Chevy Goodwrench Crate Motor Info...

[Krooser]

Got a small block Chevy engine here... Made in Mexico. All stock. GM Goodwrench from what I can tell. 250HP rating.

I'm looking to install a cam and springs to make it into an affordable pure stock or street stock motor for the local dirt scene. It appears to be a very low mileage deal... it's spotless inside. Nearly zero bearing wear (but I haven't checked closely...just a visual).

I have a small block solid cam in stock...custom grind but I don't have any specs. I'm going to have Howard's Cams "Cam Doctor" it to see what I have... they are 40 miles from my shop.

My question is how much cam can I put in this thing? It appears to have a newer version of the 882 heads. I looked over Stan Weiss's page... 205 cfm intake? I'm not spending a bunch of cash on this but I think I can make a couple bucks on it since these seem to in demand around mid-season.

I'm thinking maybe 230-ish @.050...maybe .450-.470 lift...108 lsa. Springs to match. Generally the guys run 6000-6500 rpm's from what I can tell. I'll use the Chevy 055 "crows foot" iron intake I have and it will get a Holley 4412 per the rules.

I'm trying to give some young guy a decent $1200.00 engine.

[KnightEngines]

They have about 7.9:1 compression.
Gotta so something about that before you worry about cam!
.015" shim head gaskets & mill the heads & you can get 9:1 pretty easy.

[BigBro74]

Down my way there are a fairly large difference in the rules between street stock and “factory stock” basically SS gets compression and solid cam , aluminum intake, 4412 carb. factory stock gets flat tops , open chambers, iron intake, hydraulic cam and rochester type carb—-that will determine many of your choices. If it is a higher compression motor class——??? It is Going to need some help——-
If it is a lower compression- flat top type of class it may work out. There are a lot of ways to do them all fairly inexpensively , but it is specific to the rules.
What are the rules?

[cardo0]

Ever hear of the "the goodwrench quest" series by Super Chevy? 8 part series on a goodwrench 350 build. You can find most of it on line or buy the published edition by Chevy High Performance as "Small-Block Chevy Build Ups" for less than 5 bucks.

Super Chevy found their Goodwrench 350 from Scroggin Dickey had measured out to 8.4 c.r.. They centered the builds around the Comp Cams XE268H-10 as they found that seemed to work the best for them (Comp Cams marketing too). That cam peaks out before 6000rpm and no way would I spin cast pistons that high. All the Super Chevy dyno graphs ended by 5800rpm. With bone stock heads they got 336hp@5300 and 377ft-lbs@3800.

Hey it's a small block chevy and the combinations are endless. To keep it cheap the stock heads they need to be angle milled for compression and who knows who still does that? Intake needs milling to match. 3 angle valve job and pocket port the heads. Hand tool install some rocker studs also. Of course the FelPro steel shim head gasket.

I guess what I'm saying is most the effort goes into improving the lousy stock heads into not so lousy stock heads. And be careful with RPM using stock cast pistons.

How much lift without removing the heads to look? I think you have to measure that yourself by doing something like put a piston at TDC and dropping the valve.

[Krooser]

I'll install some steel shim gaskets and maybe resurface the heads... gave that some thought before. But that's my limit to what I'l put in this deal.

There are plenty of no buck racers around that just want to compete not set the world on fire... no budget for that. I drove to Florida to run the old IMCA Florida series back in 1987... Had a 133,000 mile boneyard 351-C under the hood with a Chet Herbert cam... I did have a back up bullet in the truck. Still had fun.

[ProPower engines]

If I had to I would close deck it to -.007 and use a GMP 602/604 head gasket at .028 compressed for some squeeze
potential.
CC the heads after a decent Valve job as they are always larger then you think to start with
Then machine them as needed to get 10-1 comp-. cast pistons don't last forever.
Tidy up the crank and rods as needed and add enough cam to get power to 6500.
Machine the intake faces of the heads to suit any intake to be used without milling it as it seems a waste to
dedicate a stock or cheap intake to only one engine.
Die grind the slots in the rockers to allow up to .530 lift with what ever cam and carry on.

Guys here do the same thing with their olt crate engines and they twist them to 7000 week after week in the stock class.
4/10th mile track with 2 racing lines and they live just fine for a couple seasons but they are cheaply reborn
and road hard till they expire with their boots on

[Krooser]

Yeah that won't happen ...I'm trying to make a profit her....let the new owner spend all his cash

[GARY C]

Ever hear of the "the goodwrench quest" series by Super Chevy? 8 part series on a goodwrench 350 build. You can find most of it on line or buy the published edition by Chevy High Performance as "Small-Block Chevy Build Ups" for less than 5 bucks.

Super Chevy found their Goodwrench 350 from Scroggin Dickey had measured out to 8.4 c.r.. They centered the builds around the Comp Cams XE268H-10 as they found that seemed to work the best for them (Comp Cams marketing too). That cam peaks out before 6000rpm and no way would I spin cast pistons that high. All the Super Chevy dyno graphs ended by 5800rpm. With bone stock heads they got 336hp@5300 and 377ft-lbs@3800.

Hey it's a small block chevy and the combinations are endless. To keep it cheap the stock heads they need to be angle milled for compression and who knows who still does that? Intake needs milling to match. 3 angle valve job and pocket port the heads. Hand tool install some rocker studs also. Of course the FelPro steel shim head gasket.

I guess what I'm saying is most the effort goes into improving the lousy stock heads into not so lousy stock heads. And be careful with RPM using stock cast pistons.

How much lift without removing the heads to look? I think you have to measure that yourself by doing something like put a piston at TDC and dropping the valve.

Here is that article. http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/goodwrench/gm3502.htm

[Krooser]

Good read...

[GARY C]

This would actually make an interesting EMC class, All competitors start with this block, head and rotating assembly and everything else is left to the builder...

[BigBro74]

This would actually make an interesting EMC class, All competitors start with this block, head and rotating assembly and everything else is left to the builder...

I had that same thought----------
Then I started to think--How many pulls would it have to make before it expires

[GARY C]

This would actually make an interesting EMC class, All competitors start with this block, head and rotating assembly and everything else is left to the builder...

I had that same thought----------
Then I started to think--How many pulls would it have to make before it expires

That would be an interesting part, could someone actually make enough power that it would not live? You could only mill or angle mill so much for compression and even with welding and epoxy how much power do you think a person could make with one?

I just thought it would be a real world test of a builders ability, I think you would have to get in the 600HP range to kill it.

[BigBro74]

You could do the work on-site within a time frame a crunch time challenge!
Maybe bring any legal to change parts you want to replace with you ----

[GARY C]

You could do the work on-site within a time frame a crunch time challenge!
Maybe bring any legal to change parts you want to replace with you ----

That would be the great thing is the only rules would be that block, head and rotating assembly, everything else would be left up to the builder.

[cardo0]

This would actually make an interesting EMC class, All competitors start with this block, head and rotating assembly and everything else is left to the builder...

Well there's a better long block to start with. The vortec headed truck block is only a few bucks more and had hyper pistons with vortec heads (needs drilling for a mechanical fuel pump rod though).

Really there are all kinds of long block crate motors in all the major brands that would make a good challenge. But ya know it gets done every day by the budget hot rodder - just doesn't get published every time.