crate blocks

hey guys, im kinda lost on what to do, heres the situation, i need you guys input on this one, im aiming for 350 hp and at least that in torque. alright what is the best long block to use, but leave all stockand add bolt on to get my numbers? i want to leave the core and heads stock, but put in a bigger cam headers and a new intake. pretty much a long block that i can leave stock and put these parts in to achieve my goals. i tried looking at ryans combos, but i need a all stock long block, any info will help tons thanks guys.

Check out the following for some ideas;

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/

http://www.gmgoodwrench.com/perfpartsjsp/home.jsp


A 12486041 350 HO long block might work for you.

Why a stock long block?

i just wanna put on bolt ons and drop it in, not a serious build, i guess but something that will handle the power that i plan for it , being stock. thats pretty much it.

your not gonna achive it with stock heads or pistions and the cam won't help much because you have to have the engine built to the cam basicly, you could get away with only a mild cam assuming you have 8.5:1 comp, with leaving the engine stock, the only way to make power is to use forced induction or N20. get your compression to 9.5:1 by getting a set of good flowing 64cc heads with 160/202 valves ( you probably have 76cc ), then get a mild cam that will run from 2k but nothing too wild, you could run a slightly hotter cam but run rhoads lifters ( milds out a cam at low rpm ), a set of long tube headders with 1/5/8" primaries, a holley 650 carb on a good dual plane intake. I just ran those numbers through Dyno 2000 ( dyno program ) on a stock bore 350 with a light cam and 9.5:1 compression and it reached 300 HP at 5k, and there was 2.0 timing advance figured in. as you can see it is going to take more than bolt ons to make 350 hp

hmmm damn it, say i put on a pair of vortec heads on a 350? im looking at the 290 hp gm long block, what would i have to do to it to get around 350hp?

That long block does have Vortec heads.

350 horses is a lot of ponies for a stock engine to crank out. Get the regular truck motor crate engine, order a nitrous hp cam (smallest one) and put a 144 weiand on it just like it comes out the box. That'll get you there. Just another option. Hard to pass up 350 horses out of a stock HO crate engine though.

theres a combo on ryans, i was looking at #89 everything lookis pretty stock exsept for the cam, heads, rocker,intake, and im trying to get away with as much i as ican on this one , its with vortecs on a 350 a gm cam, which id wanna put a comp in, and better rockers in with a 750 carb. id figure if i get the truck block, throw on the vortecs and swap out the parts id have close to that, like around 340 or maybe a bit more if i get lucky, and they are all bolt ons, what i dont wannt do is have to change the pistons, or the core. i want this build to be a simple one, that has a little kick to it. its going in a 74 van, so its not like im gonna be racing in it i just want it to have some spunk to it. any more ideas?

go the 383 route, It will deliver more of what you need for the van.

Check out the HT-383 from http://www.speedomotive.com

New 4-bolt short block all machined, blueprinted, assembled with high nod crank, forged rods and forged 9:1 pistons for 2395.00, or the cheaper budget master 383 short block upgraded to 4-bolt mains and hypereutectic pistons for about 1900.00 (not comfortable using 2-bolt mains on a stroker myself).

Finish it off however you want.

I have not been able to find a decent donor block that could be clearanced, blueprinted, and assembled with a good rotating assembly for less than the above.

I'll be going with their HT-383 short block and adding Vortec heads with Comp Cam & springs. No matter how you slice, once you have added push rods, rockers, pumps, etc. it is a $4-5k endeavor once it is ready to drop in with headers and induction.

Check out the The Goodwrench Quest articles in CHP. They took the 290 HP Goodwrench engine and started bolting on add-ons. Part IV they bolt on a set of Vortec heads. They claim they got up to 371 HP on stock heads with a 750cfm carb and a little tweaking of other things in the setup. Take the numbers as you will. Read the whole set of articles. They're interesting reading. I'm sure someone else here will chime in with the validity of their numbers...

http://chevyhiperformance.com/techar...64/index3.html

http://chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/46364/

i figured if i wanted bigger numbers than id switch to vortecs, so along with the 290 hp goodwrench block, the vortecs would work great and with the other bolt ons i read up on ryans, i can figure what i can get out of em.

Interesting article, but I wonder how long that Goodwrench bottom end will last at 350 - 400hp?

hmm... dont know, one whick block? they used two different ones right? one was like not even 200 hp and the other was the 290hp block right?

There are many different configurations of Goodwrench engines available, including an L31 with OE roller cam and Vortec heads at about $2200.00 - but it is a two bolt main block with, I think, cast crank, rods, and pistons.

If your planning to add Vortec heads to the $1700 Goodwrench engine, the swap will run you 500 - 600+ with a valve spring upgrade to run a decent cam, plus the cost of swapping to a decent cam.

For the money I still think you are better off going with the 330hp GMPP 350HO long block as it already has the Vortec heads, a 4 bolt main block with high nodular crank, PM rods, a performance cam, and better valve springs at under 2400.00. Bumping it up to 350hp or more should be relatively easy with just a hydraulic roller cam swap. I just don't see how you can beat this deal and you can use the accessories from your old engine.

Check out www.sallee-cheverolet.com


Tell them what you want (if they don't allready have the recipe) and they will build it etc ..........

