350 refresh

[VileZambonie]

yeah those are cool. I have one on my 85

[exilous]

So it isnt crappy made it actually lasts a little while?

[exilous]

ok so i had my dad check out the engine I still need to pull the heads adn that stuff to get a good analysis from him but the local machine shops around here are a bunch of &$%! he is waiting on a crank he sent out 4 months ago to get reground he still hasnt heard from them. So he told me just to buy a new one.once i pull the heads and drop the pistons out he will assess the rest of the damage but he seems to think it just has very high miles on it. So I will hopefully get a better idea of what kind of price I will be looking at tomorrow. I will keep yall posted.

[VileZambonie]

I use eastwoods automachine in Somers. They are real good guys and do excellent work.

The cap and rotor I put on is still on my truck since I built the engine a few years ago.

[exilous]

ok I might have to give them a check and see whats up. depends on how the rest of the engine looks when i tear it down i did notice today once the rest of the oil had drained off the pistons i counted 4 other pistons were cracked along the skirts. what would be the cause of all that? that can't be common can it? or is it just because it has very high mileage?

[VileZambonie]

Let's see how the top of the pistons look first. Piston slap, detonation, wrong pistons, excessive thrust and foreign material are the most probable causes.

[exilous]

ok ill see if i can't get some pics up tomorrow of the combustion chambers and the tops of the pistons while they are in the engine.

[exilous]

ok here are the pics i promised yall. i noticed on cylinder 4 looks like it had some valve damage at somepoint. i didnt notice anything bent or damaged on the valve  or pushrod which makes me think the engine was either rebuilt at one time or they did some head work or something. another thing the head gaskets were felpro gaskets, did gm use felpro gaskets from the factory? im not sure but i wouldnt think they would. either way here are the pics.
Cylinders 1357

cylinder 7

head from cylinders 1357

Combustion chamber for cylinder 5

cylinder 4 notice the "bite mark"

[exilous]

ok i pulled the rest of the engine apart everything is heavily worn. deep grooves in a lot of bearings and stuff. when i started popping the pistons out every single piston was cracked. #4 was the one that lost part of its skirt to the oil pan but when i pulled #8 and #6 out from the skirt down to the first ring was cracked and those chunks fell out the only thing holding them in there was being in the cylinder. Why would this happen? is it a bad casting for the pistons? is it just a GM thing?or is it just because it is that worn? i will get some pics up later tonight of all the cracked pistons.

[VileZambonie]

Looks like it was just well overworked. Time to breathe it new life.

[exilous]

well last night i spent quite a few hours pricing everything out via a few different sites adn i found everythingi could possibly need for a pretty good price. I came up with $1400 plus a hundred here and there for small things like cam bearings and i havent picked rockers yet. everything is rounded up at least 10 bucks for shipping and all that stuff so im not completely shocked. but the list includes:
http://kmjent.com/cart/product.php?productid=1528&cat=20164535&page=1
https://secure.pawengineparts.com/shoppingcart/ShowItem.cfm?itemid=63179&catid=
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SUM%2DK1101&autoview=sku I figure the cam would give me some good low end i am not lookin to be speeding down the highway, its going to be a work truck. What I am mainly looking for is decent torque with a good midrange. I'm not 100% clear with cams i know the jist of things but would this do the job for me?
http://kmjent.com/cart/product.php?productid=498&cat=20164586&page=1
http://kmjent.com/cart/search.php?mode=search&page=1
http://kmjent.com/cart/product.php?productid=1758&cat=20164542&page=1

I need to find a stud kit and and i would have no idea what kind I would need, i don't think i would need roller rockers but i dont know. Seem like a good set of parts that I compiled? And has anyone run patriot heads before? just want to hear some reviews before i make the purchase on everything.

[eventhorizon66]

I would personally go one step larger on the cam, even if all you are looking for is low-end/midrange.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SUM%2DK1102&autoview=sku

Also, another member here used a ZOOM timing set and it had incorrect markings which caused the cam to be installed very retarded, resulting in serious drivabilty issues.
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=11271.45

An entry-level Cloyes timing set isn't much more.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CLO%2DC%2D3023X&autoview=sku

Comp Cams Magnum roller-tipped rockers are a nice upgrade over stock stamped rockers for about $150.  The roller tips reduce valve side-loading, thus increasing valveguide life (not a real issue with smaller cams).  Also, they are much stiffer than stock which results in higher valve lift, even in stock ratios.

[exilous]

thanks for the warning on the timing set. i took a look at the link i will definetly upgrade to the cloyes setup. id rather not have to pull my engine apart again to move 6 teeth over. id rather do it once.

[VileZambonie]

It think you can do a lot better on pricing and you will be disappointed for what you spend and what you get out of your selection. Go through and read on some of the budget builds and suggestions already made.

[frogman68]

The engine I am building for the blazer is right now at about 1400 with the machine work. It should be around 350 hp and almost 400 ft lbs of torque all I have left to buy is the carb

Look at Ebay for some of the parts (new only)