Found a 350 yesterday

[think_07]

So I found myself a 350 yesterday. Its a 350 target master with 4 bolt mains. I have read both positive and negative about the target masters but it looked in pretty good shape, and the price was right for a 4-bolt. Dissasembly will start right away, freshening up, and then some mods

 

[think_07]

Okay so I have a question on which rebuild kit I need. I was looking at a couple kits through NAP and they have a listing for a '79 and earlier kit, and an '80-'85 rebuild kit. My blocks casting number is from '69-'79, but was manufactured in '84.. so I think I need the '79 and earlier kit, is that right? Also what is the difference between and '79 and earlier, and '80 to '85 blocks? I was under the impression that the 350 was the same from its start until '86 when they started going to a 1 peice rear main seal? Anybody know why there are two different kits?

 

[4X4HIGH]

The only difference between the engines from 1969-1985 is driver or passenger side dipstick. Starting in 1986 came the one piece rear main seal and starting in 1987 started the center bolt valve covers and center intake bolt angle change.

 

[pauly383]

Small blocks are cool . First year they didn't even have an oil filter , then it was cannister type until the 60's when the spin on filter came out .

They were small journal until the 350 debuted , then all of them got large journals .

They had an oil filler in the intake manifold throughout the 50's and 60's .

Like was mentioned earlier drivers side dipstick until 1980 when it moved to the passenger side .

Early two piece rear main seal motors used a rope seal , then later moved to the seal we know of now . With a one piece seal debuting in the mod 80's .

Early motors were never drilled for the harmonic balancer bolt , that didn't happen until the late 60's

The first couple years of smallblock had a different valve cover bolt spacing , which is why a replacement gasket has extra holes in them .

Until the late 90's the smallblocks still had the front motor mount holes for fitting into a shoebox Chevy .

400 smallblocks and other smallblocks have a different number of freeze plugs . And 400 heads have steam holes drilled into them .

And all short deck regular big block distributors will bolt into a small block and work

 

[think_07]

Okay thanks for that information, so theoretically it shouldn't matter which kit I get then. I wonder why they have a listing for the different years?

 

[4X4HIGH]

Okay thanks for that information, so theoretically it shouldn't matter which kit I get then. I wonder why they have a listing for the different years?

You need to buy the kit based on driver or passenger side dipstick (up to 79 is driver dipstick or 80 and later is passenger dipstick)