The Best 350 Chevy Block to Build

My take on what Block you should be looking for to use in your project

[@robertclymer6948]

I wish I had a dollar for every powdered metal Conrod I have made at Federal Mogul and Borg Warner. These rods are almost bullet proof. Nascar even ran trials on them in the early 90's. We made tons and tons of the Gen 1-2-3 rods and all the Corvette Z06 Rods, Plus many many more for Chrysler, and Oldsmobile, BMW, and rods for Fiat I think it was for the 1600 motor. We did ran a large test batch for Ford and the failure rate was so miniscule that it messed up their statistical processing data sheets. Howard's Cam bought tons of the 350 rods for aftermarket sales. Don't be afraid to use them. The weights were within 1.5 grams end to end. Everyone that came off the Briquette press was weighed and if off, the robot pulled it off the scale and it did get Heat treated at 1800 for two hours. Graphite coated and sent to the 750 ton forge presses. Density and micro structures, rockwell etc done on every batch in the Metlab. FYI Thanks for sharing this info with us. Cheers from Motown/Dearborn.

[@Myvintageiron7512]

I agree we had 24 engines in our program rotated them onto the dyno every 3 weeks I had engines in that program with PM rods we ran for more than 10 years on the same set of rods, we were not gentle with them they got constant hits of Nitrous never broke a single PM rod in all those years

[@markash6019]

Thank you for your inside info. Builds confidence. Thanks!

[@T0tenkampf]

nice info, thanks

[@jameswatson4110]

Wow thanks for adding your experience!

[@twotwocold]

Thanks for sharing that history 👍🏾

[@GarageofHope]

I put an 880 block in my '73 Corvette and built it after watching dozens of your videos. I can't thank you enough for putting out this information!!!!!

[@itseithergonnaworkoritaint7852]

If you remove the reluctor wheel you will need a non-reluctor wheel harmonic damper or your pulleys won't line up. The Vortec damper is shorter the thickness of the reluctor wheel where it is pressed on the crank so keep that in mind if one wants to reuse the Vortec damper.

[@Myvintageiron7512]

True I just buy the early style 8" balancer that's used on all the older 350's they are neutral balance.

[@alvarsdzenis4739]

Love the "No B.S." approach sir. SOOOOO many so called "Experts" out there that give opinion rather than facts. Thank you sir, drive safe. cheers🇨🇦

[@Myvintageiron7512]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Sledbuddy]

Thanks for these videos! I've only done LS builds. I just started building a vortec 350 for my old Camaro. Thanks brother!

[@scottymoondogjakubin4766]

Very to the point and informative ! Unlike %90 of the other channels !

[@genewilliams4789]

Your information is always great! Thank you for taking the time to share the wisdom you've acquired over a career in engine building. I'm a lifelong amateur "hot rodder" and I learn something from nearly all of your videos.

[@Myvintageiron7512]

Cool Thanks!

[@goratgo1970]

Thanks for broad informative look. I will continue building from my '72 Corvette 4 bolt block to a 383. Had it since I pulled it in '88 awaiting rebuild. New Eagle crank, KB .060 pistons, AFR heads, summit 1103 cam for my '91 convertible Camaro.

[@Cartier_specialist]

I'm not building an engine probably ever but I found the information you conveyed very informative.

[@JoDoDesigns2011]

Always enjoy hearing what you have to say. Thanks 👍

[@johnkaspar462]

This last year I checked of engine rebuild from my bucket list. By dumb luck I had a 94 k1500. It was roller ready so I went with the roller setup. My first ever attempt was a great experience. Am going to upgrade from the rebuilt stock heads in the future but had to get it back on the road. Love this motor

[@chehystpewpur4754]

hey before you do mods tell me what youve done. i have some info for you that you may enjoy

[@johnkaspar462]

@@chehystpewpur4754 I kept the TBI & rebuilt the stock heads. It’s .040 over. Edelbrock intake. Replaced the flat tappets & cam for a roller setup.

[@chehystpewpur4754]

@@johnkaspar462 hopefully you like your cam. i was going to recommend a lunati one to you. its the biggest you can run with stock lift height for vortec heads which you most likely have. that cam really wakes these motors up and has perfect street manners. add a set of long tubes with it and you have a very healthy motor. and nobody knows what it is because it sounds unique.

[@ronbunker5778]

Really valuable info, thanks for taking time to share this!

[@Myvintageiron7512]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cemeteryhill]

Fantastic info! Man one of the nastiest SBCs I ever saw was a Marine engine. My old Diesel Shop Teacher had a boat with the loudest cammiest SBC stroker I have ever heard.

[@Myvintageiron7512]

Very cool!

[@heshtesh]

If you want to check out a nasty marine engine check out the Merc Cruiser 1350, 1350 hp. designed to run wide open for hours at a time..................

[@simonclarkson9249]

Thank you so much, it was super informative, and answered all of my questions.

