[Masaki]

Again asking about my 69 350
In regards to a camshaft should I go with roller or flat tappet??? I could either go with a comp cam or a Howard bd rattler, I’ve talked to other people and they had to do a valve job on the heads to retro fit rollers, considering my heads are all original and they have countless miles on them, I would probably need a valve job done anyway, so should I just go with a roller? I was thinking about doing aluminum heads from butler, but I now realize that I may not have as much money as I thought considering the expenses of tools to properly install the parts needed to rebuild the motor. Any help would be nice, I’m only 16 so I’m kinda lost on this lol…


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[steve25]

Those you talked to are highly misinformed when they told you that a valve job needed to be done to run roller lifters in your motor.
I would stay away from those people !

If your wallet is big enough to convert over to a hydro roller Cam the motor will always make more power then a similar spec flat tappet Hydro Cam.

[PontiacHO]

You will need to be mindful of the cam profile so you won’t just have a rough idle but really very little torque. I just changed the cam in my 350 for that very reason. Share as much info as you can about your intentions as well as specs on the rebuild (compression, carb, exhaust) as well as drivetrain and gear ratios. Folks here (Steve etc.) have tons of knowledge and experience that can steer you in a better path. They’ve helped me and I’m in my mid sixties…. Good luck and keep us informed on your progress.

[Dragncar]

What are you looking to do with this engine ? Are you dead set on rebuilding the 350 ?
You can put the same money into a 400-455 and end up with far more power ?
If you do not have to run the 350, I would find a 455 as they are cheaper than building a 400 stroker (no crank to buy)
Very, very basic stuff with a 455 will give you a tire shredder that will last forever.
Find some 96 or comparable heads that will give you 9-1 or so CR. Still available for not too much cash. Very few 350 heads are worth rebuilding for performance.
I looked up Oregon City, its a bit too far to directly help.
So 16 ? What brought you into the Pontiac world ?
If I can help keep a Chevy or LS from being under your hood, I will.

[steve25]

A 350 is not a bad motor and it makes great torque due to its stroke and this is what first and foremost matters to a vehicle that will be street driven .

If your motor is not using excessive oil and or puffing oil smoke out the tail pipe at hot idle then here’s a suggestion.

Take all the funds you can muster and put that into rebuilding the short block good.
In this way you will have solid foundation to bolt on rebuilt or better heads heads once you put more money together.

So reuse your current heads for now along with a cam like a Summit 2800 which will work with your stock valve springs.

If you motor has a 4bbl then a rebuild with this cam should get you darn close to 300 Hp which is plenty to put a smile on your face.

[Masaki]

Originally Posted by Dragncar

What are you looking to do with this engine ? Are you dead set on rebuilding the 350 ?
You can put the same money into a 400-455 and end up with far more power ?
If you do not have to run the 350, I would find a 455 as they are cheaper than building a 400 stroker (no crank to buy)
Very, very basic stuff with a 455 will give you a tire shredder that will last forever.
Find some 96 or comparable heads that will give you 9-1 or so CR. Still available for not too much cash. Very few 350 heads are worth rebuilding for performance.
I looked up Oregon City, its a bit too far to directly help.
So 16 ? What brought you into the Pontiac world ?
If I can help keep a Chevy or LS from being under your hood, I will.

I’m definitely not going the 400/455 route, this motor is numbers matching and it’s a true 350 H.O. I only am keeping the 350 because i want a unique build. I’m perfectly okay with sub 450hp. I’m not looking for the fastest most powerful strip/street car. I want to keep this car original to its roots. This car has been in my family for over 40 years. It was my grandmas before me and she is the one who did all the works on it. She was the one who made this car what it is today. So I feel like taking out that 350 would be a disservice to her. I’m a Pontiac guy because of her. So I thought I’d start restoring it since she doesn’t have the time/money. Early 2024 is when she gave me the car so I’m not too far into the project. Any tips would help. But that’s the reason I’m not going for larger displacement. I just want the car to be a mellow driver that has some kick to it


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[Dragncar]

Originally Posted by Masaki

I’m definitely not going the 400/455 route, this motor is numbers matching and it’s a true 350 H.O. I only am keeping the 350 because i want a unique build. I’m perfectly okay with sub 450hp. I’m not looking for the fastest most powerful strip/street car. I want to keep this car original to its roots. This car has been in my family for over 40 years. It was my grandmas before me and she is the one who did all the works on it. She was the one who made this car what it is today. So I feel like taking out that 350 would be a disservice to her. I’m a Pontiac guy because of her. So I thought I’d start restoring it since she doesn’t have the time/money. Early 2024 is when she gave me the car so I’m not too far into the project. Any tips would help. But that’s the reason I’m not going for larger displacement. I just want the car to be a mellow driver that has some kick to it


