super budget 350 chevy build

As i have come to age i realize that being 18 years old i don't have the means to build a 7k motor. I do have some decent know how and excellent resources. My question to you guys is how can i build an honest reliable 400 hp/tq motor. As you know it will be backed by my Muncie and have 3.42s in the rear. I plan to use my current distributor freshly rebuilt and my EPS Edelbrock intake. I have found some nice engines on craigslist for pretty cheap. What do you guys think about that? And id love to hear some super budget combos for 400 hp at minimum. This is a daily driven car to school, work and errands and road trips. Budget of $2,500 and i don't want to build my motor in the car right now because i don't want it to sit on jack stands for months. Thanks guys-Justin P.S i don't mind iron or aluminum heads.

Sounds to me like you may need a 383 block, to get that HP & Torque without pushing a 350 to get it.
Search the vendors, like Summit, Jegs etc for what is available. $2500 wont likely get you there though, because the little things you may need can add up !

Heres something I've read about quite a while ago.  This should give you some good ideas.  This is for a 383 500hp. Only thing I would change is that I would go with a forged piston. 

A rule of thumb nowadays says that you should expect to spend $10 per horsepower to build your motor if you're doing the assembly yourself. Figure on a minimum of $1,000 for machine work.

If I were tasked with engineering the build for you, I'd begin with an L31 block, to take advantage of the production roller hydraulic cam and one-piece rear seal arrangement. It's still a Gen I block, so no surprises. Here are the vehicles that came stock with the L31 platform.....
1996-2002 Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana full-size vans
1996-1999 Chevrolet/GMC C/K full-size trucks
1996-1999 Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Suburban full-size long wheelbase SUVs
1996-1999 Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon full-size short wheelbase SUVs
1999-2000 Cadillac Escalade

Here's the recipe for a slam-dunk 500hp/500ft/lbs 383 roller cam motor.....
Stock L31 block bored to 4.030".
Scat cast steel crank for 1-piece rear seal
...http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sca-935050l
...This will be an externally balanced motor, using a 400 small block harmonic
...damper and eccentric-weighted flexplate. Finish balancing will be done at the
...machine shop.
Scat forged steel connecting rods
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sca-25700
Milodon 7-quart pan
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-30902
Milodon standard pressure/standard volume pump
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-30902
Milodon pickup
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-18311
Fel-Pro 1003 head gasket
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/fel-1003
SpeedPro hypereutectic pistons, +0.030"
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sl...cp30/overview/

Check main bearing bores for being round and parallel. Correct by align-hone or align-bore process. Stack height (piston compression height, rod length and crank radius added together) is 9.000". Cut block deck height to 9.000" to make "zero deck" block. Squish/Quench will be 0.041", the thickness of the head gasket.

Pro-Filer All American 23 degree aluminum cylinder heads, 195cc intake runner volume, 72cc combustion chambers. Makes 10.1:1 static compression ratio with the other parts listed here.
http://www.profilerperformance.com/r.../sbc-23-degree

Edelbrock 7101 Performer RPM intake manifold. No manifold will make more power and torque from 1500 to 6500 than this one. It's based on the original Winters aluminum high-rise, dual-plane intake manifold that was used on the Z-28 302 Chevy motor. You may find a used one under Weiand part number 8016 or Holley part number 300-36. Those two are no longer in production, but can be found on craigslist or racing junk. The current production Weiand 8150 is a pretty decent manifold also. Ignore the Edelbrock Air Gap model of this high-rise dual-plane intake manifold. It's marketing hype.

Use the standard 7101 NO-GAP intake manifold to prevent cold weather bucking and rough performance.
Use a single-plane intake manifold if you are looking to make power from 5000 to 8500. All I can do is shake my head when I see street machiners running around with a single plane intake on their motor.

750 carb. If stick shift or auto and your converter stalls at 3000 or higher, use a double-pumper. If auto and the converter stalls at less than 3000, use a vacuum-secondaries carb. Use a 14" x 4" air cleaner assembly so the motor can breathe.

