New to SBC, overwhelmed by choices - HELP!

Sled, the Pick apart off 435 always has a chevy truck and car section with SBC's in em. But along the backside of the lot is another lot that has a few gem in it. The owner is a little grouchy about wandering but I see em back there.

 

Was the S-10 your boy built one of the newer, 94+ models?

I'm curious about the headers - the older S-10s had to have some pretty funky ones to clear the steering, but the newer ones don't seem to have the steering issues. Does this mean I can use regular block huggers?
I haven't measured yet.

~Jason

 

I've got a 318 (a few, actually) - all pre-'67 A motors (not LA).

I'm after a bit more of a bolt-in kind of thing. All my life, nothing I've ever done was anywhere near a "bolt-in", and it's something I'd like to try. But believe me, if I ever build a real rod, one of those old 318s is going right in!

~Jason

 

use the manifolds called out in the s10 v8 swap book. unless you don't ever change the plugs. with a 305 headers won't be the deciding factor, it'll have plenty of go with good manifolds, and no leaks. plug wire routing is a pita in a s10 with headers.

 

How old do they go back?

~Jason

 

That's what I figured I'd do. Hell, they seem to be the only choice when I go to the junkyard - all the F-bodies are usually stripped clean!

But yeah, I figured I'd snag what I could off of there, including the stock computer, although I may just build my own Megasquirt ECU (in fact, I've been considering building and selling them for extra hot rod money).

I've heard that a Edelbrock Performer 4-bbl intake with a TBI adapter plate is about the best setup, rather than a stock TBI intake.

~Jason

 

I almost walked right into the electric fence while walking over to look at that T-bird!

~Jason

 

Oh man, plug wire routing is a *****.

I needs to get me a copy of that book. If I can get it to fit in there and not have to deal with a lot of BS like that, that's the whole point of this project.

I wanted to do something easy for once.

~Jason

 

D'oh! I skipped past that part.

THIS BOARD IS ABOUT TRADITIONAL, PRE-64 HOTRODS AND KUSTOMS!!! RANT RANT!!! RAVE RAVE!!!! BLAH BLAH BLAH I'M A ******** HOTRODDER, YOU CAN TELL BY MY TATTOOS!!! BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!

There. Now the situation has been remedied.

 

I never ****ed w/305's because 350's are so plentiful. BUT, i believe it's the 305, that when you put on 350 heads it "KILLS" the compression. I mean kills it! Pretty sure, but you'd want to check. If i'm right, you're headed towards building a real MUTT. Be careful

 

You're killin' me! That's funny/true

 

Actually, the main reason (other than wanting to try an "easy" bolt-up project for a change, was to keep this S-10 and bolt up a 305 and five-speed to it and get the kinks out before eventually bolting on an older cab & bed. At that point, I may swap to a 350 (as everything will already be in place), but likely not.

I also wanted an excuse to tear into a Chevy, which I have never done - just to see what all the excitement was about.

My question are more Chevy-specific engine questions. I'd never turn this into a "How do I do an S-10 swap"-type post.

~Jason

 

Man, I can't have anything normal.

I read up on a 350 head swap after I posted that, and you're absolutely right. Gaskets are a *****, too.

Has anyone seen this?

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/techinfo/350 chevy engine.html

Ford long rods...? 11.0:1 compression...? 87 Octane gas????

~Jason

 

Lots of good non-S-10 info in this thread, I don't think you are out of line at all. I have a 305 and I was gonna junk it, maybe not.

 

I'm pretty sure I have the correct stock manifolds for this swap. if you want em i'll take 25 + freight for the pair. E-mail me at mharbour@dtnspeed.net.

 

Hey, at the very least, you'd have a 305 to pop into whatever project you're working on at the time for instant motivation! You know, something to get you up and running until you get the motor built that will go in it permanently (which could end up being the 305 - who knows)?

~Jason

 

I'll send you an email now!

~Jason

 

Hey guys, I take donations!

~Jason

 

i have that issue of hot rod in my collection. its one of my favorite builds.

 

I just read it for the first time - it's pretty damned cool.

Most of my Hot Rod Magazine readin' was done on Microfilm in high school. I started at the beginning and stopped towards the mid-70s, when it became mostly Camaro & Firebird stuff. Ditto for Car Craft (when it kind of lapsed into being "Camaro Craft"). But guys that are quite a bit older than myself always get a kick out of my eclectic knowledge of the arcane tomes of their teens.

Man, I wish I'd have looked more at the full-sized pickups when I was at the KC U-Wrench-It last (during the half price sale) instead of walking right through 'em. I was on a mission to find something specific, and the place was closin' in 20 minutes.

