spineless Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I just picked up an '86 sbc out of a GMC 3/4ton. The guy says he took great care of it throughout it's 120k mile life in the truck. This is my first experience with a chevy 350 so I've taken it apart to learn a little. So far everything looks good. The cylinders are smooth and I can still see the hone marks. Like I said the walls feel smooth except for the top where the rings don't reach, looks like a little bit of carbon build-up. Should I leave the pistons and rings alone or should I tear into it a little more. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhsbZ Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 What are your plans for the engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 You're in there, might as well at least get it honed and reringed. Replace the bearings and seals and you should be good for a long time on that engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 OK GOTTA ASK, WHY did he sell the engine and why did you pull it apart? was it in running condition when your purchase was made? what was the oil pressure at idle? did it burn oil? basically why didn,t you install it as/is how you got it, rather than dis-assemble it first? what are your plans for the engine? you should find this of interest http://www.rustpuppy.org/chp/Welcome.html ID stronggly advise purchasing this http://www.themotorbookstore.com/resmchstvi.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spineless Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 The previous owner dropped in a stroked motor when he bought a larger 5th wheel. He said that there were no preblems with it when he pulled it. I tore into it because I wanted to see it. I've never been into an engine before so that is why, curiosity. This will be going into a 1975 280z. Not going for anything too crazy, but from what I'm reading, vortec heads, cam, intake, etc..... probably something I'm leaning towards. From the engine's history, sounds like it would be fine if i just put it all back together, but what do I know, never done this before. So what's the suggustion? Put it all back together OR rebore, rering, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spineless Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 Thanks for the links and book suggestion. I'm a step ahead of you though, I bought the book and dvd last week. Very informative, definately makes the process less intimidating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustin280zx Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 If he pulled trailers alot with it then I would rebuild it. It wont take much and i'd think about a vavle job. It wont cost that much money and you'll have a nice motor that you know is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zwitha383 Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 You'd be better of buying vortec heads than putting any money into those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhsbZ Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Every "well taken care of, low mileage" small block I've ever purchased has had a bad bottom end. I tear down every engine I buy, regardless of what the PO says. I've haven't found one yet with good 1 or 2 rod bearings. At the very least, I would have the rods resized. If you can see any visual scratches on the crankshaft bearing surfaces, have the crank reground, and get new bearings and an oil pump. As a general rule I replace the oil pump, pickup, and oil pump driveshaft on ever motor I plan on using.....usually I replace the bottom end bearings also, as well as the cam bearings. It all depends what you want out of the engine. The engine you have, as it sits, will probably be a solid 200hp if you reassemble it with new gaskets. You can probably reach the 250hp mark if you put and intake and a cam in it. If you want more than that, you'll have to work on the stock heads, or get set of vortec or aftermarket heads. I would recommend a set of ProComp aluminum heads or any of the other aftermarket aluminum heads from Ebay before I recommend the vortecs, because they will work with a standard SBC intake manifold, and they are only about $100 or so more than the iron vortec heads, plus there is a lot of room for port work and they are already set up to run a pretty big cam, as long as you stay with a flat tappet setup. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustin280zx Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 You'd be better of buying vortec heads than putting any money into those. I second that on buying new heads if you want more hp, but do what you want to do with the engine, and if your budget doesnt allow it, then wait until it does. You'll save money in the end and be happy with what you got rather than having problems and getting frustrated with a thrown together sbc. Spend your money once...just a suggestion from what I learned from years of reading on this board and others and past prodjects. Check out the summit heads thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spineless Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 Thanks for the info guys. The block is going to the machine shop tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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