I have a 350 Rocket in my 72 Cutlass Supreme. I'm looking to do a stock rebuild and add a cam, a new carb, new heads, and new gears. I'm not looking for any crazy amout of power just a good pep in the step! Maybe 300-350 horses and I'm happy. The reason I'm posting is because I need someone to help me pick the best equipment to install. I'm looking to start on my enging in January and I want to put about 3k to $3,500 into the engine. I need specifics for the setup. I'm looking at comp cams, edelbroch for the carb, 373 gears, and I have no idea what to do for heads lol. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

Welcome to the CO. Well 300 to 350hp is not hard to get. You'll need around 9.5-1 compression pistons. The heads that come on the car 7a are decent heads you can get some work done to them and reuse them. I would use adjustable rockers comp makes them. Comp has cam the COM-42-231-4 it's 280 duration and .490 lift it requires 2200 stall converter and would work with 3.73 gears. You would need around 650cfm carb and would need an aftermarket intake also, and headers.

 

Keep the 7a heads, upgrade the intake valves, do a good 3 angle valve job with some bowl work. With guides, seats, and the new valves it should run around $800-$1,000. Bore it .030 over and use the Speed Pro 6cc dish pistons. Use deck height and gasket thickness to fine tune the compression ratio to 9.8 to 1 +/-. Rework the stock rods. Set the mains at .0025-.0027 (#5 .0035-.0037), rods at .0018-.0020. RPM intake, 750 vacuum secondary carb, 1 3/4" long tube headers, and a custom ground cam to suit the car (you should end up with around .510 on the lift and 225 @ .050 on the duration on the intake side) Comp roller tip rockers, stock oil pump. Put a decent converter in there while the engine is out.

 

Where are you located???? If yo-u are near one of us we would be glad to help///

 

Yes Where?

I'll propose it again. Consider going with aftermarket rods, SBC pistons etc. Cheaper, better and more readily available. Most here know what I'm talking about. You can do the whole rotating assembly for about $800.00. That leaves you over 2K for the rest. Should be real easy to do. Done it twice myself.

 

Drop me a PM with your contact info, I could make some suggestions for your build. Where are you located?

Steve

 

Hey, I'm located in Greensboro, NC. My email is TBeamon101@aol.com. I've been looking at Comp Cams the past few days and my friend recommended this one for my 350... http://www.compcams.com/Cam_Specs/CamDetails.aspx?csid=1165&sb=2.
I was wondering if that was a decent Cam for my 350? He said I'd need a larger carb. than the 650cfm that was recommended earlier by 70 Cutlass S as well as a stall . He also said I'd need an intake and I did some research and this one was recommend by alot of people online...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Edelbrock-2711-Intake-Manifold-Olds-307-330-350403_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4cecb658b2QQitem Z330388887730QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fA ccessories. Would that be a good choice with the cam I listed above. I'm looking for headers now. If these aren't good choices for my 350 could you explain to me why and what would be a better choice? Thanks!

 

That's the same cam I recommemed. 2,200 stall is a min. requirement for that cam if you want to run 2,500 or more that's up to you. If you go over 2,800 you will going too much into the powerband. Plus 2,800 you would better with 4.10 gears. 650 or 750 carb. tune right will work. You could use a Q-jet. I have built this engine over and over again. Yes that intake is fine, but I would recommend If going to use 2,800 stall use 4.10 gears, EdelbrockRPM intake with 750 carb. Than use the cam captjim recommened.

 

Either too much cam for that manifold or not enough manifold for that cam. Take your pick.

 

GOOD suggestions on this post.
Whether or not you go Chevy or olds pistons. 9.8:1 is an ideal compression ratio for that hot small block.
I'd recommend a Lunati 318A3 cam. Especially if you use the speed pro olds pistons as suggested by captjim.
Follow captjim's head suggestions, and with the 3.73 gears and mid-high 2000s stall, you should break into the 12's.

 

I'd also go with a performer rpm instead of the regular performer intake.

 

I have a question are you going to be racing it. So far all the info we have given is to build a mild street/strip car.

 

No I won't be racing at all it's strictly just a street car...just want it to have a lil pep when I step on it...

 

I hate to say it forget most of everything you was told in this tread and lets start over. If you listen to it than you have a car that you enjoyed driving more before you built it up. Let start the advice captjim said about the heads, pistons, and headers is really good I would use it. So next would the cam. If want to go with comp here some more choices comp-42-208-4, and comp-42-229-4 both of these work with stock converter and Performer intake. comp-42-308-4, and com-42-114-3 the last two would need a some stall 2000-2500 and would need the Performer RPM. So I going to leave it up to you which way you want to build it 3.73 will work good with any of these cams.

 

I agree with 70cutlass and CaptJim. My first build on my 72 350 was;

Edelbrock 750 carb
Performer RPM
Crane Powermax Cam 216/228, .484/.512 lift.(I'd use something different)
Comp Springs
Erson Roller Rockers
Speed Pro Pistons & Rings
Stock Crank & Rods, Balanced
#7 Heads with 2.00/1.62 valves, minor bowl work.
Dynomax Headers, 2.25 Exhaust
3.73 Gear, (did that and the dual exhaust and headers first, that made as much difference as anything)
TH200-4R Trans.

Another option is the last 350 I did,

Bored to 4.125, Chevy Hypereutectic pistons
Chevy aftermarket 6.200 rods
Lunati custom grind Hyd Flat Tappet
Crank Ground to rods and Balanced
Performer
Holley Street Avenger 670
#5 heads, 2.00/1.62 valves, minor bowl work.
Scorpion Roller rockers, 1.7

Ths guy I did this for is very happy, great throttle response and an idle you can hear but VERY driveable.

Ironically both these combos can be done for about the same money. IMO the bigger you go with cams, compression etc. the less you'll enjoy driving it.