1 3/4" primary tube diameter, long tube tuned headers, not those cheezy "shorty" pieces of ****. Choose minimum 3/8" flange thickness to prevent the flanges from curling up like potato chips from the heat and spitting out the gaskets. Run an X or H tube immediately after the collectors, then pipes and mufflers of your choice back past the rear fender. Nothing sounds quite as "Mickey Mouse" as pipes that are terminated under the car and reverberating the sheet metal.

There has been chatter about flexplates cracking lately. I suspect this is a result of buying Chinesium plates that are too thin for the job. Use only plates that are SFI 29.1 rated. (drag race quality).

Howards roller hydraulic cam, part number 180255-10
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hrs-180255-10
Uses stock Chevrolet roller lifters from the L31 donor motor
With a 10.1:1 SCR, this cam will generate a DCR of 8.6:1 that will operate well on available pump gas with zero detonation, using the aluminum heads.

Figure 500 bucks minimum for a good-quality 2800-3000 rpm stall torque converter.

Check pan to oil pickup clearance with modeling clay, the kind of oil-based clay that you will find at hobby and craft shops, not Play-Doh, which will not hold its shape. With the block sitting with the oil pump pickup up, make a cone of clay and affix it to the bottom of the pump pickup. Put a little oil on the clay so that the oil pan will not stick to it. With the gasket in place, drop the pan down onto the block and make sure it is all the way down on the block pan rails. Remove the pan and measure the clay. You want 3/8" to 1/2" clearance between the pickup and the pan. Alter the pickup or use a different pickup to change the clearance. If the clearance is excessive, you could starve the motor for oil. If the clearance is insufficient, the pump could pull the bottom of the pan up against the pickup and the game if over.

Joe73 wrote:Heres something I've read about quite a while ago.  This should give you some good ideas.  This is for a 383 500hp. Only thing I would change is that I would go with a forged piston. 

A rule of thumb nowadays says that you should expect to spend $10 per horsepower to build your motor if you're doing the assembly yourself. Figure on a minimum of $1,000 for machine work.

If I were tasked with engineering the build for you, I'd begin with an L31 block, to take advantage of the production roller hydraulic cam and one-piece rear seal arrangement. It's still a Gen I block, so no surprises. Here are the vehicles that came stock with the L31 platform.....
1996-2002 Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana full-size vans
1996-1999 Chevrolet/GMC C/K full-size trucks
1996-1999 Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Suburban full-size long wheelbase SUVs
1996-1999 Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon full-size short wheelbase SUVs
1999-2000 Cadillac Escalade

Here's the recipe for a slam-dunk 500hp/500ft/lbs 383 roller cam motor.....
Stock L31 block bored to 4.030".
Scat cast steel crank for 1-piece rear seal
...http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sca-935050l
...This will be an externally balanced motor, using a 400 small block harmonic
...damper and eccentric-weighted flexplate. Finish balancing will be done at the
...machine shop.
Scat forged steel connecting rods
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sca-25700
Milodon 7-quart pan
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-30902
Milodon standard pressure/standard volume pump
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-30902
Milodon pickup
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-18311
Fel-Pro 1003 head gasket
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/fel-1003
SpeedPro hypereutectic pistons, +0.030"
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sl...cp30/overview/

Check main bearing bores for being round and parallel. Correct by align-hone or align-bore process. Stack height (piston compression height, rod length and crank radius added together) is 9.000". Cut block deck height to 9.000" to make "zero deck" block. Squish/Quench will be 0.041", the thickness of the head gasket.

