i am going to do a 355 build for the car i bought. i have an extra block with the internals. so, i want to use the stock rods and crank, since i am sorta on a budget. what other parts do i need? like, pistons, rings, and bearings. what type are good for a budget build?

in the future i would like to possibly spray or super charge, not too sure as of right now. but forsure i would like a 375+ hp motor with heads and supporting mods if that is achivable on a budget.

what suggestions do you guys have on a cam? i want people to know i have a cam just by hearing the car idle. i also would like something that has both a good amount of torque and high end power. just like a happy medium. actually a little more torque would be better for me.

just plz help me out guys, i have a machine shop that will do all the work for 500 dollars. is that a good price?? thanks alot.

 

You'll need a set of .030" over pistons and rings, but if you ultimately want to use boost I'd suggest going with forged pieces (crank, rods and pistons) while it's all apart and do it once. You'll also want to target a lower compression ratio by using a dished piston (-16cc at least for boost), but that will also depend on head selection. You will gain the most from the boost if you build the bottom end to take it now. I'd also consider converting to splayed 4-bolt mains if you're serious about the boost.

Sounds like you just need to make up your mind on what you want to do. You COULD build a bottom end to perform marginally with and without boost, but why?

As far as the cam is concerned, I would look into a head/cam package from AI and explain your needs to them. They will hook you up.

You can do it all on a budget, but keep in mind there will always be a marginal risk involved. You get what you pay for. $500 seems a bit on the low side for having your block bored with torque plates, line honed, stock crank cut and polished, having the rods reconditioned, and having the whole thing assembled and balanced as well.

 

i though 500 was rather low too. he also gave me a quote for 2000 for a new engine with heads ported. i thought that was low too. actually, really low. its funny because we all want to pay little but i am afraid to pay 2000 for the whole set up and get crappy parts. he said that the engine would have 375 HP and more than 400 with supporting mods. i didnt ask what parts he would be using but when i go, ill ask. oh, he said that also covers installation and tear down. and that it would take his shop about 2 weeks to have it done.

as for the forced induction part, i would only want to have a small shot of nitrus and a low psi super charger on this engine. untill i can buy to have a 383 build. i guess what i want right now is a good to high performing engine with just heads and bottom end. (for now) but that is what i am really wanting as of the very near future.

 

I would let him assemble the bottom end, but as far as the head porting is concerned, I would stick with someone like AI or LE - someone who specializes in LT1s so you get your money's worth. $2k isn't exactly a lot of money for a long block whatsoever (my heads were $2500 alone). It just sounds fishy on what this guy is actually providing.

Tell him EXACTLY what you want done with the bottom end and IMO, assemble the rest of the motor yourself.

You can rebuild the bottom end to stock compression and run a small shot or low boost, but if it were myself I'd suggest doing it all right now. If it's your DD and you can afford the downtime, you'll thank yourself later.

 

nah, this is not my DD. i understand what you are saying about just doing it all right now. just so i have piece of mind that i have a good bottom end.

oh, and my bad, he was going to charge me 2000 for an engine with a flat tappet cam and 2700 for an engine with a roller cam. so, 2700 bucks for the long block. haha! oh, and it includes roller rockers too! lol

 

i am guessing he is mainly charging for the bottom end and not really doing much with the heads. thats why (i am assuming) the price is so low.

 

Steer clear of him.

With the money being shady and lack of knowledge this guy has, I wouldn't go anywhere near him.

 

Yea, i think ill try to find another machine shop somewhere.

what kind of pistons would you recommend on a budget 355 build?

 

You'll want to determine whether or not you want to go forged or hypereutectic. With my 383 build I went with forged -5cc SRPs (.030" over). That would work fine for you. You can get SRPs in hypereutectic as well (good for N/A).

 

as far as keeping the the crank and rods stock, will they be able to hold up if i plan on some boost? what is their limit??

 

It's more the rings than anything else. The stock crank and rods are pretty resilient. IMO, I wouldn't go more than 6 pounds tops.

 

so far i was looking at either these pistons

http://www.probepistons.com/pistons_...ons.html#350ft

or these

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...w=32&N=700+115

will either of these do fine? also, i was thinking of running a cc306 cam with Crane Cams 10308-1 spring and 1.6 roller rockers. does all that sounds ok? i would like to order the parts sometime next week.

i think as of right now i have made my mind up. i want to run no more than a 150 shot every once in awhile and hold off on the super charger till i get a 383. will the stock crank and rods hold the 150 shot? can they take more?

 

The Mahle pistons you picked won't work - they're for a 6" rod. Stock rods are 5.7".

The Probe pistons OTOH would work fine. Avoid the lightweight pistons if you're going to be spraying/boosting at all. As long as the CR is kept reasonable, I wouldn't hesitate to spray a 150. 175+ might be pushing it for my tastes. Others will disagree.

The 10308 kit and 1.6 rockers will work fine. I'd suggest you use NSA rockers, guideplates and hardened pushrods especially with nitrous/boost, just for good measure (marginally more expensive, but worth it).

 

I am doing the exact same build that you are doing. I went with the Mahle pistons that you are looking into. I am doing the 355 now and plan on doing the 383 next year. I am going with LE for my heads/cam/intake. He will work with you step by step and help you get every aspect of your build setup (And that is before he even does any work for you). Plan on putting in some new gears and a stall, a new fuel pump to feed the engine and a good tune if you want it to run properly. Every upgrade requires another upgrade so plan ahead.

I would run away from that machine shop. IMO you don't really need all that work for a 355 rebuild (Unless your engine was trashed) or you are going with new forged pieces. A good cylinder bore with a honing plate, some crank/rod work and a good balance and you should be ok. My block needed no align honning and some shops will say you do for the extra cash. The car has 113,000 on it and showed hardly no wear what so ever, but I guess everyones car is different. Just tryin to help.

 

haha yah, i saw the at its for a 6'' rod. would you happen to have part numbers for the exact piston that would work for me? also, do the probe pistons come with the rings? if not, what kind would you recomend? i just want a piston that is forged for that extra strength.