Boosted357

So i have 350 SBC bored 40 over
- Speed Pro Flat Top Pistons
- World Products S/R Torquer Cylinder Heads - 67cc - .560 Max Lift
- Holley Street Dominator Intake Manifold
- Custom Chevy Logo Engraved Bolt Kit
- Black and Red Chevrolet Dress up kit
- High Volume Oil Pump
- Edelbrock Mechanical Fuel Pump
- Red 8MM Sparkplug Wires
- Holley 750cfm Carburetor
- Camshaft out of a 383 stroker crate motor so specs are unkown
- Electric Water Pump
- Jegs Shorty Headers
- MSD Ready to Run Distributor
- MSD Blaster 2 Coil

Can you please just let me know what you think of this setup and any improvements you would recommend. As far as a nicer set of Heads, intake manifold, Pistons, Carb, Cam, or just anything you guys would recommend. I always accept new input on things and would love to hear what you think would work better. Im going for high 400's or low 500 HP. I just recently bought another 1985 Camaro with a V6 and T5 Transmission i plan on doing the swap on. Thanks in advance!!

jokerZ71

The 1st thing is gonna be heads.It would also be alot easier to hit those HP #'s with a 383.You can get there with a 350, but, it's gonna need alot of cam & not be a very tame, or, street friendly setup.You're gonna need good heads, preferably aluminum.
Another thing is you need to measure the piston to deck hgt @ TDC to be sure the Speed Pro flat tops are not the cheaper rebuilders version that will set farther down the bore.This will be even more critical with an aluminum head to get the quench/squish within a range .035" to .045" & still be able to use a headgasket suited to work with aluminum heads.
There are lots of good budget heads that can be had & set up for approx $750.A set Profilers will set you back approx $1100, or, the sky is the limit, if you wanna spend it.
Without knowing the specs of the cam, you need to get it out as well.

Boosted357

Thank you for the quick reply JokerZ71. The only reason im not worried about the cam and other components doing damage is because my father gave them to me. He won a 383 stroker at a car show on a raffle and he is planning to do all new everything on that so my Heads, Carb, Intake manifold, and Cam all came from the same motor. But also the motor is in my other 87 camaro right now which hasnt been driven in some time do to the heater core and old distributor having problems. But my plan now is to pull it out of that camaro and spend some time rebuilding it even though the motor is brand new with less then 100 miles on it.

Ya i really want to find some nice aluminum heads that can support a pretty nasty cam lift. So right now i know i want new heads, a bigger Hyd. Cam and lifters, some nice forged pistons, and a 1 inch spacer for the carb. Do you have any suggestions on any specific heads and cam that go together pretty well?

Side note my father and I build this 357, 6 1/2 Years ago before i joined the army and it has basically been sitting at my house since. I got to drive it for 2 days before i had to leave and even though i only had a turbo 350 transmission and stock rear end, it was still pretty damn nasty.

Also i want the replace my Headers, I know i ordered them from Jegs but i cant remember the size on them either. I just know they are Shorty racing headers so im going to look at better flowing long headers.

But again thank you for the information so far. If you have any recommendation on a head and cam combo you think would be great please let me know.

jokerZ71

What will you be doing with the car? Will it be a strip only, weekend cruiser, or, daily driver? To get to the HP goals you are shooting for in a 350, it will be a pretty extreme build & not very street friendly.If this gonna be a daily driver, you may want to consider building it approx 400 HP N/A,& then picking up your big power by a power adder, NOS, turbo, etc.
As for heads & cam, pick your heads 1st.A head with enuff flow to support your HP goals, compression needed.Your cam should be the about the last part to pick.
What kind of budget are you working with? Like I said above, you get decent heads from anywhere in the price of $750 to over $2500.It depends on how much you wanna throw at this engine.
Another thing you need to consider is the drive train & suspension. If it won't support your power goals, it'll be sitting on blocks pretty quik instead of up & down the road.I would start there

Boosted357

Thank you JokerZ71. I plan on making it a weekend cruiser. i was originally going to go with a blower made by vortech but after doing alot of research i was going to end up spending about 8K on the motor alone not including the transmission, suspension, and rear end, so that route over all would have costed me about 13K. Money wasnt really an issue bc i was just going to take my time and by parts month by month but then i realized thats alot of money into a 350 and alot longer then i want to spend on getting it on the road. So now my plan is to get a good amount out of the 350 by keeping it naturally aspirated and keep the spending on the engine around 3500 since the engine is already pretty strong the way it is. And then that will leave me with money for a T56 and good suspension and rear end.

