350 build advice.Heads,Cam .Etc.

[Ricko1966]

I have in my vast collection of junk.A good 350 target master engine shortblock.I have a pair of 993 casting heads, and a pair of swirl port 193 throttle body heads. Also have an edelbrock performer mani. W/ egr provisions.Carbs I have a vac secondary 600 Holley.An edelbrock performer carb and a rebuilt qjet. Last but not least a pair of long tube headers.Going into a 1985 C10, goal 400 ft lbs torque and somewhere around 300hp with reasonable gas mileage.My thoughts are the qjet, run the egr, the swirl port heads, and a isky 264cam. .480 lift 264 advertised duration 214 duration at.050 108 LSA. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[idahovette]

Don't get your mpg expectations too high, it is a square body don't forget!!!

 

[shiftpro]

Well you will need some compression and heads that work. The swirl ports are garbage, and the 993s are runners up but they do have some hope. They are a heavy enough casting you can port them. You can put bigger valves in them like 2.02 int/1.60 exh... for starters. But still a large chamber so it's tough to get any compression without domed pistons. The challenge is finding someone to do it and be prepared because it's hours of nasty work, unless you do it yourself. Maybe think about finding some aftermarket Vortec style heads.
And deck the **** out of the block so you have .035-040. quench.
<Maybe I should have asked first off what your skill set has and if you have an engine builder nearby.

I might be wrong about the swirl port heads but as far as I know they are worthless. Are these the heads with the swirly casting under the valves?
Also called vortex style heads (not to be confused with Vortec heads). If so, yeah just land fill imo.

If you don't have flow (heads), if you don;t have compression and your quench is half a mile deep it doesn't matter what cam or intake or color your engine is, it will be a gazz guzzling disappointment.

 

[shiftpro]

There's a few guys here that know more than me. Hang tight you will get a lot more comments...
including....

Can we talk you in to a big block?

 

[legopnuematic]

As @shiftpro said, its going to be tough to get those numbers you are wanting and would take a lot of work. I would imagine that short block's piston to deck clearance is fairly large (0.030-0.050), combined with large chambered heads, you'd be lucky to squeeze a static ratio of 9.0:1 without a lot of machine work. Combined with a low LSA will bleed off compression too, which isn't really ideal for economy or power. 993s are big chambers and 193s stop at 4000rpm. Vortec heads or a set of aftermarket iron or aluminum heads would probably be the more cost effective option, as you wont need to redo the valve guides or seats and such.

 

[Ricko1966]

I have a big block but that is for a different project, a weind supercharged 454.The 350 engine. I have was 260hp 350 ft lbs according to Chevrolet.That was with the large chamber 993 heads.The 193 heads are 64cc, they're already rebuilt, there's my compression gain, and the swirl ports claim to fame were low rpm torque supposedly comparable to vortech to 4000 rpm .I have a set of 186"s lt1 370/350 heads with 2.02s great for a high rpm sbc,but for a low hp, high torque, truck motor, with reasonable fuel consumption they seem like the wrong choice.Im glad somebody piped up about camshaft selection,because the proper cam seems like it will be key to this and cam profiles are what I am worst at.A 40hp 50 ft lbs gain shouldn't be hard to achieve.As for my engine building ability I've built zero deck small blocks,offset grind strokers,strokers with aftermarket cranks, used aftermarket heads,461,041 heads,186heads, plain jane heads,I've done static balance and blueprints on most of my engines,done mild port work and done extra face cuts and back cuts on my valves and seats before, built all my own engines and many for friends and customers

 

[Josh Helm]

Would deffently scrape the swirls and run vortecs ... also ever thought of efi?... touch more power and deffently better mpg

 

[Ricko1966]

Would deffently scrape the swirls and run vortecs ... also ever thought of efi?... touch more power and deffently better mpg

Just trying to build something cheap with the junk I've got, this truck just needs to get from point a to point b and be able to pull my car trailer until I'm done with my other truck.I have all this stuff laying in the shop, thus no cost, the shortblock is good,the heads are fresh. the only thing I do not have is the right cam.

