Thoughts, experience, opinions on GM "Hecho en Mexico" blocks???

[Philly87]

I have a line on a block at a great deal. I want to build a nice mild little 383 out of it possibly but have heard some stories of these castings being soft...

Anyone have any experience with them or ever built a decent little motor with one?

 

[82355]

They're not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. I have used them, and I have seen other people use them with no problems. It's probably a roller block as well?

Martin

 

[Philly87]

That's right it is a one piece rear main seal 4-bolt main factory hydraulic roller block. It's standard bore and it had Vortec heads on it that were cracked.

My buddy wants $50 for it. I want to build around a 400HP 383 with it.

 

[82355]

It'll work just fine for that.

Martin

 

[ktmoutfront]

For $50, you could turn it into a planter and be money ahead. Worth using for a 400hp build.

 

[diesel4me]

I read in Hot Rod magazine many moons ago to back away from any blocks stamped with "Hencho En Mexico" as if it were a live rattlesnake..



...but I'd guess there is many of them being used in everything from daily drivers to race cars seeing hardly anything is USA made the past decade or more...

Its not getting any easier to find good old blocks in good shape as years go by,we cant always have a 4 bolt main 350 for cheap money any more,they are dissapearing..we have to use what we have available today..I say if it ran ok before being dissasembled and its not cracked or needs to be bored out it will work OK for you...its worth the 50 bucks in scrap iron,even if its cracked...

 

[Philly87]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm still knocking my head up against the wall on this only because I know how hard I am on my motors. Maybe I need to learn to lay off the skinny pedal...