crazycutty

well first of i gotta give my respect to the camaro. its probably the best detroit muscle out there. i used to have one a '68 but my dad recked it. well after that he bought me a 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. well i guess i couldn't afford a camaro again but i could afford a carberaed 350. well im extremely happy with the power but i want more. this will b my first engine build up and i want nuthing but the best. i was hoping you ppl could help me and tell me wut would be best to put on it and in what ordet plz. thnx in advance

Capn Pete

Well, you've gotta be a little more clear on what you want. Do you want a quick "street/strip machine", a "strong" daily driver, a full-out drag car?? Also, you need to set a budget.

A basic 350 build is probably the best "bang for the buck" you'll find (except maybe a 302 "5.0L" Ford?? ). When choosing parts for an engine, the block is (obviously) the grounds from where you start. Depending on how far you want to go, you may want a 4-bolt block, but there's nothing wrong with a 2-bolt block either. Then you've gotta determine what kind of power you want (300HP, 400HP, 500HP??), and how much gas you want it to use. A high-compression engine (~10.5:1 +) will require high-octane gas, but will make the most power, vs. an engine around 10:1 or less will run on regular pump gas no problem, but doesn't make quite as much power. Then, the real "key" to your engine is the camshaft. The cam (and as well, the heads you choose) really dictate "how" your engine will run, and where it'll make its power. While they're more expensive, roller camshafts are the best, since they "free" up horsepower by reducing the friction inside the engine, but a nice mechanical (or even hydraulic) flat-tappet cam will still make lots of power too (and they're a lot cheaper).

The problem you encounter when building a wild motor, is that stuff behind the motor (ie: transmission, differential, tires) then need to be "beefed up", or upgraded to handle the power.

Give us a little more info on what you're looking to do, and you can get a lot more help on your plans.

crazycutty

hey thnx alot man for your advice, it helps alot. i want a 10 sec car, and it wont be all horsepower and torque. ive already lightened the car as much as possible (i took of 300+ lbs.) so that helps alot. so i guess ill need about 450 to 500 hp, after seeiing similar aplications. well about gas mileage it doesnt matter cuz i live in a small town with alot of ricers. hahah. rigth now the car has a 4.3L V8 (260 c.i.) and a th350 tranny. should i keep the tranny or swith it for a borg warner t-56? and as for the rearend i plan on getting a dana 44 or a 12 bolt. thats the good thing on living in a border city, theres alot of junkyards in mexico with cheap parts. wut about porting and polish? wut is it? and boring, i hear alot of people talk about that? also i hear alot of a 383 being a souped up 350, wut are the differences? well thnx for the advice and if you could answer these questions it would be alot more help

angel71rs

Have you considered a big block Olds engine? I know that swapping a 455 in place of a 350 is super easy, uses same brackets and mounts. Don't know shinola about 260's, but if they are the same basic engine externally as a 350, a big block is a Saturday swap deal.

Properly built TH350 will live behind a 455. Biggest problem with going manual on a G-body is finding the parts. Vast majority were automatics. I've only seen ONE std G-body.

Easiest rear to swap in would be the corporate 10 bolt. Used in Turbo V6 Buicks and I believe the 80's 442's had them too. Same internals as the 71-81 F-body's & A-bodies of the 70's. This diff will take a lot of hp if built right.

Good site for Olds tech:

http://realoldspower.com/

Capn Pete

A 4.3L V8?? Neat?!

OK, you're thinking in the right direction.........if you want 10's (not asking for much are ya?!) then weight reduction is a good start. And, the motor that's going to get you into the 10's will work better with a 12-bolt than a stock 10-bolt rearend (which it could easily break, so good thinking). To do what you want to do, you're going to need a lot of motor........ie: high-compression, high-revving, and lots of stick!!! (aka: camshaft). For strength and endurance purposes, you should be using a set of forged pistons --- they're more expensive (as you'll find a lot of stuff to be for this type of build-up), but they'll take a lot more abuse. Also, I'd say you'll need a set of pop-up pistons to give you higher compression --- you'll have to run high octane gas (~110), but without resorting to a blower, you need compression. Then, a good set of high-flowing heads are necessary. Air Flow Research (for example) make really good aluminum heads (as far as I've heard), which you'll need for the flow, light-weight, and small chamber size (which increases compression). As far as a cam, I don't know what exactly to suggest, but I'd almost recommend going with a solid cam, since you're going to be revving this puppy high, but a hydraulic roller should give you good results --- and you're going to need something with good lift (like ~.550" or better). I'm not a "cam expert", but some guys on here are really good with them.

If you want consistency at the drags, I'd stick with the auto transmission. As well, they shift quicker than a person can. IMO, the TH350 should work OK, but I'd recommend having it rebuilt with beefed up parts, and have a good shift kit installed. Then you'll have to look into a stall converter (for 10's?? probably a 4000-4500RPM stall --- but it totally depends on the motor you build). The gears you'll need for the back will have to be fairly low (4.10's maybe??) to get you the E/T's you're looking for, and you'll definitely need sticky tires!

As far as "boring" a motor, it's almost a given that you'd have an engine bored, which is having the cylinders enlarged slightly (usually in .010" increments, and for a 350, usually .030" over-bore). This ensures that the cylinders are perfectly cylindrical --- not "oval" shaped --- and it increases the overall displacement of the engine (a 350 becomes a 355 when bored .030" over). "Stroking" is referring to using a longer stroked crankshaft than the engine originally had (ie: a 383 is a 350 with the crank from a 400 Chevy). However, Strokers are more expensive to build, since there is a lot of extra machining involved. Like I said before, it all depends on your budget. If you want to go all out, an all-forged (crank, rods, pistons) Stroker engine is probably your best bet, since longer strokes increase the torque output of engines, but you have to decide how much you want to spend.

Well, sorry I'm so long-winded, but I hope this helps you get an idea of what you're up against. And I'm afraid that when you say you want to run 10's, it's not going to be cheap. You can go as fast as you want, it just costs more and more the faster you go (and that's why Nitrous is so great.............if you just want to GO FAST, it's probably the cheapest single bolt-on you can do to increase HP by a lot!!). Happy "Dreaming/Planning".

crazycutty

thanx angel71rs for your help, and capn pete. ill keep all of that in mind when i start the build up come the new year. hey well drastically changin the subject, have you downloaded the new im from here, cuz i cant get it to work