Are you sure he said the rods were clearance for the cam. Almost all the block I have done needed to be clearanced in the block. Very easy to do just make sure that from the edge of the pan rail down is a straight shot. Works every time. I just have a flat bar with a bolt hanging down and when it touches the pan rail your set.
5.7 350 Vortec into 383?
- Thread starter Stylez
- Start date
Take a piece of flat stock or a board and drill a hole in it and install a bolt about two inches long and let it hang down. The bolt will hit the lower part of the cylinder before it touches the pan rail. Grind out the area where the rod bolt will pass buy and when the bolt touches the pan rail you will have enough clearance for the rod bolt.
I called a local speed shop and they wanted around 2500.00 to rebuild my 5.7. I dont have the proper tools to do it myself... if I wanted them to clean up the block and put the internals in what would be a fair price to do that as I can put the top half together myself. I could probably do the interneals myself as long as I dont have to machine anything. And are the factory cast iron head better than aluminum? And if so can I get the heads built or build them with upgraded parts? Thanks for all the replies and advice. PEACE...
I have 2 of the 880 vortec casting in standard bore with the eagle kits for sale. These are 4 bolt main blocks and assembled with the windage tray and pan. One is a flat top motor and the other is a dished piston motor. 10.3-1 for the flat top and 9.5-1 on the dished piston one with a 64cc head. These are roller cam blocks and come with lifters dog bones and spider. You will need to supply the cam if you want the cam installed. $1300. I can ship if needed but you will pay the shipping cost. I build these as a hobby for my friends because I don't do the normal thing retires people do. Even with the vortec heads these motor make some unreal power with the right cam. Even a stock rebuild 350 with the right roller cam and vortec heads will get you deep in the 13s in a Gbody.
Car Craft did an article a while back on the GM 330hp 350 with Vortec heads. With a Comp XE268 (224/230 @.050", .477"/.480") and a 750cfm carb it made about 375hp with bone stock Vortecs... added the hot cam kit and it made something like 400 or 410. I built mine with the same XE268 cam and it sure is a lot of fun to drive 
I'm running a 600cfm carb mainly because street manners will be slightly better.
I'm running a 600cfm carb mainly because street manners will be slightly better.With a little porting on the exhaust side to open up the port things really start to pick up. On the intake side just a little smoothing of the edges is all that's needed. Comp. makes a set of beehive springs and retainers for around $200 complete to handle .550 lift and up to 6000 rpms. Your right the GM hot cam with a set of 1.6 rockers puts the cam at .525 lift. That's with a 350 now though in a 3.75 stroker kit and thing really come in play, BIG TIME.
What modifications need to be done the valve guides? Or is that the propose for the beehive spring?
You can if you want BUT as long as your doing the spring change you might a well change the seals. I have a tool that cut the seal for a .531 and I always install new ones when I do a set of heads. Its a lot easer doing when the heads are off then when they are on.
The guy that did my heads cut the seal mount down about .125", figured that'll be good for close to .600" even though I'll never run that much, left the outside of the spring pockets alone andcut the outer portion of the guides to make it so I can run standard SBC damper style springs. He said a lot of people try to run those without machining the inside, then the dampers break and wreak all kinds of havoc. I used the springs I rand on the TBI heads from when I first built the engine. I couldn't believe how much of a difference I felt in going from the 193 (350 TBI) to Vortecs. Next step is a bigger cam, current one sounds like a stock 350.
Similar threads
