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Why not a 350 sbc?

5K views 29 replies 23 participants last post by  jbvcw71 
#1 ·
I keep reading on and on about how some like a 383 or 400 sbc but not a 350 sbc, and i've read whare some like a 283, 302, 305,327, but not a 350 sbc. Now what is so bad about a 350 sbc. I mean i've had quite a few cars and some truck's that had stock 350 sbc's in them, and they ran quite strong in stock form even well over the 100,000 mile mark. I pulled my 350 sbc out of a 1 ton passanger van that had over 100,000 mile's on the vehicle, the cylindr bore's had just a little ridge in them, and the flat tappet cam still looked as if it could make another 100,000 mile's. I had the block checked out and it was in good shape, with out the need for line hone'ing, and the deck chacked out nice straight and square,but i did have it decked .020 to bring the C/R up some. So what is so RONG with a 350 sbc,:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :thumbup:
 
#4 ·
we have just come back to the muscle car era. Bigger is better. There is nothing wrong with a 350 at all. People want power. When they have a 350 core and they have to buy a new crank etc " hey why not throw in a 400 crank" why not? more cubes makes more power.
the thing about the 327 is its just "cool " I guess something different. Not everyone has a 327. But hey if you a 350 core and all the 350 stuff to go with it. There is nothing wrong to build a nice 355.
 
#5 ·
350 sbc

Absolutely nothing wrong with one of those..if it works for you use it..taking advantage of what you have is a good thing..

Only reason I would build a stroker is if I need one for a certain competition class..

I think the main knock on the 350 is that it is so common that it does not do anything for some guys ego's to run one..

My thoughts on the 350..:p :thumbup: :D
 
#10 ·
Alot of people dislike 350's because they're so common, but that doesn't mean they're bad. A mild 350 hp SBC can be built for around $1500 or cheaper if you know what you're doing, and parts are everywhere. The 327's are diamonds if you can find one (better bore/stroke ratio) and you can take the rpm to the sky! A 383 is good also if you want a little more torque but not much more hp, and a 400 is even better, but tends to overheat due to siamazed cylinders. Build a 350.. there is nothing wrong with it!
 
#11 ·
From the auto parts counter and car show chat....

Over the parts store counter EVERYBODY has a 350 whether it's a 305, 307, 262, in the later Chevys, and EVERYBODY has a 327 in the early Chevys whether it's a 265 or 283. It's human nature to exagerate the numbers (Ask your girlfriend!!). Hurts sometimes when they get the wrong parts, though.
At the show, drive-in, and park'n'sit, EVERYBODY has the desirable displacement of the day, or of the era car they have. Today the 383 is the "Motor of the Moment" so almost every car at a shopping mall gathering miraculously now has a 383 stroker, kinda like the old days when EVERYBODY had a Mercury stroker crank in their flathead V8. Funny how a set of finned heads and 2-2bbl. intake changed the crankshaft dimensions, MAGIC, I think!
The small block Chevy V8 in almost all it's various displacements has been the mainstay of hot rod motoring since 1955, because they're powerful, cheap, dimensionally easy to transplant into almost any vehicle, and the best part......make the most power for the money spent of any small block engine offering from any manufacturer!! The 400 small block, often overlooked due to it's external balance sytem, has been appreciated by a fair-size crowd of hotrodders too.
Don't worry about what the others may say, do what you can do, and can afford to do, and enjoy yourself. Remember, the name of the game is power to weight, and a stock 350 265HP engine in a Model T roadster is screamer!!
 
#14 ·
Mustangsaly said:
ALL 327s & 350s are vett motors also, just the way it is i guess :thumbup:
There must be a few million small block Vettes out there with no motor.......... We were just talkin' about that today. Some stroke at work had a 350 for sale and one of the guys listening in sarcastically said "It's a Vette motor isn't it?"

The stroke says "Yeah, how'd you know?!"

"They always are..:rolleyes:" was the reply.
 
#17 ·
Same make engine as the car.......why not??

