I'm not totally new to cars/engines but I've never build anything more than a stock rebuilt engine and that's when I was 13 and helping my dad. I recall more than anything cleaning the hell out of parts(important but not overly tech savy). This is in conjunction with my dad once again(I'm now 30) but we aren't after a stock build.

The block is a casting 3970010 4 bolt main, stock forged steel crank.

It'll need a full machine shop once over, tanked/checked, align bored, cyl bored/plate honed, new frost plugs and cam bearings. Crank will be checked and turned as well.

We've already bought a set of RHS Cast heads, 64cc combustion chambers, 180cc intake runners, 1.60/2.02 valves good for .50 lift. Not a radical head, but seemed to compare very well against gm p.p. bowtie vortecs for a lot less cash.

Cam is an comp cams XE262 262/270, Lift .462/.469

We've already bought that stuff, cam honestly might be a touch mild, but I figure that's an easy upgrade if we decide for a little more power and it'll keep the street manners very reasonable. It may never see a track of any kind so that's most important. Will end up with roller or roller tipped rockers.

Where I get lost is in the long block, hell I've already got the block I want and crank. So basically piston and rod selection. I think being a street biased engine, aiming under 400hp(I think 325 is more reasonable expectation). I want new pistons, leaning towards Keith Black Hypers or some variety, and perhaps SCAT I-Beam rods w/ ARP bolts.

There there is the issue of the machine shop balancing the rotating assembly. No idea what that'll cost and I am trying to figure out what this will cost, it's being done as cash flows in on a budget. Father and son project as well thus not interested in crates or short blocks.

I'll still need a good kit that includes quality high volume oil pump, main bearings, gaskets, seals etc etc.

Intake wise it'll be pure carb'd. Leaning towards an edelbrock air gap, probably edelbrock carb of some sort as well but need help selecting the right one yet. It'll have headers and full custom exhaust as well, size not yet determined either.

Plan to build a 700r4 with a mild stall.....but that's another post.

Look for

 

I put the edelbrock performer kit on mine which was heads, cam, intake and carb and it had the keith black hyperetic pistons, noisy timing gear I cant remember connecting rods but it was a beast of a car. Wish I would never had sold it. Oh and it was bored .30 to 355. The carb was the performer 750 with performer intake.

 

Sounds like a lot of over kill for a motor that mild. You could do one of two things, one have the machine shop of your choice pick the rods and pistons or second just order a 355 or383 stroker kit that comes balanced already. Than you could install that in the block when you get it back form the machine shop. If YOU get the kit the shop will need the pistons to finish the final hone on the cylinder bore for piston clearance.

 

I agree; the work planned is a bit much for a under 400 hp engine. You can easily reuse stock rods after having your shop resize them. Hypertectic pistons are fine also, and many complete engine kits supply them as part of the kit. Balancing is nice, but I doubt I'd do it on a mild build.
There are things I generally let my machine shop do, and other things I prefer to do myself. I have them do the block cleaning, boring, and all machine work. I always have the mains align bored, and I have the crank surfaces polished. I check and set each ring set to the cylinders they are going into, but I have the machine shop put the new pistons on the rods after they resize the rods. I also have them install the soft plugs when cleaning and machine work is done. I prefer to install all the lower end bearings, but I have the shop put the new cam bearings in. I like to check all my rod and main bearings with plastigauge, so I know what my clearances are.
I usually buy a rebuild kit from Summit. Their kits use all name brand components, and come with pistons, rings, bearings, hi volume pump, and all the gaskets. I don't buy a kit until the shop tells me what they bored the block to, and what size they turned the mains and rods on the crank. Once you know that you can order the kit to the specs they did. A new total rebuild kit is around $240, (with hypertectic pistons) and much cheaper than purchasing individual pieces. It's a couple hundred more for forged pistons, but they aren't needed at under 450 hp.

 

The old rods really should be fine once resized and fitted with some good ARP bolts, I trust our machine shop and I'm working in with the shop that we bought the heads from as well so I can easily get 2nd opinions from both of the. Come to think of it, my machine shop had a couple sets of redone 350 rods hanging on the wall last time I was in there for sale.

I know summit sells complete rebuild kits that come with pistons, but I have no idea how good those pistons are. The KB's seem to get good reviews(although there are a few varities). Seems to be the hypers are a good choice for a street engine(tighter allowable tolerances, quieter at start up etc) and I shouldn't need the desirable qualities the forged pistons offer.

I'll need to find out what the deck height will end up being, looks like a flat top piston could very well land me in the 10:1 area I'm after. Definately need to get into the shop and figure out what needs and get into the nitty gritty. In my mind the cam we've picked is a little small for 400hp but the heads shouldn't prevent us from being in the ball park so I want to be nothing more than a cam swap away from having a reliable solid 400hp engine.

 

The stuff in Summit's kits are all name brand parts! I've purchased numerous kits from them and always found nothing but first rate parts. Most likely the pistons will either be Keith Black, or Speed Pro; both top quality. All the gaskets are Felpro, and usually Melling oil pumps in a plain white wrapper.

 

With the cam you picked you will be more than a little ways away from 400hp. If you never did a cam sway on a two piece seal motor when its in a vehicle your in for a treat. Pick up the phone and call the Comp. Cam Hot line 1-800-999-0853 and find out what the would have you put in to match you combo.

 

Why do you say that. I've done it before, what's the "treat"?

 

If changing internal parts, it is worth the money getting a balance job, generally $150-$250.
Get all the aftermarket parts you want, do the machine work to the rods and whatever else, buy the ring set and bearing set of choice, give all parts to the machine shop, including a new balancer and flexplate/flywheel, to the balancer.

When was the last time you could set a full glass of water on top of the air cleaner, engine at idle, then WOT to 6K, back to idle, and nary a drop of water has left the glass?

 

I much prefer to do it right the first time. I usually call Comp. cams and explain the total package and they will give their expert advice on the cam selection. For a street motor I always prefer torque over HP. How many times have you run into a person that has the biggest flow numbers of their heads and the cam to go with it. Then they wonder why the 8.5-1 compression with a stock 2.73 gear and stock converter and tall tires is such a pooch. After doing this for a very long time you get a feel as to what works and what doesn't.