New guy 350 swap questions

[aws68]

Gentlemen,

Long time reader, first time poster. Bear with me here...

I bought my '68 in August and drove it for a few months before its "2000 mile" crate 350 threw a rod. The pics are the before and after, all I've done so far is throw some wheels on it and drop it a few inches.

Since I don't have the cash for a full on Gen III swap, I've opted for the low cost option of another crate 350. As far as I can tell, there is only a cam difference between the $1400 250hp 350 and the $1700 290hp. I'm thinking I should go with the 250hp option and swap the cam myself (voiding the warranty of course). From the homework I've done, I've been thinking I can get some good low end torque if I throw on some Vortec heads as well. I will mostly be using it for a summer time daily driver.

Any thoughts on this? From what I can tell, the Comp 268H and the Lunati Voodoo 60100 are both solid options. Will either of these partner up well with Vortec heads? (Again, I am seeking the low cost option)

Any input is appreciated here.

[BurnoutNova]

low cost? see about fixing the motor thats in there. im sure if you pull it out $1500 will get the motor fixed. maybe throw a cam and a few other goodies in it while its out? you might spend even less depending on whats wrong with it

[straitnate14]

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

[corn]

Wow! Those wheels really changed the looks of it dont they? Nice truck...

[Boog]

AWendling. Let me be the first to welcome you to the forums. You will like it here. Wow on the 68. A new set of shoes do wonders for the looks don't they? Bummer bout the blown crate. Depending on just how much work you can do or want to do yourself you could put together another engine without breaking the bank. Wouldn't you be better off buying a shortblock and adding a cam and Vortec heads to that rather than buying a complete crate engine and then replacing the heads and cam? Looks like money ahead to me. JMO
I had a local shop bore n build my 350 with better heads and an RV cam. Got it done for $1,000. Leaves some room for future things.
Again welcome to the forums. Post often. Everybody likes pics.

[Madmandav]

Foose wheels????

[aws68]

I forgot to mention that I already pulled the motor, and the block is cracked. As much as I want to start over with a big block, I figured the 350 would be the cheapest way to go, and give me something to build on in the future.

Thanks for the compliments--I went with the Foose Nitrous, 18x8.5 and 18x10.

Any thoughts on where to get a short block? I found one at Pace for $1199 delivered.

[Chevyman680063]

How much did those Foose wheels cost you? I was thinking of going with the exact same ones on my '63 but the ones without the rivets between the spokes and in 17's? Is that $1200 for a crate engine or just the block? Sweet truck too.

[67shortie]

No input here, just chiming to say that truck is a beauty!

Nice looking ride

[aws68]

I went through a local shop and paid around $300 apiece for the wheels.
I'm still debating on whether I should have gone with the 20s though. I think once I get the stance right I will feel better about the 18s.

[ksjh1316]

I would check your local machine shops or reputable salvage yards for a good used or redone block. Just get the pieces you want and have some one assemble for you. This way you should come out at the same price if not less since you already have a lot of the small bs that adds up quickly. No on the other hand if you want to be safe and have the warranty(pretty nice one at that) I would run the 290hp version the extra $$$ is worth the piece of mind the long warranty gives IMHO.

[Steelawork'n]

Go to www.SmedingPerformance.com for their Smeding 350 Classic. It is rated at 340 hp with 360 ft. lbs. of torque. The cool thing about their engines is that they are all brand new blocks with all new parts.

[GMC3]

i run a 350, vortec heads, comp cams xtreme energy 262, performer rpm intake, did my build after an article in a chevy mag called the "goodwrench quest" where they take a stock motor and keep modifying it to see how much power they get. my combo shoulld be 350-360 hp. they made 370+ with the comp 268 cam. but say the 262 is a little more streetable you can google "Goodwrench Quest" and the article will come up

[aws68]

Thanks for all the replies. You guys do a great job with this board--I have found a ton of useful info on here.

Considering my luck lately (my P.O.S. winter car is an Alero that always has issues) I think I will go with the comfort of a warranty, for whatever its worth, and go with the 290hp GMPP 350. I think I can be satisfied until the warranty runs out, and hopefully around that time I will have the cash for a big block.

Thanks again for the input.

[lilred67]

i bought the 250 hp from a local gm dealer and it came with a 3 yr. warranty. the 290 hp only comes with a 1 yr warranty. the 250 hp run real good and has more tq. than the 290 hp.

[MikeN]

My personal opinion, the $1400 base 350 crate motor is a really good deal. The cam in the $1700 290 horse engine is way too big for the 8:1 compression in my opinion. I'd go with the base 250 horse engine, and if I changed anything I'd go with a mild cam like the Lunati VooDoo 256.

[turp mcspray]

The 290hp engine is running the old L-82 cam. While not bad in it's day, it was designed to work with more compression. A modern grind would net you more power and torque.

[CC69Rat]

Or ..

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=502914

for a couple hundred more? Not mine, but it is a board member's engine. Just trying to help my brotha's out.

You have a need, he wants to move it .. makes sense to me. By the time you paid tax, you'd be about the same money on this 'hoss' of a 406ci. (scroll down, he has dropped the price)




******** Just noticed this post is 4 yrs old. Sorry .. Lol. *********

[72peace]

You guys know this is a 4 year old thread???

[turp mcspray]

I didn't see that. LOL! I don't even know how I ended up here.

[67_ShortFleet]

Marion Iowa, Can't believe I haven't seen your truck.