Originally posted by modpr3
hey thanks bill for the advice i really appriciate it, and same to the rest of you. im want to learn as much as i can not only about small block chevys but anything automotive.

im really thinking about that 350 crate motor you talked about. do you think the block is upgradeable. i saw it has four bolt mains. that engine might be a great setup for me to use right now with my current trans then if i want to save up and get the 930 trans (which can hold over 700hp) will i have a good block to build off of.

oh yeah and what kind of gas milalige do you think i would get with that crate engine.

thanks again
pat
.....you could get that engine for now & then build off of it or what I would do is; use that engine for now & then sell it and get another crate motor later. Now I keep mentioning 'crate motors', thats because I never have & probably never will build my own motor. If you have the desire to build your own motors, go for it, I think it's a great idea. But I'm to old to start any more projects that I never finish. I'm putting a crate motor in the '32 that I'm having built, cuz 8 years ago I bought a '29 ford fiberglass roadster to build. I already have a narrowed 9" rear end, a turbo 400 transmission, & a 400 Chev motor for it. All this has been sitting for 8 years & I'm 58 years old. If I learn how to build motors now, I'll be dead before I get to drive my '32.... But enough about Bill, so back to modpr3. I'd say that you could build off of that block. But it'd be less down time If you just pulled your small 350 crate motor out and put a higher HP small block in. Cuz you'll already be set up for everything. So have another motor ready to put in right after you do a tranaxle swap. The transaxle swap is probably already a lot of work. Don't start more of a project than your going to finish {like I always do}. Your 714 sure would be something with an LS 6 crate motor in it {$7300}. Or buy the time you do this LS7 crate motors will be cheaper 505 HP {the new Vette engine}...... I don't know that much about gas milage. Go to www.sallee-chevrolet.com, they have a question/answer site where you ask quesions & a teck {or sales guy} answers them. They also sell crate motors like Smoggin Dickey Chev does {sdpc2000.com}. i would imagine that the gas milage is pretty good. The LS 6 motor that I mentioned about probably gets 20/28 or so..... Fuel injection gets better gas milage.... Also after you upgrade your transaxle your going to be dealing with; how much HP is prctical for the street. 700 HP in a 2300 pound car would be a handful to say the least. It'd be dangerours. Probably more than you'd even want.... {well, not want, but; more than you'd NEED ..... bill