i have a 76 C3 it was running 2 years ago when my dad decided to take out the drivetrain to kinda do a refresh. he has since passed away and i am now wanting to get it all back together and running this year.

its a 2 bolt main 350 engine i think it .40 over or .30
i was thinking of doing a 383 stroker or 385 stroker kit but im not sure what all is involved what parts can i reuse and what will i need to get
cylinder heads?
rockers?
pistons?
probably have a machine shop look over the block

Transmission i believe i just have the stock transmission can it handle the power?

am i getting in over my head and just do a simple rebuild?

 

It reads like you may need just to do a little research on the topic maybe. Just to get you started you'll need a crank that is a longer stroke, pistons you may want to change to 6 inch rods. You'll need to determine your compression ratio static and or dynamic. Your cam will probably be a little on the weak side for the size change. Then not required you may want to look into a good set of Aluminum heads. That door opens and the limit may be quite high. A refresh may be your answer. Most likely fine a trustworthy machine shop and have it done for you. When shopping machine shops I would recommend not doing so based on price. Sometimes that turns out more expensive in the end. Just my opinion

 

 

This is my shopping cart.

 

If you don't know anything about building an engine, I would suggest that this is not the time to start practicing. Your best bet would be to find a competent mechanic and work with him/her to develop a build plan. The other alternative would be to forget rebuilding the original engine and purchase a ready-to-go crate engine and install it.

 

I am all for DIY and believe that anyone can learn to do an engine rebuild with the proper research. If you are mechanically inclined and have attention to detail it will be a walk in the park however I would absolutely recommend doing a LOT of research first.

If you feel that it is beyond you, take your block to a machine shop and have them build it for you. They will need to check out and machine the block anyway and most of them know how to put together a pretty decent engine.

 

If you are some what local to David this is a drop in and go motor and trans. I know he has a lot more than 5500 in this combo.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ion-combo.html

 

I dunno, I think it is always an appropriate time build your engine . If it is something that truly interests you I say go for it. Buy a book on "How To Rebuild SBC Motors" and get started. The first step would be figuring out what you want out of a motor roughly (operating RPM, budget and horsepower). You shouldn't get to hung up on the horsepower number but it should give you a neighborhood that will make you happy with the motor. The next would be to spitball a list of parts, there are plenty of knowledgeable folks on here to help assist with that. Then take it step by step with help from the people on here and the manual. It gives you a different appreciation for the inner-workings of a combustion engine and is a fun task to undertake.

 

I would rebuild the original yourself with the help of a good book so you can learn for youself. It's not hard especially if youre going with a basic rebuild. I would find a shop and get an estimate on a valve and seal job on the heads and what a good hydraulic flat tappet cam would work in your block. While your there have them clean and hone the block and polish the crank. Starting with clean parts makes it a better job.

If they have to bore the block they'll tell you. My local shop has an account with Summit and he said he would order the parts I need at a big savings. Maybe you can ask when your looking for a shop. you can reuse the heads, intake, pistons if the bore isn't bad as well as the crank and rods.

you'll need to buy rod and main bearings, have the shop install new cam bearings and freeze plugs because you need a special tools for those, not so much on the plugs but it helps. Buy new rings, a cam, lifters , timing chain and push rods and a complete Felpro gasket set. I would replace the oil pump while it's apart and the fuel pump too. No sense on having them fail.

You could look at Summit for a complete kit too.

If you want to get a little more out of a stock motor get some cheap reworked vortec heads and a correct intake and it will liven up the motor with a mild street cam

 

Is the tranny auto or manual? I would send the auto tranny out for a rebuild, maybe a b&m shift kit, if it's manual and not popping out of gear you'll be fine