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Crate engine Q's???

Bronckelly

Bronckelly

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Madison, Ga
I'm looking to buy a crate 350 for my (new to me) 71 K5. I've been looking online for a while now, and i'm steering towards this one:

This Engine


Does anyone have experience with this swap? (obviously)......I have a basic 350 now, and a th350 tranny. Are there any modifications or adapters needed for this swap?.....Or does it bolt right up??


Thx,

Bronckelly
 
I bought that exact engine 2 years ago. I don't remeber having problems with it...IIRC it went right in ( well nothing goes right in). I think the only mod I had to make was change some bends in the fuel line. BUT I do suggest you scrap the holley carb that comes on it--especially if you plan on wheeling it. It sucks at angles and stalls out fairly easily. Other than that I love that engine the power is constant and has good torque.
 
Awesome 383. A family member of mine worked for GM all of his life, so he gets a discount on whatever GM purchase he makes. I'm going to use it, so whichever engine i buy will be at a discount. I'm really looking to stay between $1,500-$3,000. What is the best option for my money?


BroncKelly
 
I think this one would work better in our heavy trucks: Shoot can't post the address because it's in a frame. Anyway go to gmparts direct and type in part number 12497317. See if those torque numbers do anyhting for ya. :D
 
BUT I do suggest you scrap the holley carb that comes on it--
Click to expand...

Which carb are you using, and how do you like the motor? What kind of time frame am I looking at on the swap?


BroncKelly
 
Tell me about it! did you notice the rpms where the torque peaked...3500! :) Also it makes over 400 ft.lbs. from 2500 to 4000 rpm! :D I've been saving for mine foa almost a year now, and hopefully in another year or so I'll be able to get mine. Right now I'm concentrating on learning how to better tune my computer so I'll be able to make the nesarry changes when I get it.
 
I swapped out my stocker with a GM 383HT a couple years ago.

Issues I had:
Stock water pump short and new was long, had to swap so the pulleys lined up.
Old flex-plate large, new small, bought a new starter (I needed one anyway).
Could only use one bolt in the original throttle\kick-down cable bracket instead of two.
HEI distributor fits, but I didn't like how close the rear boots were to the firewall. I recently installed an MSD Pro-Billet, which is a smaller diameter.

On a good note:
A friend and myself had it swapped out and running in one day.
 
HEI distributor fits, but I didn't like how close the rear boots were to the firewall.
Click to expand...

Boondocks,

Why?....because the spark could jump to the metal firewall? How do you like the motor as well?


BroncKelly
 
That potential as well as being unsure how much movement there could be during articulation.

When I first put in an HEI, I could not get my index finger between the rear boots and the firewall.

Yes, I like it very much. I had no trouble doing a two wheel burnout on asphalt. Pulls my fully loaded 18 foot camp trailer over steep grades at speed (or faster if I wanted).
 
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Bronckelly said:
Which carb are you using, and how do you like the motor? What kind of time frame am I looking at on the swap?


BroncKelly
Click to expand...

I'm still using the holley :D :D I have a quadrajet off my old motor I want to use but the holes are different. I don't know if I want to swap the manifold or just get the adapter plate. But now that it's down due ot a blown tranny I'll get eveything switched over finally.
Time Frame...that just all depends--I took my time and it took a couple weeks when I did it. But with a couple people I don't see why it couldn't be done in a weekend.
 
Bronckelly said:
Wingnutt,

415ftlbs!!!! Wow!! That is stout. (understatement of the year)



BroncKelly
Click to expand...


That's not stout... the engine specs HERE are stout... check out the stage 3 Carbed 350 and stage 1 383... the 383 can be had complete for less than the Goodwrench 350 you were looking at. Plus the guy puts a 2 year warranty on it automatically if he assembles it... anyone can install it (I think it still has to be a lisenced shop, but at least you have a choice as to where you want it installed.

I bought my Stage 1 350 from them, and while they are slow on responding to questions, my engine isn't a gas hog, doesn't really bog down too much, and other than being recently on fire, it works perfectly for everything.

Good luck with your engine selection...


By the way... most of their engines make power from Idle to 4500 RPM and max torque at around 2800-3500... you can specify exactly what you want, and are buying a true CRATE motor from them... they will custom build anything you want... for the right price... look at the Fuel Injected 350.... :p: :p: :p:
 
That's a good choice....the only thing you may need to buy is a 86 and newer flexplate and the bushing that goes in the end of the crackshaft...It may come with that already...also you will need to switch to a short pump if you are using the stock brackets and pully's on your 71....

