engine building, anyone?
blue man
12-29-2004, 01:06 AM
ok...i just bought a 73 nova, my first car. (im 16) and it has this crappy little 250 in it. im wondering, if i bought an engine rebuild kit and a corresponding block, would i have the parts to make the main working parts of an engine? what else would i need? ..or am i totally mis-informed on the subject? go easy on me, im new at this..
ghostguy6
12-29-2004, 02:22 PM
You may........... if you want something bigger than a 250 its very unlikely though. You would have to do ALOT of measuring to make sure everything part is within specs. It may be easier for you to go to wreckers and get a used 305 or 350 and rebuild that.
danny350
12-29-2004, 10:38 PM
Very unlikely indeed...considering it's an I-6.
Would you be planning on doing this rebiuld yourself?
Would you be planning on doing this rebiuld yourself?
rollin_on13s
12-30-2004, 01:52 AM
ok...i just bought a 73 nova, my first car. (im 16) and it has this crappy little 250 in it. im wondering, if i bought an engine rebuild kit and a corresponding block, would i have the parts to make the main working parts of an engine? what else would i need? ..or am i totally mis-informed on the subject? go easy on me, im new at this..
OK, I've been in your shoes before- more than once, and here's my best advice;
Make a budget for everything that you want to do to your car.
Be realistic about how much everything will cost (ask around and get prices from shops and other do-it-yourselfer's).
Again, be realistic about how much your car will be worth when it's DONE- some searching around on Ebay will provide you with some realistic values. (Try a search that specifies "completed listing"- it will provide you with all of the listings within the past 30 days, and what the cars actually sold for)
Why? Put simply, it's reeeeally easy to put $8000 into a car that ends up being worth something like $3800 (remember, classic and custom cars are ONLY worth what someone will pay for them).
A really nice paint job can cost you $5K, and that’s without any bodywork or rust repair. A nice set of wheels-n-tires can run upwards of $1500. NO, you might not plan on painting and all that now, but it ends up being part of the process- once you invest in making the car faster, and more roadworthy- you will probably want your investment to look good. And that's just the eye-candy.
OK, on with the good shiznit.
You’ve got a good starting point, yes? But you want more HP. You have basically three options;
(1) Hop the existing motor- Yes, I said it! Providing that the motor doesn’t have too many miles, and has a solid bottom end. You will more than likely need to have the head serviced, purchase a swap meet/Ebay intake, matched carb, and buy a solid lift camshaft/lifters/rocker arms. You will also need a gasket set, complete tune-up kit, and hotter aftermarket ignition coil. You can piece together a performance exhaust as you get the ca$h. It’s not glamorous, but providing that you can find the parts reasonably, you can buy some pretty decent performance in the short term. You’ll be on the street in some old-skool cool- in no time (with a little help from a friend with a torque wrench).
(2) Swap in a small block V-8. This may be your best bet. I would recommend buying a running motor- out of another car- and definitely stay away from purchasing a motor that someone else has HI-PO’ed (unless you know them). The problems that you stand to inherit may cost you more than the motor(or rebuilding a motor of your own), not to mention the time and frustration involved- trust me, it can really suck. Of course the motor will have to be a Chevy, and I’m fairly sure that a small block will bolt to your transmission (theoretically), although there may be some minor complications involved. You’re sweet spot here is to get a factory 4bbl motor- the older, the better.
As far as I know, your car is drum-brake equipped in the front- trust me, you will want to change this as soon as you drive it with the extra 200lbs in the front end, and the extra 200 ft/lbs of torque at the rear axle. Another must is swapping in V-8 front coil springs- you won’t go very far without these. And you’ll have to work a new exhaust system into the budget to hook to the V8, look for $250-$300 at a minimum for this. You’ll want to have a look at the U-joints, and the added torque you buy will undoubtedly do ugly things to the monoleaf rear suspension-although it may take some time.
An HEI will be good to have, along with the starter, exhaust manifolds, and power steering pump/ alternator/motor mount bracketry that you’ll get with your purchase. You’ll also want new motor and transmission insulator/mounts. You MAY get away with using the existing radiator- but not for very long. You'll have to rent an engine hoist- and have a pretty thorough tool set around, too. Beware of all the little stuff- here, I mean stuff like making the power steering setup work, and locating the correct holes in the crossmember for the motor mounts- if they exist.
(3) Build your very own Chevy V8. Take note- at this point, you are investing seriously in your car. You can buy a short/long block already built, purchase a crate motor, or pay someone to build it to your specs- any of these choices will ultimately cost you in the $3K-7K range for a complete running package. In addition, you can add in all of the extra stuff from above (bracketry/ignition/suspension/exhaust). Your transmission won’t last long- and will probably be a bummer until you can get something that can stand up to all of that power.
I had a friend in high school who bought a ’70 Malibu- 307 2bbl- from an old widower. Similar to yours it was, except for being maybe 400lbs heavier (before your V8 engine swap). He installed a fairly big cam, single-plenum intake, dual-line 4 bbl, headers/dual exhaust. He rebuilt the transmission (TH350), swapped in a 2800 stall-converter, and built a 3.73 posi unit for the rear. It was an easy-revving, tire-roasting, fun ride. It worked really well as an overall package-it was also a low 15 second car on street tires.
