Thread: engine info

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whats up everybody. next weekend im pulling out my old 350 out of my van to remove the performance parts to swap them to my new 350. headers, carb manifold, carb. im also gonna buy new moter mounts, and some other new parts for the new engine. are there any suggestful steps on dropping the new engine in? im putting the performance parts back on the new engine, and cleaning up the bottom of the body. i was wondering how can i raise the compression of the new engine? i think its 8:5:1 what type of gaskets should i use to raise it a few points? cork? or what type of material is best? its gonna be a street engine , im gonna use it for a daily driver but i want it to have more power, im aiming for 350 hp, with the carb and headers it cranks out 290 hp. im also gonna swap the cam, im not sure how to choose the right cam, so if anybody could help with tips on helping me out id really appreciate it thanks again.

Hi there,
basically you're just doing the same as me: putting a new 350 with some performance parts in a van. Check out a thread from a while ago called "cam and CR question". I started that, that has some cam info and it's still active, has some good advice in it. I'm not aiming for any specific HP-number, I'm aiming for high torque low down, which is essential for such a heavy vehicle. But my van is almost only going to see road use, I'm not going to race it in any way. So I won't need RPMs over 4000 much. You can check out that thread and others, chosing a cam is very likely the hardest decision in engine building. Gaskets won't get your CR up by much if you have that much too low from the start. Get smaller heads instead. Always considering you have the cash. What "performance parts" will your new engine get as of now? Is the new 350 stock? Do you have to meet emission standards?
best regards,
Max

the engine is stock, its a gm long block. it says with a 4bbl carb and headers it will put out 290hp. also the thing is i dont know all the specifics on the performance parts that are on the old engine.... i know it has a holley 4bbl but i dont know what size it is, it has headers, and im planing on putting a bigger comp cam, not sure the size of those either, i havent pulled the old engine yet. the old engine had some nice power to it, but i want more power, not only that that but the guy i bought it from was a complete idiot and just slapped the engine together ....it didnt last long. so im replacing it. heres the info on the long block.

Specifications:

Horsepower: 290 HP @ 5,100 RPM
Torque: 326 FT/LBS @ 3,750 RPM
Max. Rec. RPM: 5,100 RPM
Compression Ratio: 8.50:1
Heads: Cast Iron, 76 cc
Camshaft Lift: Flat Tappet Duration @ 0.050'': 222° I, 222°
Lifters: Flat Tappet
Connecting Rod:
Powdered Metal
Block: 4 Bolt Main
Pistons & Pins: Aluminum
Crankshaft: Cast Iron Nodular, 3.480'' Stroke
Rocker Arm: 1.5
Ignition Timing: 34° BTDC total advance.
Fuel: 87 Octane
The camshaft has .450'' intake and .460'' exhaust lift with hydraulic flat tappets. The cast iron cylinder heads have 1.94'' intake and 1.50'' exhaust

i dont have to meet emissions standards

so i guess building more torque would be smart too. any tips on getting this thing to crank out 350hp and more torque? im on a very limited budget, so the cheapest way always helps . thanks again

seems our engine's are somehow related: mine was also assembled by some goof who managed to crack one of the cylinder heads on installation, some gaskets were in crooked, others (fuel pump gasket) weren't installed at all. Took some time to find the oil leak, I simply couldn't believe someone had "forgotten" to put a gasket in.
I'm on not quite such a tight budget, but I hope I can help none the less. Thing #1 to remember is: take your time and do it properly, othwise you'll be spending much more money shortly. Get as much info as you can before you start. Never use things ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE THEM. Always ask yourself wether there might not be something better to get maybe for not even so much money. Here's a "to do" list:


1. Junk the heads, get ones with 67cc chambers or smaller (not under 64cc), stay iron, not alum. Go for small intake runner volumes (160-180), look for heads with the following numbers: 041, 186, 462, 601 (watchout if they have accessory holes)
2. check the block for wear (if it didn't last long chances are you don't need to bore, only hone)
3. check everything for straightness, flatness, cracks,...
4. call Crane, Comp and some more cam grinders and ask for their "best bet" cam. All "normal" cams cost very much the same. Get four or five different quotes from different grinders and go with the cam that's closest to the average of all the specs you got.
5. Stay HEI and get good wires, there are some very inexpensive aftermarket HEIs (like ProComp) out there with adjustable vac advance which will save you on gas when cruising. Might be 80 bucks now, but will save you hassle and gas later
6. If your rods are press fit and the pistons not excessively worn flat top style, keep those. If the rods are bushed, keep them anyway. If the rods are bushed and the pistons dished, get flat tops, hypereutectic.
7. the block will probably not need any machining if you're staying in the region of 350 HP. Honing has to be done to seat and seal the rings properly.
8. ASSEMBLE WITH CARE, TORQUE CORRECTLY

Or forget all of this and buy a book like "how to rebuild SBC" or "How to build max performance SBC on a budget" by David Vizard. Buying books is very often going to give you very good answers, especially if you're new to engine building, like I am. I have both those books and I've read them and they certainly haven't answered all my questions, but about 80 percent of my motor project is set up on findings from those books. They also say some interesting things about "all the rage" items like alum heads, roller cams, forged pistons and so on.
My advice would be: buy some books, they'll save you a lot of money because you understand what you're doing much better, can head in the right direction with things like cams and so on much quicker.
Hope I could help and good luck with your engine,
Max

sweet thats helps with all the info you gave me, it will help on the build . yea that is funny about out engines and all keep me dialed in with your engine as will i , looks like we could help eac other with them figuring they are pretty close to each other thanks again.

sweet thats helps with all the info you gave me, it will help on the build . yea that is funny about out engines and all keep me dialed in with your engine as will i , looks like we could help eac other with them figuring they are pretty close to each other thanks again.

OOPS!