[@peterdarr383]

The best 350 block is the one you have (that's not cracked) and have most of the parts for. The old-style rear main seals will last 15 Years if you do them right, Make sure your lifters rotate before installing the intake.

[@Just1Spark]

Wise words. Spin them lifters!

[@msh6865]

If you are using a 25-50+ year old block, have the lifter bores honed at a machine shop. All those miles and heat cycles can cause core shift or egg-shaping of the lifter bores. That'll cause your flat tappet lifters to bind and not rotate. That's a sure fire way to destroy cam lobes.

[@hydroy1]

Being old school, I was always told the 4 bolt 010 truck block was the hot ticket for a built SBC using factory Pink Rods (X & Os) with a 1183 steel forged factory crank you had a top running short block. Put a pair of AFR 2.02 long runner heads on it with a .500 or more lifter solid cam with a 3-2 or longer Der. and a Victor Jr. intake & 750cfm Holley and 1 3/4"primary tube long headers you had everything covered.

[@andrewslagle1974]

I have been building them for years like tha,t you will have a runner with that combo for sure!

[@BubbaAyers1969]

Just built one, great block to work with

[@metalworksmachineshop]

GM had N cranks for years. I have a N crank for a Pontiac 400 also have a ARMA Steel crank from the 60s good video Sir.

[@selrahc2061]

I used the Holley cast cover. Well worth the extra cost.

[@robertbryant7771]

I built a nice street 357 with the 638 casting that did have the roller provisions, all drilled and tapped. My understanding is that the 638 has a little more material at the bottom of the bores and is better suited for longer stroke applications, less prone to any rocking in the bore at BDC.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

The 880 is a roller cam block, probably the best common GM sbc block. IMO

[@ronwideman9230]

I worked in a cam plant for federal Mogul up in Grand Haven Michigan, that the lobes were made from powder. The way it works, is a large bag of powder is loaded into the top of a press, and it will press in the form needed. After the powder is pressed, it actually spends 8 hours in what is called a senturing furnace, cooled and heated again.. Yes that process makes for a tough metal, as we were making cam lobes for the overhead cam Chrysler engines in the late 90s early 200s and after the cam lobes were heat treated, we then ground the cam lobes to the number cylinder it was working.. It is a very u ique process. China couldn't make it work !

[@Myvintageiron7512]

Yes you will also need a different flex plate and you may need to run an electric fuel pump.

[@geodes4762]

Have been able to pull a number of these 880 blocks at the local salvage yd in Fort Myers. Rebuild two of them as Volvo Penta marine engines. The 5.7 VP GSI uses a throttle body setup and does not require the sensor on the crank setup. All the timing and advance/retard is programmed into the engine control unit. Marine build calls for a lot of ancillary parts as well as some differences in clearances and other specs. See lots of the older TBI blocks in the yd-638 series. Many with holes already drilled and tapped for a roller cam.

[@davidwellman7080]

I found the cleanest 70-73 350 4 bolt main I've ever seen that I put in my 73 C10. Bought for 500, when I took the valve cover off you could eat off from it. I was going to put a big cam and other goodies but it run so good I'm not going to mess with it. But I've heard really good things about the motors that your showing here!

[@chehystpewpur4754]

i have a 72 block like that sitting about to go up for sale. rebuilt by an old school big time racer for his grandson. sat for years grandson needed money and wanted something i had offered it to me. i said sure why not. used a diff motor instead as it came with fuel injection. and this one sat another many years. sick of carting it around. i will be using newer fuel injected vortec motors instead. they are the proper successor.

[@CarGuyV8]

I love the 880 blocks. The most common tbi block casting number ends in 638, and they’re good too. 638s often times have a mechanical fuel pump provision. Some 880s do too.

[@Transient901]

Good video!! Good Information! Thanks for sharing it!

[@Troy-McClure81]

Gone are the days you could go to Checker auto and order a specific block,I ran a 350 from a 70-72 Camaro Bored 40,cost me 1200$ in 98 6 inch connection rods drilled timing gears for that whine solid lift no roller,matted to a powerglide,back when the 350 turbos or 400s everyone was running.373s out back all in 68 Chevelle.Thought I was a Bamf till a 9second Eagle Talon destroyed me lol Great video Wish this kinda stuff was around back when I was building my car,Auto shop was the only info and tricks from the old guys

[@rickhaile2190]

Good video bub. Very informative. I already knew some of the info. but not all of it.

[@nocturnusbostok2636]

In my experience on the driver's side of the block if the casting parting line is right on the corner it is not a roller provisioned block. If the corner is nice and round with the casting parting line roughly 1/4inch from the front face of the block it is provisioned for the factory roller setup.

[@jimmywilkinson9190]

Early GM blocks were casted with 100% virgin cast iron . They saw import motors cyl. last 2X longer because they were using a mix! In 78 the motors were mix .

