I'm doing a total restore on my 1968 Firebird. Long story short, to save some money and get it back on the road sooner than later, I bought what looks to be a 1974 350 with 4X 4H heads that seems to run good. I have the original 68 motor that I'm going to rebuild at some point but [censored] who knew it was so expensive to rebuild a poncho haha.
The 74' 350, I was told should have less than 10k miles on it since it's rebuild but the guy I bought it from had no proof. I pulled the heads off and it looks to have stock pistons. Heads have screw in studs and it is indeed a very clean motor and I could see that new head gaskets had been installed and I also see evidence of most of the rest of the gaskets being replaced.
My question here is, what cam upgrade is possible for this as just a basic swap without having to change anything else? Is it even possible to get a bit better cam for this motor? Sorry for my ignorance but I'm pretty new to poncho's.
Any other information or anything about this engine that doesn't seem right or I should look for?
Well if it were me... and I was looking to make a difference in this engine, without spending a ton, I would swap the heads. That is a super smog engine with very low compression. Seriously its one of the worst V8 combos Pontiac ever built! BUT... You can pick up some 350 small valve heads (ie #11,#17,#47) or even some 400 heads with small valves (ie #14, #45, #48) pretty cheap. You will get a solid bump in compression and get a nice bump in hp. You also have a 4bbl intake on it which isn't doing much now, but with a better head will be way happier. Then you can think about better cam. I like the Lunati Voodo 256/262.
Well if it were me... and I was looking to make a difference in this engine, without spending a ton, I would swap the heads. That is a super smog engine with very low compression. Seriously its one of the worst V8 combos Pontiac ever built! BUT... You can pick up some 350 small valve heads (ie #11,#17,#47) or even some 400 heads with small valves (ie #14, #45, #48) pretty cheap. You will get a solid bump in compression and get a nice bump in hp. You also have a 4bbl intake on it which isn't doing much now, but with a better head will be way happier. Then you can think about better cam. I like the Lunati Voodo 256/262.
Thanks for the reply. I picked up the '74 motor for $400 so I could save a bit on the engine work and get everything else finished so I could enjoy it. Sounds like I should just roll with it how it is for now.
I've got the original 350 sitting in the corner but I need to get it rebuilt or at the least have someone go through it. It's a 68 350 2bbl with 17 heads. When I bought the car I got the motor running temporarily but it had been sitting since 1983. I've gotten 3 quotes to get it rebuilt and they have been anywhere from $3500-$5000 which seems crazy to me LOL.
If I got the #17 heads refurbished would it be ok with these pistons in the '74? I can see the stock '68 pistons have valve reliefs and these do not.
The quotes you got are in the right ballpark. You can go way over that if you want to. I'll bet you are way closer to the 5K than the 3K when its all done. The plan I have for my 350 will probably push 7k. The #17 heads are an excellent 350 head. I would have them redone including adding screw in studs. I wouldn't worry about the valve reliefs. The question is what is the compression? If you need all new pistons etc you will be spending $500 for forged pistons. There are some other options and you can find plenty of chatter about 350 pistons. I wouldn't get into reusing the 74 pistons. For all the money you are putting in I would overbore and work with your engine builder to pick a solid piston. Lot's of 350 performance street builds use cast pistons. Others hate them. I have no idea. Others are using mopar pistons. Or get custom. We can really get into the weeds here.
You can certainly reuse that 4bbl iron intake. It will work great. But don't over carb it. Pick a good cam and add duel exhaust, if you don't have it already, and you will be well on your way to a very nice set up. With the right gears and posi a built 350 will move a little Firebird with plenty of getty up.
Now you are bound to hear, if you haven't already, that for the same money you can build a 400 or 455 and get way more power. Totally true. No doubt about it, 100% correct. But if you are looking to keep the original 350 don't be afraid. You can get 325hp easy.