Got 'em... I have G2 axle shafts in there now, and spares. With 32" tires, I'm not too worrried. I'm pretty decent on pedal control. I prefer to NOT break stuff on the trail, and will retreat and take a different tack rather than beat on a bad position...
Sounds good. I really would like to take the Buick 350 from my car and replace the TBI 350 in my off road truck. I will need something nice for the car first though.
What about this cam from comp cams? The 260H? [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]HYDRAULIC FLAT TAPPET: Excellent mid-range torque. Great for towing. Works well with stock manifolds. Smooth idle.[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]RPM [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]OPERATING [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]RANGE 1200-5200[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]CAMSHAFT[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]PART[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NUMBER 92-202-4[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]CAM[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]GRIND NUMBER 260H[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Duration Advance INT 260 Duration Advance EXH 260[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Duration @ .050" INT 212 Duration @ .050" EXH 212 VALVE LIFT[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]@ 1.55:1 INT .454"[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]VALVE LIFT[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]@ 1.55:1 EXH .454" [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]LOBE[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SEP.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]ANGLE 110 degrees[/FONT]
While it will work, three things throw up flags: 1) lobe intensity is too much so it would wear out faster, 2) duration @ .050 is too much for your application, and 3) it's straight pattern. To see lobe intensity, take the 'adertised' number (which is what we mean when we refer to duration @.006 lift) and subtract the number for duration @ .050. If the number is 55 or higher, you're good. The higher the number, the milder intensity, and the longer the camshaft life. The tradeoff is the camshaft will also behave a bit milder (you will lose a little power--but not much with grinds like these). Straight pattern means equal measurments on intake and exhaust lobes for lift and duration. You want a cam with some exhaust emphasis for your application, meaning a little bit more exhaust lift and/or duration. You will hear different opinions on this, but you need to look no further than the stock cam's specs for a clue as to how the engineers intended the engine to run (more lift and duration on exhaust), particularly for a mild or stock engine. Gary
Holy COW, Gary! THANK YOU. You're a wealth of knowledge. I know a little about engines, but have never studied camshaft designs. To be honest, I understand the numbers, but I DON'T know what they mean, and I couldn't begin to tell you one cam's advantage over another. Seriously. I caught your other thread on "taking a break", but I have to say THANKS! and CHEERS! for the analysis and response. I love forums that really help others out. I'm new to this one, and don't really know the rep - you have just made it extremely positive. If I asked the same question on the pirate 4x4 forum, I would have been flamed already... 'nuff said. I will take your recommendation and get the Crower performance 2 cam - you sold me. ---------- Post added at 06:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:40 PM ---------- Well, guess what? My options just changed a little. Just found a rebuilt 350-4V for $150, hasn't even been run or broken in yet. Don't know the year, (owner swears it's '73 or older), but it has an HEI on it. Will pick it up this weekend (hopefully). Don't know the cam grind, but this is a perfect opportunity to put a new cam in a rebuilt engine. Would the cam recommendations change for a 350-4V for the same application? I'm guessing here, but I figure a .030 over bore, and 8.5 compression. Looks like a Rochester quadrajet on it.
You're welcome. I'm a firm believer in that everyone's learning no matter how much they know, there's always more to learn. Admitting mistakes is just part of the process. It's all been ironed out for the most part I think. Crower level 2 would actually perform better with a 4 barrel carb, but would still do fine with a 2 barrel, just not as well. The cam's a good all-around gas mileage cam with better power over a stock cam, with extended RPM, according to the description and my analysis. It has a good reputation wherever I read about it, so I would never steer anyone wrong if I can help it. The power band seems to be right where you're wanting it, with some overrev potential. You shouldn't need anything else other than the cam and lifters, along with a timing gear/chain and an indexing tool to get it set up properly. You could just use a single keyway timing gear/chain, but you'd be taking a gamble on where the timing is. In an otherwise stock Buick 350-4v, the Crower level 2 cam would fit nicely. Compression range should be between 8:1 and 9.5:1, so as long as it falls in that range (which it probably will) you'll get away with regular on up to premium pump gas, depending on where the compression and timing sit. It could even be less than 8:1, though it wouldn't perform as well, of course. Anything more than 9.5:1 would require some sort of octane boost along with premium gas, and/or backing down on the ignition timing. Congratulations on the find. 150 bucks for an entire rebuilt engine is pretty sweet. Others here can give you additional advice/knowledge on your engine project. There's quite a few people here who contribute to the forums who have valuable knowledge and experience too. My advice is to take what I say and weigh it in with everyone else and just take it all as a whole and make your decisions based on that if you like. Gary Edit: if you want even more pep, the Crower level 3 is also a highly respected cam, but needs better than stock springs and would put your RPM power band a bit further up. I think the level 2 is better suited for your application though.
