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Couple of questions for the experts. Tore my 350 down to the bare block over the last week. All the internals actually looked very good...no gouges or scratches to be felt in the cylinder walls. I will be getting a Edelbrock performer RPM intake ...but for the rest i just want a basic rebuild kit as i want to reuse my cam, pistons, etc. I need a good kit that has new rings, gaskets, freeze plugs etc. Ill also get new oil pump, timing chain etc. I dont want to put tons of money into this engine because the plan is to just be able to drive the car while i get a 455 and REALLY build that one how i want. I cleaned it up as best that i can and in a week or so it will be getting hot tanked, painted etc.
Any info would be greatly appreciated. This is my first engine tear down and rebuild so go easy on me....im still learning haha.
thank you
What year engine is it and what size are the dishes in the pistons? That directly relates to the compression ratio.
You may not need a Performer RPM intake manifold if you don't have compression and a moderate camshaft. It may actually hurt performance if the comprssion and cam aren't adequate.
If you’re buying an intake etc for the small block then why not just do a Stroker small block. Most likely won’t cost you anymore than a well built 455 and it’ll have better, lighter internals. Just a thought.
Last edited by cutlassefi; December 2nd, 2018 at 02:03 PM.
X2 on what Mark said, look at the power his stroker builds are making. The Performer RPM is a tough call, some have ran back to back with mild 350's and the Performer ran quicker at the track. Another racer claimed even stock 307 HO powered G bodies gained at the track. Unless it is a high compression early motor or a 73 to 76 short block with early heads, your compression will suck. I have slightly milled #6 heads 62 to 64cc, 76 stock bottom end with .028" head gaskets, gives me 9 to 1 compression with the stock 14cc dish pistons .025" in the hole.
Well here is the block number and i cleaned up one of the pistons. I thought about a stroker engine but like i said im a complete newbie to this and any advice would be helpful. Im one of those people that like to know exactly what i need to do, what parts to get and then i can assemble it lol. Budget is open to anything. I do have a person on facebook that has a pair of #5 heads cleaned and cups at 64cc i believe he said .
If you’re buying an intake etc for the small block then why not just do a Stroker small block. Most likely won’t cost you anymore than a well built 455 and it’ll have better, lighter internals. Just a thought.
Yes, 1975 350 engine. It would originally be 8.5:1 compression (advertised, may actually be closer to 8.0:1) with the large chamber #8 heads and 14cc dish pistons as stated above.
Use earlier smaller chamber heads and the compression will bump up nicely.
Before sending it to the machine shop for cleaning, remove the oil galley plugs and note where each one came from so they go back where they belong. This prevents the machine from not removing them to get a thorough cleaning, losing them, leaving them out causing low oil pressure or putting the wrong type in causing oil starvation.
Agree with older heads to bump the compression being worth it!
Before sending it to the machine shop for cleaning, remove the oil galley plugs and note where each one came from so they go back where they belong.
Good luck!!!
I’m pretty sure they’re different sizes, pretty hard to get them mixed up.
As someone who just built a 455 to replace my low compression 350, I also would recommend the SBO stroker.
how did your build go? I have someone who is selling their 455 block for about $450 ... curious to know what better or what kind of numbers you got after building the 455
thanks
how did your build go? I have someone who is selling their 455 block for about $450 ... curious to know what better or what kind of numbers you got after building the 455
thanks
It went well, and members here walked me through it. It’s a 455 60 over with stock J heads. Stock rods with ARP bolts and balanced. The pistons are just cast stock replacements and I should have 9.5:1 compression. The cam is a single pattern flat tappet hydraulic .504” lift with 228 @ .050 on a 108 LSA. The cam sounds good. 870 street avenger carb.
I don’t know how much power it puts out since it’s not tuned yet. I want to get it tuned in a chassis dyno to do it right.
Just a very basic build since I have a 455 that I’m building which I REALLY want. Procomp heads, Eagle H beam rods, forged pistons.
I’ve got a collection of 455 parts and $450 is an okay price for a core. I’ve paid more and I’ve paid much less.
But you could instead use that $450 toward your 350 stroker. But I understand if you just want to get the car on the road and build up another engine on the side. That’s why I built such a basic 455. Also, little things will suck time that you won’t expect to get everything “right.” But so does doing things twice.
Last edited by VinMichael; December 5th, 2018 at 04:10 PM.
December 2nd, 2018, 10:55 AM
