[rabidmonkeyman]

Hey guys!

so a while ago i put a crate engine in my 85. years later and a blown piston rod, and im just going to rebuild the original engine.

ive never built an engine from the bottom up, so i have requested help from a mechanically inclined neighbor. hes been on vacation for a while and will be for the next week or so. i want to order the parts and get this thing to a machine shop and back before he gets home so we can start working on it. i got a list of parts together and was wondering if you guys could maybe give me some pointers, some no-no's, and some (hopefully) good jobs!

so the original engine is a 305, it saw a lot of miles, had a blown piston ring on cyl 7. im boring it out to a 350 at 4 over. im keeping some of the parts off the old engine, like the carb, intake manifold, etc.

so heres my list of parts:
Dart aluminum heads
Rockers
Lunati Voodoo Cam
Eagle Bottom End

heres some quick specs of the parts:
Stroke: 3.48
Rod Length: 5.7
pistons: -5cc flat top hypereutectic

heads
intake port: 200cc
CC chamber: 64cc
valves: 2.02 intake / 1.6 exhaust
valve springs: 1.437"
3/8 rocker studs and 5/16 guide plates
rocker ratio: 1.5

camshaft
advertised duration: 262/268
dur @ .05: 219/227
gross valve lift: .468"/.489"
LSA 112
ICL 108

all the parts are just in my price range, im mostly looking for input as to whether all of these parts will work nicely together. of course im very open to suggestions on different parts.

thanks for any help in advance, im very excited to get to work on this!

 

[Matty man]

Clear something up for me,, the motor you are rebuilding is the 305 correct?? Matty man

 

[rabidmonkeyman]

that is correct, im rebuilding the original 305 engine and scrapping the recently blown crate motor

 

[aeilenstein]

Watch your clearance

Rabies,
I am not sure how you're going to get 350 cubic inches out of the 305. If you bore it over .040, it will probably be like a 310 - 312 cubic inch. The speed parts you have are nice, but will work far better on a 350 block bored over. Others on the forum can verify, but if you have smaller than a 4.00 bore (which a 305 does) then those heads will probably have some major clearance issues with the pistons. That's a big cam--you'll want to get a torque converter for your transmission with a 1800-2000 stall to take advantage of the power.

 

[Matty man]

Got it!! Well just to give ya a quick history about myself,, I am 53 + and have been putting SBC motors for a long time,, so on your 305 you cannot bore it to a 350,, cant happen,, I would not use those heads for a 305 either,, the 200 cc runners would be too much IMO, I could be wrong, the 2.02 intake valves are too big for a 305 bore,, 3.700ish way to big of a valve,,that I know for sure,, so here is what I would do if I was in your shoes,, find a good 350 core and the parts you have would work well,, possible go to a 1.94 intake valve instead of the 2.02,, the C/R maybe a bit high for the street, is this a street motor with a few passes on the dragway? I do like the way you are heading with it but I would reduce the C/R (compression ratio) a tad and go with the smaller valves if, IF this is a daily driver, Glad ya joined the site and let us know what you plan to do as far as a driver,, Post some pics when ya can,, in the engine section I started a post on rebuilding a 350, take a look,, and remember always mark your main caps and rod caps!! Matty man

 

[rabidmonkeyman]

hmmm, thanks for the help guys, i might want to reconsider the help i am receiving from my neighbor, he told me i could bore out the 305 to a 350.

if i blew a piston rod, what do you think the probability is of the 350 block being good still? the rod went out the bottom of the oil pan. i havent taken that engine out of the car yet and dont know the complete extent of the problem.

and yes, in the summer time it would be my daily driver essentially. gas mileage has never been an issue of mine, i just wanted something with more power than the crate motor had. but i will look into different heads to possibly lower the compression ratio.

thanks for all the help guys

 

[aeilenstein]

Neighbors are great....sometimes. I think he has a magic potion for power!! You can run a max of 10:1 compression on pump gas, generally speaking. 64cc heads are fine if you have the right pistons (not a domed piston). I would let an engine builder give you advice on the right pistons.

