SBC is there a preferred year to use?

What year is best for the sbc? I see in speedway and other catalogs that there seems to be is a cut off for aftermarket intakes, valve covers and gaskets sets -1959-86. Is that because of the heads? Can that be fix by change out the heads, or are they different too?

 

The later engines had the improved one piece rear main seal ... which I like. They also have the not traditional 4 center bolt valve covers ... but they do not leak like the early ones.

I prefer a 88 up 4 bolt main block and a set of the 88 Corvette aluminum heads ...

Just my 5 cents ...

 

Really depends what you want....if you want a nice late model engine then get a newer one, they fixed several problems over the years If you want a mill for a trad early 60s car then find an early 283. If you want a nice hiperf old looking hot rod motor find a 327.

 

forgot to mention all of those 327's are out of vette's...whatever you find , will fit the bill. finned valve covers , a couple carbs and shiny paint , will make any motor look retro..

 

here's my 3 cents....i prefer them from the 60's and 70's , meaning 283's , 327's and 350's . lots of cheap used parts like intakes , valve covers , etc

`55-`58 engines used a rope rear seal , which is a pain in the ass in my opinion . `55-`59 engines had heads that used staggered bolt patterns for the valve covers . also `55-`57 engines had no side motor mounts. and of course there is the cam/bearings/oiling issue with early engines. not saying you can't use the earlier engine , lot's of guys on here have , just makes it a little harder

what engines do you have available to use?

 

My fav is the pre '86 four bolt 350,( 4" bore), blocks with an aftermarket or large journal 327 crank, if you can find one, to give you a 327 cu.,(331ci./.30 over), small block that just screams. I also like an aluminum flywheel with a stick on this combination to take advantage of the high revs. With good rods and a roller cam you can easily slam gears at 8000+ rpm. The strong bottom end of this combo is up to it. Major E ticket ride! Canadian blocks seem to have less core shift. Who knows. No "Target" motors.

 

'66-70 they all had good net H.P. good cranks 4bolt mains cheap!
Lookfor old pickups can't miss

 

why 88? Are those head specs 88 specific? Just wondering.

 

I'll probably get shot for this, but the 92-96 Vortec 350 is my favorite. I have run the piss out of these things on oval tracks - 7500 RPM with the stock cast crank and powdered metal rods, coupled with 12.5:1 pistons, solid cam, and a bit of head porting putting out over 500HP - and they live. Plus, the Vortec heads are the very best production heads ever put on a small-block in terms of airflow. The truck engines all have 4-bolt mains, the good 1-piece rear main seals, and hydraulic roller cams. Upgrade the cam, and you've got a badass street engine. Mooneyes sells finned valve covers for them that can help with the "traditional" look. Plus, usually, you can rebuild without a bore job because the fuel injected engines don't get as much bore wear and ridge because they don't get fuel-washed on startup.

 

The only real problem with the late model engines is that they don't leak oil, so they just don't look right in a hot rod....

 

ANY of the 1983 Corvette engines would be the ones to use!!!!!!

 

This is the best combo so far ,the only thing i would add is use a cast crank with 2 bolt mains and stud kit .the 4 bolt engines cost more and are weak unless you use up grade caps and align bore just added cost . the car to the left has a 2 bolt block with an eagle crank and h beams and arp bolts . most street cars wont see 8k for more than a few seconds at a time . this car holds 8k for 5 mins at a time and no crank issues it runs straight 30 weight good luck .c

 

I'm glad to hear that, I have a trailer truck full of 83 corvette motors!!!!

 

I like the 327s too, Koz. Aftermarket 327 cranks, 4340 steelcranks ($490), large journal will make a 350 into a 327, or with main spacers a 400 into a sceamin' 353. Competition Products sells 'em.

 

I'd argue there are more of those out there than most think. The '84 models started production months ahead of the usual schedule so nearly half the '84 cars were made in 1983. On the other hand I think the crossfire motors are about the least desirable Corvette motor out there.

 

Ok i give whats the logic in starting with a 350 and then down size plus spend money to do it .

 

Personally, my two faves will always be the 1969-79 350 engines, and the 1977-79 305s!

 

never heard of a 92-95 vortec 350, what did they come in? Couldnt be pickups (I dont think).

and for the people commenting on the 83 vette, there actually is an 83 vette, so the joke is on you.

