350 Small Block Application Ideas

350SmallBlock · 08-26-2007, 11:59 AM

So here is my story, when I was 14 I bought a 1985 Chevy El Camino as a project car. I bought a 350 block and BUILT it. I put around $6,500 in the engine alone. I got it in the car and drove it for a good 4 years. I just recently pulled the engine and I'm selling the car.

So what I have:

1.) 350 Chevy Smallblock w/ under 10,000 miles on it
Bored .60 over
Summit Race Cam, (i dont remeber the duration and lift off hand)
Flat top pistons
Edlebrock 750 cfm Carb
Edlebrock Performer Intake
Cast Heads (i have aluminum ones but not on it)
All crome and pretty...

That was the engine before i put her in the Elky, only difference now is it could use a repaint and some new valve covers and air filter...

My question: If YOU had this engine what would you do with it? I WONT sell it, and I wont put it back in the elky, I have been thinking along the lines of custom dune buggy, speed boat, boss hoss style motorcycle, IDK!

Give me your ideas! I want a new project.

silicon212 · 08-26-2007, 12:17 PM

I would want to know more about the engine itself before I decided what to put it in. What's your builds' target powerband? What is it built for?

While it may well do great in one car, it might be fairly lackluster in another application. You have to take into consideration things such as tire diameter, final axle ratio, vehicle weight, driving habits*, things of that nature.

Whatever you decide to do, you need to keep your goals realistic. Putting a $6,500 build small block into a sandrail might get you noticed (perhaps even killed) at the dunes, but it won't pay for itself.

The engine that's in my Caprice is a 350, and when I had built it in '93 ($2,400 at the time) it was built for a '76 Nova but wound up in a '75 Pontiac Grand Am instead. I put 220,000 miles on that engine in that car, and it was never 'great' the whole time. The car had 2.56 highway gears, putting the engines' powerband way too high on the speed chart, meaning it was pretty doggish in town because it wasn't running at its output level. The car was also about 4200 pounds, vs. my Caprice's 3,600 pounds (a 600 pound difference).

When it was time to get rid of the Grand Am, which by this point had 360,000 hard driven miles on its frame, I pulled the engine out and used it to replace the 305 in my 9C1. I also used a different cam profile on it when I did that, so now the engine is not only running in its powerband, but the fuel economy is about 6-7 MPG better than it ever was in the Grand Am.

* "Driving habits" refers to how the car is used - i.e., mostly highway driving, stop-and-go driving, city driving, hills etc.

350SmallBlock · 08-26-2007, 12:33 PM

Well, the engine ran on the elky with its stock gears (i dont even know what they were heh) and bolted to 4 different transmissions by the end ( 200c, 700R4, Turbo 350, Turbo 400; in that order) it blew all four... the only time i had it on a dyno was with the Turbo 350 (thats when it ran best) and i was getting 361 hp at the rear wheel.

I have no idea what my powerband would look like in other vehicles, but im pretty confident the thing could power a Mac truck if it had to. Im not looking to make a race car or anything. I just want something fun to do with the engine.

I am not opposed to getting back into the engine either, I had half a mind to make it a stroker, give it a dbl carb setup and make her really scream. Before I put it in anything I plan on pulling the pistions honeing the cyclinders, getting the crank repolished, and putting new rings on the pistions (i am getting some blowby on cyclinders 3 and 7)

I sold all my other projects, and i have a reliable daily driver ('04 Jeep Wrangler) So if i spend another 5 years on this next project I dont really care. I just am looking for ideas.

GreyGoose006 · 08-28-2007, 09:18 AM

it would be one nice boat engine, i can tell you that.
if you had a small boat (a mastercraft ski boat or a small speedboat for example) you could gear it up so you could really fly.

it would probably be overkill in a sandrail.
the weight alone would be hard to overcome.

another option would be to put it into sometihng like a VW beetle and suprise the hell out of everyone

350SmallBlock · 08-28-2007, 04:21 PM

haha the Beetle would be hilarious! Talk about a total sleeper!

I was thinking about a boat actually, along the lines of 22 or 23 ft Veloicty, a late 80's one preferably (to keep cost down) The problem is finding one that is in good condition that needs an engine!!

GreyGoose006 · 08-28-2007, 04:51 PM

well any boat could use a good engine if you get my drift.
something small would be preferable in my mind
that way you could use an overdrive gear in the transmission (instead of a direct drive) and get better economy when you arent pounding on it and making high speed runs

350SmallBlock · 08-28-2007, 05:07 PM

yeah i hear what yer saying, although the Veloictys came with 350 magnums in them rear mounted hooked to an I/O Drive. That would make dropping mine in pretty easy. Then it would just be a matter of getting the I/O built strong enough to handle the hp!

GreyGoose006 · 08-31-2007, 07:57 AM

i/o drives are pretty inferior ways of driving a boat.

its better to do an inboard drive with a screw and rudder.
first, its more maneuverable.
with a I/O you cant turn unless you are giving it gas. with a screw and rudder, it will be able to turn more tightly in close quarters.
second, you will be able to go into shallower water.
I/Os generally stick out (down) about 2-4 feet more
thirdly, safety
with I/Os there is a good chance of mangling people in the prop behind the boat. with an inboard, the prop is about 3 feet behind the back of the boat, and even more with a platform. they are safer.

350SmallBlock · 08-31-2007, 08:04 AM

Very good points! Well I'm going to start doing some research on boats and see what wets my whistle!

Blue Bowtie · 09-01-2007, 01:59 PM

Surface drives, Garrett turbines, and good seat belts:

Even the "little' boats in that place were cool.

350SmallBlock · 09-01-2007, 08:27 PM

Wowzers! Thats, cool....

mr_mushroom · 09-02-2007, 02:30 AM

put it in a fiero.
the only way you'll drive is sideways.

350SmallBlock · 09-02-2007, 07:58 AM

I knew a kid who put a 351 Windsor in his Fiero, he had to do craxy amounts of work to get it to fit and bolt up~!

koeb$ · 09-04-2007, 10:44 PM

if im not mistaken a 351 is a ford application, i was led to believe that bolting in the gm motors was not too difficult. either way i would stick that motor in a little s-10 becuase i have always wanted to do that.

silicon212 · 09-04-2007, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koeb$

if im not mistaken a 351 is a ford application, i was led to believe that bolting in the gm motors was not too difficult. either way i would stick that motor in a little s-10 becuase i have always wanted to do that.

I always had this crazy-ass idea to take an old Yugo GV and shoehorn a big block (such as a 454) into it. I remember laughing myself to sleep with the thought when I was 16 or so. The 350 might, however, fit a little better.

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