Hi, I have a 1971 350 and I was wondering what is the best way to get more HP and get the CR up from 8.5:1. Im also considering putting in a new cam in and was wondering what's the best choice. The engine is stock at the moment but i have a performer intake I will put on as well. Would there be any other componets to be upgraded?Any and all advive is welcome.

 

What are your goals. What's's your budget, is it stock rear end gear what trans etc.

 

I had a 73 350 with 72 heads and shim head gaskets roughly 9 to 1 compression. With a 260h comp cams grind bone stock heads with stock rocker arms, edelbrock performer intake, 600 cfm eddy carb, full legth headers, hei distributor, x pipe, with hooker aero chambers, backed by a th400 and a 2200 stall and 342 gears ran 13.86 in the quarter. Which was super fun on the street and had great street manners. This was in my 72 cutlass.

 

I'm hoping to get around 350 HP without spending a fortune maybe around $600. Its got a stock rear end with a TH350.

 

600 wont get you much I spent 3000 give or take on a 400 hp build 1500 was spend on the heads and top end. 800 was spent on the bottom end alone with no machining and the rest was odds and ends. I spent 2200 on that build I just mentioned and that. I'm building a new short block machining alone is gonna be around 800.

 

I'll probably end up just doing a new cam and other odds and ends

 

Not realistic. The biggest issue are the large dishes in the piston. The only way to increase Cr is to mill the heads, not worth it, IMO. A mild cam and 4 bbl intake will perk it up a bit.

 

If I were to get #5 heads would that increase the CR?

 

550$ one complete set of flat top pistons then factor in the machine shop cost of pressing the old rods onto the new pistons should be around 100-150 maybe more or less depending where you live and how many machine shops are around.

 

Can you post pictures of your heads, I'm curious what you paid $1500 dollars for.

Pictures of the valve bowls, intake and exhaust ports, like the pictures I have on my website. http://www.angelfire.com/sports/hotrodder/ing6.html

 

1500 was for my top end. Heads milling them milling the intake roller tip rockers pushrods guide plates, big valves, new springs retainers locks studs etc. And bowl work. Porting from rocket racing for street strip would have added 600 on top of that price. It wasn't just for my heads my whole top end. I did say whole top end.

 

No. the chambers are very close in size. In fact, you will probably lose compression as aftermarket gaskets are thicker.

 

Listen to the guys here----they are VERY, VERY knowledgable. Check with some of the F.A.S.T. cars and see their combos. Steve Minore is a great source for small-blocks; there is a site devoted to one of his 350 builds. I have done two myself; one for my '69 W-31 Nostalgia stocker, one for my '72 442 streeter. If you are interested, I can share some of my info., but both were a little more money than you have alotted. Buy the best stuff you can afford and take the advice of some of us who have been at it for a while. Time invested usually is better than money invested.
Andy Miller is another GREAT source for Oldsmobile high-performance ideas, suggestions, and parts. Just google him or ask for his or Steve Minore's contact info. Somtimes it IS "ROCKET SCIENCE".

 

Do you currently have single or dual exhaust? What size? 2 or 4 bbl carb? Maybe a set of cheap headers would get the horsepower up some without spending a lot of money.

 

Dual exaust with edelbrock 4 barrel

 

So, your heads weren't ported by Rocket Racing ?

 

No but they did my cylinder heads

 

Did what ?

 

Rebuild them completly new valves etc. What you getting at ? They where cleaned and everything was new they did do bowl work.

 

You have a stock 350 with a 4bbl and duals and mentioned a pretty small budget. I would look into new rear end gears and a shift kit for more seat of the pants fun. A significant HP boost will also require a significant $$$ boost.

 

With a little knowledge/google searching you can do a shift kit yourself and wont cost anything but new fluid and filter.

 

I would have to look but someone had mentioned a trans "reprogramming" kit would better than a shift kit.