290 HP 350 anyone used before?

[S10Fan]

A good friend of mine just installed one, he couldn't be happier. You can't beat the price from Summit or Jegs.

[rapidride3]

I'll be installing a 260hp soon. However it will have a Mike Jones hydraulic installed instead of the puny (by almost any means) factory cam. I wanted the best mileage/torque possible with the stock combo. Mike Jones makes camshafts for ANYTHING from a crate 350 to doing r&d for Detroit.

He told me to look for 30-40 hp more with cam,headers and performer rpm, and 2-3 mpg more as well. He says he loves to improve on Detroit's camshafts. However he did say the newer roller cams have been tougher to improve on but it's still possible. His camshafts are not cheap, they are custom ground. My hydraulic was $300. Whereas a comp is probably half. I am relying on his MASSIVE experience and am looking forward to more than what he refers to as a "shelf" grind.

Mike Jones Cams design out of Denver N.C. He is always on the speedtalk forum.

[JPsChevy]

well before all this extra info and input the last 12 hours, I already pulled the trigger and ordered the 290, spring is right around the corner and i want a dependable engine by then so hopefully im happy with my purchase.

[Jake Wade]

You would have been better off with the 260HP version. You are paying $400 more for a camshaft.....that is not well matched to the CR

[Desert1957]

I forgot to add , I purchased my GM engine from "JEG's" with FREE shipping and a $200.00 off black Friday deal.

You will not regret you purchase, The cost of machine work alone makes this a good deal.

Desert

[noco-k5]

I had this engine in my 1970 Blazer. Wish I had saved the money and bought the 260 HP version. Ran good and zero problems, but I don't think the added HP is worth the extra cost especially in a truck.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by rapidride3

I'll be installing a 260hp soon. However it will have a Mike Jones hydraulic installed instead of the puny (by almost any means) factory cam. I wanted the best mileage/torque possible with the stock combo.

My 55 sedan's 327 has a Jones hydraulic flat tappet cam that works very well with the car's 2.52 low gear (Muncie trans) and 3.08 axle. It's only 204/208 with 110 LSA and .443"/.449" lift (a little more with my 1.52:1 rocker arms). I also used his recommend springs and a set of USA made Delphi lifters I bought many years ago.

The engine makes ~18" vacuum and lots of torque from 2000-4500 RPM, while still revving to >5500, which I rarely do. Powerband is wider and much more usable than with the previous 224/230 solid lifter cam. Idle is fairly smooth, but exhaust note is actually deeper and more "throaty" than with the bigger cam, probably due to more cylinder pressure. Static compression is ~9.5:1.

[rapidride3]

Hey Mike B. I have that same cam but only on a 112 center. I'm looking for as much power I can get while possibly gaining mileage. I have a nice 406 to go in at a later time but for now the 350 with the Jones cam has my interest on how it will perform in my c-10 during street duty.

[Jake Wade]

Originally Posted by rapidride3

I'll be installing a 260hp soon. However it will have a Mike Jones hydraulic installed instead of the puny (by almost any means) factory cam. I wanted the best mileage/torque possible with the stock combo. Mike Jones makes camshafts for ANYTHING from a crate 350 to doing r&d for Detroit.

He told me to look for 30-40 hp more with cam,headers and performer rpm, and 2-3 mpg more as well. He says he loves to improve on Detroit's camshafts. However he did say the newer roller cams have been tougher to improve on but it's still possible. His camshafts are not cheap, they are custom ground. My hydraulic was $300. Whereas a comp is probably half. I am relying on his MASSIVE experience and am looking forward to more than what he refers to as a "shelf" grind.

Mike Jones Cams design out of Denver N.C. He is always on the speedtalk forum.

I am running a Mike Jones camshaft as well in my '85 with a 355. Hydraulic roller 208/210 at .050 260/268 at .006 112 LSA installed at 109º ICL .490/.468 lift at valve.

I am very satisfied with the overall performance.

[MikeB]

Something else about the Jones cams: Duration and lift are dead nuts on, unlike some of the big guys' cams that are "close".

