I needs an engine!!!

[orange72350]

Hi guys!! im new 2 the whole custom truck thing(im only 16), but am looking forward 2 learning lots and having a fly ride. First on the long list of questions is engine. I have a tired old 350, but its gonna be scrap iron by summer. I want 2 buy an engine and properly rebuild it. Any gearhead ive talked 2 has either suggested a fully built 350, or a 383. i dont have the scratch 2 buy a crate engine, but whats involved in building a 383? i have heard that if u take a 350 block, bore it 2 383 and stuff in a 4.25 inch u have a 383 stroker. what is the advantage of a 383 over, say, a built 350. Any help would be great, cause i am really confused!! Thanx in advance for any help i get!!

[mikep]

Its actually a 3.75 inch stroke that will give you a 383 with a .030" over 350 block. Theres a number of companies that sell new 3.75 inch stroke cranks for under $200 brand new. 383's arent going to rev real high so you can save a few bucks on all the race prepped stuff and probably get out under $1500 with proper guidance. Sounds like a lot when your 16 doesnt it ? Do they even have teenagers working at service stations any more. If they do....go get a job at one.

If you build a 383 or a 350 really depends on your driving style. Do you like top end power or bottom end torque. Keep in mind that too much bottom end torque has its drawbacks in a truck with a light back end. Dont sell the 350 short . A well built 350 is still capable of well over 400 ft lbs of torque and 450 horsepower on pump gas.

My suggestion is to go find someone with a fast car or truck and beg them to give you a ride. You'll never turn back.

[Crank]

Well mainly a 383 has more torque and horsepower because it has more cubic inches than an ordinary 350. I don't believe that you put a 4.25 stroke crank in a 350, I believe it is a 4.00 in. bore crank and bore the cylinders .030 over. if not you have a 377. I think! Where do you hail from? From another young member at only 15.
Brandon

[Crank]

Well damnit, I guess I'm wrong again. I think it's because I was looking at www.strokermotor.com earlier and got a little eager. Lol!Sorry.
Brandon

[orange72350]

hey, thanx fer the guidance guys. still dont know which route 2 go, but ill figure it out eventually. brandon, i hail outta high level, alberta, canada. i bought this 72 blind, and now im fixing the many screwups of the guys before me. its fun. where u hailing from?

[Crank]

KY good ol' pissin off your front porch, shootin the shotgun in the air Kentucky!!! I'm going to pick up my truck this Saturday. The $hitty thing about it though is it'll be my truck, I'm buying it, and changing the motors to drive it, yet the laws say I'm not allowed to drive. Pshhh! What a dumba$$ law. I guess it's for all those girls that cant drive(just the one's that cant drive ) Oh, by the way: Welcome to the board!
Brandon

[orange72350]

hey, what r u running fer a truck? and where r u picking her up from? or did ya just buy it. yeah, i had my truck about 6 months prior to having my license, and i live on da farm, so i drove it al da time beofre i got my license

[Crank]

Um. I just found the truck about 2 weeks ago. I've gotta go about 100 miles from my place to get it. It's down around where my mom lives, but the truck is right nextdoor to my stepdad's dad's house. I'm buying it, draggin' it to G'pa's, rippin the motor out of a Camaro(actually from a '67 Chevy truck too) pulling the motor from the truck(283 or 327) and putting it back together. The truck I'm buying is a 1967 C-10 Longbed. I know it's gonna look like hell but it's my first(besides a Chevy Corsica) and it's one of these trucks! I'll be 16 in April but then I still gotta wait 6 more months to get my license.
Brandon

[72shadetree]

you dont have to scrap your old 350 rebuild it instead of buying one

[orange72350]

that sounds like shell be a nice litttle truck./ what kind of condition is the body in? here, ill send u a pick of mine.

[orange72350]

that sounds like shell be a nice litttle truck./ what kind of condition is the body in? here, ill send u a pick of mine.
or not, i cant find it, but if u havent guessed already from the name, its an orange 72, longbox, chrome peep mirrors, nice tailgate paint job

[Longhorn Man]

I agree with shade tree...rebuild what you have now...its not like you can drive it or anything.
In reality, you probably don't even need to rebuild it. Since you are starting out and new to the whole hobby, get your feet wet by finding out if your engine actually needs rebuilding. Do a copmpression test, maybe buy the stuff needed and learn how to do a leak down test. THEN, with those figures in hand, see IF you need to do a whole rebuild. you might just need to replace a crappy carb and stab a good cam in there.
One of the reasons I say this, you'll drop all the cash you can get your hands on into the motor, and then when you scatter the worn out tranny all over the highway, you'll be bummin a ride from your buddy again.
There are many things too look at on your ride, and you have the luxury of not having to drive it yet while you work on it. Take advantage of it.
That's my opinion...
Welcome to the board from frigid Cetral Ohio.

