Recent content by Thunderdan

PB Blaster works great as do a number of other good penetrating sprays, however I would first use a hand held propane torch and work over the very local areas where the bolts are stuck fast (stay aware from plug wires or anything flammable). Not red hot, but pretty warm, then douse with PB...

Would be awesome to see the fender tag....

More good suggestions than bad in the replies to your post, however if it runs good now and the compression checks out, then get the right oil pan/pickup installed, add a mild cam (under .480 lift and under 228 degrees of duration - the Hughes Whiplash cam that you considered is good here, but...

Looks to be a steel crank one too. Hope the wear is minimal and it doesn't take much to have it running well again. Measure everything now and do what it truly needs to run well and hold together to save headaches later. Please share the progress of the build with us too. Oh, and you...

Or 2 crisscrossed big hose clamps?

Exactly this. I had a 1995 GMC Sonoma 4.3 V6 with the NV3500 and a 3.08 rear and while that transmission held the hard use I subjected it to (and a few clutch-shuddering heavy trailer hauls) for 250K+ miles, it was a very light truck with only 250 lb ft of torque and low traction. If it did...

How long do you want it to live and how drivable do you need it to be? 400 hp isn't that hard from a 361, but verifying that the short block is sound with good bearings and decent ring seal would be a priority. If going the nitrous route, those factory pistons are going to need that...

you mean .545, not .0545. that would be a *very* small wrist pin....

Up until '75, all U code (E86) 440's used nylon teeth on their timing chains, however beginning that year, the E86 engine was revised to an "endurance" engine, which featured many of the features outlined in Post #34, but also hard chromed exhaust valves, moly-filled compression rings to reduce...

While not initially offered with a 4 barrel, once the 400 SBC was introduced in the pickups by the mid-70's it used the q-jet like the 350's.

Check out post #2.

Might the current heads have been heavily surfaced in a previous rebuild? If so, that would certainly throw off bolt alignment. Machine shop would likely be the only way to tell...

Perhaps I missed something in this thread, however how was the quench with the Icon pistons? Much of my reading (no personal experience so far) was that the relatively large bore and head design was that TOO LITTLE quench can cause detonation, while the tighter the quench, the more resistant...

Offy 360 intake gives up a BUNCH of torque, especially as compared to the factory intake and even more so than any modern dual plane intakes - the Edelbrock RPM is the gold standard for dual plane intakes but it is taller than the offy. 750 will definitely help it breath too. Is the...

On the outside chance you come across a big block 75-78 B or C body (or even some 79' police package B-bodies) many of them came with 2.71's in their 9.25 difs. Mine has one with 2.71's and was pulled out of field so they're definitely still out there and not the most desirable ratio...