As for the heads, a street car not driven at 3,000rpm all the time will probably make far better low-end torque with a 170-185cc head. I like the Edelbrock Performer RPM for the money, but of course Dart makes great stuff, too, in that cc range.

Here's what I think your best option is: have the 350 block that blew a rod checked by a machine shop where they can magnaflux it and check for cracks. There's always a chance it's good.

You didn't mention if you already had these parts or not? If you have them, keep them to use when you find the right 350 block. Have that other block checked out first, though.:smileyb: Good luck!

 

[centex396]

If you really want some fun go with a Big Block. Guaranteed tire shredder and never met a gas pump it didn't like. But then you have to deal with smog laws and all that crap. We don't have that in my part of Tx. thank goodness.
Hp is nice but Tq. is better on the street. Why do ya think they call 'em "stump pullers"?:beer:

 

[69/84]

Have the machine shop check the 350 block you have...

If you have a bad cylinder you can have it "Sleved"...Done right it will be just fine on the street...

In fact I Sleved all 8 on a race motor that was a crazy over-bore and it never failed.

 

[fauxrs]

Thats a lot of head for that cam, even in a 350. As mentioned by others that head is a non-starter in a 305. I would go with a AFR 185 with that cam. Its a decent cam which i think would be great in a 350, I dont think I would run it in a 305.

As other commenters have pointed out, your expert neighbor is anything but, it is impossible to bore a 305 to a 350, no machine shop would even try it.

Definitly take your 350 block to a machine shop and have it magnafluxed for cracks as there is a chance it can be reused.

 

[80v6]

Gas pump comment!

Hey Centex! I'll attest to that.

 

[Jack_K]

Since you're buying a new bottom end (I assume crank, pistons, rods, rings, bearings, etc.), as has been suggested several times, all you need is a good 350 block to stuff those parts in.

Before you buy any pistons and rings, get the block you will use and find out if it needs to be bored. Then order pistons and rings of the correct size for the over-bore. You'll need to give the pistons and rods to the machine shop so they can install the pistons on the rods and bore/hone the cylinders to match the pistons.

I agree that the Edelbrock heads would be a better choice for street use. A Performer intake, Holley 570 or 670 cfm carb (80570 or 80670), and a cam & lifters finish the build. Comp Cams has some inexpensive roller-tip rocker arms for you, too.

That cam you mentioned looks similar to the CC HE268. That's a great street cam for a 350. I ran one in a 350 years ago. The newer versions of the 268 or 272 that CC has are even better. Go to their website and they'll help you select a cam. Also, VooDoo cams are good. I forget who makes them.

I'm running an Edelbrock Performer cam in my 305 and it loves the street. You might consider that one, too.

Jack

 

[69/84]

Some great advice Jack_K

I'm not the biggest fan of Edelbrock, but javing a Dyno matched setup as opposed to a Mis-Match of other brands that might not play well together is a gteat first step into engine building...I suggest you try something like that the first time around, Then change ont thing at a time to see how it works out...

 

[steelybill]

X2 on all the advice here.
Boring a 305 to 4 inches may have the pistons running in water !:smileyb:

 

[rabidmonkeyman]

i did some researching and craiglisting, i found a couple cheap bare blocks around me i can grab. i think what im going to do instead is get the 350 bare block and make a 383 stroker out of it. so ill update you guys on your opinions when i look at all the different parts available for me.

again, thanks for all your suggestions guys!

 

[Matty man]

Hey Aaron,, check out Skip White Performance,, I just looked at his web site and he has good deals on Scat 383 stroker kits,, I have a 355 that I want to do it to,, not a race motor by any means but for a daily driver it looks good,, Let us know what ya find & do, Matty man

 

[gilby]

i did some researching and craiglisting, i found a couple cheap bare blocks around me i can grab. i think what im going to do instead is get the 350 bare block and make a 383 stroker out of it. so ill update you guys on your opinions when i look at all the different parts available for me.

again, thanks for all your suggestions guys!

