s.price0789

whats up guys i just bought a 1991 c1500. i bought this truck because the body on it is absolutely perfect (cali truck) i paid $300 for it because the previous owner ran over a small sign, put a huge hole in the oil pan continued to drive for about 15 miles and locked her up i have always wanted to build one of these but have always owned lil ricer turds (dont hate they were in "the budget") now that i FINALLY found my bowtie and a doner motor im looking at a full rebuild I want this new motor to be reliable as i will also be using this truck to pull my toys and little trailers here and there. i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions "while ive got it tore down" as too what you would do to gain power but still stay in the "daily driver" category just trying to give her a little extra as a mentioned i want this motor to last. any ideas are appreciated im kinda new to making power more used to making work.. lol "350 tbi, 2 wheel drive, manual"

slw210

Headers, performance mufflers and performance cat. A cam/lifter upgrade if you are going into the engine. K&N intake system. A JET 6 PAK chip. You could gasket match the intake and heads.

How much you want to spend?

s.price0789

im planning on doing headers intake exhaust etc basically im looking into doing a little motor work ive been looking into cams but have never upgraded one so im not really to sure whats all involved.. ive been told i can "just throw a new one in" and ive also been told i need to do (cam,,valve springs,pushrods,rockers, and a timing chain) so i suppose im kinda trying to figure that one out. also forgive me if this sounds dumb but what exactly do you mean by "gasket match the intake and heads" i work on cars everyday but i have never heard of that lol what is it and what does it do? definitely interested?? thank you for your reply

slw210

GASKET MATCHING Plenty of videos on Gasket Matching on the net, Horsepower TV did a show on how to do the gasket match and polishing the combustion chambers, etc.

There is also Port Matching, instead of enlarging both to match the gasket, you enlarge the smaller opening to match the larger opening, leaving you with a smaller opening than gasket matching. Smaller ports=higher velocity.

Some get the two terms confused and the difference is usually not enough to worry with for the average street guy.

If you have a roller cam, you only HAVE to swap the cam.

If it is a flat tappet you only HAVE to swap the cam and lifters.

Stock you should have a Flat Tappet.

Beware some cams will need a different spring than stock. Best way to pick a cam is call the cam manufacturer. If you stay TBI you will need a computer compatable cam or you will need a chip.

s.price0789

wow thanks for the info i looked into the gasket matching im thinking i will definitely be doing that i never even thought about something so simple. do u know if it will make a noticeable difference? i mean thinking logically i know in the car world cheap/free usually doesn't get you newhere either way it will make me feel good about it jus trying to get an idea, and i will go ahead and call some cam manufacturers i dont really want to get rid of the tbi n didnt realize there was such thing as "computer compatible" but it makes sense, do you have any recommendations as far as who makes the best cam? sadly i do work in a shop but we dont do much far from bolt ons window tint and stereos so this is all going to be a learning experience, just want to get it done right. i have also seen these guys on the net grinding the lips off the throttle body ports, is this a good idea or dumb waste of time? also saw a guy do a throttle body spacer. i know at my work none of tha guys recommend them deeming them a waste of time and money? without personal experience i have no clue. and again thanks for letting me pick your brain this has been more helpful than googling this stuff, seems like the common answer to this initial question is "NOS!!" haha no thanx