What's the deal with the T-Birds 'n stuff on the other side of the Northern fence? Any Kansas City guys know?

I've admired that guy's stash for years.

~Jason

 

The weekend is finally here!

Time to find a decent machine shop and get a price sheet. I haven't had any dealings with any for about three years (since I bought my house) - it's about time I found a local one.

You know, I've always had my heads ***embled at the machine shop. I think this time I may jump into it myself. Anything I should watch out for?

Also, since these Chevy heads are so cheap at the junkyard and easily replaced, I may try my hand at porting, just for fun. Nothing too serious, mind you - just something mild, so I can say that I did it (and if I screw it up, I can just get another set - nobody seems to want 305 stuff, anyway).

Anything I should look out for there? From what I've seen, there's not a lot of porting that can be done with stock 305 heads.

~Jason

 

Agreed, Fat Hack does good work. For fun, you might want to read this article, it got me feeling better about 305's:
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/enginemasters/articles/chevrolet/0667_phrs_305_chevy_engine_blocks/

As a Mopar fan, I'd be tempted to squeeze a Mopar into the S-10 just to be different but a SBC really would be more feasible.

 

napa, o'reilly and olathe carquest (white's) have decent machine shop rates, and I've never been disappointed with the stuff i got back from o'reillys machine shop.

 

That's about the only 305 article I haven't read yet - thanks! It gives a guy hope that if he can get his bottom end setup pretty well he can always improve the top end enough to give HP gains like that on a budget later.

I liked the fact that the little 305 put out power up to the 6100 RPM range, too... and I bookmarked that article.

I still can't get over how freakin' cheap it is to build these Chevy motors - I guess they're a far cry from a Cadillac 429, huh?

And hell yeah - I'd love to see an LA 318 under there with a 3x2. That would really throw people for a loop, especially the Mopar Performance valve covers.

~Jason

 

My 305 is sort of... stuck. I finally got a chance to mess with it a few days ago (and there's no engine stand here that's not being used), and I can't tell if it'll turn over or not - There's nothing to grab onto to get it to turn over!

I WD-40ed the hell out of the cylinders, and have given the pistons a pretty good whack with a hammer and a hunk of a board twice a day for a few days. The pistons sort of move, but without anything to grab onto, I can't turn it over for the final break away.

Can anyone give me the correct bolt size for the front of this thing so I can grab one at the hardware store and see if it's free? I suppose I could take the oil pan off after I drain whatever heinous chemicals are in there and grab the crank, but like I said, I don't have an engine stand open at the moment. I may just put it upside down on a trash bag on my workbench and let whatever slime drain out while I get this ****er going.

I also got my price sheet for one of the local machine shops, and Motor Mikey here on the HAMB is hookin' me up with some shocking kick-*** cool prices on a rebuild kit. This may just be do-able...

~Jason

 

Have you heard anything about their counterparts in the Northland?

~Jason

 

Hey - anybody know what size the crank bolt is in my 305 so I can get one at the hardware store at least turn it over?

~Jason

 

Oooooh boy.

53Sled told me to head to an O'Reiley's to pickup a harmonic balancer bolt. I called forst, but the ****tardz at both O'Reiley's and Advance told me either they didn't carry such a thing, or that I had to buy a harmonic balancer to get the bolt. Not taking that for an answer (and thinking that something like that HAD to be in a blister pack on the wall next to the dress-up stuff), I popped in to the O'Reiley's a few blocks away (where 53Sled's buddy was working, incidentally) and asked.

You guessed it... there it was, right where I thought it would be. It sure helps when you're talking to a guy that knows what's going on.

Long story short, 8 squirts of PB Blaster and a turn of the bolt later, it starts moving! Unfortunately, after almost a full turn, there's a "plink" sound (like someone dropping a wrench on the ground) and it doesn't turn anymore, and it makes me think that the dude was full of **** who told me that he turned it over with a wrench every day as he helped me load it into the car. As I stared at the tops of the pistons, I wondered just what horrors lie beneath, and contemplated buying the $50 running one down the street that may or may not need a cleanup bore and/or rings. I had $50 once... $30 went to this POS - maybe I got screwed.

Anyway, if I can get an engine stand free, I'll put it on and get the oil pan off to take a look. If it's a rod, then that's fine - I was going to replace 'em anyway. If it's the crank... well, maybe I'd get a turned down 400 crank and stroke it. If the block is toast, I don't know what I'll do.

It almost makes a guy want to cut his losses. Still, I can't get my feathers ruffled just yet - I haven't even seen the damage, not have I ran it by a machine shop to see what they think, which will come after I get the bottom end apart.

53Sled... if this 305 turns out to be a POS, maybe we should talk about that 350 on your garage floor.

~Jason