Pro-Filer All American 23 degree aluminum cylinder heads, 195cc intake runner volume, 72cc combustion chambers. Makes 10.1:1 static compression ratio with the other parts listed here.
http://www.profilerperformance.com/r.../sbc-23-degree

Edelbrock 7101 Performer RPM intake manifold. No manifold will make more power and torque from 1500 to 6500 than this one. It's based on the original Winters aluminum high-rise, dual-plane intake manifold that was used on the Z-28 302 Chevy motor. You may find a used one under Weiand part number 8016 or Holley part number 300-36. Those two are no longer in production, but can be found on craigslist or racing junk. The current production Weiand 8150 is a pretty decent manifold also. Ignore the Edelbrock Air Gap model of this high-rise dual-plane intake manifold. It's marketing hype.

Use the standard 7101 NO-GAP intake manifold to prevent cold weather bucking and rough performance.
Use a single-plane intake manifold if you are looking to make power from 5000 to 8500. All I can do is shake my head when I see street machiners running around with a single plane intake on their motor.

750 carb. If stick shift or auto and your converter stalls at 3000 or higher, use a double-pumper. If auto and the converter stalls at less than 3000, use a vacuum-secondaries carb. Use a 14" x 4" air cleaner assembly so the motor can breathe.

1 3/4" primary tube diameter, long tube tuned headers, not those cheezy "shorty" pieces of ****. Choose minimum 3/8" flange thickness to prevent the flanges from curling up like potato chips from the heat and spitting out the gaskets. Run an X or H tube immediately after the collectors, then pipes and mufflers of your choice back past the rear fender. Nothing sounds quite as "Mickey Mouse" as pipes that are terminated under the car and reverberating the sheet metal.

There has been chatter about flexplates cracking lately. I suspect this is a result of buying Chinesium plates that are too thin for the job. Use only plates that are SFI 29.1 rated. (drag race quality).

Howards roller hydraulic cam, part number 180255-10
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hrs-180255-10
Uses stock Chevrolet roller lifters from the L31 donor motor
With a 10.1:1 SCR, this cam will generate a DCR of 8.6:1 that will operate well on available pump gas with zero detonation, using the aluminum heads.

Figure 500 bucks minimum for a good-quality 2800-3000 rpm stall torque converter.

Check pan to oil pickup clearance with modeling clay, the kind of oil-based clay that you will find at hobby and craft shops, not Play-Doh, which will not hold its shape. With the block sitting with the oil pump pickup up, make a cone of clay and affix it to the bottom of the pump pickup. Put a little oil on the clay so that the oil pan will not stick to it. With the gasket in place, drop the pan down onto the block and make sure it is all the way down on the block pan rails. Remove the pan and measure the clay. You want 3/8" to 1/2" clearance between the pickup and the pan. Alter the pickup or use a different pickup to change the clearance. If the clearance is excessive, you could starve the motor for oil. If the clearance is insufficient, the pump could pull the bottom of the pan up against the pickup and the game if over.

Joe, that is a great great great build right there but i really dont want 500 hp right now. Id like to stay with a 350 to 357 because rarely anyone builds those anymore, everyone wants to build a 383 and for good reasons but i want to be different. I would want 450hp at the very most, i used to want more but that was before i learned but hp to dollar ratios.

http://blueprintengines.com/index.php/products/bp-gm-crate-engines-landing/gm-383-main/item/gm-383-base-bp3832ct1

This will almost get you there. I have a Blueprint 383 in mine for 5 years no issues great engine.

I hear ya. I'm building my original block 350.

Look into crate engines. The people that build them get parts volume discounts and most of them have computer programmed machines that cut down on hourly labor to set up. Because of this they can offer cheaper prices than if you tried to buy parts yourself and somebody to machine it all. Aftermarket has just about wiped out the affordability to refurbish factory parts. Why spend $200 to resize, magniflux, and change bolts in a set of 100,000 mile rods when Scat and Eagle sell replacements for $250 for example. You're not a building a one off race engine where every hp is important. There you may want the guy to hand set up the machine and do the work manually.

Bracketchev and Tom77 are right on the money. Buy a crate motor. Best bang for the buck. All the part matching is done for you.

