SBC 350 + Test Stand

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wxo
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SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by wxo »

After selling his '81 El Camino, Maverick has an extra SBC engine left, so we decide to turn it into a project.
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We are planning to rebuild it for resale and build an engine test stand to show buyers how well it runs.
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Maverick
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by Maverick »

Should be fun. And, get me out in the garage. We'll be collecting a few items, e.g., alternator, bracket, crank pulley and belt.

We went down South of Raleigh to retrieve the distributor that I included in the parts passed on to the Elky buyer. He didn't take the old engine so really didn't need the distributor.

Also have to locate some SBC exhaust manifolds.
Maverick
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wxo
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by wxo »

This is our running spreadsheet for this project:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0
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TireSmoker
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by TireSmoker »

I've been wanting a run stand for a while. Looks like fun!

-Dave
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by TireSmoker »

sorry walt, I think I sent two different requests for that google drive link. didn't mean to send two different ones.

-Dave
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Maverick
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by Maverick »

We started the process today. Tore it down. Bore is 4" so it IS a 350. I ASSUMED it was a 350 based on what the seller told me. He was relying on the word of the previous seller. Four bolt mains. Two piece rear seal. Need to determine if the crank is a "big journal" crank. No indication of overbore or undersized bearings but we'll mic everything out before we order parts. Bearings look good. No noticeable ridge on the cylinders. Some cross-hatch is still there but there is very minor scoring. Hone should put it in good shape. Cam and lifters don't show wear so we'll reuse them. Timing chain is a little loose so we'll replace it.
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Put an email out to the local Piedmont Classic Chevy Club (PCCC) asking if anyone has parts that we need (crank pulley, water pump pulley, alternator, alternator bracket, radiator, muffler, and exhaust manifolds. Got a quick response with an offer for free water pump pulley and '55 Chev radiator. :P We'll also need a harmonic balancer bolt and washer. Generous PCCC member will also look at his parts to see if he has any other things we need.

WXO has an old steel industrial cart that will make a good base for the run stand. I have a SBC engine stand that should fit nicely on the cart. The cart has high handles on each end that should serve well as structure for the radiator mount and, on the opposite end, a control panel.
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WXO took the oil pan, intake and carb home to clean up. Oil pan is dented on the bottom so will need a little massaging before paint. I'll power wash the block and maybe clean up the distributor and starter.

Looks good so far -- no big obstacles.
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by Maverick »

Yesterday I power washed the block, starter and distributor and today took some measurements, with WXO's help and his set of 1" to 6"" mics (from Carlisle). Main and rod bearings are all stamped .010. Pistons are stamped .060.

I'm using oven cleaner to clean the rods & pistons.
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Ordered a fan pulley off ebay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/271428797171

Rings thickness measured .078", .078, and .180 so that makes them 5/64" (.0781), 5/64" (.0781), and 3/16" (.1875).

Ordered Summit re-ring kit RRKIT1-611 with .060 over rings, correct ring thicknesses, .010 under bearings, and 2-piece rear seal.

We have a work day scheduled for Wednesday next week. Should have the stuff by then.

Still need to order a water pump, oil pump, and timing set and take the heads in for a valve job.
Last edited by Maverick on Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by Maverick »

This week the fan pulley, rings, bearings, plastigage, assembly lube, and gaskets all arrived. Picked up a loaner cylinder hone at Autozone. Reamed the minor ridges. WXO got the Performer intake and Edelbrock cast aluminum timing chain cover looking good.
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We had a work day yesterday. We had a pretty nice work space. Moved the Lincoln out of the garage and had the block on the engine stand and a sturdy table in the center.
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We did some checking on casting numbers and found that the heads are large chamber (good for regular gas in a 350, now 360) replacement heads. Got a start at honing the cylinders but found the stones on the hone were worn out. Autozone has another in stock so this week I'll exchange the worn-out one. We checked piston-to-cylinder clearances and found them to be about .004". We'll be able to hone out the minor scoring and still be OK.

We got the pistons cleaned. I got the VERY heavy carbon off the tops and WXO got the ring grooves sparkling! We're still debating what to do with the heads -- get them rebuilt or replace them. We're doing a little looking to see if anyone has a pair of fresh, large chamber heads they don't need.

Emailed the generous guy that is donating a '55 Chevy radiator, crank pulley, and maybe some more parts. He'll round the stuff up on a few days. We'll follow the procedure in the "How to Rebuild Your SBC" book to see if the oil pump should be replaced.

Another joint work day is scheduled for Wednesday next week.
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by Maverick »

Last week I returned the worn-out cyl hone to AutoZone. Conscientious counter lady pulled another loaner hone, examined it and found a broken stone. She replaced the worn-out hone with a new one off the shelf. AutoZone tool rental is great.

We did our work day yesterday. Finished honing the cylinders, polished the crank journals with a NEAT technique described in the SBC rebuild book, chamfered the cylinders to ease piston/ring installation, flushed out the water jacket, chased all the threaded holes in the block and cleaned the block of metal and abrasive dust. The polishing really worked well and gave a very nice result with 1000 grit paper.
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The timing set and water pump arrived yesterday.

Today, WXO researched cylinder heads. Ball park figure we got from Boyette's for head refurbishing was $600-$700. We decided to go for new instead. We zeroed in on these. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pmx-2171 Took advantage of Summit's "Price Beating" and ordered them for $814, $1 less than JEGS price. We preferred to spring for the new aluminum heads than commit to an open ended charge for refurbishing the old ones. Should arrive in 5-6 work days. Might be able to sell the old iron heads to recoup a little of the cost of the new heads and the new aluminum performance heads should make the engine more saleable.
Last edited by Maverick on Thu Apr 26, 2018 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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wxo
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by wxo »

I just took a look at our spreadsheet for this project. As of now we have $990 in it. :shock: Wow! This stuff adds up fast. I don't know if we will make much profit on it, but only time will tell.
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by Fred32v »

This engine is going to be so sweet, I'd think you might want to find something to put it in, just sayin'. :)
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wxo
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by wxo »

Maverick did a calculation on the compression ratio with the new heads. I pulled this from his email:

According to Summit's calculator https://www.summitracing.com/expertadvi ... calculator 72 cc heads should be fine.

Compression Ratio: 9.6 : 1
Total Displacement - cubic inches : 360.42 or 5908.52 cc's or 5.9 liters

I used:

4.060" bore
3.48" stroke
72 CC chamber
0 deck clearance (worst case)
.047" gasket
4 cc dish (valve reliefs)

9.6 sounds perfect!
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wxo
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by wxo »

While shopping for heads, I saw that the heads that we bought were advertised as 185cc heads. What the heck is that about? It's intake runner volume. So why should I care about that? This explains it quite well:
http://www.racingheadservice.com/rhs/cy ... olume-faq/

Learning never stops. :D
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Maverick
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by Maverick »

Cam bearings arrived yesterday. We only plan on replacing the front bearing -- others look OK.

Heads should be here at the end of next week. Nevada was the only Summit warehouse that had them in stock. When I made the order, I was warned about a 5-6 work day delay in delivery and asked if that was OK. Summit customer interactions are always helpful.
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Re: SBC 350 + Test Stand

Post by Maverick »

We had a pleasant day in the garage. Mid to high 80s here today so had the AC on for part of the time.

Got the freeze plugs and front cam bearing installed. Cam turns very smoothly with the new bearing.

Installed the main and rod bearings and plastigaged all. All are within spec. Installed the crank, with two-piece rear seal and torqued the main bearings. Next we'll put the rings on the pistons, install the pistons/rods and torque the rod bearings.
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