Popular Hot Rodding Magazine Homepage Popular Hot Rodding
Get Adobe Flash player

Building A Budget G-Machine

An Affordable GM Crate Engine
By Scott Parkhurst
11PHR Mix01 Z
11PHR Mix02 Z
Our long-block carries GM PN 12513151, and comes completely assembled with two-bolt mains, a cast nodular crank, and PM rods. The stock flat-top pistons are decent hypereutectic units, but the low-flowing heads don't fit into our plan--send 'em to the swap meet.
11PHR Mix04 Z
What? You're swapping out a roller cam for a flat-tappet design? Normally, we'd be going the other way, but we wanted the increased lift and duration provided by this Crower cam without challenging the .500-inch lift limit on our Vortec heads. Sure, we could have machined the spring pockets for larger springs and eclipsed the lift limitations, but we wanted to be able to bolt this engine together without having to visit the machine shop. We're confident good power can be had with less than .500 inches of lift, and the hydraulic flat-tappet Crower cam helps keep our budget in check.
11PHR Mix05 Z
When swapping out cams on a late-model GM block, double check which style cam and drive you'll need. The new-style cams have a smaller diameter nose (right) to coincide with their retaining plate, while old-style cams (left) have no need for it and use traditional cam gears.
11PHR Mix06 Z
We chose GM head gaskets designed for Vortec use. Installed correctly, the part number should be facing upward. The orientation of the head gasket is important for proper sealing, so double-check this before bolting the heads on.
11PHR Mix07 Z
Getting the heads on was simple. The stock head bolts were used, since they were new and should have no trouble sealing the head at the relatively low power levels we'll be exposing them to. If we were stepping up over 450 hp, or if we had included nitrous or a supercharger as part of this build, we'd have stepped up the hardware too.
11PHR Mix08 Z
We've discussed Vortec rockers in previous stories, but we'll review. No guideplates are required, but self-aligning rocker arms are. Crower makes a great bolt-on 1.6:1 roller rocker for the Vortec head, so we chose it. No mods are necessary, and the convenience of a killer part with bolt-on ease was worth the $390 we paid for them.
11PHR Mix09 Z
You can spot Vortec heads at the swap meet by looking for the triple peaks where we used to look for casting marks, on the front- and rear-facing surfaces of the casting. It's kind of like the old "Camel Humps" found on early fuelie heads, but now there are three.
11PHR Mix10 Z
We've also discussed GM's reusable intake gaskets for the Vortec heads before, but they're so good they deserve a second mention. The O-ring-style gaskets require no sealant and are good for guys like us who like to swap intakes often.
11PHR Mix11 Z
Edelbrock's intake manifold for Vortec-style eight-bolt heads (right) carries PN 2116 and is a great all-around street performance dual-plane design. We prefer it over the comparable GM part (left) due to its taller ports and lack of heat stove.
11PHR Mix12 Z
Ignition duties will be handled by one of ACCEL's reliable electronic distributors (PN 71100E). These units are bulletproof and competitively priced for the budget conscious.
11PHR Mix01 Z
We topped the engine with one of GPT300's Road Demon carbs. This 650-cfm unit is loaded with tuning features and carries a rock-bottom price of $320. It's also equipped with an electric choke, which is nice on the street.
EM BUDGET CRATE DYNO RESULTS
RPM TQ HP
2,250333143
2,500347165
2,750356186
3,000363207
3,250369228
3,500374249
3,750378270
4,000382291
4,250376304
4,500370317
4,750363328
5,000353336
5,250342342
5,500329345
5,750314345
6,000294335


Discuss in our Forums
Ford Mustang Research
Ford Mustang Consider the Ford Mustang for your next new car, and browse reviews featuring information on test drives, comparisons, options and features. The 2010 Mustang has fuel economy of 20 mpg, and comes with comparable warranty coverage to other vehicles in its class. Other similar vehicles are the Chevy Camaro and the Pontica GTO.

Related Articles

 
Popular Hot Rodding Fan Mail And Stories - Message Board
In January, we posted a blog on www.popularhotrodding.com asking PHR readers to be a part of our... more
 
1970 GTX, 1970 Ford Mustang Fastback, And 1967 Chevy Camaro Are Major Hot Rods - Hometown Hot Rodding
Sherri Launchnor is the kind of woman every car guy wishes he could marry. Sherri and her... more
 
1968 Pontiac Firebird, 1968 Chevy Chevelle, And 1971 Datsun Are Under Construction - Under Construction
Builder Cris Gonzalez of Oxnard, California, has a lot of experience in the automotive industry. He... more
 
Installing Vintage Air Gen IV Air Conditioning System - Global Cooling
There's a reason why the vast majority of motorists ply the highways in newer cars, and it can be... more
 
1970 Plymouth Satellite Warrior - Return Of The Winged Warrior
NASCAR's premiere shindig--which started out as the Strictly Stock Series--later turned into the... more
 
Popular Hot Rodding Fan Letters - Tech Letters
Q I've got several muscle cars, some are keepers, others are waiting for good homes. With my... more
 
Out With The Old, In With The New - The Last Word
There is no doubt project cars can be a drain on your funds. We can try to buy the parts used, or... more
 
Building A 721HP Buick Engine - Dream Up!
The history of Buick is filled with dreams, inspirations, and innovations. David Dunbar Buick built... more
 
Engine Masters Competition Pushes Hard - Engine Masters
As this is being written, we have just completed the selection process for the '09 Engine Masters... more
 
109 Reader Projects
At first, the submissions only trickled in. Was our country truly in such economic doldrums that... more

More Related Content