[Slammed84]

I put a Goodwrench engine in my original 84' back in the day. It cost me around $2000 but that was with a chevy dealer installing it as well.

I was only 16 at the time and had no wrench skills nor the tools to pull it off myself.

Years later ( no problems at all ) I decided I needed more power and set out to build it into a vortec headed motor with a mild cam and roller rockers. I also ran a Holley 670 carb. I should've got a slight stall converter because with my 3.08 gears it was kinda sluggish but would scream from 3000rpm up.

However we did find, when we pulled it apart, that the main and piston bearings where all different sizes. Like way off.

These are mass produced engines made in Mexico. They are by no means a bad engine but IMO they could've put a little more effort into the machining process instead of just slapping different size bearings in there to fill in the gaps...

Hell the engine had virtually no wear on it and I still had to turn the crank and resize the rods a bit just to put a standard size bearing set in it.

[K5owner]

This is true as I can attest to it. These engines are assembled in Mexico from new cores but who is pouring the cores and doing the machining I don't know. However, it doesn't seem to effect function though as everyone I have talked to who has had one said that they ran great and were very durable. I know when my 84 K5's 350 gives up the ghost I probably will replace it with a good wrench replacement. Solid 4 bolt main engines with good value.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by K5owner

This is true as I can attest to it. These engines are assembled in Mexico from new cores but who is pouring the cores and doing the machining I don't know. However, it doesn't seem to effect function though as everyone I have talked to who has had one said that they ran great and were very durable. I know when my 84 K5's 350 gives up the ghost I probably will replace it with a good wrench replacement. Solid 4 bolt main engines with good value.

I used to do some part time work for an engine builder who specialized in 383s. For our basic engine, he started with 86-up (1-piece main seal) 350 short blocks from junkyards, after making sure they were standard bore. Most were "Hecho en Mexico".

Initially, I was the guy who tore them down and washed them (in a high-pressure, high-temperature washer). I eventually moved on to decking and boring, and then to assembly. (The boss did all the power honing.)

In my experience the Mexican blocks themselves were VERY good quality. Heck, on many of them the black paint was still perfect, almost like it was epoxy. Core shift was minimal compared to pre-86 blocks. We almost never had to line bore one, and the decks were a lot more square than the typical pre-86 blocks. I had several that cleaned up at around .005" overbore, but we usually took them out to .030".

I actually built a 355 for myself using one of the junkyard short blocks. The mains bore was perfect, and the std/std crank had literally zero wear. All we had to do was polish the journals and slightly resize 2 or 3 of the powdered metal rods, and they were good to go.

I guess my point here is Mexican made doesn't necessarily mean poorly made, but I don't doubt the stories about crank journals being different sizes. If you're building an engine from scratch, you could do a lot worse than a Mexican block, at least that's true of the 1-piece main seal versions.

[Desert1957]

Originally Posted by K5owner

This is true as I can attest to it. These engines are assembled in Mexico from new cores but who is pouring the cores and doing the machining I don't know. However, it doesn't seem to effect function though as everyone I have talked to who has had one said that they ran great and were very durable. I know when my 84 K5's 350 gives up the ghost I probably will replace it with a good wrench replacement. Solid 4 bolt main engines with good value.

They are NOT "Mexican" engines, that engine program is from 20+ years ago.

Please read up on GM replacement engines before posting wrong information.

Here it is right from GM...

The 350/290 HP is our most popular and economical performance crate engine and the new Deluxe package enhances it with the finishing touches enthusiasts want,” said Dr. Jamie Meyer, product marketing manager for GM Performance Parts. “We’ve put it all together in a convenient crate engine that saves time and money. And keep in mind, for less than $3,000, you’re getting a brand-new, factory-engineered performance engine – not a rebuilt core.”

Indeed, the 350/290 HP Deluxe uses all-new parts, from the strong, four-bolt-mains cylinder block to the performance cylinder heads. It is also filled with premium parts, including a smooth hydraulic camshaft and durable aluminum pistons that deliver an 8.5:1 compression ratio for easy pump gas compatibility.

Desert