[@kalui96]

I'm not even building a 350 but this was fun to watch

[@matthewyakabuski9620]

Nice vid quick tip All small and big block Chevy blocks . Camshaft bore is first machined part all else is machined with a rod thru that hole . Comparing blocks look at how centred the bored hole is in relationship to the raised cast Round area . Front and rear . I think you will find it in lightning

[@junkyarddawgfixit8970]

Years ago we picked up an unopened ZZ3 crate engine that used the 4 bolt 638 block with 113 aluminum heads and it has a steel crank with pink rods. The engine had very little running time on it and is almost a museum piece as all of the paint stripes and daubs look like they were put on yesterday. Always wondered what factory pinks looked like or how to identify them and now we know.

[@albertgaspar627]

the old factory pink rods were just shotpeened stock rods. you paid extra if you bought them over the counter, and then you ground down the beams to get rid of casting flaws and then had to shotpeen them again, so "pink" was just a scam smart engine builders avoided. the real trick was buying pre 1968 connecting rods, which had smaller big end diameters and offset grind your crank to fit--it added about 10cid to the V8 engine and often passed race engine limits since it was just machining.

[@LT1210]

I’ve got a 355 with pink rods and dome pistons and no power adders. It’s in a square body S10 that runs consistent 7.1x @100 mph in the 1/8th all day long and has held together for 8 seasons now.

[@wreckanchor]

If you can find a 638 block they are the best GM ever made IMHO.

[@lordsauto]

Thank you Senator!

[@darrininverarity4297]

When replacing the plastic timing chain cover and putting on a old school chrome timing chain cover you want to drill out and tap the two missing bolts holes,it is a easy job,just make sure your dead nuts in the centre of the cover holes.

[@SCc8154]

Great information!

[@roncoburn7771]

that's what in my 2018 Silverado 5.3 pm rods I feel so much better now.

[@stevenbean9706]

thanks for up info on newer motors dont like plastic parts inside a motor i try to grab motors when the price is right

[@wymple09]

Very informative !!

[@originaLkomatoast]

Built many of these and the 4.3s in 90's working at a marine dealership.

[@roncoburn7771]

awesome video

[@Mark-jn7el]

I just bought this block to put in my 1968 Camaro RS SS, looking for the way to make power, 10:1 compression, just got block and parts cleaned, need a roller cam , intake carb/or self tuneable efi system, and serpentine system. Will use the items you described here and prefer 425 Hp/425 Tq range at flywheel, low LSA cam.

[@rjjen1696]

great info - thanks

[@ibrahim-chevelleMalibuman]

Most of the TBI engines allowed for roller cam set up and they have drilled hole for mechanical fuel pump

[@jimthomas1989]

I got 3 of these small block 350 engines , I didn't know they were that strong !

[@gmanc433]

Hey, Just subscribed to your channel. I have a 880 block im in the middle of rebuilding. Its in my 24' boat... It was a new mercruiser block engine in 2014.. 4 bolt, 902 heads, cast in Mexico, roller marine cam with a edelbrock marine performer and a 600 cfm carb . When installed it was dynoed at 305 hp. Now 350 hrs and was low on compression due to a bit of corrossion on cyl walls. Whe i took it apart I though I would do some checks. deck clearance was bad and way out of square.. 15 thou out of square and 26 thou in the hole was the tallest, so at least my machinist has something to work with.... Block got bored 30 over, fit KB 193 pistons, -12cc dish as I want to keep comp at around 9.5.. Squared the block and decked so pistons sittin 15 thou down.. Going to use a 30 thou head gasket arp bolts.. Also shave 10 off the heads as they were not flat.... GM made a nice block and heads but there factory machining sucks.. LOL Have you ever used KB 193 pistons with vortecs??? I did alot of research and it looks to me they should be a good match... Any opinions?? Thanks for the great vids

[@WilsonPendarvis-tn3wm]

As far as oil pumps go, I would advise you to send it to Clay Smith engineering for rework. They take the inlet hole that you can stick your pinky in And enlarge it like by factor of two. They chamfer the edges also

[@oacumulador]

Great video. I have a 305 vortec marine to build.

[@chrisreynolds6520]

I have a Vortec 350 out of a 2005 Chevy 3500 truck. 2001+ the bellhousing bolts and engine mount bolts are metric, but otherwise still the same old L31.

[@chehystpewpur4754]