Well, back in the 40s,50s, and 60s, there were plenty of Studebaker, Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac, Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, and Plymouth, Rambler (AMC to the youngsters), Packard engines around for everyone to use. There was a fair selection of speed parts available for these engines, lots of parts and transmissions for them as well and they were relatively cheap.
The reason many early Fords, and other cars, have SBCs installed in them was that the SBC was easier to install than the Ford smallblock due to oil pan configurations and being slightly shorter in length. Then there was, and is, the expense, SBC parts and speed goodies are cheaper than the same for Fords.
The overall useability, physical size, weight, economy, and HP potential just favor the Chevy engines over the Fords, and the archaic engines of the 50s and 60s.
Don't get me wrong, ther's nothing wrong with any of the early engines, it's just a matter of economics mostly.
I have a friend with a fresh 392 Chrysler Hemi built as a street blower motor and never run since assembly over 30 years ago. Complete with 6-71, dual 4bbls, and blower drive. What's he puttin' in his new build 32 3W Coupe??? SBC crate motor.
 
#19 ·
I have to agree with Pasadena. In the early 50s the Ford flat-head V-8 was the hot rodding king. It took quite a few years for the SBC to take over because of the availability of cheap flat-head Fords (1932-53?), plenty people who knew how to modify them, and plenty speed parts. Thats why you STILL see a good many flat-head V-8s being built even today, though they are more for nostalgia. You can probably build a flat-head Ford cheaper than you can a big Buick, Olds, or Pontiac though, especially if you shop around for used parts! It's all popularity. Ford didn't go out of the way to make the little flat-head a hot rodder's dream like Chevy did either. Chevy pushed their engine by making lots of factory speed parts available in the early 60s, and for the past 10 years or so have had a great "crate motor" program -- better than Ford or Chrysler. And don't think brand X engine transplanted in brand Y car is anything new -- it's classic hot rodding at it's best! 348 Cadillac V-8s used to replace 283 SBCs in 55-57 Chevys on a routine basis.

I'm a die-hard AMC fan myself, and luckily there has been a resurgence of interest in at least the late model AMC pony/muscle cars. That's bleed over from the Chrysler buyout of AMC. Mopar fans are tired of looking at so many 'Cudas and such, and try to buy one in decent $hape! So they have been looking more at their forced cousins, AMC, and buying/building them to be different. AMC was traditionally a high value car -- more bang for the buck, and durable, but not to flashy or fast. Many that have been in the AMC hobby for a long time got there because the cars were unique yet inexpensive, and don't particularly carre that parts prices are starting to soar. The good thing is that makers are starting to repro more parts, and speed parts are starting to become available again -- like the Edelbrock aluminum heads and EFI system that just bolts on. It's a double-edged sword, this resurgence in AMC! We're getting parts we could only wish for 10 years ago, but now can we afford a car to put them on? Others (other than our Mopar cousins) are showing an interest in the late model AMCs because of the now available parts and to be different too.
 
#21 ·
steve t said:
why dont people put the same brand engine in there cars as there car, ford engine, ford car, you get my point
Because some of us like the styling of a particular car but actually want it to get where we're going and back home without breaking down.

That's why I put a hemi in my Chevy pickup, a hemi in my 32 Ford 3 window coupe, and a stroked BB Mopar in my '64 Max Wedge clone. :)
 
#23 ·
Yeah, everybody and their grandma has a 350 powering their heap, and sure it's cool when you see somebody running a tricked out example of a less common motor, but I'm a die hard rodder and speed freak, as well as a working guy.
So given my budget that I have to work with, I'll just smile and wave as you dump tons of money into a nailhead or early hemi trying to get it to come semi-close to my back bumper.

Don't get me wrong, I would piss my pants at the thought of building up an old flathead Caddy or or straight 8, and I love seeing that stuff out there running around. I just have to be more "bang for the buck" oriented right now.
 
#26 ·
SBC's

Everyone does NOT run a 350. I run a modified 300 inch Ford inline in my 28' Essex coupe. (355 Chev killer)

I have 40 over 327 popup pistons on the ends of the stock rods however. Along with 80 hours of porting on the head and each cylinder is "O" ringed to help keep the power in.

I also run a 350/350 combo in my 89' S10 so I'm still able to be looked down on for running a 350.

(checkout my photo album)
 
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