First time engine build: Chevy 350
 

I'll let the pics do most of the talking.

Got a free chevy 350 today. I want to rebuild it myself. This is my first time working on an engine but so far it's been very easy to understand what I'm doing :)

It's got a high performance cam supposedly. I also found that it had a blown head gasket and a seized piston due to that. Only took off the heads so far.

It's my first time with engines, please give all advice you can! I'll attach as many pics as I can.

* some cylinders appear to have been bored .030"

More pics

It seems like it's only letting me post 1 pic at a time. I'll try to find a better way.

Here's the pic of the seized cylinder. (Leaky head gasket)

Top that off with Marvel mystery oil or tranny fluid and it should free up after a few days of soaking and let you rotate it. SBC is a walk in the park, should offer a good learning experience

First, have it checked by a pro to make sure it can be rebuilt. If it's already been bored +0.030 and you have a seized piston, the cylinder walls may be too thin to handle another boring out.
Edit: Have heads and block magnafluxed to check for cracks.
Have the block cleaned then send to machine shop to have cylinders and journals checked/bored.
Port and polish the heads then send to shop for new valves, guides, and seats.
Send crank to be balanced, ground (if needed) and polished. Have the oil holes chamfered while your at it.
Port and polish intake and exhaust manifolds.
That ought to get you started.

There are dozens (if not hundreds) of books/manuals/web pages on how to rebuild a SBC (Small Block Chevy) engine.

I'll be cleaning as much as I can myself. If you can point me to some good manuals/guides it would be helpful. I've been google searching a ton on it. I'll try to get the engine stand tomorrow so I can flip it off the "crate" and ID it proper.

I'd knock off any big chucks of grime and then have the block dipped. The machine shop you use may be able to do it for you.

Last time I rebuilt a SBC the Intertubes weren't around so I'm not familiar with any web sites. Googling "SBC rebuild" turns up a lot of interesting stuff. Most auto parts stores should still have rebuild books for SBCs.

Before you invest too much in this project, you really need to get the block inspected by a machine shop. It may not be rebuildable.

Once it's apart & clean, I'm gonna take it out for inspection. I put all the head bolts to soak overnight, and going to start cleaning one of the heads today too.

I also noticed some of the pushrods have a ball tip, others are just rounded. Side by side, they're the same size though. Does that mean anything?

I also found a couple how to guides and a YouTube video on tearing apart the block, I love how simple thing engine is :)

Read up on how to clean and torque bolts before you go too far. When in doubt, use new fasteners.

As long as they are the same length, it won't be a problem. IIRC, the "ball end" rods are a little harder but that shouldn't make much difference unless you plan on pushing the engine hard. Personally, I'd go ahead and replace them all but, depending on what kind of condition they are in, that's probably overkill.
Get roller rockers if you can.

BTW, you can't tell if a cylinder has been bored 30-over or if push rods are the same length by looking at them. Invest in some good calipers and other measuring tools. You'll need at least one torque wrench when you start putting it back together.

Don't scrimp on your tools and take your time putting it back together. A properly assembled SBC will last a long time.

I've all the tools I need minus the engine stand. I'm an HVAC service tech by trade, I've rebuilt quite a few motors & compressors already. This isn't too far off.

For now, I want to try and reuse everything I got. Scrubbing the bolts & pushrods is a PITA! It's going to be a slow process haha.

I've already noticed a couple of the bolts have minor fatigue damage. But before I jump out and buy new ones, I want to go over everything else. ARP studs look sexy :)

At this rate, I may not even finish cleaning the first head this weekend. I've been at it for an hour now and my hands KILL.

Edit: I've sprayed the pistons with WD-40 so it has time to do it's magic. There was even mold inside the flooded piston -_- also, the side with the blown head gasket has filthy water jackets. Can I use CLR to soak these?

Ah. If you can do HVAC work, rebuilding an engine should be pretty straightforward.

One good thing about older engines is that they are almost 100% steel/iron and can handle chemical cleaners you wouldn't dream of using on an Aluminum engine. Go to your local auto parts store and buy some Gunk (or equiv) and save yourself a lot of time and aches. Plus it will probably do a better job. If you use a water rinse, blow off parts with compressed air and then give a light coat of oil.

A small piece of wire will help clean out the inside of the push rods. If there is much junk in there, I'd replace.
If you plan on doing a performance build, I'd go ahead and replace all of them - if you rebuild the engine "right", it can handle quite a bit of abuse. But changing push rods is an easy job if you can rebuild an engine, so, if you trying to do this on the cheap, go ahead and reuse. Just make sure you check for straightness and proper length.


What do you plan on doing with the engine once you have it rebuilt? Shoehorn it into your Z? :)

Edit:
Vinegar might be a better alternative. Whatever you use, keep it off of machined surfaces, don't leave it on for very long (10-15 minutes at a time, and rinse VERY well when finished.
If you get the engine dipped, that should get rid of most of it. Knock off any big chunks that you can.

Thnx! I can see pretty clearly through each pushrod, and I was thinking of getting a pipe cleaner to do the insides.

If all goes smooth, I might either sell it or look for cheap muscle car that's in need of restoration.

If your just doing it to learn and have nothing to put it in that needs real power? Cool

IF you are needing more power? You might as well build a stroker 383 out it :)

^ agreed

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Everything needs to be CLEAN before you put it back together. Maybe not cleanroom clean, but close to it. Paint-booth clean is not overkill when rebuilding an engine that you want to last.

If you are just flipping the engine then you can skip a lot of the things I've mentioned. If it's for a muscle car, Trips' stroking suggestion is not a bad idea.

This it's my next mod http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/p...7nhoveokrl9o80

Along with a 3.2 pulley and 80 lbs injectors

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