[dtlilly]

I don't post here alot, but I read them all. I had to commend the advice from this post. I'm part owner of an auto repair facility here in dixie, been in a war, lived on a houseboat for two years on the Mississippi River, grew up in WI. I made the same mistake you hopefully will not. Back in 1987. I had a 72 Buick Skylark convertable. I found a 72 Buick GS HT, perfect, no eng/trans. I bought it. I spent too much money on a running/no smoke engine in the convertable, to put in to the GS, that I ended up selling them both for a running car, so I could find a JOB. Don't stop your dream truck. If you mess up now, how can you become the most popular graduating senior Slowly you get things...step by step.



:p

[Michael12]

Hey... I know how confusing it can be to decide what you want to do . But you have to look at the whole picture. How much are you willing to put into this truck? One important thing is to see what kind of tranny you are using... if it is going to be the stock or if you are buying a 700r4 or what. With that in mind what kind of engine do you want to build? (more torque or horsepower or speed) And like I said before; it is all about the money...all of us on the board have all the time in the world to work on our trucks but what is your buget. If you want to get away cheap with a nice running motor and keep the stock tranny you could get away with rebuilding both for about $550. But if you are like every other 16 year old just like me... you want performance, speed, you want it all. But work with what you have and plan it. You can blue print your engine or write down what you want and talk to and engine builder (who ever it may be?). I would truely suggest seeing what you have got though first. Like has you engine been worked on or bored out, or anything at all that will change maybe what you want to do with it...So good luck and welcome to the Board!!!

-Michael

[jmil1974]

longhornmail's advice is solid. Ensure you have good brakes, steering, suspension, and cooling first. VERY important. You'd be surprised how long a 350 will run, even if it's in bad shape. Make it safe first, and THEN do your motor and tranny. Heed the advice of those who have been there so you'll always be able to keep yout truck.

[Longhorn Man]

jmil1974, I was starting to wonder if I was alone on that..thanks.
What jmil1974 said is a very good point too, a worn out 350 will still go for a long time.
A fast engine is no fun with no brakes...if you don't believe me, I'll take you around the block in my GMC...it had a little porting on the heads, a 500 lift cam, performer RPM intake and performer carb...and it has 4 wheel delayers for brakes. In all reality, the back brakes don't even work anymore....I need to do something about that.

[jmil1974]

no problem, longhorn. The board needs practical geniuses like us. LOL

[Crank]

So, Longhornmail that deathtrap of a truck of yours sounds like fun. So whenever you get ready to sell it, let me know. One condition though. Don't fix the brakes. I'll add a manual transmission and I'll take it through the mountains. You don't need brakes with a standard. Hehehe. Let me know, okay?
Brandon

[greasemonkey]

I agree completely with longhorn and jmil....my old diseased 350 has been running for 34 years, no regular maintenance, and still is one of the most reliable, trouble-free engines I have ever seen. When I first got my truck, I fixed the brakes (they pulled real bad to the left) and steering. If your engine fails, you can get safely off the road. If steering or brakes fail, you are in a lot worse trouble.
BTW Brandon- you and me sound somewhat alike. I also bought my truck sight-unseen a couple years ago when I was 15 with no license. Mine was 1500 miles away though in NM. Best thing I have ever done. Good luck
John

[Crank]

Well I've seen the truck before. But I haven't seen it in about 4 years. Thanks for the support John!!! My grandpa(that I live with) is trying to talk me out of buying it. He wants me to buy something like a little wuss car. I 'bout bit his head off when he was saying that. Lol.
Brandon

[MAC67]

boy ,,longhorn and jamil ,,had it right,,i think,,,by the time i got to the end i almost forgot what the original question was,,,if it was me and my truck was in good working order,,brakes,,steering coolinc,etc.i would just leave the 350 and build it,,being youre first truck and all you want to take youre time and start out slow,,if you go dumpin a super hot smallblock in youre first driver you may not end up livin to graduate into bigblocks,,you could get all you need with a nice headjob with good valves and a nice grind,,thow in about a 470 or so cam,,with a performer and a nice afb carb,,and you can do all the doughnuts and smokie burnouts you want to,, and still not break yourself ,,im only 23 ,,but ive ran my share of motor combo's ,,my first car was a 55 2 door sedan chevy that i put i nice runnin 355 in and kept the old three speed just put it on the floor,and kept the car in primer,,it sounded good,, it looked mean and it would smoke any of the new camaros the jocks were drivin,,,BUT it wouldnt break my wallet drivin it back and fourth to school,,,and it wasnt a ground poundin monster that was gonna smoke em clear through third,,start off small and get a feel for things and a knowledge of tolorences,, then as you grow,,let youre truck and motor grow with ya,,i now onlky run bigblocks,,my current truck is a 3/4 ton fullsize 4x4 with a real real real healthy 468 th400 and a205,,with 4:56's,,,its fun to still see those guys in the camaros eyes when they get theyre doors waxed by a fullsize 4x4,,,well i hope out of all my rambling you can take somthing from it