I have a spare 302 it's a 1974 block.. Question is : should I build a 331 with this block ? Or should I just wait and find a 5.0 roller block ? My concerns are mainly the 2 pc rear oil seal.... Your opinions are welcome......
Whats your over all expectations of the motor? Whats its uses going to be, how much power you looking for? Power adders? Also 347 is about the same amount of machine work, and price. I would just get the extra cubes. JMO
'74 block is fine for that build. 331 makes a nice engine too. Much less rod angularity than the 347. Why are you concerned about the two piece rear main. Just offset the two halves away from the cap-block parting line and you'll be fine.
Just remember the 74 block has a slightly taller deck, (that can be machined down to tailor the deck clearance to where you need it)
Thanks guys, I picked a 331 because it seems to have less side loading on the pistons, and a member says it should have a longer life with less stress (good for a driver)... Thanks for the tip on the off set rear seal, would never thought of that..... I want a very street able driver, comp thumper cam,small shot of nos,2500-3000 stall and a aod trans... and the related parts i need IE: carb,headers extra.... Oh and good heads because of budget E-steet alum. or junk yard gt40 heads
You will be fine with the 2 piece rear main seal. Almost all of the cranks that are being made now will accept both types of rear seals. Good choice on the 331. Volumetric efficiency is much better with the 331 opposed to the 347. Good luck with the build.
This whole "Thumper cam" syndrome is getting monotonous. So many more cams that offer much better driveability and make more power but everyone wants to hear "rumpity rumpity rumpity"........... A set of decently ported E7's would work fine for that application. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and the GT40's except for easier plug access. Actually.....if all you're wanting is a "driver" then why spend the money on a 331" engine? A low-buck 302 block/crank with 289 length rods and a Chevrolet piston would be a perfectly fine daily driver and make enough power to go mid-12's on pump gas.
That's because most who are doing this stuff now are geared more toward building something less monotonous, ala "Weekend Warrior" cars.
Well I'm not a engine builder or even a mechanic in general.. So being a novice what I notice is the sound of a motor... and a healthy 302 would be fine and cheaper..lol.. I picked the comp cam because of there quality and my local machine shop said it was a good choice for a street motor... I'm not sure but I think with out mods to the heads I need to stay under .500 lift cams... Keep the opinions coming this is how a non mechanic learns... Thanks
The main concern with stock heads is the pre pedestal, stud mount rocker heads. If you go this route, the studs need to be changed to screw in type. The pressed in studs just don't cut it with hotter cams. Not sure how the pedestal heads handle some of them, but I have run a B303 roller with 1.7 Cobra rockers without issues. (.510 lift, 224* @ .050 duration)
Yes I have learned this the hard way.. My motor I pulled out of the 74 grabber has a cam that is just big enough to pull the studs out a little.. At idle you can't hear it but crusing sounds like the lifters are gonna fly apart...lol... Runs ok though.... I have a set of heads that came off a 302 or 351 not sure, but they have a screw down rocker they are not e7 heads though..... I may just build a nice 302 and save my pennys for a RC front end and a 408 stroker, that has always been my dream motor.. But I want to delete the shock towers first...
Who said anything about monotonous? I'm the last person who'd run a High Energy cam, Performer intake, and a 600 Holley. But this whole "I like cams for the sound" garbage is starting to look a lot like import cars with fart can mufflers. "Weekend warrior" cars......as I said, there are probably a hundred cams better for that type of build than something designed strictly to sound fast. The question remains: do you want to sound fast....or be fast?
You know, you're starting to sound exactly like all the rest of the "Custom cam" crowd. Yea, there maybe a hundred cams out there that MAY be better in SOME applications, but if someone chooses a cam just for the lumpy idle sound, so be it. IT'S THEIR CAR. And "FAST" isn't just a function of the engine output. The driver has just as much to do with it as anything.
See here is the funny thing. 408's are all good but a 347 has too small a R/S ratio 347 (5.4 rod) 1.59 408 (6.25 rod) 1.56 So why not do a 347? As far as the rest of this subject goes if it were me I would source a rebuildable 5.0 (one that only requires bearings and rings) buy a good set of heads and build up from there. If you choose wisely and spend the money on the proper heads then you can move them to any size motor you have mentioned. You can put 500 HP in a 5.0 block if you watch the tune and you can do it N/A with a 347 and still have a quite streetable motor. If you want to go the supercharger route then it's even easier and you don't even need good induction parts. IMO a 408 in a Maverick is a waste of money and effort but you know what they say about opinions..............