I bought the same moter just the long block version with no intake water pump and and dist. and...It has good power you will like it...I feel it's good bang for the buck....Or if you want to go buget style a GM goodwrench 350 is also a good choice....
 
PhoenixZorn said:
That's not stout... the engine specs HERE are stout... check out the stage 3 Carbed 350 and stage 1 383... the 383 can be had complete for less than the Goodwrench 350 you were looking at. Plus the guy puts a 2 year warranty on it automatically if he assembles it... anyone can install it (I think it still has to be a lisenced shop, but at least you have a choice as to where you want it installed.

I bought my Stage 1 350 from them, and while they are slow on responding to questions, my engine isn't a gas hog, doesn't really bog down too much, and other than being recently on fire, it works perfectly for everything.

Good luck with your engine selection...


By the way... most of their engines make power from Idle to 4500 RPM and max torque at around 2800-3500... you can specify exactly what you want, and are buying a true CRATE motor from them... they will custom build anything you want... for the right price... look at the Fuel Injected 350.... :p: :p: :p:
Click to expand...


Heck, even their Stage 2 TBI engine produces 428 lb. ft. of torque. That would work great in my '90 K5. That is the best deal on crate engines I have seen.
 
Indeed... but make sure you keep on their asses when you have questions... it took 3 weeks to get my warranty information sent to me... but Stephen is a cool guy and always wants to help out whenever possible...

He even sent me a list of all the parts he used in the engine build... so you can pretty much call him and say I want 350 hp and 450ftlbs of torque... and I want it in 2 weeks, and you'll have it delivered to your favorite shop... painted to whatever color you want to boot...

After all the crap I dealt with when I bought the engine, they turned out to be a nice company, and you absolutely can't beat their prices unless you go to your local engine builder...

My local guy said $1500 to rebuild my 327 to a 355, but that would have been around 250hp and 320ft lbs of torque because he would have done basically a stock rebuild.

For $1799 for my stage 1 350 (356 cu in), I just couldn't go wrong... Total with shipping came to $2020. I'd imagine his 383 prices are pretty low too, but I haven't shopped around for those. Do realize that the higher HP motors that he has are meant for high RPM performance, so adjustments may need to be made for the same HP/torque in a truck at lower RPMs...
 
I was told buy more then a few people on this site that you cant put that much HP through a stock TBI set up so I am a little sceptical about what they are claiming.
 
PhoenixZorn, IIRC when I asked you about placing blame on your engine installer for your fire, you said you'd rather place it on the builders, didn't you? I haven't followed your fire post lately, do you know what caused the fire yet? I would doubt it was their fault, but I wouldn't recommend them until I knew for sure. IMO GM Performance Parts are always a safe bet. 12mon warranty, plus most large retailers (try Pace Performance Parts) offer extended warranties which I'd be more comfortable with trusting.

camoK5, how much HP were you told they could handle? When I talked to TurboCity they said the limiting factor is the injector size with standard fuel pressures. 320-330 with the 68# injectors and 350-360 with the 75# injectors. Of course, this is with their hi-flow throttle body. Pace performance parts tech told me they have left the stock TBI in place on HT383 swaps without any problems as long as the custom chip was calibrated correctly, but I doubt you'd be getting the most possible horses out of the engine.

Disclaimer: I'm a newbie and all my info's based on research, not experience. If you find fault with the info, please correct me so I can learn. Thanks.
 
Mini Mull, I've removed blame from pretty much everyone... it was a fluke and that is all... I said I'd rather place blame on him because I didn't want to blame the installers because I'd like to work for them... It was an act of God, and nothing more can be said about it...

As for the engine, it survived the fire, and still carries it's 2 year warranty... it may need a new top end, but Stephen will be putting that on for free if I get the engine to him... I think....

Ya know... I wouldn't be at all suprised if Stephen was a member here.... Just as well... if he is, then he can see how much business I'm refering to him.
 
Thanks for the info Phoenix. I reread my post and I hope I didn't come off as attacking anyone, I just wanted to sort through everything. If they still carry the warranty after the fire, they really are a standup operation, esp. if he puts on another top end for free . I'm sure you'll keep us posted. Who knows maybe if they treat you right with the warranty, I'll finally abandon my obsession with the HT383 and give them a try. Say, I know you never got a chance to dyno the K5, but I was wondering if they sent you a dyno sheet with the engine?
 
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