i clicked this video to recommend my engine to all. and here my man is saying the same thing. the vortec 5.7l was the last great small block chevy. roller motor can use almost any head. good fuel injection system and very very torquey thanks to the heads. with a few minor mods these things can put out over 400 ft lbs of torque. just a cam and headers with cleaned up intake and exhaust ports should net you between 400-450 ft lbs of torque with a tune and fuel. its in a light vehicle but its an suv and can haul large loads. and hauls just fine. on city and back roads i get 35 mpg and on highway i get about 28-30mpg. think about that for real. i can clear the 1/4 mile around 11 sec. thats a good motor. 43k on build and i tap the key and she fires right up and sounds better than a new motor no weird rattles and knocks for the first 20 sec. just smooth as silk. no smoke. turn key daily driver drives just like a new car. 50 state legal swap ca emissions standards. get in it and go. i can scan codes pull real time data whatever. cruise control. everything works and the ac will be hooked up when i get around to it i dont need it. its white so it doesnt even get hot. i can even get it to pull 1-2 tires off the ground on a hard launch on the street no prep. stop for a light and lift off. the thing is a legend around where i live and everyone approaches me about it. i almost sold it for that reason. socially awkward and anxiety from ppl. but i realized how happy it made people and i couldnt sell it have 2k into including buying the car and offered over 12k regularly. im building a business these days and might still sell it as i could use the money and a better vehicle for the business. i can build another any day and have an even better car. but me and this car have 102k miles together and ive changed everything on it now or upgraded. and i really like having it around. i went to a few big car shows big money cars everywhere classics imports everything. everyone looks at mine as its driving by acting an absolute menace. why because the people tell me to. this was built to drive not trailer bought to work and work it does well. nobody knows what motor i have they cant identify the sound. its in a squarebody chevy. but it doesnt sound like another. and it sounds like other motors at diff rpms monster jam anything past half rpms. and a very big big block at idle. literal sounds and booms like a 454 on startup. when i park it parents yell at their kids dont touch the nice car get away we cant afford to fix that. me smiles at the kids you guys couldnt hurt this thing anymore more than i have over the years. kicks the bumper. and as the parents are rolling on the ground in sheer shock. i tell the kids they can touch the car. you wouldnt believe the guilty pleasure on their face when they actually get to touch the holy grail. and how mad the parents are till i tell them they can touch it too. i randomly see people trying to video me as they go past at intersections on the road and on the highway. some will just stop and ride for miles because they like the thing so much. its cheaper to keep her but i know someone out there is just wishing and dying to have something like this and its kind of selfish to be the only one to enjoy. i even have ppl flag me down to give them rides. it kinda freaks me out but they literally just love the car its never been a bad experience.

[@jeffrey4547]

i have 4 4 bolt main block never been apart from factory but i put in a lot of 454 4 inch stroke engines pull the sbc. i have a rebuilt 327 runs good just sitting in the back of a pu with a tarp mover it that just shows how much i care about a sbc but i have 3 4 inch stroke 454 in my shop ready to replace a sbc with the 02xx 400r turbo behind them good to 800 hp

[@tehagent1321]

As I hovered over this before clicking on it, I KNEW he was gonna say the 96+ Vortec 5.7/5700 blocks :D

[@Just1Spark]

I have a 91' TBI truck block, with the lifter valley boss's deleted in the casting process. You can tell they were intended to be cast in, theres a tiny nub there. But essentially, no boss's in the lifter valley. Also, no cam retainer plate machining either. 1410258 suffix code TWD

[@flitflit4579]

If you are tearing down on of these blocks for later use always keep the cam retainer plate with the block, as there is 2 different ones, an early and later, and the holes are not drilled in the same place. Might keep you from having to chase the one you need down.

[@punch_bowl_turd3005]

not sure if mine is 1 of those but i bought a brand new (not reman) gm 5.7 2 yrs ago advertised "for the trucks that don't wanna quit" or something. its for the 87-95' trucks its a L05-K for a TBI setup. put it in my car long block cost $2900.00 shipped. 2 main differences from that era it has the cut out for mech fuel pump, a forged crank and is designed for roller set up but is flat hydraulic. i'd have gone with the L31 but the roller cam didn't have the mech fuel pump eccentric.

[@rooster68able]

YES ! And same goes for the 454 gen 6 1996 2000 ? There the same animal better oiling , 1 piece crank , 4 bolt mains , hr roller and so on ,and I have heard machinist say the blocks are actualy stronger consequently to prior thinking

[@heshtesh]

Good video, a little more info never hurt anyone.

[@briang4470]

The biggest draw back to most 880 blocks is that 9 times out of 10 they won't have the hole to install a mechanical fuel pump which really sucks when your installing the engine in an early car or truck. I know there are some companies that sell a fixture to drill it out but they cost $800 which is crazy expensive. But there are a handful out there that are factory drilled (mostly crate and marine engines) and they make a fantastic platform to build off of.

[@SaneCayne]

I keep hearing about that. Guess I got lucky. I've purchased two of these factory-original blocks in the last few years (both real cheap because of spun rod bearings) and after getting them home and pulling the block off plate, both of them have the FP pushrod "tunnel" but it's not drilled all the way through. Looks like there's 1/8" of material left at the top. Which should be no trouble for my machine shop to finish off and allow me to use my old-school mechanical fuel pump. Sweet!