My spending plan so far
- Heads $1100
- Cam and lifter Kit $750
- Pistons $650
- Headers $300

Then the suspension, tranny, and rear end..

Boosted357

I would even be happy with about 420-450 HP if it keeps the cost down on the motor but still has alot of power bc we already have quite a bit of money into it already. Then ill have no problem upgrading the suspension and rear end.

Do you think Doing a new Comp cam with a lift of about .540/.540, new long flow headers, and 1" Spacer on the Carb would get me pretty close to that? We believe the engine should be sitting somewhere around 385HP right now.

jokerZ71

Without knowing what cam you have now, it would be hard to say what you have.Those heads you have now, unless, they have had some serious work done, are not gonna support much over 350 HP & even then, it will need more cam than a set of modern heads would require.
As for cams, the lift is the least of the specs you need to be concerned with.You have to be more concerned with duration & the cams timing events, and your compression with the chosen parts of the engine.
This is not a recipe, per say, but, an example of what you need to looking at for 450 HP.
Profiler 185 w/ 64 cc chambers
Flat top pistons
Hydraulic roller cam w/ approx 230* intake duration @ .050
1 3/4" long tube headers w/ H, or, X pipe properly placed before free flowing exhaust
Then figure your needed stall convertor & gearing
You could get by with less cam & use the Profiler 195's if you go to 383 cu in.

Boosted357

JokerZ71 thank you for all of your help so far. I will surely look into those heads and cams and do some more research. I am willing to try that setup, they are pretty decently priced also and seem like a good set of heads. You have been alot of help!!

skinny z

I've been looking around for an economical aluminum cylinder head and the Pro-Filers look to be not a bad choice.
That said, you've been up and down the horsepower range (500 to 420) and those builds are worlds apart.
You'll have to find how the compression ratio on your shortblock stacks up before you select a cam (as has been pointed out). Here's an interesting read if you are unfamiliar with how it all fits together.

http://cochise.uia.net/pkelley2/DynamicCR.html

For something that's truly a street engine (1 to 1.25 hp per cubic inch such as mine), don't concern yourself with getting the maximum compression ratio needed to compliment the cam but don't ignore it either. A smallish hydraulic roller cam in the 276 intake range will make 400 chp provided the heads and the rest of the induction and exhaust are up to the task. 10:1 Static Compression Ratio with flat top pistons and a head gasket that'll get you around .040" piston to head clearance will get that SCR combined with a 64 cc head.
Trying to get to the high 400s (let alone 500 hp NA) is another thing altogether. Now parts not only have to work together very well but you'll need the supporting bits to allow for high rpm operation to realize those hp goals.

Boosted357

Thank you skinny Z. Yes at first i really wanted 500 hp but i was also so used to doing the research on my supercharged setup that i realized im being greedy trying to get that much power out of a 350 without doing alot more work, so now im more willing and happy to get my 350 around low 400's. Thank you for the information!!

skinny z

For what it's worth, 400 hp should be do-able with the World Products heads you already have. It's a well spec'd cam that will get you there.
I've taken a Vortec headed engine and accomplished that. As have many others. The S/R Torquer heads are very similar.

