Well, I've been trying to determine which would be the best route to take...and this has to do with the engine in my 77 Chevy.
I can't decide if I should just rebuild the engine in it, and put bolt-ons/speed parts into/onto it, as 350's respond very well to aftermarket parts (heads, cam, intake, carb, headers, electric fan, etc). Also I know that if the truck has it's orignal engine in it, then it'll help it retain more value.
On the otherhand, just putting a crate motor in the truck might be faster, easier, and cost about the same as the rebuild. Only difference being, is that it may or may not have as much hp and tq as the rebuilt engine with the speed parts on it.
What should I do? I need to do something with the engine, as it's really old and tired now (est 500,000 plus miles on it now), and can't even spin the cheapie tires on it in a straight line anymore...even with the gears it has in it.
Any advice?
I wouldn't be too worried about the truck keeping its value with original numbers matching parts. I'd probably go for a crate engine if you're planning on spending money on the truck, at least then you're getting a fresh motor and not worrying about 30 year old parts..
My brother sunk a bunch of money into an old GMC truck, only thing is that those trucks are totally worthless.
350's are a lot of HP in a small package. I'd say rebuild it. Get it bored out 20thou and put in oversized pistons.
And yes guilty is right, these trucks are totally worthless. They were meant to be that way.
If I had the cash to get a nice old truck like yours and build it up, I would.
Any Joe blow can go out there and get a crated engine and throw it in a truck. Same thing as going to Canadian Tire and buying a wooden chair.
Some people have the time and enjoy monkey wrenching, some don't and go for the short route.
Get a better truck? Oldschool C10's are where it's at man. Why would I wanna pay like 50K on a new one, or a Envoy or something...and have what everyone else has...
Yeah, I'm torn as to what to do...
If I rebuilt the engine, I'd convert it to ARP studs, put in new bearing caps, likely OS pistons and rings, get the crank machined or replaced if need be, do whatever it needs to be a reliable runner, and tough too. Then I'd swap out pretty much the entire top end to gain power, and to lose weight. Also replace the castiron manifolds with SS ones, lose the mechanical fan, and replace it with a FAL...also to save weight and gain power, etc.
On the otherhand, there is the simplicity of the crate engine...just install, add plugs and fluids, and you're pretty much turnkey...
Have to give this a lot of thought, as I know that a rebuilt 350 is gonna give me 300+ hp and likely 325-350 ft lbs at the wheels...
Thanks for the insight so far everyone...
A properly matched intake manifold and 4-barrel carb with mechanical or vacuum secondaries is your best bet. I'm a mechanical secondaries kind of guy, myself. I like knowing I'm not dependent on a certain pressure to open s*** up.
I'd probably convert to long-tube ceramic-coated headers (Hedman) and then a true twin exhaust with no cutovers or H-tubing (had that on my 1987 Ranger with the 302 V8) into a pair of appropriately-sized glasspacks. The power will be AMAZING, and the sound is actually quite enjoyable and not ticket-inducing.
I'd likely go Holley for most top-end stuff (intake mani, carb), Crane for the bumpsticks. Most of my motor-building experience is heads and up, so for bottom-end I couldn't make any recommendations.
NOS2Go4Me,Sep 24 2006, 12:30 PM Wrote:I'd probably convert to long-tube ceramic-coated headers (Hedman) and then a true twin exhaust with no cutovers or H-tubing (had that on my 1987 Ranger with the 302 V8) [right][snapback]208299[/snapback][/right]
I thought having an H-pipe or X-pipe made an improvement in power.. It evens out exhaust scavenging or something, making sure both cylinder banks were exhausting with the same backpressure. That's just from what I learned watching Horsepower TV and those shows..
rebuild the engine to a 383 stroker, with everything you mentioned that you would do to rebuild the 350. i think that they make 383 crate engine too. Look at the costs for a rebuild and crate engine, and go from there.
you should also think about tranny upgrades if its an automatic.