[@Myvintageiron7512]

Eletric Fuel pumps are better anyway I don't use mechanical pumps even if I can I block the pump boss off with a plate

[@SaneCayne]

@@Myvintageiron7512 Love you and your show! But from my 30+ years of hot rodding and daily-driving SBC-powered vehicles, I have to respectfully disagree. I've done Hot Rod Drag Week a few times and more guys are stuck on the side of the road because of electric FPs than guys with mechanicals. And the "BBZZZZZZ" of external electric FPs drives me nuts! In-tank OEM-style units are the bee's knees. But between a good, mechanical FP and a basic, well-sorted HEI distributor, my SBCs (ranging from 220hp-500hp) have been trouble-free for many, many years. Less electrical gizmos = less breakdowns and headaches.

[@briang4470]

@@Myvintageiron7512 I hate the electric fuel pumps personally, don't get me wrong if you have a PROPERLY installed in tank style electric fuel pump that's fine but 99% of hotrods you see have a POS clickety clack or Holley blue or red style fuel pump hooked up to a stock tank which causes them to burn out all the time and those crappy pumps have become ludicrously overpriced, a Holley red pump is over $120 when they used to be like $60 and to do a proper install requires either a fuel cell or a sump welded on which can be a hassle when dealing with a mostly stock older car/truck. I personally love the simplicity and reliability of the mechanical pump and if you have a square body Chevy truck with dual tanks you have to use a mechanical pump, an electric won't work unless you want 2 totally separate complete fuel systems with some sort of disconnect.

[@chehystpewpur4754]

bro they dont drill them because electric fuel pump is better. hem self priming is the way. technology improved and its worse to run mechanical.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Early timing cover had pressings in them. On race engines I simply brazed a 5/16 nut to the cover and resolved cam walk. Never had an issue. Solid flat tappet or solid roller.That tin cover you have there does NOT have the pressings. And you need that for a cam button anyway. Vortecs are good blocks BUT do not bore very far. 020 is safe usually. I would hope they are better cast than 70s and 80s which were crap with off centre castings in every respects and about 5lbs of casting flash everywhere. The old story, from 55 on. Check for core shift. IF the cam tunnel, welch plugs all seem central in their castings it is probably ok. The full circle rear main blocks must be an improvement on daggy lip seals or rope seals. Rope always weeps. 2 piece ones are either perfect of leak, bad! For mild performance factory style roller is good though evidently not so good if you turn them hard I used for preference 010 blocks. They came 2 and 4 bolt and seemed to be better. And were heavier than other blocks of the period. Ones I have weighed vary over 15lbs. Light ones have thin bores. And sometimes thin main webs as well. A 2 bolt block is ok,, with decent main webs, as are the OEM X & O rods. I have run them at 7000 rpm in a road race car with no issues. Powdered rods are supposed to be great,, the first thing you do to a LS is bin them and buy aftermarket. Powdered rods look good, have bolts, not nuts and bolts but I have seen them broken in near stock LSs. For street use they should be fine though,,, maybe!!!

[@darrellsomers5427]

The old school pink rod was just a standard rod magnafluxed 3 times that's it ,circle track dirt guys run the powered metal rod at 7.200 rpm all day long

[@tchapps88]

I like the 638 block, has the fuel pump boss where 880s usually dont unless its a zz4 880 casting.

[@lynn4205]

When the shtf the mechanical fuel pump blocks will be gold ( should have said EMP ) you can go back to mechanical fuel pumps and points distributors to get her running again. Don't know if the electric fuel pump in the tank would survive an emp or not. If it did you can get a fuel regulator with a return back to the tank and run any carb set up

[@Snake.br549]

there is a block that comes with a flat tappet Cam that also has the vortec roller cam setup I had one it was a 94 I currently have a 96 vortec on my engine stand it has brass freeze plugs in 4 bolt main its in 880' Sgi block

[@tedwright1380]

Lately roller lifters are eating cams due to the rolller needle bearings failing. The resulting metal filings throughout the system trashes everything else. Keep this in mind when trying to decide between roller or flat tappet cams.

[@Z06Doug]

I liked the video AND i don't claim to be an expert, so in my opinion ( which probably ain't worth much ). I have taken apart several 5.7 old style vortecs and have found the blame they get for cracking heads are about half as bad as I thought. Milky oil in the pan is caused a lot of the time by worn out and rusty gaskets. Head gaskets about 10%. Notorious intake gasket leaks about 40 to 50%. The 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck blocks have 4 bolt mains, most 1/2 ton trucks have the 2 bolt mains. From what I've seen even the early 89 model blocks with factory non roller cams and TBI have all got the roller cam blocks. The plastic front cover has a couple of less 1/4" bolts at the top. Also, if I remember right, the double roller timing chain and gears from the 70's 350 wont clear with the reluctor wheel. The water pump bypass hole is not drilled as they use different water bypass on the water pump. And last the rods, even Corvette 2 gen LT 1 ( 1992 -1996 ) engines use powdered metal rods, but they will break into little bits of powder and break in the middle if a leaky injector or a leaky gasket lets water in the cylinder. They can't be resized and a little hard to mix sets. Of coarse you ask why would anybody start a car with fluid in the cylinder and hydraulic the piston. Because you don't know it has fluid in the cylinder until you find it. The heads flow very good with 1.94 intakes, but are cheap thin casting. Thanks for the video and knowledge!!!!

