chevy 350 block question

[truckincurt]

i just bought a 350 off one of my dads friends but anyways iv been trying to run the #'s on it and on every webite if looked i cant find the casting of this block the casting # is V0502UPB .... the onley thing that i can find is UP with out the B at the end so idk thanks alot everyone

[truckincurt]

anyone?

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by truckincurt

anyone?

That is the assembly line engine ID stamping not the block casting number. It tells you what plant the engine was made in what date it was built and what application it belongs to.

UPB is the application the engine was used in. I don't have any of my books at work or I would look it up for you. I'm sure there is an online source that will list the engine ID codes you need.

The casting number of the block is on the top of the bellhousing flange at the back of the block on the driver side just below the cylinder head.

[truckincurt]

14088548 is the number on the back of the engine i can find that online but its vag says like 84-94 i know its out of a 80 somthin plow truck thanks alot for your help

[68 TT]

Pretty much a 350 block is a 350 block.

Your only upgrades to the short block are if it has 4-bolt main caps or a steel crank. Many castings could be 2-bolt or 4-bolt blocks so the casting number alone will not tell you what it is. You have to pull the pan.

Heads are another story. You can get everything from 1.72 valve smog heads to 2.02 valve high performance heads and everything in between. Here the casting numbers will tell you everything.

Being a plow truck it probably has regular truck 1.94 valve heads on it that are good for about 330 to 340 hp.

[truckincurt]

ya just wanted to know the exact year cuz at 85 they made a slight casting change well thats what my engine teacher says and i know its a 4 bolt... just with my soon to be 383 build and the blocks needs to hold 450-500 horse and about 7000 rpms and id have to kill myself if it goes kaboom lol

[68 TT]

86 or newer would have a one-piece rear main seal.

There is a casting date on the opposite side of the bellhousing flange that will tell you what year and month it was built.

[truckincurt]

thanks alot

[pcwillsie]

some 350 blocks were made with a little better metal high tin high nickle which makes a little stronger steel. to find out if your block is this better metal it will be casted under the timing chain cover.

[bitchin85]

if its the better metal, whats it going to say?

[pcwillsie]

if I remember correctly it will have a +10 or t10 cast in it. I will look back in my notes and books to see if I can find it for sure.

[cableguy0]

the block will say 010 020 under the timing cover. i seriously doubt an 80's block is going to have high nickel. trying to turn 7k rpm the least of your worries is the block. you need a good crank rods and pistons. and an excellent balance job. with a 383 you shouldnt have to turn more than 6500rpm to get that hp. so long as the heads are up to the task

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by truckincurt

ya just wanted to know the exact year cuz at 85 they made a slight casting change well thats what my engine teacher says and i know its a 4 bolt... just with my soon to be 383 build and the blocks needs to hold 450-500 horse and about 7000 rpms and id have to kill myself if it goes kaboom lol

Spinning a 383 to 7000 rpm and not having it come apart is an expensive proposition. You will need a steel crank and high dollar rods for it to live at that RPM.

An aftermarket cast 383 crank and forged I-beam rods like from Scat will live at 6000 rpm for less than half the cost. Put the money you save into better heads like a set of Dart 190cc Pro 1 Platinum or AFR 190cc heads. Your engine will live longer and make your target HP range too. Bigger cc heads will require higher RPM to take advantage of them.

[SuperNova22]

I also believe that the cylinder walls of the gen2 block are alot thinner. Dont handle the pressure of being bored over as well as a gen 1 block. You will also know what gen block it is not only by the one piece rear main seal but also by the 3 tapped bolt holes in the lifter valley for the lifter retainer pan used when the motor became rollerized and went vortec. http://www.mortec.com/ . Thats a good place to start with your casting number. Alot of good info. Hope it helps!

[Colesnsty68]

You should also be able to find 010 on the side of the block, i belive in the middle. just my 2 cents

[truckincurt]

ya some asshole hit me from behind and junked my car so i got a check for 6 grand and the best part of it all was that i had rebulit the engine and did a whole lot of work on a a bonniville 98' for the college project so i now have that on the road so im callin the insurance check my horse power check hehe my machine shop recommended eagle rotating kit and i want to run dart pro 1 heads and make it a full rollor motor hoppfully shell siing a toon i like lol.....all i realy want to do is the **** out of ford fags and there precious 5.slow stangs

[truckincurt]

o and my buddies stroker 74 dodge challenger

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by SuperNova22

I also believe that the cylinder walls of the gen2 block are alot thinner. Dont handle the pressure of being bored over as well as a gen 1 block. You will also know what gen block it is not only by the one piece rear main seal but also by the 3 tapped bolt holes in the lifter valley for the lifter retainer pan used when the motor became rollerized and went vortec. http://www.mortec.com/ . Thats a good place to start with your casting number. Alot of good info. Hope it helps!

Not all of the newer blocks are tapped for the roller cam parts. They do have the bosses but many of the truck motors that came with hydraulic flat tappet cams are not drilled for the lifter valley retainer or the cam retainer plate. Some are partially drilled too.

I had to drill mine out when I put the Vortec hydraulic roller cam setup into it.

[truckincurt]

cant you just use rollor lifters that have vertical link bars on them so you dont have to use lifter guides, lifter guide retainer? please corect me if im wrong!

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by truckincurt

cant you just use rollor lifters that have vertical link bars on them so you dont have to use lifter guides, lifter guide retainer? please corect me if im wrong!

You can but they cost several hundred dollars more than a set of factory replacement hydraulic roller lifters.

I have seen older blocks retrofit with the factory roller cam parts by grinding the block and the lifter guide bars so they play well together and it seems to work with no issues but I am hesitant to grind away at the intake valley for fear that the core shift may be enough that I end up with a garbage block in the process.

You can run the 96-up Vortec high nickel block with the nodular crank that is much stronger than the 86 to 95 vintage one-piece rear main seal blocks and standard cast cranks if the power you are wanting to build gets out of the range of what the mid year blocks can handle.

I know of several third gen Camaro's building 450 to 500 hp on the stock mid year block but I don't know how much more it can take.

[truckincurt]

thanks agen