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How should I build my 350

D

drop the hammer

1/2 ton status
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I just scored a 4 Bolt main 350 for FREE. I wanna built myself a reliable low end torquer on a budget. I aint rich but I can sink a little coin into it. Nothing wrong with the engine other than its been sitting for just long enough that it wont turn over buy hand. I am gonna strip her down, hone the cylinders nice and clean and start from there, but this will be the first chevy engine I am putting together so any tips on what brands to use and any other tricks to make stout, tuff and useable low end offroad power is apprieated.
 
FORGOT, I have an 83 K'5 that will have a 465/205 fixed yoke. 12bolt rear Dana44 front, 6 inch Lift on 35's. Eventually will have 14boltff rear and 38's
 
What kind of budget do you have to work with? Can you afford to go with a 383? You can get good Eagle rotating assemblies for a little over $700 now if I'm not mistaken. I would take the block to a machine shop and have everything cleaned and checked. Then have them bore it to the specs you want, or it may just require a hone. You never know what the cylinders will look like once you strip it down...
 
Im doing the same thing...just got a 4-bolt main that was already bored 030. needs a little clean up. I think I just saw a whole 383 rebuild kit including crank and cam (pistons, gaskets, connecting rods, ect) for about $849. Thats not too shabby. I would definetly go with a 383 if you wanna a solid engine. I have a plain 350 now, and I can't wait to get 350-400hp from a new 383.
 
A 383 is nice but if it's not in the budget a regular ol' 350 will do everything you want with an appropriate cam. One thing is for sure, always use the best hardware you can afford, ARP! I've always used those products and they haven't let me down. Also for durability you can upgrade to hypereutectic pistons for I think a hundred bucks or maybe less (on top of the regular cast price).
 
Yeah I will to x2 that. If you cant afford to put good quality parts then just go for the 350...
 
I'm probably pulling my 350 this winter and doing a once over on it. If everything is sound, it will get a new cam in heads. Worse comes to worse, It gets new rods, forged speed pro pistons and the rest of the works.
 
I've heard of people putting a "hotter" cam in a blazer/offroader but I didn't quite understand that. I always was told and was under the impression that you want a low end cam like an rv cam or something. But maybe they just want it to sound cool at idle...I dunno. Doesn't seem intuitive but maybe Im missing something...
 
bigblaza said:
I've heard of people putting a "hotter" cam in a blazer/offroader but I didn't quite understand that. I always was told and was under the impression that you want a low end cam like an rv cam or something. But maybe they just want it to sound cool at idle...I dunno. Doesn't seem intuitive but maybe Im missing something...
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You're right, you don't want some huge cam in an off-road truck unless it's an all out mud truck. Some of the engine builds on these sites are rediculous for the vehicles they're going in, especially on pirate4x4. Some of those guys think 500 hp is the standard for a trail truck. Whatever, just pic a RV or even better, one of those 4x4 cams from Comp and you should be good. Save the full roller set up for the race cars.
 
a factory cam is like 195 dur @ .050...

Way WAY SMALL!

210 dur @ .050 should be small enough to make good torque, but still make a LOT MORE POWER!

More Fuel/AIR MIXTURE IS GOOD!!!
 
PS- I don't want a 500 HP truck, I think it would get a little to hairy for me when you put the hammer down. Especially since the wheel base in my blazer is shorter then the 110 inch wheel base my Challenger has.

300-350 is plenty of power for me!
 
I am fortunate enough to have access to all the tools to hone the block and clean it up nice. I dont really wanna spend the cash to have it sent out and machined if I dont have to. I dont have an exact budget, just make a basic military pay check and will be saving up as I go along. 383's are awesome for torque and I was thinking of going that route, but I have seen 350's built up with plenty of power for what my needs are for much cheaper. 383 is still an option though, I have just heard they are a pain to get dialed in. I do plan on saving up enough to put in quality parts that I have ran and trust, such as eagle, lunati, edlebroc etc. We all dream of horsepower out the @ss but for off road its all about the low end torque. Which would you run the RV cam or the Truck power cam that I believe Crane cams makes
 
Are you thinking of the 4x4 extreme cams, if so it's Comp that makes them and yes, I would prefer this one.
 
what intake and carb combo my truck currently has a edlebroc performer intake and edlebroc 650 carb but has anyone had better luck with any other combo's. Not a fan of fuel injection simply cause I liek to keep it computer free and simple
 
On a budget, I'd rebuild the 350 with good, quality parts then add a Comp Cams 4x4 cam (X4250H or X4254H probably), Edelbrock Performer Vortec intake, GM Vortec heads, & Thorley Tri-Y headers.
 
Sticking with the 350 is not a bad thing. But a well planned 383 will make more power, with a better torque curve also. I'm probably going to stay with a 350 or a 355 and add a cam to make more torque. I would call Comp or another cam company with a good reputation and have them choose a cam for you. Tell them what you use the truck for, and all the specs of it and the motor. It's not hard at all to get 300-350 hp out of a 350. Even with stock heads....I would recommend you get the block checked as well as the crank and rods. You wouldn't want to get it put together and something go wrong internally.
 
I wouldn't decide between 350/383 until you open the 4 bolt, see what you have to work with. The only difference in cost would be bore machining, pistons, rods and crank.
Ooops, forgot. Also harmonic balancer and flywheel.:D
 
I'm just waiting on delievery. I am going to strip the baby down to bare block, and using inspection tools from work get a good understanding of what shape she's in. Its sapposed to be in really good shape. Depending on what I am starting with is gonna determine what I end up with. If shes in good shape on only requires honing, cleaning and no major machining it will end up a 383
 
Well if it was in really good shape and only required a honing, why would you want to bore/hone it .030 over, have the machine shop clearance for the bigger cranks, and pay to have the assembly balanced? If it were in good shape I would stick with the 350 ci if you're trying to stay on a budget.
 
Dudge said:
Well if it was in really good shape and only required a honing, why would you want to bore/hone it .030 over, have the machine shop clearance for the bigger cranks, and pay to have the assembly balanced? If it were in good shape I would stick with the 350 ci if you're trying to stay on a budget.
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x2

Don't get me wrong, I love a healthy 383. But there's nothing wrong with a warmed up 350, especially if you're trying to avoid spending too much on it.
 
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