I have a spare engine to play with now. It's a 350 ZZ engine. I want to get it in the garage, take it apart and build it up to drop in another car (not the vette), hopefully a budget drag race car.

I want to learn to build this thing and have bought some CD's and books.

Your thoughts on:

1) The engine kits from vendors like edelbrock and trick flow in the Jegs/Summit catalogs... cams/heads/everything matched. Other sources....??

2) Best training methods for me to learn more about this..

3) Would like to get the most bang for the buck on this .... bore/ stroke out to 383 or 400 and get 500+ HP out of it perhaps. Wondering what C.R. I can go up to if it is a 'race fuel only' engine...?

4) Any websites to learn more about this....

 

It is pretty straight forward if you have good feeler gauges, a dial calipers and some micrometers for checking the crank journals and bores.

Ring gap and bearing clearance is most important. And a good torque wrench. if the torque specs say 65-75 pounds, do it 65-75 pounds, putting 90 on isn't going to help anything. Tools you can probably rent include a ridge reamer for the bores (if needed) and a hone if the cylinder walls if just need to be cleaned up

Other than that, there are few tricks like making sure all oil passage plugs are in place if you have the block boiled, rings are installed and rotated correctly but any comprehensive how to rebuild your engine book should take you through.it.

Doug

 

I 'audited' a mechanics class at a local College/Votech school a few years ago. I told the professor up front. I wanted to bring my 396 in and learn how to rebuild it. He was cool with it. One of the good things was they had nice equipment. We bored it out, ordered a rebuild kit, etc...We had it on an engine stand with headers only. I think half the school showed up to watch and listen to the first start BB's were rare beast to the kids.

 

It's like riding a bicycle - once you do it, you never forget how. It is a lot easier than you might think. If you plan to stroke and bore, a machine shop can take care of that for you (and balance your rotating assembly - crank will be balanced, but they can balance with the flywheel and harmonic balancer attached). When you stroke a 350, you will have to do some relief grinding most likely (rods hitting cylinder sleeve). As for power, the simulator software that Duke uses will provide you with the best combination of cam, head, intake and carberation set-ups. Use good components, and you end up with a nice engine. Good luck in your rebuild.

Dave

 

One more thing.

Don't mix up or turn around your bearing and rod caps.

Most likely they are numbered 1/1 2/2, 3/3, etc, but if not, stamp one side only rod and cap or main and cap with the approprite number so you know which ones go where.

Doug

 

Good tip. The first engine I took apart (1967) to rebuild (327 in my 63 Impala), I didn't mark the main caps. I didn't want to take a chance, so I had to have the block align bored to make sure it was true. Had I marked the caps, this would not have been necessary.

Your rebuild guide will probably step you through all of this to prevent you from making this kind of error.

Dave

 

go buy the Dave Vizard book "How to rebuild your small block Chevy". It is a great book.

Brian

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by 65nassau

I have a spare engine to play with now. It's a 350 ZZ engine. I want to get it in the garage, take it apart and build it up to drop in another car (not the vette), hopefully a budget drag race car.

I want to learn to build this thing and have bought some CD's and books.

Your thoughts on:

1) The engine kits from vendors like edelbrock and trick flow in the Jegs/Summit catalogs... cams/heads/everything matched. Other sources....??

2) Best training methods for me to learn more about this..

3) Would like to get the most bang for the buck on this .... bore/ stroke out to 383 or 400 and get 500+ HP out of it perhaps. Wondering what C.R. I can go up to if it is a 'race fuel only' engine...?

4) Any websites to learn more about this....

************************

There's a wealth of information on the "Hotrodders Bulletin Board". Works the same as this forum, just give yourself a screen name and a password and search their forum. I am going to try to build a 383 with a spare 350 block that I have. I also was considering the kits sold by either Jegs or Summit. I am looking to go with the internally balanced unit, more expensive but I don't have to buy another flex plate or damper with that. I already have a good set of heads and intake w/carb so mine would be just the rotating assembly. Good luck.

Steve

 

I'd suggest a balance of practical experience, hands on, like
Grey Ghost suggested, real scientific theory-such as the information
presented in Engine Analyzer software, and suggestions from
Engine Builders who make Real power.
If you have the cash and time, Reher Morrison has an engine
building school that would put you light years ahead of
99 percent of car hobbyist. And quite a few machine shop owners
with 20 years of experience.



Lee Sheppard, David Reher, and Buddy Morrison were smoking
Warren Johnson and Bob Glidden 20 years ago. While I've watched people drool over the new LS7 427 ci motor from GM that puts out 500hp. Reher Morrison offers a crate 427 small block Chevy that makes 840hp and 610ft lbs of torque... naturally aspirated without Cup heads.
Reher/Morrison currently does contract porting work for
several Winston Cup teams. They were making 700hp 327 Chevys
back in 1979...
The books above are expensive... $100.00 for both of them..
but they make most other engine books look limp wristed.. they are
the textbooks used in the RM Race Engine School but can be
purchased over the counter.
It's up to you who to listen to... an automotive writer or
armchair theorist... or an organization whose 572 Big Block Chevy crate
motors make 1100hp(the GM Performance Parts 572 makes 620hp)
and sell their head porting sevices to Winston Cup teams. Reher-Morrison has won 26 NHRA National Event titles, 4 Consecutive NHRA Pro Stock Titles, and
2 Consecutive IHRA National Titles.

Information on RM's Engine School, Crate Motors, and Engine
Books can be found on their website.
**
**
http://www.rehermorrison.com/

The first place to look in putting a street motor together is the
Airflow Reasearch Homepage... check out their engine combo section.
No other street head manufacturer is coming close to AirflowResearch's airflow to port size numbers. Flow to Port size figures give you a small peak into the head's efficiency and chamber shape integrity.

link-- http://www.airflowresearch.com/articles.php#SBC

 

That's a great start guys! I have been googling sbc rebuild, etc and saw the Reher Morrison books ..those guys are awesome, have seen
many of their engines in cars for years.

This engine will be all out race ..on a budget ...HIGH CR and race gas only for haulin a$$ on the strip. Not sure if I wanna 'juice'...might be cheaper horsepower thasn high dollar parts???

The other forum is a great idea...you can't beat this type of interaction for widespread input.

Wish I had a local 'mentor' who would like to play with the engine with me.

There are some really good machine shops here in atlanta I can get to enlist.

I want to properly match components, and learn the right procedures, and take my time and not screw up. Kinda hard by internet / book route but I'm gonna try!
Have engine stand, tools, crane, cold beer and winter to play....