350 rebuild kits?

I'm looking into buying a rebuild kits for a 4 blt main 350 from a 79-80 chevy truck.

Most kits give u different options and im just trying to better understand these options. Fredo? maybe you can help me understand.

1. Pistons - Dish or flat top? What are the pros/cons of each one?

2. Bearing sizes - STD, .010, .030, etc. I'm guessing that if you bore out your cylinders .030, you need .030 bearings?

3. cams - i don't understand lifts and durations and things like that...what do they mean and what should i be aiming for? I'm guessing im looking for something that will give me the most torque 1000rpm-35000rpms? If i get a 'big' cam, will that affect my ability to produce a good strong idle and affect my throttle response from idle?

4 boring out or not - Pro's cons of each? When do you decide to bore and not to? when the wall is scarred? will a 355 make more power?

I'm also planning on adding TBI onto this engine sometime. Is there any problem running TBI on something that is not a bone stock 350? I bought a couple of books on amazon already, just waiting for them to come in. Besides that, i've been reading on hotrodder.com and most of em seem to recommend these 2 kits.

http://motorworksengines.theshoppe.c...1968_1985.html

http://www.northernautoparts.com/Pro...?ProductId=148

which looks to be a better kit?

the pistons you choose will set your compression rating. shoot for about 9:1 if you're going to use 87 octane pump gas.

the bearing sizes are referring to the size of the crank. if you have to have the crank tuned, you're going to need thicker bearings to make up the difference. when i rebuilt my engine the crank got .010/.010, which means it was turned down that much on the rods and mains, respectively. i was told it adds a bit of torque.

i dont know much about cams, but i do know that most big stupid cams that give a really lopy idle are no good for most of the things they get put in. they give you a power band thats WAY too high. check w/ comp. cams for the "xtreme off-road" cam....super power from 600-2000 RPMs.

boring the engine really should only be done if the cylinder walls are pitted, otherwise just flex hone it again. i dont care what they tell you tho...."there's no subsititute for cubic inches". the only downfall is if it needs a rebuild later, and its already been bored once, it limits what you can do the 2nd time.

you'll have to tune the TBI, probably with bigger injectors to keep up w/ more performance...but i'm not 100% sure...Fredo?

check with summit for complete rebuild kits...they've usually got really good prices and the kits come complete with everything you need, sometimes you get choices of what brand stuff to go with, like pistons, rods, cranks, etc.

Boring is not only for pitted cylinders. Cylinders wear more at top than bottom, and sometimes wear egg shaped. And a hone can only take out very light scratches. Its mainly done to get the cylinders back to perfect cylinder shape, or for deep scaring. If it needs boring, have it bored no more than necessary.

Just get a torquer cam. About the second smallest cam most manufacturers make. Yes they're usually about 1000-3500 range. Not much point in going lower when you have an auto.

Having a crank turned has nothing to do with torque.

Austin is right about the cams. If you want to get a low torque cam look at the Comp Cams "Xtream energy 4X4" I run a 270 duaration @ .050* cam kit(12-239-3). Also If you are going to buy a cam just call summit racing or jegs and ask about applications. If you get someone who knows what there talking about they will be alot of help. Also check www.pawengineparts.com (Performance Automotive Warehouse) for really anything you need and whey usually run cheaper. You might have to order a catalog though. :gigem:

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Originally Posted by eight

Having a crank turned has nothing to do with torque.

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Actually it affects torque is the most minamal way possible by removing rotational mass. Not going to help you any by removing it at the rod and main jounals though. It is manly effected on race enigines where they remove excess material from less stressed areas to produce lighter rotating mass. BUt yeah they don't have cranks turned to gain torque.

My favorite place for chevy parts is www.sdpc2000.com Its called Scoggins Dickey Parts Center and they have the most high quality Chevy parts I've seen. I bought an engine rebuild kit for them w/ fel-pro gaskets, comp cams cam, speed-pro pistons, etc. for ~$300 They're a great company.

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Originally Posted by JeepsterJayson

Actually it affects torque is the most minamal way possible by removing rotational mass. Not going to help you any by removing it at the rod and main jounals though. It is manly effected on race enigines where they remove excess material from less stressed areas to produce lighter rotating mass.

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Nope, that effects how fast the motor revs. Not torque.

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Originally Posted by BigRedFord04

the pistons you choose will set your compression rating. shoot for about 9:1 if you're going to use 87 octane pump gas.

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What is stock compression? Should i definately for with a dished piston?

IIRC stock compression on pre-Vortec tree-fitties was 8-8.5:1. When they came out with the Vortec head, they bumped it up to 9.5:1 because its a kickass design and aluminum head, which allowed 87 octane gas to still be used with no pinging. Vortecs are the shiznit, thats what I will be ordering from Scoggins Dickey as soon as I find a buyer for my left nut.

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Originally Posted by afroman006

IIRC stock compression on pre-Vortec tree-fitties was 8-8.5:1. When they came out with the Vortec head, they bumped it up to 9.5:1 because its a kickass design and aluminum head, which allowed 87 octane gas to still be used with no pinging. Vortecs are the shiznit, thats what I will be ordering from Scoggins Dickey as soon as I find a buyer for my left nut.

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Umm go pick up a vortec head and then tell me that they are aluminum. They are cast iron. :rolleyes:

Also scoggins-dickey is not the greatest place ever, Pace performance has just as good of deals and even though they are in ohio (more shipping) you dont have to pay sales tax. On my motor i actually saved $300 dollars over scoggins dickey even though i had to pay more for shipping from Ohio instead of Lubbock(where scoggins dickey is). If I were buying vortec heads i'd just by them off ebay ~$300/pr.

Also vortec heads requie a different intake = more $

mario i think i have my paw performance accessories warehouse books here in c.s and yes dont go to big on the cam i did and i have a bad feeling it is gonna bite me in the ass when i start wheelin it, but it does sound badass. go for a cam that runs from idle to like 3000 at most or so i am dumb and got one that runs 2000-6000 not saying that my engine will run that high rpm without problem hell the valves on mine prolly would float around 5000, but at 2000 there is a quite significant boost in power when it kicks in.

the CRANE tech line gave me the wrong p/n for my cam....so i got the wrong one in my truck as well...powerband ~2200-3800....i'd like it lower. for most wheeling you're going to want the low RPM power...unless you're into mud races :rainbow:

so the general consensus is that i should get a cam?

yes, do what we say....afterall....its your $$ we're spending so why not just get a crate blown 540? :D

how much are you looking at spending btw?

Since your going to be using it for rockcrawling then just set it up for low end torque. Do a simple rebuild with nothing fancy to keep it cheap (cheaper) and just add a set of vortec heads and a RV cam or something simular.
Your not going to blow anyone off the line but your still going to have plenty of power and I doubt your ever going to feel like you need more.

budget-wise, i can probably spend 1k on the engine, but obviously i want to keep it cheap. I just want a strong running v8. I'd rather spend the remainder and put 5.30s in.

Are vortech heads really necessary?

EDIT: more importantly, can i still use my edelbrock performer and will my headers bolt up?