Some of you gave me some decent responses and some of you beat me up pretty bad about replacing the head gaskets on my 330. Knowing that it is a band aid just to get a few more miles out of the tired old beast, I need to start gathering up the parts and pieces for a full rebuild. Aside from the regular machine work of boring the cylinders, grinding the crank if it needs it, rebuild the heads and such. Balancing? What do you recommend in the build process for your 330?

I'm not looking for a bad-*** build to terrorize the local boulevard, but I do want something stout. The engine I have is a low compression unit so upping the compression is almost a moral imperative. What is the best/easiest way to accomplish that? Pistons? What about the camshaft? This car will never see the track so I want something that will make the best out of street driving and the occasional day cruise. I already have a 200r4 to put behind it so obviously it will be an automatic. Opinions?

What is your recipe?
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Biggest bang for the buck would probably be a larger cam and mild bowl and porting work on the heads while you have them out.

 

Get some roller rockers! Maybe find a cheap aluminum intake. Please paint it up real nice when done. Will not make the motor any better but easy on eyeballs. Good luck looking forward to seeing the project done!! I promise not to beat or bruise you up. I think i was a little to harsh on you and i apologize.

 

Dood, that's it? You busted my chops pretty hard for not spending the big bucks when I replaced the head gaskets and all you have is "Get some roller rockers!"? Your opinions so far have been uninspiring and negative. Give some real advice or go away.

 

Thanks! That is much better! I appreciate informed advice and that is two pieces of real input.

I don't mind harsh, just be positive with it.

 

Opinions on the cam? A modern copy of the factory High-Perf cam or something completely different? I'm hoping CutlassEFI makes an appearance on that one.

 

Aftermarket pistons are limited for the 330. The best bet is standard Chevy 350 pistons, 6"? long with the 2" journal aftermarket sbc rods and off set grinding your 330 crank for more stroke. It will put you at 350 cubes and be much stronger. Others have done it, not sure on the rod length, others may chime in.

 

4" SBC pistons with a 6.00" SBC small journal rod, crank offset ground to 3.500 stroke.
And roller rockers on their own won't give you more than a few more hp. Cam, intake, headwork (as mentioned) will give you a noticeable boost in overall performance.

 

"Opinions on the cam?"
Something in the 220-225 duration range at .050, .500 lift range if you want to keep the stock rocker setup.

Cutlassefi does this for a living so his recommendation would be better

 

Put the wrong duration numbers, fixed

 

if your looking for pistons I got a nice set of standard 400E 4' bore flattop pistons. it makes you have a 340 CI after overbore and it is alot cheaper then having to use chevy rods and pistons, i have built a few 330s with this setup and they r little monsters. Both options work but using these would be your best bang for you buck. Then like george said a nice cam and some mild head work, bowl work/ nice valve job and you are good to go. Nice little motor with some RPM potential. Pistons are new in box and yours for $150 plus shipping. PM if your interested. cutlassefi can def suggest the best cam for you and your setup.

 

The is a real good deal!

 

Make sure you get the correct cam for your engine can't remember what year 330 you are running but there is a 45or39 degree bank angle

 

I offer both bank angles, in both roller or flat tappet styles.

 

There are some good ideas here for you. I dont see why you couldnt build a screamer from a 330. Small block, short stroke, and yes balance it. Its one of the cheaper mods and one of the best mods you can do for any motor IMO. Get some good small block heads, Im not sure which are the best, 5's? I think you can even put Edelbrocks or ProComps on a small block. A good aluminum intake, built Q Jet or Holley carb, headers. Good ignition system, let Mark "Cutlassefi supply your cam and cam components. Bore it to 4", good pistons and rods, that motor has a forged crank in it. I think it would be a hell of a good motor. This would take some bucks, but it would be worth it IMO. I have been thinking I would like to build a 330 like this someday, for what I dont yet know. LOL just sounds like a fun project.

 

My formula would actually be to get an early 350 block and build it up so you can enjoy your car with the engine you have now while your building the other. These blocks are dirt cheap. I gave away 2 last year, 3 if you count the one that's in 80 Rocket's car. There's no replacement for displacement. In fact I would grab another 330 crank and build a stroker with Chevy rods, maybe Probe pistons. There really is limited off the shelf pistons for the 330. I wouldn't bother with the roller cam for what you are trying to do with a nice stout street cruiser. A modern grind hydraulic flat tappet will do just fine. Try to find another set of #4 heads with some bowl work, oversized stainless steel valves, a good valve job, topped off with roller rockers will be real nice. I like the Edelbrock Performer RPM with a Holley 750 CFM to top it all off. Of course you're going to want headers and a nice gear in the rear. That sounds like a sweet set up to me. Oh yeah, don't scrimp on the fasteners or the balance. That's my recipe, Dave - The Freak
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