So I'm not planning a race build, and alot of those mods are for 5500rpm and higher. I am attempting to do the pickup passage out to 5/8". Just had trouble finding a 12" bit in a short period of time. I don't see anything about the timing cover being modded in Jim's article though. Also, does anyone have a head porting guide?
Buy Buick Max Performance Book by Jefferson Bryant, it had GREAT detail on the oiling mods for the 350. There are head porting articles as well as a head porting project documented here in these links. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=135594
Is 5/8" the right size for the oil pickup passage to be drilled out to? It seems like that is a really tight tolerance to drill 12" through?
Yeah sure, now I learn! Ran around to a bunch of stores looking for a 12" 5/8 bit, they all only go to 1/2" though. Little did I know that's actually what I needed! Now I'll have one for when I pick up a 455 in the future. Progress: Got the block bored and honed .030" over. Drilled out the pick up and main passage to 1/2". Took off all the casting lines and corners around the mains. I finally started assembly Wednesday, which is my Friday for school. So I have to wait until Monday now. Got the cam bearings in and the TA cam fitted, and finished with plastiguaging the crank bearings. Falcon rebuild kit purchased. Tons of ARP bolts. Stg 1 springs and lifters from TA. Newly rebuilt and tuned Q-jet from Ken G. Im going to save head porting and polishing for a future winter project. Oh, one more question for right now: All's I see for pick up tubes from TA is 5/8". Will this be ok mated to the 1/2" hole?
I hope so! I am doing the same thing. I forget who it was I spoke with but I got the thumbs up so I went for it. Glad to see you are making progress.
Use TA's timing cover and dual groove cam bearings. Cross drill and chamfer your crankshaft main oil passages, and further oiling mods won't be necessary....:TU: IMHO Unless of course your bagging it to 7 grand! then oil pressure/volume will be your least of your concerns... At the very least, use the dual groove cam bearings.....why too much load on that front cam bearing to use anything less.
Lot's of TA goodies. It's almost complete. Need to install my heads, which are all built, minus rockers. Any suggestions on fuel pump, water pump, and distributor?
I ended up using a T/A fuel pump http://taperformance.com/products.asp?cat=365 A water pump from Rockauto.com, and a billet HEI Accel distributor, couldn't tell ya how it all works yet but it sure does look good.
Anybody got an extra rocker arm button or two they could spare? These things are so tight, I snapped two of them out of one extra while pressing them into the shafts. So now Im one button short of getting this thing out of school.
I am in canada so shipping is no good.... Tip: heat up the buttons win hot water before trying to put them on.... It makes them easy to put on.
just an FYI you can get those buttons at NAPA check it out on napaonline and call the store with the part number at least thats what I did to get only a few buttons.... how is it I always end up one short when I do those things? Actually I think I have a couple left I could mail you if you wanted.
I also used a heat gun to warm mine up prior to install, definitely helped alot. Just make sure you don't melt them!
Gotta couple buttons from a local engine rebuilder shop this morning and finished her up. Just waiting for my oil pick up to finish it up at school. I also finished my tranny today. Put a B&M transkit in it. Can't wait to get all this back into the car and hopefully get it finished up this year. So I've got this distributor for it. It's a Mallory Unilite. I guess I'd like to just rebuild this unit. But what do you guys think? It's already converted over to electric, so I don't have to deal with points.