Boosted357

Thank you so much Skinny Z!! You have been alot of help, i will look more into it and see what kind of cam i can find that will help me achieve the goal. Thank you!

jokerZ71

I don't have any real experience with the World S/R heads, but, I was under the impression that they were basically a stock replacement head w/ some minor improvements over stock.IIRC, these are the heads that CompCams uses for their dyno charts.From my experience, the Vortecs have pretty consistently offerd up 30 HP or so over Comp's dyno ratings.For example, we recently used the XR264 in an L31 build using KB-193-30 D cup pistons giving out about 9.6:1.Comp rates their build at 335 HP at 9.25:1using the S/R's.I forget the torque rating they gave.Our motor dyno'd at 375 HP & 420 ft/lb.

jokerZ71

I see my mistake now.Comp used Dart S/R heads, not, the World S/R Torker.Sorry for any confusion.

skinny z

Yeah. I had seen the S/R too but I had remembered that the Torquer is a step above.
For what it's worth, the S/R Torquer and the OEM Vortec have nearly identical flow numbers based off a couple of different tests. I use this website (linked) to collect info for dyno simulation testing. ( I can't afford real dyno time!).

http://users.erols.com/srweiss/tablehdc.htm

Interesting look at the Comp numbers too. Yes, they do use the S/R head (non Torquer) and in advertising, World Products has marketed the S/R Torquer as a 30 hp bump over the stock replacement. Just like GM advertises the Vortec.
Your 375 hp with those (Vortec) heads and XR264 is a pretty good number.
I've always been optimistic that my Vortec (and now RHS Pro Torquer) headed 355 with a XR276HR made 400 hp. All I can say is that it took my 3650 lb street suspension 86 Coupe to a corrected 12.4 @ 109 mph. Calculators say that's about 375 rwhp but I doubt that. Probably less.

Boosted357

Ok so you guys do believe it is possible to get around 400 HP while sticking with the S/R Torquer Heads?

Ill have to call my father sometime and see if he still has the specs on the cam i have, and then start off with the 1" spacer and some Patriot or Hedman Headers

jokerZ71

Like I said,I'm not real familiar with the heads you have,but,looking at the flow #'s on World's website,they seem to be just slightly lower flow rate than an OEM Vortec.Especially at the lower lifts,(below .500),which is 1 of the Vortec's strong points.Also.the world heads already have 2.02/1.6 valves,compared to the Vortec's 1.94/1.5. IDK know how efficient the ports & chambers are compared to the Vortecs,but,with a properly spec'd cam & all the supporting parts.I don't see any reason you couldn't make 400 HP.
As for the 1" spacer,your actual combo of parts will determine if needed or not.That spacer,just like rocker ratio,is more of a tuning tool.If your parts are well matched,it may help,or,maybe even hurt.You just need to try it both ways to see if it makes a difference.

Boosted357

Ok that makes sense! Thank you for your help.

skinny z

Exactly. From what I've read, it would seem that the World heads and the Vortecs are more or less a trade off. Give a little here, take a little there.
It'll all be in the cam selection to reach your target. "Magazine" Vortec builds have exceeded 450 hp on the dyno. Keep in mind that's with no accessory drives, electric water pump and another game changer, the headers and exhaust. Dyno engines enjoy the benefit of an efficient exhaust system which, many people will tell you (including me) that that is difficult to do in a typical 3rd chassis.
Good luck.

Boosted357

Ya i have done some research for the exhaust on the car and it looks like there isnt alot of options bc of clearance issues and just alot of work if your going to make your own custom exhaust. I think the route im going to go with the exhaust is the Magnaflow exhaust and then just have a electronic cutout in it, so i can pass emissions but still be able to open it up without having to change exhaust systems every year or having to deal with doing alot of custom pipe work. Thank you guys

skinny z

Once you have your engine package figured out, you can calculate the best spot to put the cut-outs. A pair of them, located the right distance from the collector, would give you next to open header capabilities when you're at the track...
Interestingly, Holley/Hooker have just released a true dual/twin muffler exhaust system. It's part of a bigger parts package that also includes, LS swap headers, trans cross member and engine mounts. You can buy just from the x-pipe back (x-pipe to twin pipes down the trans tunnel, over the axle and a muffler on each side) and fab what you need forward from there to your collectors. I'm looking at going that route myself.