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OK, here is the intake you want. Its a regular Performer, not a RPM.
https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...ight=performer

I ran a Summit 2801 214/224 cam on a 350 with 48 heads and it ran great. Engine sounded fantastic too. At 3500 RPM it really took off. Basic set of headers and 650 DP and you are good to go. Q Jet would also work well.
Me, I would put a 4" stoke crank in her and make some good power. Pontiac 383s run really well. Crank will cost you a little bit though.
You said its a real HO. What heads are on it ? 69 350s have the chamfur that allows big valve heads.

[PunchT37]

Real `69 HO should have 48 heads and 4 bbl. already. The best 350 to build. What gear and trans do you have?

[242177P]

My priorities would be an exhaust (mandrel 2 1/2"), and a nice torque convertor (look at older posts for the Continental Jim Hand special, and newer ones for the one from Tri-shield Performance).

[Jay S]

Normally when Pontiac heads are rebuilt the factory 2 piece valves get replaced with new 1 piece stainless valves and the guides get cut for positive type guide seals. The head gasket surface usually also gets freshened up. Depending on the shape of the heads and how much you plan to drive the car you may want hardened exhaust seats and valve stem liners. Other than needing screw in studs, which your engine should already have if it has the original 48 heads, there is no different prep work needed running a HR cam or a flat tappet. You will want to run the appropriate springs and pushrods to match the cam and lifter combo.

Right now if your new to engine work you are really better off with a Hydraulic roller cam than navigating all the issues flat tappets are plagued with. The best way to do a hydraulic flat tappet is to get the cam nitrided so it will last thru the break in and longer life. Buy the best HFT lifters you can afford, or have your lifters rebuilt.

If I were you I would not use a Howard’s rattler cam unless you plan to add a high stall torque converter and headers. For more of a stock 350 H0 build stick with the wider 110 or 112* LSA Howard’s if you want to use Howard’s. Preferably the 112.

There are some like new smaller HR cams around from guys that went to bigger cams that would work nice in a 350 that would be not much more than the cost of a new HFT. I know of a couple nice pre covid Comps HRs, a 270/276 and a 276/280 both sitting on selves that could be bought for $500 or less with lifters. Sometimes finding a nice used HR cam and buying new lifters is a good way to make a HR cam a cheaper option also.

[b-man]

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...d.php?t=876876

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...d.php?t=877003

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...d.php?t=876825

[chiphead]

Somebody tell 64Speed he has a contender, he needs to step it up.

For a hot 350 on a budget, a Summit 2800 or 2801 is a good choice. None of that short LSA rattler mess. The rattler cams are just for sound and a roller cam conversion costs at least a grand. Sometimes you do have to swap to longer valves to take advantage of the larger valve lift with a roller cam. Its also hard to find a roller spring that sets up at 1.6 installed height, which is the stock height for a Pontiac valvespring. So you end up spending another $1000+ on having the heads set up for a roller cam. It gets expensive quick.

Is this a cam swap or a full rebuild?

I remember being 16 with a hotrod. You're gonna learn a lot about budgeting! And about laying in a mudpuddle on a cold saturday changing the transmission because you've broken it for the 3rt time but got a hot date saturday night and you can't drive your parents cars because you wrecked them all and the insurance co told your parents to disown you. Not from personal experience or anything.

[Masaki]

Originally Posted by chiphead

Somebody tell 64Speed he has a contender, he needs to step it up.

For a hot 350 on a budget, a Summit 2800 or 2801 is a good choice. None of that short LSA rattler mess. The rattler cams are just for sound and a roller cam conversion costs at least a grand. Sometimes you do have to swap to longer valves to take advantage of the larger valve lift with a roller cam. Its also hard to find a roller spring that sets up at 1.6 installed height, which is the stock height for a Pontiac valvespring. So you end up spending another $1000+ on having the heads set up for a roller cam. It gets expensive quick.

Is this a cam swap or a full rebuild?

I remember being 16 with a hotrod. You're gonna learn a lot about budgeting! And about laying in a mudpuddle on a cold saturday changing the transmission because you've broken it for the 3rt time but got a hot date saturday night and you can't drive your parents cars because you wrecked them all and the insurance co told your parents to disown you. Not from personal experience or anything.

Planning on doing a full rebuild 6-8k is the budget, I’ve learned a lot from this forum so far. The only reason why I said rattler cam was because I saw a dude on YouTube run a 383 stroker similar to what I want to do lol.


