New mill for the wrecker...

[PackRat]

Boys, the old 350 in my wrecker is about to depart this world. I'm looking for opinions on what should replace it .
I'd love to drop in a Gen1, with a 5-speed, but I just don't have the $$$.
I've got 3 4-bolt main 350 blocks, and can't decide if I should just get another 350, build a 327, or get nasty, and scrape together a viscious little 302.

If I go Gen1, I gotta have the 5-speed(maybe more), and/or swap out the rear gears. I think it has 4.56's now.
I can get a new Marshall 350 for less than $800, witha 5/100k warranty.
I have most of the parts to build a 327, and a buddy that races, who can help me tweak it out.
The highest priced gasser would be the 302, because of the special crank/rods/pistons, but I think it would be an awesome puller from 2500-5000 rpm.
Send me a sign. Drop me a line. Or Just tell me I'm another ******* gearhead.
And for you Powerchokers....don't even think about it. I'd burn it to the ground before I'd pollute it with one of those.

 

[rubberfish]

If you put a Gen1 or 2 in there and keep the 4:56's
I think you'd be lucky to hit 70mph.
What's in your crossbreed for gears?

 

[PackRat]

The Crossbreed has 3.55's. A lot of the farmers around here have 24V's with 4.11's, but I'm a little leary about turning it that hard, if I'm pulling in 4th. It pulls good, but I need to redo the radiator, and wedge in an intercooler, somehow.

 

[rubberfish]

Originally posted by PackRat
and wedge in an intercooler, somehow.

That's my next project too.
Start that next week or so

 

[PackRat]

Geez guys, 1256 members, and six votes is all I can get?
I haven't found any bargains on a Gen1, yet, so I'm leaning toward a long rod 327.

 

[2500cummins]

How many miles did you get out of the 350? I've never had a bit of luck with a sb chevy in a working truck, usually around 80,000. If the yearly miles are low I would drop in another 350 or change to a BB chevy, If it gets a lot of miles or if I was going to spend a little money I would go for a Cummins, my experience has been that a built up SB chevy in a working truck is just asking for a broken motor when I needed it most, I've changed so many 350's in C-60 chevys in the middle of the night so the truck could work the next day.....

 

[PackRat]

I've always had good luck with smallblocks. this one was a 6.2 originally, but I suspect that the previous ower dumped a junkyard motor in it, to sell it.
I really can't say how many miles it has on it, until I tear it down.

 

[6bta]

Hey Packrat, how about a cummins 4 bt?
I have a guy with one in a GMC mason dump.
He pulls a 9 ton trailer with a mini komatsu on it
and he loves it and that engine is a stock 120 hp.
Let me know if I can help, Later

 

[PackRat]

6bta, they guy I bend a little custom exhaust for had some 4bt railroad takeouts. He shot me a price for one witha 5-speed. I figured I could buy a wrecked Gen1 truck cheaper.
What can a guy wring out of 1, with the pump optimized, and an intercooler?

 

[dazedandconfused]

Hey Packrat how about a first gen? I'm asking $1800 but need to sell! I'll be getting married in the near furture and need money!

 

[PackRat]

I'd love to have it, but I don't think I can scrape up that much free cash, this time of year.
I've got a pickup I'd like to sell, myself, but I need it to got to swap meet, the first part of Feb.
Its the only one I have that 4 ppl can ride in without feeling like sardines.

Surely your not selling the mill for your Ferd?

 

[6bta]

We are getting around 320 hp and a little over 500 ft.lbs on the torque.
It has a little more than some pump work done to it.
Let me know if I can help. Later......

 

[PackRat]

Hey Dazed, you couldn't put me on a easy payment plan could ya? You can trust me, right?

Ran over to Beloit this morning to snag a wrecked 66 Ferd, and had to drop out of high hole, to pull it over the north hill.
Need motor, need money, need more daylight, and less cold.

Herein lies the trouble with having to many hobbies. Not enough time or cash to do any of them right.

 

[PackRat]

The results are in, and your not gonna like it.

Well, the results are in. After not being able to finance a Gen1 conversion, I started rounding up parts for a long rod 327.

Then it happened. Lady Luck smiled on me, and dropped a Vortec 350 in my lap, for cheap. Broken crank, but nothing else is hurt. Cracked through the first crank throw. ??? New one on me. Pickup up a good crank at Swap meet, for $40, and a fresh aluminum carb intake w/ new phenolic spacer for $150.

I figure I'll have a roller-cam, vortech heads, 1-piece rear main mill, in the wrecker, for less than $300, total.

That will give me time to rat hole some bux, until I can afford another Gen1.

Maybe by then I'll find an old v-6 Jimmy diesel, or a late, roller-cam 5.7 Oldsburner, for a sick little twin turbo setup, just for the "what were you thinking" awards.

 

[PackRat]

Just thought I bring this back up, to see if anyone else has a comment.

Latest results, have changed the final disposition.

Got a grenaded vortec 350 from the junkyard, salvaged the heads, and traded some early SBC stuff to a buddy, for a low mileage Vortec shortblock.(like 17k low mileage)

Unless I get hard up for cash, the end result wil be a roller-cam, Vortec 350, with aluminum intake, and Q-Jet, and HEI,with a 4-pin Camaro module.

Haven't decided whether to run the Vortec serpentine system, or use the old style v-belts, so I can keep my A-6 compressor.

I gotta get this done, before the old 350 smogger give up on me.