350ci build . help !!!

[JacobCodiga69c10]

I've got a 350ci with Keith black pistons block is bored .40 over crank is balanced has 305 heads that are mild port and polish single plane Torker intake manifold a good set of headers an 650 cfm edlebrock carb ,has an voodoo aluminati 500ish max lift cam msd and header plugs with larger wires . My question is to anyone who can help . Is this a decent set up what should I change if not ? I believe the lifters are roller rocker set up came with cam . Let me know guys ... motor came out of a 72 el Camino . Has a 350turbo trani also butted to it !

[68post]

What are the parts # for the pistons and for the cam (or cam kit) ?
I can tell you the torker intake doesn't belong on a truck unless it is for racing only, but then the heads would be wrong if that was the case !

[JacobCodiga69c10]

Id have to get into the paper work to get part numbers It came out of a 72 el camino im building this truck mainly for strip it has a 12 bolt rear with 4.11 gears the heads were ported and polished at a local shop and it had a 10.1.1 compression very snappy and has power up to about 6,800 rpm .

[JacobCodiga69c10]

Also has a 3000 rpm stall converter and trans brake shifter setup.

[Marv D]

My dad used to tell me,,, if you got nothing good to say,, then say nothing.

I often wished I listened to my dad more.....

I would leave the motor exactly as it is. I see nothing here that is worth messing with.

Sorry, just an opinion but..
At +0.040 that block is ALL DONE. next bore (if it would clean up at + .020 more) is +..060 "and that's simply foolishness as platform for a performance build. Walls are thin enough straight out of the factory.

If Keith Black could see what has happened to his product and company,, he'd roll over in his grave. The car magazines and the HISTORY of the Keith Black name makes some think having KB pistons is a good thing.. to those building performance motors.... not so much.

305 heads on a 350 is a old dirt track guys way of building compression,,, so the motor can support more cam and RPM. Unfortunately the heads were never built to have decent flow,, but the small runners offer good port velocity (even on a 305) so throttle response is there when jabbing the 350's throttle coming out of the corners. (is that the way you drive on the street???) Thing is small runners / small valves = most motors over 350" start choking for air around 4000. Possibly MORE of an issue is more 'back yard' port and polish jobs have made a total MESS out of a head.... taking a bad thing and making it worse. If you don't KNOW what your doing with a die grinder,, one can destroy the flow characteristics of a port in about 2 seconds. Not saying whomever did these heads destroyed them,, just more are made worse by the backyard porter that 'thinks' he knows what he's doing.

Is there really any Torquer intakes still out there???? I thought they all were scrap by now. One of the worst intakes to consider for a STREET motor I can think of,, (well except for maybe a SuperVictor!!) Intend RPM range of the original Torquer was 3000-7000 as I recall. Then came the Torquer-II that (if memory serves) was a bit smaller runner to help band-aid the problems of the original.

See the mismatch,, BIG cam intended for 3500-6500 and a set of heads that perform poorly feeding a 350 at high rpm's.... Intake mismatched .....

I sincerely doubt it is a roller cam motor. But casting # off the back of the block will tell you what your dealing with.

I wish I had a nickel for every 'hot 350' that was sold then ended up really being a 305 or 307 or ????

Get the casting numbers off the block, the crank, and the heads,, then go to mortec.com and see what you really have.



sorry not trying to take the wind from your sails,, You asked, so just ofering an honest opinion

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by JacobCodiga69c10

My question is to anyone who can help . Is this a decent set up what should I change if not?

Your heads are a limiting factor, unless someone has added 1.94" intake valves. The 58cc combustion chambers are small for a 350, unless pistons are dished and quite a ways down the bore. Still not ideal for a 350. Be sure to confirm what kind of heads they are. As I recall, 305 heads are casting numbers 416 and 601, but there may be others.

***Edit: Wow, Just noticed you said the engine was snappy and made power up to 6000 RPM. That's a shocker.

The Torker is designed to work with big heads, cam, and exhaust at high RPM, and will absolutely kill torque and throttle response in a street engine.

If you can change one thing, make it the intake manifold. This one will work great in a street 350: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wnd-8120
Its big brother, the 8150, will also work well up to 6500 RPM or so, assuming you go to real 350 heads.

[68post]

All is not lost , but..
There are answers needed, questions to ask, and a little investigation on your part.

You can bet that a future upgrade for you will be; aftermarket heads, a modern intake that matches the new heads and rpm range, a racing carb ( Holley or modified Qjet ).

In the mean time learn ; tuning, driving, suspension ( when you make power - you need traction), understand engines and their parts, and run what you have for now - then make changes as money and knowledge affords it !

Roller lifters are different than roller rocker arms .
Roller lifters must be used on a roller camshaft. Roller rocker arms mount on the heads, on a stud, and the pushrod that is pushed upwards by the lifter make the rocker arm push down the valve and it's valve spring.

Be aware that a TH350 trans will not live a long life in a race situation ( especially in a heavy vehicle ), even a stock TH400 will live - so don't bother with rebuilding the 350 trans unless you've got alot of cash to sink into it.

[D.PASSMORE]

I ran that set-up for years on my K20. I did'nt build the motor but when I tore it down to rebuild it after about 200K, it had 305 heads, old 327 / 300hp flat tappet cam, Stock Manifold with Q-Jet. I could run pump gas 89 in it, but if I pulled a trailer, i had to run 93 or it would ping a little. It was a good motor, alot of low end torque and would run well on the highway. I ran 4:10 ratio for the gears. I wish I could provide more details.