[@briankrieg5801]

When you went to the lifter valley, I thought you would warn against using a block with the short head bolt bosses. 87 and earlier the short bosses tend to crack below the boss. You want 88 and later where the bosses go all the way down to the lifter pads.

[@fleetwin1]

So much to know, but so interesting...

[@jimb8904]

Hello. My. Vintage. Iron..... i.m. a. Chevy. Small. Block. Man... 327. To. Be. Exact.... I. Really. Did. Enjoy. Your. 327. Video.s. all. Of. Them..... Several. Times.... on. This. One... the. Block. Quality. Selection... got. My. Attention... because. Of. Coarse... when. Saving. Junk. Yard. Good. Stuff... we. Looked. For. 4 bolt mains. Other. Than. That. The. Only. Preference. Was. A. New. Bow tie. Block... I. Was. Born. In. 1964.... and. I. Love. Iron. Block. 327.s. and. 67 thru. 69. Cemero.s... thanks. Man. Have. A. Nice. Day...

[@michaeljennings7146]

The G.O.A.T. Releases a little more wisdom. My first full rebuild will be a 350 vortec. It’s in my survivor 98 suburban so sadly I got to put all the vortec stuff back on it. Lol

[@ray-vw5qm]

I like the 1010 chevy blocks and the pontiac 350 blocks better because pontiac did not have a big block and small block,they used one size block for several engines just different bore meaning the 350 cylinder walls were very thick to bore up to th 455

[@Myvintageiron7512]

Pontiac 350 can not be bored to 455 bore size

[@russellbarton7565]

I have a 1990 GMC Grumman Olson step van that a previous owner put a 1995 crate 350 TBI motor in it. It’s a ZZ4 engine from Mexico. I believe it might be the high nickel content block but not sure how to tell but I do know it’s a 4 bolt main. It has the stock setup from 1995. It overheated on me 2 years ago and one of my heads got a crack in it. It still runs but I’m trying to decide either to rebuild it with vortec heads or get a vortec engine from the junkyard

[@user-zu2ed6ye5w]

The best. Old school blocks, are from chevy heavy duty trucks ex. 2 ton models ,010 blocks 2482 casting numbers on mains, which are nodular mains .the gray cast iron versions are 3412 .

[@T0tenkampf]

I have four GMT400 vortec trucks all with 350k on them...plus a couple more I am building for street power. I cant even get myself to LS swap them because they are just so darned easy to work on.

[@joeshumo9457]

The 87-94 tpi blocks and the zz4 crate 350 blocks are good roller blocks as well.

[@Myvintageiron7512]

yep true

[@natewhite2112]

Nice!

[@silicon212]

From 1987 through 1995 on the 'TBI' motors: If the engine was originally installed in a car, it will have a hydraulic roller cam. If it was originally installed in a truck, it will have a flat tappet cam. The B Body (Caprice etc) ni 1987 and 88 had a carburetor, but the block will still be roller.

[@geraldgossellin914]

Thé blocs with thé last 3digits 638 are machined for roller cams and lifters. They are machined for a mechanical fuel pump. I built a few of them with LT4 hot cam AD vortec 062 heads and a performer RPM. On thé dyno it pulls out 400hp AT 5800rpm and 424 foot pound of torque around 3800 rpm. Gerald

[@kyleclemente5939]

I'm pretty sure I just picked up a 56 Chevy with about the same build in it. Working running. The price was hwy robbery. $4k.

[@BLASTbeetSWE]

Good video! One thing more to check on the tbi blocks is the lifter bores, some of them are machined with a bigger diameter at the top of the bore. This will cause oil to leak out around the lifters instead of it going up through the pushrods with standard roller lifters. If you have one of those blocks you need to use retrofit roller lifters or if you can find any other rollerlifters that have the same waist as flat tappets, lifters with raised oil feed holes with a chamfer to them will not work.

[@scrappy7571]

I've heard guys had problems with lifters not pumping up with oil on the TBI blocks. The "fix" was to use taller roller lifters from a 60* V-6. Anyone had this problem?

[@BLASTbeetSWE]

@@scrappy7571 Yes i had this problem with my motor. Read about the V6 lifter too but never tried them, got retrofit lifters and they work good. Not sure how many were machined like that, someone claimed only -87 truck blocks had this but best to check it before buying buying lifters for a build.

[@BLASTbeetSWE]

@@scrappy7571 This is what happens kzbin.infoi9qgzelWOww?feature=share

[@scrappy7571]

@@BLASTbeetSWE I must have been real lucky.. Back in the early 90's I bought a brand new TBI short block with 4 bolt mains. It originally was for a 3500 hd truck with flat tappets, not sure of the year. I installed a factory roller cam from a TPI car. Had no problems with oiling the lifters. A few years back, I read a few guys having problems, and thought it was very strange. All good to know.

