Horsepower On A Budget - Tech Information

318 Horsepower On Budget All In One Package 350 Engine Kit

All in one package: this 350 engine kit included a fully machined four-bolt main block and virtually everything to make a complete engine. The only things missing before we went to the dyno were a distributor, carb, and valve covers.

All in one package: this 350 engine kit included a fully machined four-bolt main block and

Nothing comes without a price these days. Whether it's good food or nice clothing, it never seems that you get what you pay for. But there are those who will tell you that you don't have to go over budget to get good quality. While that may apply to a good pair of shoes or a night on the town, don't think for one minute that it doesn't mean you have to hand over all your hard-earned cash to get good power under the hood of your ride.

While the terms "budget" and "affordable" are relative and mean different things to each of us, there's one numerical reference we can all relate to: cash! The bottom line: here's how you can build a reliable, street-worthy, powerful enough, small-block Chevy with all new parts for less than $2,300!

No, we're not going to show you the dyno needle pointing to 600, 500, or even 400 hp for this dollar figure, but what you will get for your investment is a whole lot of manageable performance, usable vacuum, and unlimited reliability-the kind of results you seldom see when pushing the horsepower needle upwards. Let's agree that "horsepower" is a term used to impress others. Street performance is largely the result of having good torque.

To make this story happen, we visited brothers Bob and George of Vrbancic Brothers Racing in Ontario, California. These guys have been building mega-power Mouse and Rat motors for decades, and welcomed the opportunity to explore the other side of the coin, so to speak.

"There is a big market for streetable performance engines," explains Bob. "Not everyone needs 400 horsepower to cruise around town."

And we definitely agree!

We let Bob make a few phone calls and what he came up with was a well thought out 350 engine kit from a longtime auto engine remanufacturing business named Wayne's Auto, out of Riverside, California. What Bob got for around $1,800 was an amazing array of quality parts (including ARP engine fasteners, a polished aluminum intake manifold, and an aftermarket harmonic balancer)-almost everything to put the engine together and onto his DTS dyno. The only parts you need are a set of valve covers, a distributor, and a carb. Add that up and you haven't even gotten past $2,300. Of course, we'd suggest replacing some the items such as the water pump, starter motor, and alternator. But virtually everything else is provided. All you'll need to rob from another engine would be a water neck for the intake manifold and whatever pulleys are required to run the necessary accessories.

One of the most attractive reasons for buying this type of engine package is that you can build it yourself. While there's no denying that many people today opt to spend the money for a crate engine, what we haven't lost track of is that as enthusiasts, many of you want to do the work yourself. For those that fit this description, there is no better reward than to say, "I did it myself."

While we did watch along-camera in hand-as Bob and George went through the paces to assemble the Wayne's kit, it wasn't our intention to show you every nut and bolt going together. Think of the following picture essay as a refresher course on how to assemble a small-block without all of the fancy tools that big-time engine builders use. You don't need them here.

As for the performance results of our "affordable" 350, needless to say we were impressed when we finished our dyno session. OK, it made just shy of 320 hp, but it made nearly 370 lb-ft of torque, idled at 800 rpm and delivered an impressive 16 inches of vacuum!

And as we mentioned earlier, cost is a relative term. If you can spring for a few bucks more, Bob feels that this little engine would easily be capable of more than 350 horses with a little more aggressive cam and perhaps a set of 1.6:1 rockers. But as it is, we feel comfortable that all but the most diehard enthusiast wouldn't mind getting around with a reliable, affordable, and powerful engine like this beneath the hood.

Sure, in today's world, just like choosing what shoes to buy or what restaurant to dine at, there are plenty of choices when it comes to powering your Bow-Tie. But remember, you may not always get what you pay for unless you take charge of it yourself.

The cast crank is ready to drop right in the block. This arm is definitely good to 400 ponies with no problems. The only thing Bob and George recommend doing is to give it a complete cleaning before dropping it in the main saddles.
The cast crank is ready to drop right in the block. This arm is definitely good to 400 pon
In today's world of mega-power small-blocks cylinder heads are king. What you get in this package is a basic set of cast-iron heads with 2.02-inch intake and 1.60-inch exhaust valves. Big combustion chambers coupled with flat-top cast pistons keep the compression down to around 9.0:1, which means regular unleaded and no detonation.
In today's world of mega-power small-blocks cylinder heads are king. What you get in this

To Bob and George, there is nothing more important than cleanliness and attention to detail. Before any part of the rotating assembly gets plugged into the block, the case receives a complete cleaning...
To Bob and George, there is nothing more important than cleanliness and attention to detai
...as does the crankshaft.
With the upper half of the main bearings all lubed up...