..Ok,if your going with a stroker,pay close attation to the clearnce of the counter weights and rods,watch out on your cam slection too...:dontknow:

:beer:

 

[steelybill]

Good call on the rods vs cam clearance, and cam selection from Gilby :smileyb:

When I built my last 406 (400), the 5.7 inch rods would contact the cam with stock rod bolts. After using "stroker" rod bolts with a different head design, I had minimal clearance, as long as I didn't try to advance the the cam timing past +2 degrees. As it is, first turns of the crank wiped off some of the excess break-in lube on the lobes. It survived that way since the 80s though, until I rebuilt it again as a 408 a few years back. I use the Comp Cams 280 Magnum with .480 lift, which is as high a lobe as what would work. Just a bit more valve lift with Comp 1.52 rocker arms.

Maybe the rotating kit supplier can furnish info on clearance work you need to do on the block.

 

[black_on_black]

I just ordered a 383 kit from them on saterday -22 cc pistons. They come wit b-beam rods for better Clarence Hastings rings n king bearings n the price ( drum roll please ) $924.00 after tax. On my wish list is a comp cam 268h, World sportsman 2 heads 200 cc intake and 72 cc chamber, roller rockers and a few others.

 

[ALAsh]

I am running the GM ZZ-383 Crate Engine which I purchased complete from Pace Performance.

That engine coupled with a good 700-R4, and a 3:73 posi makes for one nice combination.
All the HP and Torque you should ever need on the street...

Here are the specs on the GM ZZ-383....

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


The all new ZZ383 offers Big Block performance with a Small Block price tag.

GMPP starts with the legendary Fast Burn cylinder heads and 383cid, to offer an incredible 458 ft. lbs. of torque @ 3800 rpm with a smooth, linear delivery. The combination of a 3.800 steel crank and a stout .509/.528 lift hydraulic roller camshaft produces 405hp @ 5250 rpm, making the ZZ383 the benchmark by which all other 383cid small blocks will be measured.


Specifications:
Power: 405 HP @ 5250 RPM, 458 ft. lbs. of torque @ 3500 RPM
Displacement: 383 CID
Bore x Stroke: 4.00” x 3.80”
Compression Ratio: 9.6:1
Recommended Fuel: 92 Octane
Block: Cast Iron, 1 piece rear seal, 4-bolt main caps.
Crankshaft: 4340 Forged Steel
Connecting Rods: HD Powdered Metal Steel
Pistons: Hypereutectic Aluminum
Camshaft: Steel Hydraulic Roller Tappet
Cam Lift: .509” Intake / .528” exhaust
Cam Duration @ .050”: 222 deg. Intake / 230 deg. Exhaust
Lobe Separation: 112 Degree
Cylinder Heads: GM Fast Burn Aluminum Dual Bolt Pattern, 3/8” screw-in rocker studs.
Combustion Chamber: 62cc
Valves: .200” Intake/ 1.55” Exhaust
Rocker Arms: Aluminum Roller, 1.5:1 Ratio
Valve Springs: 12551483
Balance: External
Maximum GM Recommended RPM: 6000
Ignition Timing: Base 10 degrees BTDC, 32 degrees total
Engine Includes:
• Fully GM assembled long block
• Black Powder Coated 2 piece Aluminum Valve Covers
• Black 14” Air Cleaner
• GM Aluminum Vortec, Dual Plane Intake
• GM Tuned Holley 770CFM Carb
• Performance Fuel Pump with Plumbing to Carb
• HEI Distributor, Plug Wires, Looms and Spark Plugs
• Oil pump, pick-up and oil pan
• 14” Auto Trans Flexplate
• 8” Harmonic Balancer
• Front timing cover
• Cast Iron Long Water Pump
• Oil Filter and Adapter
• Passenger Side RH Oil Dipstick and Tube
Warranty:
General Motors limited 2 year / 50,000 mile parts & labor warranty. Click on Document tab above for full details.

/////////////////////////////////////////
This engine has been engineered to insure all the parts work well with each other to maximize performance and reliability....

If nothing else this gives you GM's thoughts on various component specs when they build a 383...

Arnie in Iowa