Getting ready to rebuild a 350 for my 69 Nova SS. What I would like is a solid street motor with a bark that is much worse than the bite. The car has a M20 with a 12-bolt posi (came w/ 3.31:1 but currently has 4.88:1). Will either go back stock or maybe 3.73:1.

I have two 4-bolt blocks that came out of trucks: Cast # 3970010 - Pad K02 07 TJZ and Casting # 3970010 - Pad V0830TMZ Both are standard bore and seem okay under visual inspection. Two cast cranks and one set of stock rods. Two sets of heads: 3973370 and 3927186 both sets seem to be okay under visual inspection and I think they are 1.94 / 1.50.

My plans are to have one of the blocks magnafluxed, bored (no more than .03), and line bored. Not sure which heads to have rebuilt. Don't really think it matters because they are supposedly the same. Does the 186s carry more clout? Anyway, have a set of heads checked out and rebuilt. Check and resize rods and match to one of the cast cranks.

I know this is a loaded question, keep in mind I'm on a medium budget with this motor, what type of pistons, cam, and intake should I consider? I plan on using a q-jet I have that came off a Corvette for this application. I used Summitt when rebuilding my 68 396 and probably will do the same for this motor.

Any suggestions and comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

Tim

Cast (cheap)
Hyper (better... mild - hot street)
Forged (best but more money... N2O in future ?)

Complete Eagle or Scat rotating assembly for about $1K or so ? (stroke it for about the same :yes: )

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=mppf&sbrftog=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=stroker+kit&sacat=6028%26catref%3DC6&fmmk=Eagle&fmmd=chevy&fylo=&fyhi=&mppfqy=stroker+kit&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=21009&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

I was thinking hyper for the pistons. I was told that the cast crank and stock rods are okay up to about 400hp, does that sound right.

Go with the Eagle Rotating Assembly with the 4340 Forged Crank and I Beam Rods and Forged Pistons. Make it a 383. This is definitely Money well spent. The H Beam rods are stronger, but more money and are more suited for 500+ Horsepower. Go with the 186 Heads and a Comp Cams Magnum 270 or 280 and a Professional Products Air Gap Intake with a Holley Street Avenger 770 Carb. Trust me , you will not be sorry.

Stroke it!:thumbsup:

If you're strapped, build what you have,
1. Use the straightest block, lay a known straight edge across the bearing saddles and if a 0.002" feeler gauge passes through, then line bore it.
2. Install a set of the 186 heads, int manifold, t/stat & w/p block off plates, a cheap gasket set, and adapt city water to the block. Purge the air out and deadhead charge the block water jacket, check for leaks. No leaks, no magnafluxing. You could even pass hot water through it from the water heater.
3. For street use, I'd use cast flattop pistons. If cylinder bore is over 0.012" taper, then bore it. For 50/50 combo, use hypertech flattop pistons. Moly rings.
4. Balance the rotating assembly. Buy a new harmonic balancer.
5. Outfit the block with an Edel RPM cam or equivalent, the 186 heads, alum dual plane intake, 600-650 carb, and HEI. You can even use OE exh manifolds.
6. Run the snot out of it. It will be an excellent grocery getter.

I would have the shop remove the deck dowel pins and you take and sand the pins for a slip fit into the block. Buy a new Norton India honing stone and use with ATF or WD40 to lube, and go across the deck and the head to flatten the surface, you're removing the broach marks from OE manf. You'll see it change. Use steel shim head gaskets. If block has not been decked, piston depth will be 0.025" and with 0.015" gasket, quench is at 0.040" - just like a man - Perfect!

These are my thoughts for a grocery getter engine with reliability & durability. Other opinions will vary.

I've looked at the Eagle rotating assembly in Summit and it seems reasonable. My thought is I already have a stock crank (cast) and stock rods. If I have the rods resized and the crank turned would they hold up to mild street punishment? You know, a little show-off at the local Sonic on Saturday nights :)

I plan on having the 186 heads rebuilt w/ 1.94/1.5 valves, even though the 370s look to be in better shape. Are these two heads basically the same? I've read where there isn't much gain by installing the 2.02/1.6 valves for a street machine.

Isn't there some additional machine work (internal balancing?) needed to make it a 383? Thanks for the comments!

I have just ordered the Eagle esp-b13403e00 .030 over kit for my 350 .010 coded block. I plan on hitting 400 hp with the combo I am using. My budget so far on this is $250 for the bore and hone,, $100 for the mains to be done. The kit is $599 from Summit and well worth it if you plan on a nice street motor. The question you have to ask yourself is what type of motor are you building,, Street or Track ??

My advice is to talk to your machinest first and explaine what you have in mind and he will guide you in the right direction as far as what to buy and the cost to build.

The heads I am running are the 461's and he talked me into changing the exhaust valves only to the 1.6 Why do that I asked him,,He said this an old circle track trick so I can keep my low end torque with the 1.94 valves but changing the exhaust will dissipate the heat faster on the exhaust gasses.

Looks like I will be under my budget of $2500 when it's all said and done.

Thanks for the comments, always good to hear from folks going through the same process. I'm going to consider the Eagle Rotating assembly and make it a 383. May cost a little more but it sounds like it will be worth it.