 

for some reason, Hack, your favorite being a 305 doesnt surprise me at all!

 

Any 327, You kinda get the best of a 283 and a 350.

 

Shorten the stroke for rpms, maybe?

But if cubes were everything then the "hot" sbc to build would be a 400 and no one would touch a 350. And its almost completely opposite of that.

 

As far as I know, Vortec is the chevy pickup name for "engine" for the past 20 years. It's just a marketing term to mean "truck engine". I could be wrong...

"The fourth generation Corvette began production in March 1983 as a 1984 model. The 1983 model year was skipped due to production problems, although 44 prototype 1983 models were completed. All 44 1983 model year prototypes assembled were crushed except for one (the 23rd produced), which is displayed at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky"

Yeah, I guess so

 

I am gonna buy one of those new Dart 400 blocks............as soon as that lotto pays out. That would be my next choice.

The first year for the Vortec in the pickup was 96, I think....maybe.......I dunno.

 

actually it was the 1986 4.3 fortunately I had to loook that one up

 

I thought the 5.7 vortec was made in the late 90's (96 and later truck). I just picked up two of them-roller cam, one peice rear main, fast burn heads- easy HP for cheap.

 

Actually the 88 heads were carried over for a few years and are now the standard aluminum head on the well known ZZ4 crate engine.



If your checkbook can afford it ... these are GREAT engines. They made 355 HP, run on pump gas and are all BRAND NEW. They have all the latest Chevrolet tricks and engineering so they are not " leakers " and they run great.

They are not traditional looking ... BUT they are great motors. Most guys cannot build a engine ... using all the new good stuff comparable to the ZZ4 ... for that amount of money. Machine shop expense, core block expense and then the parts ... to end up with a engine and no warranty.

I have built many, many Chevrolet engines in 40 plus years of being a car guy ... but the ZZ4 is a good way to go.

I built a 283 ( plus .060 ) for my 40 Ford a few years ago and ended up with almost the same amount spent on it as I could have bought a ZZ4 for ( at the time )



The old 40 transmission and rearend would not stand up to the 355 HP of the ZZ4 and the old 283 had been it the 40 since 1957 ... or I would have gone with a ZZ4.

 

I think its later than that. The earlier 4.3 motors were non-Vortec motors with a flat tappet cam, no balance shaft and heads that looked like 350 smog heads cut off on one end...which they basically are. The 4.3 in my '88 pick-up was definetly not a Vortec.

The 4.3 Vortec's (usually) had a roller cam, balance shaft and, of course, the Vortec heads. I'm pretty sure is was the early-mid 1990's before the Vortec stuff (V6 and V8) came into play.

 

wow,,not the responses i expected when i clicked on this thread,,,



my choice would be first and foremost a
a 1970 LT1!!!
secondly,,, a 327 62-66 or a 350 up untill 72ish.....preferably a 4 bolt main,..


87 up SBC dont count.....even though they are good/GREAT in the LS1's case..but this IS a traditional message board....

 

Well, it depends on who you ask I guess.

When I think SBC, I think 400 cubes.

Dunno about the rest of the stock stuff, but it is entirely possible to take a stock block 400 (two bolt mains) and pull 650-700 HP and 8300 rpm out of it.

It ain't super cheap, but it IS super reliable, and easy to maintain.

If you're real sniggly, you can coax up to about 434-440 CID out of that same block. I've raced against guys who ran nothing but 434's. VERY strong motors.

I've got a 410 SBC out of one of my modifieds set aside for my '36. Two bolt block with splayed steel caps (two piece rear main), Crane solid roller cam, Callies 400 crank, Eagle 6" rods, JE Superlite forged pistons, Brodix Trak 1 heads & Intake. Currently setup to run methanol, so the comp ratio is 19.5:1. It put out 675 HP when it was first built. Very strong motor, and a very dependable combination (proven out over several seasons with motors built off the same recipe).

I've got two seasons of circle burning on this one now, with an 8,300 RPM module in the MSD (that gets bumped into twice a lap, every lap), and it's still running like a top.

Obviously it's gonna have to have some work done to woah it back to a comp ratio that is useable on E85, but it's not too far off. I hope to maintain at least 500 HP, but we'll have to see how that goes.

 

After 86, its a different ball game. Period.