sure you guys would know exactly the best route to take, so if anyone can help me out that would be great

 

I like doing everything myself, so I'd get one from the junkyard. you'll have more control over what is in it.

 

Theres not that big of a price difference in a crate motor and a rebuild. With a crate motor there is a lot less hassel, and problems, but you can build what you want.

 

Dont get that Reccon garbage from azone or checker/advanced. They blow, really they blow up. Im sure reccon makes "some" good engines but thier rebuilding process sucks they will do whatever it takes to make an engine run. Back when I worked for my parents shop, this guy got a reccon 350 for his truck. I installed it and a week later it threw a rod. Got another engine under thier warrenty installed it and 2 weeks later it spun the main bearings. Got another engine this time we kept it for a week and broke it in properly, the guy took it and two days latter it threw a rod. We finnaly got another engine waited a month for them to inspect this one "reccon was pissed" and it worked. 4 freaking engines in 2 1/2 months. If you decide to get a new engine get a GM crate engine or rebuild your own. Stay away from the parts store rebuilds!!!!!!

 

go crate, agian ditto on the dont use a autozone engine, go with a good GM unit, theres many out there that are not all that expensive.

 

Get a GM 383 crate motor, they have a 3.80" stroke, A stroke this large makes nice torque in the lower and mid rpm range.

 

what about a gm goodwrench motor , I haven't heard much about them but I think they are new engines, and they start at like $1200

 

You could go cheap and get a Junkyard Jewel. Just change the bearings, the cam, heads and intake, maybe rings, leveling the rotating assembly alone.

 

I just installed a GM crate motor and am happy with it so far.
All things being equal, it sure is nice to work on a nice clean new motor.
jimjohn

 

This is your best bet if it is a 300-400 hp motor. The ZZ family is a good place to look as well.

Junk yard hunting is more a test of the amount of time and patience you have , as opposed to money. You can find 350 4 Bolt main blocks for cheap, but you will have to strip a couple before finding a non-cracked one. You could have your entior short block built (by yourself) for around $700. For that you could have forged pistons, and other goodies. That leaves a lot of cash for some speed parts. Quality heads should be one of the first stops on your list.

CHP has a good engine for a decent price. It is Tim Moore's 355, which has over 400 hp for around $1500. Put some Aluminum heads and some compression on that motor and it could turn out 450-475 hp.(!)

 

hmm, that tim moore article sounds very interesting. im not exactly a wrenchead just yet but my father is and i have a friend who is a mechanic and i would think between the three of us we could tackle it. i dont have access to that CHP magazine, so if you could tell me some more on it, like where they got the block and whatnot that would be great. im thinking of getting a gm goodwrench motor for about 1200 and going from there.

 

Yea, that GM base 350 is your best bet. They are good engine "hencho en mexico" but they are 100% new. The only bad thing is the heads, they arent made for performance. If you were to get a set of aftermarket heads a descent cam and induction your good to go for at least 400hp on a reliable shortblock. Oh Oh I said short block because you probably will take the stock heads off, Gm sells new short blocks (engine -heads) also, but I havent a clue as to how much. Short block is the answer.

 

I got the GM Goodwrench 350, not much HP, but with the cam and intake swap coming, with perfect traction I can hit very very low 14s.

 

zz4 crate $1850 short put some vortec,s and 2.02 valves,,, small cam,,best bet,,, sallee chev in oregon is good value,,,,check out the zz430 iffff you win the lotery

 

"hecho en mexico" --sorry, couldn't resist

 

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/ed...=text&id=49083

Magic of the internet; they had it typed up! Keep in mind that to pass emmisions that you would have to use a manifold with EGR, like an Edelbrock Performer, which is a bit milder. You could also re drill and tap the stocker.

Sorry, I overshot the cost. It took him $2,800 to build it, but you could put it into your price range by eliminating some of the extras: ARP bolts, new oil pump...

They thought it made 400 hp then, but it turned out to be around 420, when all said and done.