lets see your budget built small block chevy 350's

im trying to get an idea of what kind of power i can make on a budget with a small block ...by swapping maybe just heads and cam?

 

I would look at some POP Hot Rodding,Hot Rod, Car Craft and just about any other car mag for ideas. Of all the engines out there the SBC has been covered to death. Cam and heads are always a good startying point.

 

What do you have in the pantry and frig ?. Or do still need to go to the market ?.

 

i giot some fullie heads ...thats pretty much it...still thinking about a cam and what else could i use ?

 

Is it a stock shortblock ? Or I should ask, cast pistons or forged, compression ect ect.

 

I started out with a free 350 block,cast crank 2 bolt main. Put in a set of truck rods with ARP bolts, installed 7 used forged 11/1 pistions and one new one,total cost 120.00. Picked up a used cam for $60.00 solid lift.Can`t remember the specs but it was the biggest one I could find!! New timing chain and oil pump $50.00. With a rebuild kit including bearings $100.00. Paid $200 for a set of Used 1968 194 Fullie head. All I did with the head was gasket match the intake and exhaust and raised the roof on the intake side and some mild pocket porting. Install a new set of heavy springs $70.00,agian can`t remember the specs. Ran stock rockers.Intake was a torker single plane $100.with a HEI with 20 degrees welded into it and light springs. topped it off with a reworked 750 Double pumper Holley carb.Carb and kit cost $120.00 No machine work to any of the engine.All was done with a major budget in mind. I put it in a 2600 pound car with a T350 with a vega converter and 411 Gears out back and ran 11.60 at 118 MPH in the 1/4. Total investment in the whole car,Not just the engine was $2450.00 Canadian. This at a time when the dollar was shit. At the time I think it was the mags Hot Rod that came out with a article on running 11`s for $2500. There car ran 11.80 and that was $2500 US. At the time that was close to 4 grand Canadian. Both their car and mine were Chevettes!!

 

I would think 400 horsepower wouldn't be totally out of the question on a budget.

 

stock bottom end ..

 

When I did my 350, I got the full rebuild kit (300 bucks I think). My Dad got a set of Flo-Tek alum heads for me with 64cc chambers, I bought a Torker 2 intake, used stock rods, punched it .40, and with a good sized Comp cam. If I were to count the cost of heads and machine work, It would be in the area of 1400 dollars. I would have to guess its 350-375 horse, and a load of torque...Hope this helps a little. This is with the stock bottom end also...The heads I got from speedway, and they were about 650.

 

Traditional or not, you can't beat vortec heads for the money, and you can get adapters to run early valve covers so everyone doesn't get their undies in a bunch.

 

I'm gettin ready to attempt the same. Free 4-bolt main '77 short block. Plans are to re-ring it, new bearings, oil pump, timing set, cam and a thorough cleaning along with some marine heads I snagged from a neighbor who wanted 'em out of his way. Vortec heads are still a dead giveaway with their intake bolt pattern, even with the valve cover adapters to make them look like older heads. Gonna look into drilling and tapping some spacers to fit my staggered bolt pattern Corvette valve covers, too.

 

$2500
350 with 327 fuelie heads and comp cam flat tappet, single 750. 400 hp

Listen too it??http://s376.photobucket.com/albums/oo210/smokinb35/64 Nova Build/?action=view&current=DSCN2247.mp4

 

Amen to that. Only thing is everything you know about Building a Fully head engine throw it out the window with a vortec setup.

The right roller block with Vortec head and a duel intake and carb can make 400 HP and with stock bottom end. Pistons and all!

 

SmokinBill coll ride.sound cool. what is in the engine for pistions?? What is you valve size on the heads?

 

Is there a certain casting number for vortec heads making one better than other? I read somewhere you are limited with cam without some mods to springs?

 

Are those oem GM valve covers? I like them a lot.

 

flat top or dished pistons? The available compression is going to determine cam selection. A stock 68 4 bbl 350 was rated at 275 hp. It might have been really 300-325 and if you add a cam maybe 350hp. This was a flattop piston motor.

 

A decent set of heads will make all the difference. Most aftermarket heads will outflow even the best early chevy heads. Not that there aren't stock heads that can fit the bill. A 2 bolt block and cast rods and crank should be fine to keep costs down, especially if your aiming at say 400hp or less. Keep compression around 9:1 for iron heads, and 10:1 for aluminum, and you should be fine on pump gas. Don't buy "racey" parts if you don't need em. The trick is to match parts based on reality, budget, and what you are wanting out of the engine. Throwing a set of big tube race headers on a stock engine will kill low end torque. Same thing with a giant single plane intake etc.

 

My budget "350" build may have to be a 327, because I just bought a '68 Camaro 327 for <$50 at a garage sale. I got six Haynes and GM service manuals and two NOS GM Performance valve cover breathers in the deal as well. Wish I had taken more than $46 dollars with me! The engine has a really fresh-looking set of mid-70's 882 heads on it. I can't wait to crack it open tomorrow to see if I got something useful or a boat anchor.

 

how solid is your foundation, asked the tower builder, in other words, i can go as high as you want as long as the foundation can support me. if you want a budget bomber, build a stout bottom and it will take care of you. 4 bolt main, high volume pump. cam and some intake work. get the fuel to it, i prefer trubo power myself. crank the boost to awesome and its party time. lose the timing chain and run gears. i run a built 383 stroker bottom end, forged everything. it revs to 8000rpm all day long. as long as you have enough inches in the basement, you can do pretty much what you want on the upper floors

 

I know this is a couple months old, but for posterity:

It all depends on what you consider budget. Mine is a $600 longblock rebuilder especiale

Sounds like you already have a running motor so that saves lots

here's what I'm doing:

I'm doing a valve job (I have the equipment) on a set of used vortec heads I picked up for $100 with rocker arms.

I paid $100 for a vortec airgap edelbrock intake

I got a holley 600 cfm for free, paid $7 for vortec centerbolt valve covers, and $25 for a carb kit.

I think my engine has a small cam in it, I'm going to check, but if not I'll buy this
<table class="table" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr><td colspan="4" class="alternate">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="60%"> Melling SB Chevy Torque Cam Lift .420/.443 Duration @ .050" 204¯/214¯ </td> <td align="right">MTC1</td> <td align="right">$35.87</td> <td align="center"> </td></tr></tbody></table>
for a whopping $35

That cam should be fine for stock vortecs but I'll check for problems and if so handle it. You don't have to go crazy at the machine shop to use higher lift, you can do the infamous 'ghetto grind' and grind the retainers 3/32" ish and run up to .530"-540" safely, says the deffinitive vortec guide

there's other ways too but this is budget

So there you go, that's my budget build.

Desktop Dyno says 306 HP at 4500 RPM and 427 #feet at 2500 RPM

the magazines run a holley 750 with a stout cam, but I have a 600 for free so I'm using that.

So there you go, no high HP glory but a heckuva lot of torque down low where I actually drive, and a pretty smooth idle for good vacuum.

In a normal driving I hardly exceed 3500 rpm anyhow, so who cares if my engine is all done by 5000 rpm? stock cast bottom end should be fine, I'm never revving the thing anyhow.

So that's my budget build, stock shortblock with $235 worth of heads, carb, and intake, plus gaskets. I didn't check on springs, but I'd bet I'd still be around $300 if I have to buy new.