Thread: New member intro.. starter questions.

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i figure i'm gonna be on here alot so i might as well introduce myself. i am 21 and my father hates my car obsesion. i got into cars years ago watching my grandfather work on his '66 El, and i have been hooked since. i took the typical teenager route and left the V8 world and chose a turbo 4 cyl. till i blew it up. i haven't given up on it but did decide to put it on the back burner when i came across the opertunaty to go back to my start by purchasing a chevy small block 350. this thing is bare. i got bare heads. and and almost a bare block. balancer and crank are only things left and they are going to the scrap bin.

ok heres where i stand. i know i don't wanna go F/I. i was thinking about a small shot of nitrous. say 100 shot? but thats getting way ahead of thing.
as of right now i have no intended direction as to what this motor will be getting down the track in. I have already gotten a time to drop the block off to get magnafluxed and check for ovalization. assuming that comes back ok the first things i'm gonna need are main seals, bearings, and a crank. the seals and bearings are not my problem. its the crank that i am lost on. i was looking at jegs.com and i havn't got the slightest clue how large i should go with the stroke. also cast or forged steel? this is new to me and i appriciate any help or sugestions.

horsepower goals are vague. i'm looking to build a strong motor that will perform many times. not a weak one they will run well once and break.

Welcome to the forum: Nice bunch of people here, you should enjoy it and fit in well.

I'm sorry to hear about Pops not liking your chosen hobby. What would he rather have you interested in?? But you ARE 21, and a man, and he should respect your right to pursue what you like. But at least your Grandpap was a car lover (hope he is still with us). There are alot of worse things you could be interested in.

Sometimes Parents project into kids our ideal of what they should be, when in reality, we should be happy we gave them the tools to become productive individuals, with individual desires. From the sound of your post, you seem to be an ok guy to me. Don't let it bother you, just keep your nose clean and do what makes you happy.

I'll let more qualified members address the small block build up, but it sounds like a good plan to me. I've got a couple of engines sitting on engine stands, with no particular car to put them in either, so I understand what you are doing.

Good luck,

Don

nah he passed in 92 so i was about 8. i thinm thats what did me in for cars. he had the 66 El 2 corveyors. and some old van that i could see plus and 80 something S-10 with the 4.3. i loved them all. my grandmother ended up not wanting to deal with getting a fair rice and haggleing so she sold them all for 50 bucks a peice. all fully restored in near mint condition. except the s-10 which my dad drove into the ground by not changing the oil on time. he doesn't give me too much of a hard time just kinda shakes his head and walks away. whatever. anyway i hope to hear some suggestions. as far as my build up. my dream come true would be to find another 66 El to put it in.

Ok, you need to decide what inch you want. Assuming that you'll take the motor .030 over standard to get the cylinder walls clean: a 3.75 stroke crankshaft will make 383, a 3.48 stroke crank will give you a 355. Both of them can run well but the 383 will probably make more power because of the bigger stroke and inch. Also if u build the 383, it is advised to get the spinning assy. balanced before it ever goes into the block. Forged or cast is really up to you. Some say the cast cranks are better for the street because the softer metal allows them to flex a little bit. The forged steel are known to crack because they are so rigid. I'm not quite sure on this however. It really would help to know your budget. Because forged cranks can be 4 to 5 times as much as a cast crank.

forged cranks are tougher and better, but the engine has to always be running right or else they can start getting cracks and such in them, the cast is a little more forgiving and will allow you to screw up and have some detonations and such here and there without causing major problems

hey guys i appriciate the help. think i'm gonna go with the 383 option. budget isn't nessecarily a problem cause time is infinate so savine is a posibility. as for the crank i think i'll stick with cast cause this will be my first engine build, and i'm bound to make some mistakes. as for getting the rotating assm. ballanced what all is included in that besides the crank? one other thing is i have always had bad luck with timing belts. i blew one motor that way and didn't put another back together correctly. i was looking at getting gears in stead of the chain. now i know they won't help me much as far as putting it all back together but what are the pros and cons of having them.