All in all, you’ll be in the 14’s until you can afford a posi differential and a 3 or 4 series ring/pinion. Then you ‘ll have to get your beast to hook up. Hmmmm, more moolah.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that- it’s all matter of perspective. You can work with what you’ve got, you can swap in a motor that would make your car faster and more desirable in the marketplace, or you can just SPLURGE.(Take it from an old-timer)
In answer to your specific question, an engine block and a rebuild kit equals, well, a complete engine-
minus crank, rods, pistons, oil pump, camshaft, lifters, pushrods, cylinder heads- should I go on?
The block is the most basic core of a motor, and a rebuild kit is any and all of the replacement parts on the motor.
OK, I've been in your shoes before- more than once, and here's my best advice;
Make a budget for everything that you want to do to your car.
Be realistic about how much everything will cost (ask around and get prices from shops and other do-it-yourselfer's).
Again, be realistic about how much your car will be worth when it's DONE- some searching around on Ebay will provide you with some realistic values. (Try a search that specifies "completed listing"- it will provide you with all of the listings within the past 30 days, and what the cars actually sold for)
Why? Put simply, it's reeeeally easy to put $8000 into a car that ends up being worth something like $3800 (remember, classic and custom cars are ONLY worth what someone will pay for them).
A really nice paint job can cost you $5K, and that’s without any bodywork or rust repair. A nice set of wheels-n-tires can run upwards of $1500. NO, you might not plan on painting and all that now, but it ends up being part of the process- once you invest in making the car faster, and more roadworthy- you will probably want your investment to look good. And that's just the eye-candy.
OK, on with the good shiznit.
You’ve got a good starting point, yes? But you want more HP. You have basically three options;
(1) Hop the existing motor- Yes, I said it! Providing that the motor doesn’t have too many miles, and has a solid bottom end. You will more than likely need to have the head serviced, purchase a swap meet/Ebay intake, matched carb, and buy a solid lift camshaft/lifters/rocker arms. You will also need a gasket set, complete tune-up kit, and hotter aftermarket ignition coil. You can piece together a performance exhaust as you get the ca$h. It’s not glamorous, but providing that you can find the parts reasonably, you can buy some pretty decent performance in the short term. You’ll be on the street in some old-skool cool- in no time (with a little help from a friend with a torque wrench).
(2) Swap in a small block V-8. This may be your best bet. I would recommend buying a running motor- out of another car- and definitely stay away from purchasing a motor that someone else has HI-PO’ed (unless you know them). The problems that you stand to inherit may cost you more than the motor(or rebuilding a motor of your own), not to mention the time and frustration involved- trust me, it can really suck. Of course the motor will have to be a Chevy, and I’m fairly sure that a small block will bolt to your transmission (theoretically), although there may be some minor complications involved. You’re sweet spot here is to get a factory 4bbl motor- the older, the better.
As far as I know, your car is drum-brake equipped in the front- trust me, you will want to change this as soon as you drive it with the extra 200lbs in the front end, and the extra 200 ft/lbs of torque at the rear axle. Another must is swapping in V-8 front coil springs- you won’t go very far without these. And you’ll have to work a new exhaust system into the budget to hook to the V8, look for $250-$300 at a minimum for this. You’ll want to have a look at the U-joints, and the added torque you buy will undoubtedly do ugly things to the monoleaf rear suspension-although it may take some time.
An HEI will be good to have, along with the starter, exhaust manifolds, and power steering pump/ alternator/motor mount bracketry that you’ll get with your purchase. You’ll also want new motor and transmission insulator/mounts. You MAY get away with using the existing radiator- but not for very long. You'll have to rent an engine hoist- and have a pretty thorough tool set around, too. Beware of all the little stuff- here, I mean stuff like making the power steering setup work, and locating the correct holes in the crossmember for the motor mounts- if they exist.
(3) Build your very own Chevy V8. Take note- at this point, you are investing seriously in your car. You can buy a short/long block already built, purchase a crate motor, or pay someone to build it to your specs- any of these choices will ultimately cost you in the $3K-7K range for a complete running package. In addition, you can add in all of the extra stuff from above (bracketry/ignition/suspension/exhaust). Your transmission won’t last long- and will probably be a bummer until you can get something that can stand up to all of that power.
I had a friend in high school who bought a ’70 Malibu- 307 2bbl- from an old widower. Similar to yours it was, except for being maybe 400lbs heavier (before your V8 engine swap). He installed a fairly big cam, single-plenum intake, dual-line 4 bbl, headers/dual exhaust. He rebuilt the transmission (TH350), swapped in a 2800 stall-converter, and built a 3.73 posi unit for the rear. It was an easy-revving, tire-roasting, fun ride. It worked really well as an overall package-it was also a low 15 second car on street tires.
All in all, you’ll be in the 14’s until you can afford a posi differential and a 3 or 4 series ring/pinion. Then you ‘ll have to get your beast to hook up. Hmmmm, more moolah.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that- it’s all matter of perspective. You can work with what you’ve got, you can swap in a motor that would make your car faster and more desirable in the marketplace, or you can just SPLURGE.(Take it from an old-timer)
In answer to your specific question, an engine block and a rebuild kit equals, well, a complete engine-
minus crank, rods, pistons, oil pump, camshaft, lifters, pushrods, cylinder heads- should I go on?
The block is the most basic core of a motor, and a rebuild kit is any and all of the replacement parts on the motor.
blue man
12-30-2004, 08:23 PM
my car was a high-pro 396 once upon a time. it's got 396 badges (removed right now) and ive got the th350. its got all the neccessary parts except a nice, beefy engine. thanks for your help! ...and i think ive located another 396 for $900! i will definately rebuild, though. thanks again, guys (and gals??)
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