Hot Rods Small Block Chevy Mystery Motor

Fellas - I got a small block Chevy in a parts deal recently; it's said to have had a performance build, but that's all I know. Figured y'all might want to tag along as I figure out exactly what I have.

Here's the starting point.



Plan is to go step-by-step and shoot a video for my YouTube channel. Figure I'll start with block casting number, front pad code, crank flange, and then proceed with disassembly.

How would you proceed?

Thanks,

Scott

 

Numbers help. Proceed.

but I'd pull the valve covers and intake and see what I see, before taking it apart.

The casting number tells us it's a 350 block from the 70s, more or less. Most of those are 4 bolt truck smog motors, but they also usually get some different parts added when they get rebuilt/hot rodded.

 

Jim beat me to it. To be fair I'd be cheating cuz I got one handy, same casting. I'ma guess there's an "010" on the side of the block too, yes? Lotsa urban legends abound about that.

 

But in reality, having the 010 on the side of the block just means it's a later 70s casting, as Chevy started adding the last 3 of the casting number to the side of the block in the later 70s, most likely to make it easier to spot which block is which, on the line.

 

Any stamped numbers on the front block pad in front of the passenger head?

 

Well, I just got it rolled outside and ready and things got interesting real quick. I suspect some of y'all know why...

 

Well, it's in a Corvette frame, so that makes it a Corvette engine! But aren't they all?

 

Here's the hint again...

 

010 on both sides of the block.

Date code is blurry.

 

LJ 327?

 

... but shouldn´t it have camel humps then?

 

Looks like a cast iron crank... You can tell by the thin parting line on the flywheel flange...

 

Is that a 400 sbc crank???...
Duh, just answered my own question...

 

010 block casting is 4" bore
Crank flange is 3.75 stroke
Manual trans pilot bushing
Can have stock short 400 rods and stock 350 pistons. I have built several that way.

 

Someone is paying attention!

 

Winner winner chicken dinner! I'll pull the pan shortly.

 

1978 truck 350, built June 3rd, 1978. And it's a used engine, not rebuilt.

 

I agree with Jim, TDS is 350 truck engine block. Lippy

 

I just found this same surprise when pulling apart a mystery performance small block earlier this week. However , I didn’t think to check the crankshaft flange. I just measured the stroke since the heads were already off.

 

It's had a Craigslist/rattle can rebuild.

 

that's a 350 crank, isn't it? The 400 is more squared off.

 

Flywheel and dampener would tell the story.

 

Looks like a 4 hundy to me, like someone tossed a 383 together some years back. Easy, relatively cheap back in the day. The venerable "010" block was desired for that cuz as was said above many were 4 bolt for light truck.

Urban legends went from factory big bores to the 010 meant 10% more nickel like race blocks. There were a few more but those were top 2 around Motown.

 

Wonder how they got the oil pan to seal with the edge seals on the wrong side for the dipstick?

 

I agree on it being a 400 crank, that extra little notch in the casting says that.



TDS doesn’t show up in info I looked at but it’s safe to say the block did come out of a van or pickup. Those heads are 76cc smog chamber, stock they came with 1.94 In and 1.50 Ex valves and the ports flow decent for what they are. From what I can see it looks like that might be an aftermarket aluminum intake manifold.
And as @theHIGHLANDER said the 010 high nickel BS is nothing more than urban legend.

 

that gasket has a hole, you see the edge of the hole...there's material between the pan and block. They've figured out how to make "universal" gaskets that fit everything, but don't work quite right on anything.

 

Yep, 400 crank. I was pleased as punch when I saw that about an hour ago. The notch is a giveaway, and it's also wider at the end where the notch is.

 

I bet you'll be disappointed when it turns out it has a 3.48 stroke. Oh well. pull the heads and measure it, a tape measure has enough accuracy.

 

.....And it's cast iron...