Car-Hacks

I found a 1989 350 ‘M’ motor and had the short block bored .030 between business trips to Albuquerque.  This is a one-piece rear main seal 4-bolt truck block.

If you want to look for this block in the boneyard, check the casting number on the back of the block behind the passenger side cylinder head.

Roller Cam Provision Hiding Under the Intake

A big advantage with this older block is that it has provision for the mechanical fuel pump, so I can use the carburetor Vortec intake mainfold that came with the retrofit kit I used to build my Ram Jet.  There are other choices or intakes depending upon whether you want use a single or multiple carbs, a Quadrajet, or square-bore carb.

Ideal 1-Pc 350: Roller Cam Plus Fuel Pump Pad

I hoped to use a TBI fuel injection system from an Impala, and one vendor recommended the GM 330HP 350 HO was a great base engine for TBI.  This is an older GM Performance Parts crate engine, but it can be easily made using this recipe, or this one.  It calls for pistons 12361371, but I needed them in a +0.30 oversize.  The Pace Performance description shows a 12514101 piston.  The Silv-O-Lite index at Beck Racing cross-references the 12514101 piston to an H1476 piston, hypereutectic, destroked .020″, 3.14 diameter head recess .070″ deep with four valve reliefs.  This equates to an approximate 11.5cc dish.  This piston uses 2-5/64″ rings and 1-3/16″ ring.  The closest +0.30 piston and ring kit I could find is Z8KH423NCP30, which has a 10cc dish.   Close enough, I hope.

Special Use Only - Mmmmmm...Special....

The rest of the parts I needed to make the 330HP engine is the 24502476 hydraulic cam  and 1.5 ratio self-aligning rocker arms 12495490.  Most 350 pushrods and timing kits will work with this combination.  The rockers are the ones on the head to the left.

VortecZZ5DT Comparison with 8060 Conventional Head

The cylinder heads I am using were a discontinued Pace Performance special reworked head called the VortecZZ5DT.  Pace took a 8060 head and machined it for screw-in rocker studs plus dual valvesprings to accommodate a .550″ lift cam.  In addition, they drilled the intake face to accept a pre-1986 12-bolt conventional intake manifold, using special Fel-Pro gaskets.  My plans have evolved since I purchased the last pair of these they stocked.  They will be total overkill for the 330HP cam, but I can always upgrade the cam and lifters later.

Time to drain the water bed.

Battered greasy factory suspension

I jacked up the front end and pulled the entire front steering and suspension off in one big floppy chunk.

Steering and suspension removed without breaking a joint

Slid it all out  from under the car on a sheet of plywood. Took the whole mess to the car wash.  Two cans of Engine Brite and 6 dollars in quarters, not too bad.

No feet!

Look Ma, no feet!

Front Spring Pockets

In case you were curious.  Rubber silencer is Moog# K160044 for the pair.

Soaked in Spic'n'Span and scrubbed with a wire brush

Even cleaned the rotor shields.

Stripped and painted

Krylon primer and semi-flat back.

Lower Control Arms

New ball joints, polyurethane bushings, new bump-stops, and control arm cross shafts.

Reinstalled the control arms with Hotchkis G-Body Springs.

New Spindles, Hotchkis Springs and Upper Control Arms

And finished the job with new binders.

New Rotors and Calipers

When I went to install the 18mm nuts and bolts on the idler arm, I found an 18mm professional socket inside the frame rail.  One more rattle resolved.

Free MAC Tools Pneumatic Socket

Last, I installed all new Moog tie rod ends, center link and Saginaw 800 close-ratio steering box.

Moog Steering Replacements

32mm IROC Camaro Sway Bar and 12.7:1 Steering Box

Here is the first Malibu.  Gold 1980 wagon with 267 V8 and woodie paneling.  I freaked out my Junior Prom date when I had the car completely airborne on Smithbridge Road in Delaware, 1984.

Off to the Senior Prom

Shortly after I my parents gave me this car, I got hit by a drunk driver.  With the insurance money, I got a newer, less offensive one.  Well, at that time, anyway.

Road Trip to Ft Lauderdale for Spring Break

This car came with the 229 V6.   I swapped in a 1984 Formula Firebird 305 and 700R4.  I later  ate the engine drag racing in Florida.  Later I built a 400 small block and added in a 200R4 overdrive transmission.

Organ Donor Dragged Back from Warwick, RI

The Connecticut doors gave up, and the Florida doors never got painted.   But I had fun watching those annoying rice racers disappear in the rearview when they flashed the brights to get me out of their way.  I would unlock the torque converter, drop it into third and gallop away.  I loved that ever- shrinking look of shock…

Hawaii Dive Car

With 3.73 gears and a posi-traction, I  scored a 14.6 second  quarter mile at 92 mph in Barber’s Point, Oahu.  Yes it was way ugly.  But it was a great car for that time of my life.  Drags on Friday nights, dive car on Saturdays and Sundays.  Room for four friends and ten dive tanks…I provided the wheels and they provided the gas, lunch and air fills!  And we parked  anywhere without ever having a break-in.

February 1996 Back on the Mainland

Near the end of my tour in the Navy, my sub moved to Portsmouth, NH.  One of my favorite pictures is Hawaii plates under snow.  When I got parole the Navy and moved to New Mexico, the car was so rotten from Connecticut salt rot (bottom up) and Hawaii surf rot (top down) that it was not worth the expense to make a second 2500 mile drive or to ship it.  So, I parted it out like a Thanksgiving turkey.  In the southwest, one can unscrew 30-year-old muffler bolts.   I got Coupe Fever…

Mmmmmmmm.....Greasy!!!

See more in upcoming posts on the other cars…

Finally, it was time to install the new engine.

First things first, I installed the flywheel clutch and pressure plate onto the engine. For a one-piece rear main seal small block, you need the ‘86 and later flywheel, but it need to fit the small G-body bellhousing.  I found one at Pace Performance that is used on the Camaro, 14088650.

26-spline F-Body Cutch Kit

Next, I slipped the clutch fork, throwout bearing and fork boot into the bellhousing.  I used an all-steel Hayes bearing because the freebie included in the clutch kit was partly plastic.  Chevrolet engine blue.

G-body Bellhousing

When hunting for a later 350, here is where to look for confirmation…the block casting number is on the other side of the distributor.  Earlier, 2-piece castings have the block casting number on this side.

Block Casting Numbers

Next, I set everything up on the curb.  I took off the clean factory grille to avoid disaster.  Chrome is hard to touch up…

Ready to Swing

I pulled the bare block and transmission out and set them aside.  The T-5 was brought out for some comparison photos shown elsewhere in the postings.

Expensive Legos

I bolted on the Tremec…

Mating the Tremec

I managed to persuade my pregnant wife to join me at the curb.  We brought out the covered swing to provide shade so she could point and laugh…

Say Ahhhh...

The difficulty with installing an engine into a lowered car is that the engine hoist runs into the control arms and frame.  It was necessary to put the front of the car on jackstands.  However, this helped out later when I needed to crawl under and align the transmission crossmember.

Hanging Iron

The engine tilter was a useful addition for this project.  I had to pull off the crank and use a ratchet to clear the lift arm, but it was instrumental in clearing the firewall and radiator header.  I’m glad I had the chance to fit up the crossmember prior to dropping in this motor.

A Peek Though the Grille

Here it is with the hood back on.

A Nearly Whole Car

Done.  Some further parts will add weight to the front and level the stance a bit more.