[@stevenbelue5496]

@@BLASTbeetSWE are you talking about a chamfer or a step or just taper?

[@RT10Viperman]

Im overhauling the motor out of my 89 vette and it has the roller cam and spider plate. my crank rings like a bell when tapped with a hammer but the block only has the 2 bolt mains. I believe the motor is called the L98. Thanks for all the tips..!

[@Myvintageiron7512]

Nothing wrong with 2 bolt main block they are plenty strong.

[@RT10Viperman]

@@Myvintageiron7512 Ok cool...Ive got the short block done from the pan up now and getting ready to bolt the heads back on..!!

[@johnpena9165]

For a high performance engine I would never run a hydraulic flat tappet or roller camshaft, I've been running mechanical flat tappet camshafts for over 40 years and have never had a single problem till this day, currently I have a Lunati mechanical flat tappet camshaft in my 1969 SS 350 Camaro and it runs like a champ !

[@henrysmith8012]

355 with Isky flat tappet. Now under boost. It's been running for years.

[@limabravo6065]

Aside from the timing cover accommodation for the 4x reluctor the 1987 and up small blocks (according to gm) are all set for roller cams and all of them have single piece rear main seals. Now I've run into early production year 87 blocks that were carry over from 86 that have the provisions for the roller cam and lifter retainer but aren't machined for them. Anything 88 and up though I've found all roller cams, that said I try and pull my motors from cars instead of trucks and gm probably used roller cams in the passenger cars 100% of the time due to nvh issues that the target customers wouldn't have wanted to deal with. End of the day roller cam / one piece rear main blocks are worlds better in material and are easy to live with vs the old blocks

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

Good Video. Back in the 80s Joe Sherman buzzed the 2-bolt 350s and 400s in his Nova's to 9500 rpm safely...

[@Thumper68]

The 400 2 bolts were known to be the blocks to build the 4 bolts were weaker. My old man used to make 421 for late model dirt cars in early 90s they would make 700hp rev to 9k and do it for 100 laps straight all season long. I guess last one he built still runs to this day.😂

[@pete1342]

That's why I always call the 383 stroker a small bore 400 lol. Never saw the point to those when it was much easier to build a 400.

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

You called them a 383 stroker cause thats what they are hahaha...or a small bore 400 hahahaha lol@@pete1342

[@pete1342]

@@Imnotyourdoormat A 400 Crank in a 350 block is a 383 stroker. Might as well build a 400 much easier

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

I always called a 307 an upstroked 283...or a small bore 327. If I'm not mistaken the valves in a 305 were smaller than the 262s....Hmm.262, 265, 267, 283, 302, 305, 307, 327, 350, and the 400. All were internally balanced with a 4-inch bore spacing and 5.7 rods...all but the oddball 400 hahahaha

[@jasonconaway69]

After my Howard’s flat tappet cam wiped numerous lobes, I’ll never run flat tappet again. I was cutting $ trying to save some $$. It was a roller block that had a flat tappet cam from GM. I was just being cheap. What a pain in the ass. Had to remove motor again. Send it back to shops to be cleaned again. Etc. lesson learned.

[@mariocooldude9092]

Same.... fortunately I was able to score a brand new GM 880 Vortec short block from scoggin-dickey in Texas back in 2010 for only $600!! Only issue are the deep dish pistons so I'm just now going to throw some flat tops in it to get my compression up to 9.6:1 or so.

[@gearhead7896]

My 880 didn't have 4 bolt mains or the powered metal rods. I wish I had the PM rods because I would have resized them and reused them.

[@richardbates2367]

638 tbi 4 bolt main block is usually roller cam drivetrain capable..

[@joe-hp4nk]

For the street, all blocks are good.

[@tbree8417]

I want to mention that not all the cam retainer plates from the factory are the same, always keep the plates with the block there is old style and new style and the bolt holes are not the same.

[@pops3554]

Im doing vortec sbc in my 01Silverado v6

[@adrianescriba4062]

I found out the hard way, about the harmonic damper, I replace the old timing cover with a new one and left the reluctor wheel out, and bought a new damper. So my question is can I put spacer to make up the difference with a spacer for the reluctor wheel??

[@BooBoo-vo6oh]

Better than todays 5.3 in my opinion. I just think these engines were stronger back then and could take a lot of abuse. Thanks for the lesson.