 

[shiftpro]

I have a big block but that is for a different project, a weind supercharged 454.The 350 engine. I have was 260hp 350 ft lbs according to Chevrolet.That was with the large chamber 993 heads.The 193 heads are 64cc, they're already rebuilt, there's my compression gain, and the swirl ports claim to fame were low rpm torque supposedly comparable to vortech to 4000 rpm .I have a set of 186"s lt1 370/350 heads with 2.02s great for a high rpm sbc,but for a low hp, high torque, truck motor, with reasonable fuel consumption they seem like the wrong choice.Im glad somebody piped up about camshaft selection,because the proper cam seems like it will be key to this and cam profiles are what I am worst at.A 40hp 50 ft lbs gain shouldn't be hard to achieve.As for my engine building ability I've built zero deck small blocks,offset grind strokers,strokers with aftermarket cranks, used aftermarket heads,461,041 heads,186heads, plain jane heads,I've done static balance and blueprints on most of my engines,done mild port work and done extra face cuts and back cuts on my valves and seats before, built all my own engines and many for friends and customers

Would never have posted above if I knew this. Heck man you don't need us. Share your knowledge we'll gobble it up.

 

[Ricko1966]

Not trying to be a know it all, smart ass, etc.so please no one take it that way.I have rebuilt engines, transmissions manual and automatic as well as swapping internal gears for better ratios, rebuilt nd regeared rearends, built chassis, built rear disc setups and the list goes on.And done countless weirdo motor swaps. But most of this was for off-road cars or 1/4 mile cars,not low rpm high torque truck engines.I figured 350 Chevy being so common tbi heads being so common and this being a truck foumn someone had built a similiar combo and would have input.As for knowledge and sharing I'll do what I can when I can to help.I did this stuff for a living 1983 to 2001 didn't realize how lucky I was to work at a shop with a full machine shop and tons of weirdo racers as coworkers to ask advice or teach me things.

 

[shiftpro]

Not trying to be a know it all, smart ass, etc.so please no one take it that way.I have rebuilt engines, transmissions manual and automatic as well as swapping internal gears for better ratios, rebuilt nd regeared rearends, built chassis, built rear disc setups and the list goes on.And done countless weirdo motor swaps. But most of this was for off-road cars or 1/4 mile cars,not low rpm high torque truck engines.I figured 350 Chevy being so common tbi heads being so common and this being a truck foumn someone had built a similiar combo and would have input.As for knowledge and sharing I'll do what I can when I can to help.I did this stuff for a living 1983 to 2001 didn't realize how lucky I was to work at a shop with a full machine shop and tons of weirdo racers as coworkers to ask advice or teach me things.

It's all good Richard, sorry if I came off annoyed. I thought you were a noob, that's all. I am surprised and pleased you're not. We're happy to have anyone join in but even more so when we have a new member that has something to offer, as I'm sure you do.
Nothing wrong with noobs, we all were at some point... like just after my birth I was a complete idiot. Now I'm only a partial idiot, and only part-time so that's not so bad.

 

[shiftpro]

Those swirly port heads I would go so far to say they produce torque. They are good for off idle torque yes but power to 4000? I think not..

 

[Ricko1966]

It's all good Richard, sorry if I came off annoyed. I thought you were a noob, that's all. I am surprised and pleased you're not. We're happy to have anyone join in but even more so when we have a new member that has something to offer, as I'm sure you do.
Nothing wrong with noobs, we all were at some point... like just after my birth I was a complete idiot. Now I'm only a partial idiot, and only part-time so that's not so bad.

 

[Ricko1966]

You didn't annoy me.I was trying not to annoy you guys.And I never tell people right off what I've done seen etc. I don't want to come off like a know it all.Nobody knows it all!!!.Just like I sometimes wonder why take 30 thousandth off the top of a block for zero deck or mill a head for compression when I could offset grind the crank,to get zero deck or gain compression.It makes sense to me just haven't tried it yet.But I am sure someone knows why it's a bad idea.

 

[68post]

Your original plan is just right. Along with the cam & head choices. Maybe deck the block is all that you could add-on to perfect the quench, but I wouldn't run the EGR. $.02