Thread: Help Me Please!!!

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stock heads are ok but they don't make power. I can set you in the right direction for a complete rotating assembly and heads for about 900 its in ebay stores called Racepart$ You can get complete rotating assy. for about 450 and heads for about 450

Porting a 350 head still won't get you close to an aftermarket head because of the combusion chamber design and the flow that is built into the the Iron Eagles, Vortecs and others. New chamber design is so much more efficient that the old style, you can run more compression and build more power. Besides, porting is not cheap unless you do it yourself, and you really have to know what you are doing. If it was me, I would wait until I could afford exactly what I needed rather than try to make do with something less than ideal. A 383 will really make that El Camino move, and you will not have to run nearly as big a cam to make the power a comparable 350 would have to.

Well, if i can sell my truck, this will all be done a lot sooner. I'm asking $2000 for it. 1987 Chevrolet Silverado, long bed. All original, tranny rebuilt in July, '05. Well maintained, interior good except seat. Seat cover provided. Bed liner, quality sound/cd player. Has a 305 in it. 97,000 original miles. Paint is fair, some oxidizing. If anyone is interested.

I agree that the 383 would work out better because more power at less rpms. Does a 383/th350 combo pulling about 400hp sound good?

My next question, what is the easiest way to get primer and bondo off of a vehicle? I need to get it off of the el camino so i can see what i need to replace as far as body and metal. I know the floor has to come out but I'm not sure about the fenders and quarters.

Originally posted by Hopper111

I agree that the 383 would work out better because more power at less rpms. Does a 383/th350 combo pulling about 400hp sound good?

Sounds good to me and it should not be that hard to accomplish with the right parts.

I know everyone says the bigger you start, the easier it is to get bigger...Would i be better off to just start with a 400 sbc? 400 cui /400 hp would be very easy. With the correct setup, the 400's are without the heating problems...

A good 400 would make tons of raw, grunt power. I wouldn't have to spend a bunch of money on balancing and stuff either...

Basically my question is: Would a 400 be more cost effective?

Originally posted by Hopper111
I see, I had pondered a 383 but then i thought, no because i what if i don't want that much power...If i build this 350 and i want more power after I experience it, then I will put the 350 into my truck in place of the tired old 305, then I'll build for more power...But for what i want to do with my weekend warrior, I think 400hp applied the right way will be plenty.

Also, just curious for future references, what kind of special motor parts does a turbo require? I know nitrous and blowers require tougher parts but what is the story on a turbo? Later on, if i decide i want to, could i just strap a turbo on to this 350 exactly the way i've told you i want to build it? or what would i have to change?

I'm also looking for advice on what i need to make this power plant with a th350 and a 3.73 posi rear end plant the 10 inch wide tires mickeys that i want to use on the back. I also want to eliminate wheelhop, as this engine is going into an el camino, i get the downfalls of the light rear end due to it being a truck form. I know 400 hp won't be hard to stick to the ground with 10 inch wide tires, but i don't even know the basic steps to take...

What stall speed are you going to run?

Not, sure. Using what i have for now and I don't know what stall speed it is...Prolly very low. I will get this all worked out eventually.

Honestly, would i be better off building a good 400, than a stout 350 or 383?

My Camaro-driving friend doesn't like the 400 SBC. He says the cylinders are siamesed, and hot-spot. He's a great fan of the 350 block, though he runs a very turned up 327 in the Camaro.

I liked the idea of the 400 myself, but he talked me out of it for my Dad's '57. I'm more into the FE Fords - too many years of playing with them - but am glad I checked this thread.

The 383/Vortec option sounds pretty good for a street-able antique for my son to drive. The car is 50 years old the year he graduates high school, and he never met Grandpa, so we want to get this right. Less cam makes it more of a sleeper, and that's another part of the program.

Thing I like about the bigger inch motors is that you can get the HP/torque without having to twist it tight and run a cam that produces a lot of lope. The 428 shreds tires at low RPMs, and pulls solid to about 6000. 383 would probably come closest to that in the SBC.

For our application, the only thing about the Vortec heads is the valve cover bolts through the covers - hard to make it look stock that way. But it's a small price to pay for a better head, and most folks wouldn't notice. Not a factor if you're building a modern hot rod - we're trying to build a retro rod, like Dad would have done in the early 1960s.

Now I'll be interested if anyone has information that contradicts Steve's anti-400SBC bias. More inches - ugh ugh ugh!

Stick with either a 350 or a 383. A good 400 block is getting increasingly hard to find as they are prone to cracking in the lifter valley and main webbing. A 383 will make pleny of power and torque for your application.

FWIW SnakeHerder, there is an adapter plate available to allow use of older style valve covers on center bolt heads.