Good Luck, Kitz

"For the money I still think you are better off going with the 330hp GMPP 350HO long block as it already has the Vortec heads, a 4 bolt main block with high nodular crank, PM rods, a performance cam, and better valve springs at under 2400.00. Bumping it up to 350hp or more should be relatively easy with just a hydraulic roller cam swap. I just don't see how you can beat this deal and you can use the accessories from your old engine."

I agree with that sentiment, but I called Sallee and asked if the 350HO engine could pass the emissions on my side of the state (Sallee is on the other side of Oregon from me), and they said I'd have to swap out cams and it MIGHT pass. I don't know which way to go. I waver a lot, as you can see...

i was thinking, my cousin and uncle built a 383 stroker, for my cousins 69 nova, they salvaged a block, machined it and bought a stroker kit from powerhouse. the kit was like 700 and the parts were balanced and they putt it together, it still runs strong and produces the numbers i want for my van, so i think ill go this way , building a 383 stroker from scratch, they did it pretty cheap too.

That 330hp 350 H.O. long block has a very, very mild cam. 350 can be had with just the swap of a cam and the proper choice of intake manifold. 375 hp is do able, but the stock Vortec valve springs are weak and would also need to be changed.

madhooker; I've been researching the 383 option for myself for several months now and I'm finding that remachining a stock 350 block and building it up from scratch is not the most cost effective way to go, nor the most desirable.

Others may have a different opinion, but experienced 383 builders in my area say that stock 2bolt blocks are not acceptable for a stroker - that the stoker is slinging a lot more weight that causes main cap walk after a time - and by the time you have the block all re-manufactured, blueprinted, and then clearanced and preped for a stroker, you are better off to start off with either a new GMPP 383 block or a crate short block assembly.

I decided to go with a new GMPP 4-bolt 383 bare block that comes already clearanced at the pan rail - 857.00. Add a stroker rotating assembly kit from www.gofaststuff.com with internal balance high nodular crank, kb pistons and clearanced forged rods, rings and bearings, all already balanced to within 1/2 gram - 899.00. Add block finish bore, prep & blueprinting, freeze plugs, cam bearings, etc and the short block comes to around 2300.00. This set up helps save money on the roller cam later as the new block is set up for OE roller lifters, uses stock 350 balancer and flexplate, plus it has a 1pc rear main seal that is desirable to me.

Granted, you might get a cheap 383 short block with all cast rotating assembly done for around 1600.00, but in my opinion this is not the place to save a few hundred on what will become a 5000.00 project.

To make a long story short, after I aquired a deal on a PAIR of new vortec heads for 250.00 and some OE roller lifters, pan, dipstick, blancer, and flexplate and other ancillary accessories for 100.00, my build will still cost about 4800.00 after everything else is bought, I assemble it, and it is ready to drop in with headers. There is just a lot of little stuff that adds up quick like roller rockers, valve spring upgrade, valve covers, cam, pushrods, gaskets, oil pump, water pump, bolts, EGR adapters, timing chain & cover, induction, etc. Very difficult to beat the price of those crate engines that already have all this stuff.

Rebuilding a 350 that retains a stock block and rotating assembly is a LOT less expensive, and so is a new crate 350.

If you do decide to go the 383 route, I'd be happy to share my bill of materials with you - and be sure to check out www.speedomotive.com for options and ideas.

76GMC1500; The 350HO already has upgraded springs, but I'm not sure how much more lift they will accomodate.

yea, a 383 short block would be easier all aid have to do is slam on the vortecs, intake and headers. i was looking at those short blocks you recomended on speedomotive, either the budget stroker or the HT 383 sound good and they are pretty good in price,i just threw my old idea out the window when i seen the deals on speedomotive. i still have a lot of time before i actually start building a 383. not until the next spring, around May or so, my van is sitting in the drive way all gutted, and with the rainy season coming the only way to get anything done would be biulding the engine in my garage. also the reason im waiting till then to start building, im getting a great deal on a el camino. im buying a 68 off a friend of mine for 2300 in january, this car is ready to go. tip top condion, i also want to put it a stroker in the elky. anyways, im heading toward the budget 383 on speedomotive, its looks to good to pass up, yea could you share what you used on your enigne? that woould be pretty cool. thanks again MainCap.

ah crap i forget to mention, i want to go with the buget master 383 on speedomotive, and i want to use vortecs on it, i want keep the comp ratio no more than 10:1 and on there it says for 64cc=11.24-1 how could i get it lower?

madhooker; Just have them put dish top pistons in it. They will be happy to discuss your needs on the phone. I wouldn't go over 9.7:1.

I'd also opt for the 4-bolt main block- I don't trust the 2-bolt block for a stroker.

so are they both strokers? the budget and the HT? so with dish top pistons and vortec heads i should be in the clear of comp ratios right? i dont want to go any higher than that, for pump . yea i have to go with the 4 bolt , two bolt would handle it. so say i take the budget block, with the dish tops what would be the compression?

Yes, they are both strokers. Just tell Speedomotive what you want and they will put the right pistons in for you and recommend a head gasket thickness - Dish pistons are available in various CC reductions - I think 18cc dish will get you around 9.7:1.

alright, cool thanks man for the help, cuz thats still one thing i have to learn is intake and all that stuff so your advise really helps alot.

I should clarify that an 18cc D-cup piston, like the KB 135 should get you around 9.7:1cr with a 64cc chambered Vortec head on a 383 with 3.75" stroke and 5.7" rods. Though Speedomotive will steer you in the right direction, you should learn about "squish" and how block deck height and head gasket thickness effect final static compression ratio.