JF74 Chevelle I hear ya. I have built many a small block for cheap and they all have had between 275-325 hp.
My receipt is as follows....
Find a good usable 350 motor complete. (should be able to find one cheap)
Have everything checked out for cracks and if the crank is any good.
If it needs bored, and it probably will, have it hot tanked and cam bearings installed. If you want, have them install all the freeze plugs. Worth the little extra money.
When having it bored, they will let you know what it can be taken out to. get flat tops with 4 valve relief pistons. I always just order ones from say a 68-70 Impala, Camaro, Chevelle. Doesn't matter on what it fits, those years will all have the flat top 4 valve relief pistons. Cast pistons will save you money and you really don't need forged ones for this much hp.
Have the rods reconditioned and have the machine shop press the pistons on the rods.
For heads, that's a wide open thing. do your homework here though. Make sure you find ones with the 76cc chambers to keep the compression at about 8.75-9.0 to 1. Have a good three angle valve job done and make sure they cut the guides to fit the Perfect Circle valve seals. Much better than the old "umbrella ones.
Camshafts? I would strongly suggest calling comp cams and let them pick a cam for you. Let them know everything they want to know. They're pros and know cams better than anyone  here does. (Please don't take that to heart everyone.)
For the crank, if it needs turned, find a crank kit with bearings. They're cheap.
You won't be needing an expensive forged crank for this build either. A cast one will hold up just fine.
For an intake, use a dual plane intake and not one that is really tall. You're trying to build torque, not spin this motor to the moon.
Carb...stay with something in the 600cfm range. Too big and you'll kill power and it'll give you fits till the cows come home.

All these parts, including the crank can be bought as a kit and save you tons of money.
Check out this kit for $399.00 http://www.northernautoparts.com/part/ek-ek1900

All of this is from my experience and I have built more engines than I can remember. The last one I built like this was for my daily driver S10 that got 19mpg with a TH350, no cruise and 3.42 rear end. I had it on a chassis dyno ant it made 256hp at the wheels. I know, that's not a lot, but it was a very realible engine I could put any kind of gas in and drive it anywhere I wanted without breaking down or breaking the bank.

Good luck on you project sir.
Jeff....

https://www.yearone.com/Product/1964-72-chevelle-monte-carlo-el-camino/at350pc1


What do you guys think of this crate motor? Too good to be true? Or should I build my own?

In general to me the question of build or buy is just a function of desire. It applies to dinner as well as engines. If you want to build one, then just do it. If the goal is to get the best possible quality, then I will buy one, because I can't build one of that quality. Of course, the only way to learn is to do it, so if my long term goal is to learn to do it better, then I'd need to get started with practicing.

I've heard good things about the year one engines. They aren't trumpeting the flashy name brands on every part, so that might account for the slightly lower than expected price. But it doesn't seem too good to be true.

If you have any circle track racing up there, you might want to get to know some of those people. Most classes cater to the small block chevy, and you can find out if there is a builder/machine shop near you that the racers prefer to use. Find that guy and talk to him about your goals.

A vortec headed 350 with the right cam should put you very close to your goal for your original post budget of 2500 bucks. You would need to get a vortec manifold, a little time on craigslist or similar venue should get you one for a reasonable price, and selling yours would offset that most likely.

Good luck!

I just got lucky and got a free 350 block. It needs to be bored and has no heads, but I have a 305 with a spun bearing I'll use some parts from. Not sure how much the machine work is going to cost yet, but right now I have about $450 in parts. I'll be assembling it in a few weeks, but the guy I'm working with on this doesn't think the it'll be more than about $200 at the shop. I hope it doesn't cost much more than that. My wife gave me a budget of $1000 and I still need to get oil and do something about the exhaust.

Not sure how much power it will make, but I'm pretty sure my butt dyno will be happy with it. I'm not going out to build a race car though. I just want a dependable motor than can do a burnout (the stock motor wouldn't do it) and be able to pass someone when driving it out on the highway.