Like Gary said,"sweet find on the engine",but buyer beware. It would be a good idea to buy a gasket kit and take that newly "rebuilt" engine apart and make sure everything was done correctly. Like,check the main bearing clearance,rod bearing clearance,bore diameter,piston size,ring end gaps,make sure cam bearings were installed correctly,check oilpump clearance,basically take it all apart and put it back together like its being re-assebled for a rebuild. This way would be good insurance when it is re-assembled that everything is clean,the cam has lube on it for start-up,everything is properly torqued to spec. and all the clearances are good. If this was a running engine already and you heard it run,that would be a different story. Just think of it as a engine re-build that is packaged as put together,unless you're a gambling man and in a hurry. I hope your Jeep ends up running great with the added power of a sbb 350!:TU: And I wish you the best of luck,welcome to V8. :beer Derek
if its that fresh most of the gaskets should come off without damage so yes jump in there and look . and the intake i have used that several times if it hasnt been overtorqued. just clean off rtv very well.might be a good time to deck heads and get that compression up.too.
That's excellent advice, fellas, and reinforces the line of reasoning that I was on. Was planning to get the gasket kit, and check the oil pump to make sure it had the rebuild kit done to it. As a minimum, the motor will be put on a stand, dis-assembled, reassembled, and torqued to spec. That's just too easy. What basic things am I missing? Anything particular to check or replace? Can you put in a later model two-piece neoprene seal on the crank? Please give me your top 3 things to ensure on the Buick 350. (Again, I am familiar with the 231 and 225 motors, but don't know the quirks on this one.) I would hate to miss something simple, especially since I'm right there. T/A Grooved cam bearings? Any advice on the valley pan gaskets? They're a PITA on the 231 to seal at the front and rear... I appreciate the advice to mill the heads and block, but sorry, y'all, I'm not going to spend $$ on machine work, unless I absolutely have to. This is a budget build. I am not cheap, but I AM disciplined. Living with a Jeep, you have to learn how to narrow your focus and stick to your budget on projects quickly, else you will end up eating mac'n'cheese for the last half of every month. That "while I'm at it" monster will kill you every time. BTDT. Thanks again! Looking forward to your responses. Spencer Ohhhh, as a matter of fact, the fella selling the motor to me has two 350-4Vs for sale. One came out of a running car, and the other is a rebuild. $150 each. The rebuilt one has pulleys and new water pump and HEI, and the other "running" one is a complete motor, to include alternator, HEI, etc. Neither have exhaust manifolds. Both have been stored inside, in a shop. I took the Craigslist ad as too good to be true, but after talking with him, he's more interested in just getting the crap out of his garage. He sold his Buick project, and is cleaning out his shop... So... I will take inventory of block numbers and head numbers, and y'all may be able to tell me which is the best combo.
Update: All of the motors are 1972. WC block code on all 3, to include rebuilt one. I also found a Crower Level 1 (50256) cam, new, for $41.00. I'm getting a little smarter on cams now, thanks to Gary and you others...Maybe smart enough to be dangerous. I checked the specs out on the Crower level 1 vs. level 2, and with the rebuilt motor, I have lower compression, I have the new thicker intake gasket, and I have the stock intake and exhaust manifolds. Exhaust is 2.5" straight dual, no crossover. I'm thinking the level I cam may be more appropriate, as this motor will never see 5000 rpm... Advice on this?
This is for easy reference so others can comment. http://www.crower.com/media/pdf/2008b/14-18.pdf Great cam for off road low rpm type work and as you stated, good match for a low compression engine. Paul
Thanks for that pdf file Paul. Just got a PM from him and I recommended the Crower level 1 as well. It's probably even better suited than the level 2, but the level 1 was discontinued last I heard; however, he's located a level 1 fo cheap so heck yeah! Gary ---------- Post added at 01:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:50 PM ---------- I think the level 1 will be better suited also, particularly if you use that 2v carb. It won't get quite the gas mileage, but it will be right in the range where you need it to be (idle-3500). Low compression is probably your best bet as well, since if you're in a 4x4 and are out in the middle of nowhere and getting low on fuel, you can't be picky should you come across a station that only serves regular grade gas (I had this happen to me more than once). You're going from a low comp v6 to a low comp 350, so just that alone you're looking at around 100+ more ft. lbs. and HP over a carbureted v6. You won't be short on power. Gary
Thanks, everyone. I found the Crower 52056 Level I cam on Autoplicity, after a google search for the specs. I just couldn't pass it up, especially with the application and the price. I appreciate everyone's input and help. :TU: I got the "rebuilt" motor off of my trailer and on an engine stand today. It looks good from the exterior, and the heads have shiny new valves. Springs look re-used. New water pump, new freeze plugs, block painted, shiny 4V intake. OK, on to lifters now, Any advantage to the Crower 3x lifters vs. standard Crower? Also, TA grooved Cam bearings, adjustable OP regulator, and steel plate are called for?
