I have a very stock 2 bolt 350 in great condition that I was thinking about rebuilding. I need a streetable engine but I was aiming for about 400 hp. I've heard that 2 bolts are stronger in some cases than 4 bolts. I was wondering wat the truth was! Also, is there anyway the 2 bolt can be strenthened for cheap? Im not building a drag racer, just streetable 350 with some kick. Should I just invest in the 4 bolt?

 

I would say, don't worry about even at 400 HP which I don't you will achieve. On a street driven car, are you going to brag it is a 4-bolt main???

 

The 2 bolt block will handle 400HP just fine. According to some engine builders, the best 4 bolt blocks start out with 2 bolts and then modified to take 4 bolt splayed caps. The factory style 4 bolt set up is stronger than the 2 bolt, otherwise the factory wouldn't bother with them, but some builders contend the extra holes tend to weaken the block webbing. The splayed caps are supposed to avoid that problem.

 

should i look into splayed caps? Are they expensive? And Why don't you think I will achieve 400?

 

Splayed caps can get expensive, they are usually forged or machined from steel billet, they require machine shop work to drill the new holes at the proper angle, and to align bore the block and caps. As for 400 HP, that is about the limit for a streetable 350 engine. It will easily make more power, but at the expense of low end torque, and with all the problems of keeping a high RPM engine happy. High revs stress out the bottom of the engine more than high torque.