...and in the block's saddles the crank was dropped in place. At this stage, there was no grease applied to the bearings in the caps, since Bob wanted to check bearing clearance prior to torqueing the crank in for good. Note that this block uses as two-piece rear seal, which is generally considered more desirable in performance applications.
...and in the block's saddles the crank was dropped in place. At this stage, there was no
Unlike most assembly jobs, Bob chose to use readily available Plastigauge rather than set up his dial indicator and calipers to check bearing clearance. The old standby, which has been in every engine builders tool box forever, works just fine when you're trying to keep costs down. For a couple of bucks you'll have enough to do all the bearings and then some.
Unlike most assembly jobs, Bob chose to use readily available Plastigauge rather than set
Once you've laid out a small piece of Plastigauge across the radius of the crank journal the cap and bearing are simply torqued to spec and then removed.
Once you've laid out a small piece of Plastigauge across the radius of the crank journal t

A small part of the Plastigauge's packaging acts as a measure to show what the squished material translates into bearing clearance.
A small part of the Plastigauge's packaging acts as a measure to show what the squished ma
With confirmation of the correct bearing clearance, the next step was to torque down the main caps. Making sure the bearings have enough lube is important prior to breaking out the torque wrench. Note that Bob also applies a little sealant to where the rear cap sits in the block. This helps prevents oil from seeping past the cap.
With confirmation of the correct bearing clearance, the next step was to torque down the m
With a basic engine kit such as this one from Wayne's the ring set is essentially pre-gapped. That's assuming of course that the cylinders are within tolerance after being machined. It probably wouldn't hurt to put a first and second ring into a cylinder and check the gap with a feeler gauge before putting them on the pistons and slipping them into the block.
With a basic engine kit such as this one from Wayne's the ring set is essentially pre-gapp

We did and all looked good here, so in went the cast flat-top slugs with one of the only specialty tools that was used during this build-a tapered ring compressor.
We did and all looked good here, so in went the cast flat-top slugs with one of the only s
As with the main bearings, a small strip of Plastigauge was used to determine if the rod bearing clearance was within spec. Sure enough, low tech tool does the job again.
As with the main bearings, a small strip of Plastigauge was used to determine if the rod b
With all the pistons and rods in their respective cylinders Bob wanted to determine top dead center (TDC) before the cam was installed. Here, a makeshift tool consisting of a 1/2-inch piece of steel that is attached to a cylinder head bolt hole with a tapped hole and a bolt at the other end was used to determine when the piston was up in the cylinder its highest.
With all the pistons and rods in their respective cylinders Bob wanted to determine top de

After reading the cam card attached to the box, the small performance cam was lubed and installed straight up. That means that Bob simple bolted it in place at zero degrees. No degree wheel was used, either.
After reading the cam card attached to the box, the small performance cam was lubed and in
The timing set consisted of a set of steel gears and a double roller chain. Good parts here, for sure. The crank gear did have three keyways cut in so if we had wanted to change he position of the cam by a couple of degrees plus or minus we could have.
The timing set consisted of a set of steel gears and a double roller chain. Good parts her
Making sure the quality nuts and bolts from ARP and Specialty Fasteners did their job meant using the correct torque specs and a thread locker when necessary. Here LocTite is used to provide a level of security that the bolts holding the cam gear in place stays put even when the engine is revved to 5,000 rpm.
Making sure the quality nuts and bolts from ARP and Specialty Fasteners did their job mean