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[Skippy597]

Hey Masaki, can I offer some advice. It appears you are a bit overwhelmed but very excited at building your car which is to be expected when your 16 with a bitching car. But it's also very easy to get carried away. You really need to ask yourself what do you want the car for, be realistic with yourself. You're 16, you have plenty of time to build the car more down the road. So you should be asking yourself:
What's wrong with it now?
What needs to be addressed first?
What do you want from the car?
What resources do you have available to you? There is a lot of knowledge on this forum and I would strongly recommend listening to it. A good running, reliable stock 350 is still plenty of fun. A torn apart car for years is less fun.

You might want to start a build thread as well so people can follow along.

[Masaki]

Originally Posted by Skippy597

Hey Masaki, can I offer some advice. It appears you are a bit overwhelmed but very excited at building your car which is to be expected when your 16 with a bitching car. But it's also very easy to get carried away. You really need to ask yourself what do you want the car for, be realistic with yourself. You're 16, you have plenty of time to build the car more down the road. So you should be asking yourself:
What's wrong with it now?
What needs to be addressed first?
What do you want from the car?
What resources do you have available to you? There is a lot of knowledge on this forum and I would strongly recommend listening to it. A good running, reliable stock 350 is still plenty of fun. A torn apart car for years is less fun.

You might want to start a build thread as well so people can follow along.

For now I’m tackling the rust and small issues, I bought floor pans that need to be welded in, and I’m addressing the quarter panel holes right after that, I need to redo the seals on the doors because water leaks in, I also need to redo the bodywork/repaint. After that im looking to fix the sloppy Trans, that doesn’t always shift into gear, I also need to fix the bushings in the suspension and buy new sway bars. After that it’s gonna be pretty much daily driven until I want to make it faster. Pretty much I use the forum as a resource to ask questions that I can look back on when I eventually need them, I have a general plan laid out for the car. So whenever I think of something I want done I ask, and the forum provides! I use the “participated in” tool to easily go back and view what I’ve asked in previous threads. So far all of you guys have been super helpful! Sorry for the long rant


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[Skippy597]

Sounds like you've got a plan! I'm excited for ya and a little jealous. I had to wait until I was in my 20s before I got a cool car.

When it does come time to rebuild or upgrade the 350. If a compressions test comes back good I would just do a smaller roller cam from butler performance, and new valve springs. Do you know what heads you have? Depending on the cast, might be worthwhile to go with a different set. I wouldn't bother going aluminum, you're restricted by the small bore and honestly don't need that much flow, a good set of 48s and a port match would probably be better and far cheaper. If you can find another 350 block to build while you still enjoy your car it would make it easier to casually build a stroker 350 motor.

I see you're in Oregon right? I would try to go to the Portland swap meet and try to find some good parts. Also the marketplace on here is great!

Good luck! Look forward to seeing your progress.

[Skippy597]

Also, being young. A loud exhaust always makes a car funner. I personally have always loved glass packs and they're cheap.

[b-man]

Fix your floors and replace whatever weatherstripping needed to keep the water out.

You may need to remove and reseal the windshield and rear window, both common places for water to leak past and rust the floor and trunk pans.

Fix the worn out suspension parts and make sure to do a good brake job. Replace your transmission with a professionally rebuilt one if a fluid change, modulator replacement or modulator vacuum line repair doesn’t help.

I would hold off on the paint until you have a garage to park in. Tune up and service the engine to make it run as well as it can and leave performance upgrades for later.

If it’s truly a 350 HO and still in fair shape (you’ve never stated how many original owner miles it has on it) just getting it tuned up should be plenty satisfying. A stock Pontiac V8 is reliable and not finicky in cold weather situations.

I would concentrate on your education, job training or whatever to secure your future as an adult. Once you’re settled in a career, have a good income and have dry storage for your car is when you should get into a restoration.

[steve25]

Don’t worry about parts right now!

If you still live at home and the car is not in a garage then if your parents don’t mind the dead grass I would be get one these big enough for that car to keep it from degrading any more and fretting over door seal and window leaks.

Grass can be replanted far easier then replacing a quarter panel.

[Rar_421]

Just had a set of heads redone for a 400 and it was just shy of a thousand bucks and I provided,valves,springs,retainers, locks,seals and screw in studs so your probably looking at close to $1400-$1500 for the head rebuild alone
I wouldn't use a rattler unless you just want to make noise at the drive Inn,Howards has roller versions of their street force line but that will set you back close to $1200 for cam&lifters,might be better of spending your bucks on a set forged rods &pistons and a summit 2800 or 2801 with hylift johnson lifters