I plan on converting my I6 to a 350. I'll prob. get it from a junk yard and pull it my self. I've seen the threads on mounts. My question is, what should I look for or stay away from? I plan on running an Edelbrock carb.
Stay away from a $500 + price. For only a bit more you can get a long block from Kragen and others WITH a warrenty. Check the block casting numbers located on the left side of the bellhousing flange. Make sure you are getting a 350 and not a 305. http://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm I would recommend that if you have your heart set on picking up a 350 from a wrecking yard, you should plan on the cost of a short block rebuild kit also. Do a search at http://www.summitracing.com for Chevy engin rebuild. You will see that a low budget rebuild kit will cost around $200 and the better kits close to $400. Is a $1100 crate motor from Kragen or others looking better ??? Val
I have to agree its not that much more to go with a crate motor. by the time you figure in all the hassel of going to junk yard and rebuilding . Plus a warrenty is good thing Kilroy was here
Used engines are a gamble. From a known sorce your odds improve. The local pick and pull gets $200 for a motor. You need to get a complete setup not one someone has taken parts off of. If you want to build a killer smallblock then you will want just the short block and put some good heads on it after the short block is built. I am in the process of purchasing a used smallblock from a buddy. He picked this one up in a late 60s truck from a dealer. An old guy bought a new truck. He wanted to trade the old one in. The dealer wasn't interested in the old truck for a trade. My buddy hauls junk cars so they called him. The motor is a 3 yr old Jasper rebuild. The old guy didn't drive much so the motor should be in good shape and fairly low miles. My price is $400. I am going to take the 350 turbo tranny with it for another $150. It will be a complete take out will all accessories, belts, hoses, fan, and driveshaft. My buddy has driven the old truck around he says it runs nice. The price doubled from the junk yard but I know a little more about the motor. YES I could still get bit, but it is cheaper than the $1500 for a new one at GM that comes without carb, ignition, etc. New costs more but it sure is nice. It kind of depends on what the finished truck will be expected to do and for how long.
I need to start with a used engine because money's tight and I'd need all of the bracketry. I'll probably need to run it the way it comes, so are there certain years or modles that I should stay away from? The yards around here have lots of cars that run but don't pass emmissions (something that does't matter to me, they don't test 66 and older vechicles)
I would watch your local news paper to see if some one is selling one complete. If it is in a wrecked vehicle, you may be able to hear it run. If you are looking at a junk yard, it would need to come from a vehicle 1985 or older to be able to run as is. I guess that is what you are saying right? If not and you are willing to buy an intake and carb, then I would look for a low mileage TBI engine. I have had 3 TBI vehicles and ran them hard to over 200,000 miles without any problems. I would think you could find a 1995 truck around with low mileage.
I don't know that I would buy the intake and carb to swap the TBI to a carb. For less money than a new carb you can buy the wiring to run the TBI. The boost in fuel economy and the drivability of the TBI is nice. These later motors are also going to have an automatic with overdrive. Again you need a wiring harness to support them but they are nice when cruising the highway. These later model fuel injected motors go for the same $$$ as the older carbureted motors at the local salvage yard.
Is it realy that easy to convert a TBI engine to Carb? Just a Carb and Intake? Normally I'd be all for TBI but I want to start simple.
I guess you would also need a distributor. I am running a 96 vortec with a carb. With a vortec you would need a vortec manifold for carb, distributor, electric fuel pump and a pointer setup to time the engine.
cam lobes are diffrent also. Not sure how much of a diffrence. If you are getting a junk yard block look for a 1996 and up motor. They have vortec heads which are worth 25 hp over stock iron heads. Also if they are not already a full roller motor it is set up for it.
if your gonna start with a used engine, you really want to try to get one from a buddy or a friend of a friend, people you trust. there are two many cracked and warped blocks out there that will cause you more pain and heartache then its worth. i started with a used and like you, i was tight on money so it gave me the ability to pay as i go. you can convert tbi to carb but youll need to change out the intake and plug all sensor holes in the heads and block (crank angle sensor, cam angle sensor etc....)
If you buy a motor from a salvage yard try to take one from a vehicle that was obvioulsy in an accident that took it off the road. You know it was running when it crashed that way. If the vehicle hasn't been hit it could have made its way to the salvage yard because the motor was bad.
