Whether a person is a dyed in the wool small-block Chevy lover, or a hardcore Bow Tie hater, there is no denying that the little "mouse motor" has reigned supreme for almost 60 years. Unlike other Detroit brands with developmental changes that dictated breaking the mold with each new series of V-8 introduced, Chevrolet has been able to maintain a direct lineage to its original external dimensions. On the inside, the six-decade evolutionary process has led to a highly evolved OHV pushrod engine that shares few components with its ancestors.
To reap the benefits of both worlds-state-of-the-art performance with an "old-school" flavor-we started with one of the best high-performance bargains on the market today: a $2,990 PowerCrate 350 from YearOne. The fully balanced and blueprinted PowerCrate 350 is dyno tested to produce over 400 hp, and 400 lb-ft of torque with a 9.5:1 compression ratio on 92-octane pump gasoline. The basis of the PowerCrate 350 is a four-bolt main, seasoned 350 block bored out 0.030-inch, which brings it out to about 355 ci. It uses a nodular iron crankshaft with hypereutectic pistons connected with powdered metal connecting rods, ported Vortec cylinder heads, 1.6:1-ratio rocker arms, and a hydraulic roller camshaft. Not to get too far off the subject, but in the future we intend to tune our PowerCrate 350 to run on 105-octane E85, and then report back on it by publishing before and after dyno results.
Here's our PowerCrate 350...
Here's our PowerCrate 350 as it arrived on a special wood pallet from YearOne. We recycled the wood pallet it was shipped on by turning it into a handy engine cart-take that, Popular Mechanics! Notice the old Corvette engine in the background.
The first step to repainting...
The first step to repainting the PowerCrate 350 Chevrolet Orange was to blow it clean with compressed air, and then mask it off.
Since silicone degreasing...
Since silicone degreasing products like RM Pre-Kleeno are no longer available in a can, the absolute best product still available for this purpose is DuPont 3812S enamel reducer.
A person with an eye for detail...
A person with an eye for detail will notice we used the same adhesive backed masking paper we used to do our flame job. Duct tape worked best for masking off the exhaust ports. Blowing the entire engine clean with compressed air ensured that we got a dust-free paint job.
When it comes to painting...
When it comes to painting a motor, the best results are obtained from engine enamel that covers fast with a minimum of coats and dries quickly. We were really pleased with Plasticoat's ability to deliver professional results.
Super detailing separates...
Super detailing separates the ordinary run of the mill junk from a true custom. We used a Vixen file to shave the top of the fins and Corvette script.
Returning to the premise of our "old-school" build, we weren't interested in creating a late-model engine that would fool even the pickiest of small-block aficionados. But it was a good indication we achieved the nostalgic look we sought when Nick Licata, editor of Camaro Performers, took a look and thought our Chevrolet Orange Vortec motor was a high-horsepower 327 out of a mid-'60s Corvette. To create the illusion, it took only a minimum of changes that individually wouldn't have been nearly as effective. The first step was to repaint the PowerCrate's standard hi-temp black engine enamel finish with a super glossy coating of Plasticoat Chevrolet Orange engine enamel. The formulas Plasticoat uses for its spraypaints are an exact match to the factory original colors and can withstand up to 500 degrees of heat. Once we had the color change handled, the next step was to swap out the PowerCrate's chrome-plated, late-model center-bolt valve covers and add a set of ram's horn-style headers. To get the exact look we were after for the valve covers, the hot ticket was a pair of finned sand-cast aluminum Corvette script models from PML of Inglewood, California. In keeping with not forsaking an ounce of performance to achieve a nostalgic look, the ram's horns we selected were from Speedway Motors of Lincoln, Nebraska. Although available in cast-iron, our first choice was the unpolished stainless steel versions that are also offered fully polished. All three versions come standard with internally cast individually directed porting, as opposed to dumping from one big open chamber.
We followed with a fine 3M...
We followed with a fine 3M abrasive disc on a pneumatic die-grinder to impart a semi-polished luster.
Badass is the only way to...
Badass is the only way to describe this ultra high-volume street and competition water pump from Drake Engineering-yes, the same folks who produced the legendary Drake Offenhouser racing engine.
Thanks to sand casting as...
Thanks to sand casting as a manufacturing process the characteristic heavy-wall thickness of PML aluminum covers provide enough rigidity that the stock four-bolt pattern has been dropped in favor of a much cleaner two-bolt design.
Without exception, it's a...
Without exception, it's a good practice to flush new cast engine parts before assembly with a solvent to ensure metal shavings or any manufacturing debris cannot be introduced to the engine.
When it comes to creating...
When it comes to creating an "old-school" appearance, nothing beats the nostalgic look of Speedway Motors cast stainless steel, PML sand-cast aluminum, and shiny Plasticoat engine enamel in a period-correct color.
On the scene for over 30 years,...
On the scene for over 30 years, the simple one-wire GM HEI distributor is a proven winner with classic looks. It's way better than stock GM, because it produces higher voltage and is custom curved for each customer we installed Performance Distributors DUI. Also a proven classic, and identical to the standard equipment carburetor Chevrolet installed on its highest-performance engines, is the Holley 750 Dual-Feed carburetor. The black billet aluminum fuel pump is from Holley as well.