[@chehystpewpur4754]

as a sbc chevy lover yes and no. the sbc made more torque at low rpm and it ran stronger. vortec heads very much so. supposedly the ls motor makes more hp and torque but i have yet to see or feel it. dyno shows around 4-5k rpms for peak torque and thats garbage for a truck which is what the v8 is mainly used for. peak hp is usually redline and thats even worse. the motor only works when you try to blow it up. this being said. vortec heads beat ls heads in my book. ls heads flow but only high rpm. newer ls or lt heads as they want to call them again. are better than ls heads they flow just as well but use what they learned in the actual lt engine days with the small block. flow is good but port velocity and chamber filling is kind of important. the new lt motors might be alright. the ls motor does have a stronger bottom end compared to the sbc supposedly as well. but the sbc had heavier duty parts. ls block is supposedly stronger and the crank is "better" from what i understand a major engine builder mated the sbc block with ls heads and the block costs about 10k so that about sums it up for me. the sbc is a better motor and the heads are pretty good if used properly. for that very reason i have a mild sbc in my daily thats a vortec 5.7l with fuel injection. i get stupid good fuel economy because torque and very few things on the street could even dream of keeping up and i have no money really invested in it. cold starts even after a month sound better than a newer vehicle on startup i have 40k miles on this build and even the new 6.6l from chevy sounds bad on startup with under 4k miles on it. not even its first oil change and i cringe every time i hear it "fire up" that 6.6l gets avg 11 mpg doesnt matter city or hwy. my daily gets 35mpg city/backroads and 28 hwy. and will out pull the stupid 4.8/5.3/6.0 while getting twice the mileage too. i really think this little 350 would beat that 6.6l aswell even with the newer truck having more than 4 gears. acceleration wise very obviously the sbc wins. my vortec is in a lighter vehicle but i also drove it stock in many forms and this drivetrain in its donor vehicle before the truck broke in half it still ran good and had decent mileage but good mods and light vehicle made a huge diff. highway mileage is within 5 mpg from what it was in the donor so its mainly just turning rpms on the highway.

[@Thumper68]

@@chehystpewpur4754please stop saying engine then motor interchangeably. Motors are electric. Engines are combustion.

[@chehystpewpur4754]

@@Thumper68 im good so thanks for asking. im not from your generation and i have better things to do than pick apart car terms that are older than you. show me a car guy thats not 12 that doesnt call it a built motor. and ill show you someone that also knows the diff between electric and internal combustion. its an old term and its still here. car makers do it too and so do the big boys in racing building 100k motors. tins of people in drag racing still call it all motor when theres no spray or boost. hell boost isnt a proper term either as your not lifting up your engine and giving it a boost. its forced induction. but the term got popular just the same and here we are. go do something productive.

[@Thumper68]

@@chehystpewpur4754 my generation? Just because in the last hundred years people have misused the word motor not understanding it’s original definition doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue doing so. Just accepting and enabling ignorance is what’s screwing up society now. Crazy people think men and women is a choice and men can get pregnant and one of their core arguments over misuse of our language. Just cause something’s popular maybe we shouldn’t enable it is all I’m saying. My fathers a master machinist, mechanic, electrician and my first memories are with him building race engines. He’s definitely not 12.

[@stevenbelue5496]

@@chehystpewpur4754 I didn't agree much with your first comment but your reply to thumper was 100% correct.

[@chuys53chevytruck59]

Glad i came across your channel ..great information thank you... i got that same motor 5.7 vortex 880 cast number getting ready to take block in to machine shop to get rebuilt.. I got a question what you think of the heads and intake and crank shaf im ues AfR 195cc sbc Enforcer cylinder heads part number 1001 Trick Flow track Max crankshaft for small block part number TFS 31402002 Edelbrock EFI pro Flow 4 EFI whats your opinion motor is going into a 1953 chevy truck

[@jarvislarson6864]

Vortec block is limited on timing chain options....I have used the 880 block but the 638 in my opinion is the better choice

[@drchevyphdeez7253]

Forgot to mention the 880 blocks external coolant bypass. I could be wrong, but the block in your video is a TBI block because internal coolant bypass port below passenger side water pump bolt hole.

[@b.s.adventures9421]

Is there a provision for the ball stud for z bar clutch linkage ?

[@bumpassb]

Please let people know that they will have to run an electric fuel pump with the VORTEC blocks. These blocks don't have a fuel pump boss for a mechanical fuel pump. There are a few one piece rear main, roller cam blocks that have the fuel pump boss drilled for a pump rod but they are only on the TBI blocks. Once GM went to fuel injection they forgot all about us carburetor guys. Correct me if I'm wrong but they only made them for a few years. 1987 to 95 maybe on the cars but no roller cams in the trucks until 95???

[@victortaylor7951]

I had them and broke one time it made a sound of Bing, Bing, to a Bam, bam noise until the cam finally broke. No Cracks in the block just a broken Rod.

[@luckautofab4461]

Also the vortec engines have a better hypereutectic piston that use thinner rings

[@johneckert1365]

Hang on, TBI didn't start until model year 1987. 1986 did have 1 piece rear main, but it was still a carburated engine. That was just 1 year only, 1986.

[@heaveymelt]

When they went went to vortec the blocks were bad for cracking in lifter galleries

[@oldv1288]

I have a Tacoma 4.0 V6 I read they were built with powdered metal rods like what you talk about here, someone said they're not "forged". So i guess they were wrong? I'm not sure but maybe you might know more about them since you do build engines.