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to build or not to build..a motor that is

build or not to build

  • Total voters
    38
twoslo4five0

twoslo4five0

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alright i got a 350 laying here that needs a total rebuild including a homing and mabye a bore (rusty cylinders)...so im weighing out three options...this motor is gonna be on propane so keep that in mind...oh and its gonna be used on the rocks mostly so it wont be reving to high..

1.build my motor up to 12 to 1 i think is the limit..good heads,porting,and a new rotating assembly (lots of money)

2.buy a used built motor (383,ect)...prolly be cheaper but dont really know the quailty of work involved

3.buy a basic crate 350...290 hp nothing special..no hedaches though...
 
if it were me i would do the crate engine its simple and its cheap, i dont know anything about running on propane so
 
its a trail rig only running on pane...i can run up to 12 or 12.5 to 1 on pane cause its like 104 octane...my truck will never see the street...
 
Well, you really have to give us a little more info as far as budget etc. but...

Rebuilding the block you have into a high compression 355 or 383 is the way to go IMO. If you build it yourself, you know exactly what went into it.

IME 75% of 350's in the world have been "rebuilt" according to their owners. I have heard of way too many of these engines ending up being stock (worn) to trust used motors. Plus you never know how the old motor was treated, maintained, etc.
 
38377k5 said:
Well, you really have to give us a little more info as far as budget etc. but...

Rebuilding the block you have into a high compression 355 or 383 is the way to go IMO. If you build it yourself, you know exactly what went into it.

IME 75% of 350's in the world have been "rebuilt" according to their owners. I have heard of way too many of these engines ending up being stock (worn) to trust used motors. Plus you never know how the old motor was treated, maintained, etc.
Click to expand...

X2. Plus if you are building it for propane you WANT more compression than a gasser, it will maximize the efficiency. Or so I have read a lot on here:rolleyes: . I was going to run propane too but I dont want the hassle of finding a station. I say build the one you got and use quality parts!
 
Well, for 'pane, build yours. If it was for gas, the crate motors are so cheap and NEW, not rebuild, that you can't go wrong... but since you're gonna be tweaking it for 'pane, you may as well build the one you have.

-- A
 
dremu said:
Well, for 'pane, build yours. If it was for gas, the crate motors are so cheap and NEW, not rebuild, that you can't go wrong... but since you're gonna be tweaking it for 'pane, you may as well build the one you have.

-- A
Click to expand...

agreed
 
38377k5 said:
Well, you really have to give us a little more info as far as budget etc. but...

Rebuilding the block you have into a high compression 355 or 383 is the way to go IMO. If you build it yourself, you know exactly what went into it.

IME 75% of 350's in the world have been "rebuilt" according to their owners. I have heard of way too many of these engines ending up being stock (worn) to trust used motors. Plus you never know how the old motor was treated, maintained, etc.
Click to expand...
well as always my budget is the cheaper the better...i can score heads and some performance parts cheap (race car connections)...i was just trying to look at everything and it looks as though the build is the way to go...
 
Have you run propane before? Most propane kits use a standard carburator with an injection unit. Propane is a completely dry gas. Running propane will dry out the gaskets and seals in a carb. thus most people run gasolene for a short time every few times out, just to keep the wind from blowing thru their carb. If this is what you plan on doing, make sure you build an engine that will still run on gas. Just my opinion.
 
twoslo4five0 said:
alright i got a 350 laying here that needs a total rebuild including a homing and mabye a bore (rusty cylinders)...so im weighing out three options...this motor is gonna be on propane so keep that in mind...oh and its gonna be used on the rocks mostly so it wont be reving to high..

1.build my motor up to 12 to 1 i think is the limit..good heads,porting,and a new rotating assembly (lots of money)

2.buy a used built motor (383,ect)...prolly be cheaper but dont really know the quailty of work involved

3.buy a basic crate 350...290 hp nothing special..no hedaches though...
Click to expand...

290hp?!?! You mean part # 12499529 ???? NOOOOO!!!!!

I have the 290hp crate motor. It SUCKS. 8:1 compression with a 1960's Corvette cam profile (the Vette motor had higher compression at the time).

The low-end torque is non-existent. Seriously, it actually has less torque on the bottom end than my well-worn factory '86 305 did. That 290 "HP" only comes on at like 5000rpm.

