I did it I finally got a chevy to break a rod! you heard me it snapped the rod off on the #4 piston.

Believe it or not that crazy thing will still run!, dident crack the block, didnt  bust the oilpan, its insane, but it has spun the mains out, and i have to rebuild it or replace it i dunno which i can afford yet, so its just sittin there in the back yard.

Before you guys start tellin me about overrevvin and the long list of other driver error things, the mains spun out at 55 mph in OD, and the rod just snapped off around the same time. it was full of oil (proper level i had just changed it and the press was good) so i figure the old 350 just had too many miles on it.

The truck is a 77 chevy cheyenne short bed, i changed the axels, tranny and transfercase out of a '80, 3/4 ton gmc i got from my uncle, the engine was a 350 pontiac donated from a transam, and up until the other day it was runnin like a dream. 

so now im searchin for a new mojo or some inexpensive rebuild ideas for this rusty beaut'. i am working on the long rebuild on the body at this time too,  so suggestions are welcome!

if i could figure out how to post pics i would ive got them now.

When I compaired the cost of rebuilding my existing block and buying a short block the cost was about the same. Check with machine shops for an estimate and check with the parts stores and your local GM dealer for short block prices before you jump in to rebuilding the block tht you have. Unless you have magnafluxed your existing block you do not know if your existing one is damaged beyond repair.  

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to get you a good 350 block, and get it bored & stroked into a rad 383 stroker!  That's what I plan to do on my '77 Cheyenne K5, as soon as I can afford it.

I threw a rod on a GM 250 straight-6 block once on one of my boats. The access panel on the side of the engine made quick work of getting the busted exhaust rod pieces out, ( and the intake rod too, so I'm not pumping gas into that cylinder with no exhaust rod ). We were about 20-some miles off-shore, but we got it running on 5 cylinders and got her home without a tow. It was a poppin' johnie, and it made us all deeef for a while but it worked great!

I replaced the two rods and rockers on it later with apparently no other damage that I could detect. I also replaced the head gasket since it was pretty easy to get to. I had that boat for a few years after that without any other engine poblems. All my GM engines have been pretty much bullet-proof over the years. I can't say as much for OMC stern-drives though, pretty crappy stuff.

This may be a stupid question, but what's the differnece between a 350 "short block" and a "long block" - besides the obvious length of the block.  

I have looked at some long block prices, and lemme tell you they are expensive, $1084.00 is the cheepest I have found. so far I havent found any good short block prices. I have found short block engines available but no priceing.

for the short term (so i can move it around the yard ) I have removed the piston, lifters, and pushrods,  the bearings are still givin heck but it keeps it outta the way till i can find someting.   that cylinder wall is beat to death so the block i have is beyond rebuilding

the 383 sounds like it would be a good build but like you im still hunting that elusive extra dollar

 I would love to know how to post pics here so youguys could see the battered old beast it is really rough but i still love it...

thought I would add this, the difference between the long and short block is the long block has heads and an oilpan, the short block doesent..

Have you looked at what it would cost to pickup a bone-yard 350 block and have an engine shop tweak it into a 383 block ? I'm not sure if that would be more, or less expensive that the other alternative

I've looked at HT-383 bare blocks, and partials from GM, and you ain't kidding it's expensive. I'll most likely have to accumulate all the parts over time before I do my build. In the mean-time I'll keep driving my original 350 block around in the beast.

Thanks for the info. Good luck with your build.

im looking into seeing if this block can be bored .60 and then have sleves installed to bring it back to .30, and then do the rebuild on my old block i have to find out if the bearing housings are shot or not.  the heads will nead rebuilt but that all figures in

thanks for the luck and if you find any other good info let me know im alwayse on the look out for good deals on engines.

I just found one heck of a bargan i got a fresh block and crank already started for a stroker motor for 100 bucks all i gotta do is pick up some pistons and have my heads redone and ill be set i give it a couple of months and the old frankintruck will be back in the game

im all smiles today

Dang! Why can't I find that kind of deal ?  The last offer of a cheap block I got was an old rusty 350  that was sitting in someone's back yard ( on the ground ) for a few months. In the rain, wind, bugs, squirrels, ect.......  I figured that was more trouble than it was worth!

   I'd love to start with a bare block and just build it up from there. I hear so many horror stories from local drag strip folks who spend big buck on  a 'supposedly' reputable performance engine shop doing their build just to have it all blow on the first or second run. I don't have that sort of money laying around, and I know it will be done right if I do it - with a little advice from my friends, of course.

I'm in no hurry getting 'er done 'cause I'll be wheelin my old 350 while I'm building my 383 stroker in the garage!

Good luck with your new block!   Damn lucky Dawg!

i know i just fell into it, i was talkin to a guy at work and he said he had it for a build on his truck and just dident wanna buy heads for it so he told me i could have it for 100 to get it outta his garage im a lucky dawg.

last nite I got a call from an old friend who told me he has a runnin 350 so the old truck will be back on the road soon, then i can build the other block into a stroker im so happy...

good luck on your build too.