The same theory applies to the high-volume oil pump and pickup that were installed in our small-block.
The same theory applies to the high-volume oil pump and pickup that were installed in our
Bob took the extra step of putting a small tack weld on the tube where it goes into the pump's housing. Otherwise, the press fit may vibrate loose and if the pickup falls off the engine could starve for oil. And once the oil pan, which was included in the kit, is installed, nobody wants to have to take it off, especially if the engine is in the car.
Bob took the extra step of putting a small tack weld on the tube where it goes into the pu
Another high-quality part that is included in the 350 engine kit is this aftermarket all-steel harmonic balancer. Stock balancers have a rubber ring insulating the inner and outer steel rings that can rot and dry out allowing the balancer to come apart. Not a good thing for either you or your car's engine. Using the correct took to install a balancer is a must, as is a correctly torqued bolt and washer helping to hold it in place.
Another high-quality part that is included in the 350 engine kit is this aftermarket all-s

With the short-block assembled, Bob turned to installing the stock-style cylinder heads. Today, the better the heads, the more power. But that all comes with a price. For a good performing street engine such as this a basic set of small port, big combustion chamber castings are enough. With all new parts including stainless 2.02-inch intake and 1.60-inch exhaust valves there will be plenty of torque to get your car moving fast.
With the short-block assembled, Bob turned to installing the stock-style cylinder heads. T
Another area Bob is vocal about is sealing. Many who assemble their own engine forget or don't realize to seal the threads of the head bolts that go through into a small-block's water-jacket. If you don't do this the potential for a leak that will eventually lead to a blown head gasket is pretty good.
Another area Bob is vocal about is sealing. Many who assemble their own engine forget or d
Use some sealer then make sure the correct torque specs are adhered to.

This package came with hydraulic cam and lifters. To let the lifters fill up with oil you can let them sit in a tin can filled with 30-weight overnight. But in this case, Bob used an oil pump primer in an electric drill. This gave the oil pump enough time to prime all the oil passageways.
This package came with hydraulic cam and lifters. To let the lifters fill up with oil you
As for making sure the tips of the pushrods are lubed before assembly, a little dab of assembly grease works here.
As for making sure the tips of the pushrods are lubed before assembly, a little dab of ass
As critical as making sure everything inside the engine is lubricated properly, is doing your best to prevent leaks. Here, with the intake gaskets in place over the ports Bob uses common RTV silicone sealer in a tube to create the intake manifold's end gaskets.
As critical as making sure everything inside the engine is lubricated properly, is doing y

Proper installation of the manifold is a must and letting the silicone set up is important. The polished aluminum dual plane intake manifold used on our engine was designed for a Holley four-barrel.
Proper installation of the manifold is a must and letting the silicone set up is important
Note the trick intake manifold offset washers used. With slotted middle holes for use with different cylinder head combinations, these washer inserts allow the bolts to correctly tighten down the manifold and hold it to the head.
Note the trick intake manifold offset washers used. With slotted middle holes for use with
Here it is. This is what you get for around $1,800. This near-complete engine features all new (pistons, bearings, cam and lifters, etc.) or machined parts (such as crank, rods, block, and heads), plus a few aftermarket performance parts like the aluminum high-rise intake, balancer and chrome timing cover. For the money you can't beat kits like this, especially if you want to build it yourself.
Here it is. This is what you get for around $1,800. This near-complete engine features all

For our test engine we added a cool HEI distributor from MSD. This item is a basic bolt in and not only looks great but has the spark to help put down some potent horsepower numbers.
For our test engine we added a cool HEI distributor from MSD. This item is a basic bolt in
Although this type of engine was pretty non-responsive to carb changes, depending on what application you are going to use it in (manual trans, automatic, heavy car, etc.) you could get away with a number of different fuel meters. For the dyno session Bob chose to use a Carb Shop-prepped 650-cfm double pumper. However, a vacuum secondary 600 would probably be just as responsive and perhaps even save you a little on the gas bill.
Although this type of engine was pretty non-responsive to carb changes, depending on what
When all was said and done, we definitely hit the number. While there was no predetermined horsepower figure we were looking for, we'd have to say that for the money (or lack of) we hit a home run with a best pull of just under 320 hp and right at 370 lb-ft of torque. And when we looked at the dyno sheets and saw low oil and water temps, great vacuum, and low fuel consumption, we could only think of one number-and it was the winning one.
When all was said and done, we definitely hit the number. While there was no predetermined

SOURCES
Waynes Engine 2200 Business Wy. Riverside CA 92501 Dept. SC	Vrbancic Bros. Racing N/A customcarbs.com
Carb Shop Ontario CA 9-09/-947-3575 customcarbs.com