I could write a whole story on the chain of (bad) events that I've been down since buying that motor. I've had to learn the hard way about engines and why they run the way they do. I should've got the 260hp motor. I didn't because I would've had to pay $300 for the warranty on a post-1985 truck (mine's an '86) and for the same money I could get the 290hp with a warranty.

Google the part number and you'll find threads on the internet where people were having the same issues as me. (no low-end torque, low vacuum at idle, have of your gas exiting through the tailpipe, etc...)

BTW, my gas mileage went from 17mpg +/- on the highway to 11mph on a good day. It's like 6-7mpg in town. :eek1:
 
what is the buget??? for me i wanted a truble free moter i can gas up and go the ramjet worked right in to my plan a little pricey but it has been good from the day i got it and probly saved me 3 month of weekends droping it off picking it up getting the missed parts asking frends for help (i have not buit a moter) buying some specal tools ect

i did the ramjet in 2 days with a 3 year 30000 mile
 
I would rebuild what you have, but I would have someone do it for you. the engine in my truck was built for me. I dropped the heads off at my local speed shop and told him what I wanted. 3 days later I picked up my engine and gave the guy $1500. He warrantied it for a year. It has been in the truck for 8 years and you see how I treat it. It makes 405 lb/ft of torque. TORQUE is what you are after not horsepower.

If I had the same motor built today by the same guy it would cost just over $2000. its a crate short block with a big cam swapped in it and my old heads rebuilt.

If you build it yourself it may never get done. you might save some money but you use your time to do it. there is no one to take it back to if something is wrong. There are some specialty tools required to assemble one. You are already going to have someone else do the machine work, might as well let them assemble it.

high compression is good for propane but look at Julians truck. thats a basic 350.
 
jonrpick said:
290hp?!?! You mean part # 12499529 ???? NOOOOO!!!!!

I have the 290hp crate motor. It SUCKS. 8:1 compression with a 1960's Corvette cam profile (the Vette motor had higher compression at the time).

The low-end torque is non-existent. Seriously, it actually has less torque on the bottom end than my well-worn factory '86 305 did. That 290 "HP" only comes on at like 5000rpm.

I could write a whole story on the chain of (bad) events that I've been down since buying that motor. I've had to learn the hard way about engines and why they run the way they do. I should've got the 260hp motor. I didn't because I would've had to pay $300 for the warranty on a post-1985 truck (mine's an '86) and for the same money I could get the 290hp with a warranty.

Google the part number and you'll find threads on the internet where people were having the same issues as me. (no low-end torque, low vacuum at idle, have of your gas exiting through the tailpipe, etc...)

BTW, my gas mileage went from 17mpg +/- on the highway to 11mph on a good day. It's like 6-7mpg in town. :eek1:
Click to expand...

I have to add some info to this, because I'm just so opposed to this motor... A friend of mine bought the same thing and dropped it in a '79 Pontiac Firebird. It sucks in that car too. That's pretty bad, and you're wanting to put it in a TRUCK!

Read:

http://www.clubhotrod.com/showthread.php?t=29914

http://www.sallee-chevrolet.com/Discus/Scripts/show.cgi?tpc=3418&post=14541

[SIZE=-1]www.thirdgen.org/techboard/carburetors/343437-new-edl-600-new.html
(pay attention to post #11 on this one)

I hope this is helpful info...
[/SIZE]
 
Ive got one in my k5....

Itsok, more power than my dog tird 350. but i had problems too...ALL exhaust vavle seals BAD from the factory. I dont really have much power either, seems like hte higher the rpms get the better it runs. Not the greatest thing for when im playing.

I really wish that my dad would have talked to me first instead of me coming home and hes like "OH got a new motor you owe me 2k".:mad:
 
broncoman6524 said:
Ive got one in my k5....

Itsok, more power than my dog tird 350. but i had problems too...ALL exhaust vavle seals BAD from the factory.
Click to expand...

:eek1::eek1::eek1:

broncoman6524 said:
I dont really have much power either, seems like hte higher the rpms get the better it runs. Not the greatest thing for when im playing.

I really wish that my dad would have talked to me first instead of me coming home and hes like "OH got a new motor you owe me 2k".:mad:
Click to expand...

Well that cam was intended for a 11:1 motor, not 8:1. I really would like to do a totally new motor, but I have some time constraints, and need it back on the road ASAP. So I'm gonna do the cheap flat tappet Edelbrock cam from LMC or somebody else, and pop it in there.

I may start building a better TRUCK engine though.
 
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