hello I just signed up, getting the mag for a while now and really love it but what I need is some help. I have a 71 monte carlo that I have had since I was 17. Its very solid and runs good, heres my problem. I have a motor out of a 81 monte, its a 350 and not the original. I know almost nothing about it. it ran good, leaked pretty good too  . what I want to do is build a decent motor for my 71out of this. my dad has been turning wrenches since he was a kid but I kinda want to do this myself, show him I can do it kinda thing. I have worked on cars too, but I have never really gotten into the whole guts, cranks cams and such, any ideas on where I can start and how to find what I do have would be appreciated.
thanks Brian  

Well to find out what you have, you need to get the casting numbers off of the block and heads.  Then you can look on the internet and find out what you have.  You need to deside what you want the car to be, a daily driver or a race car, and then set a budget.  Gasket sets for chevys are pretty cheap and if you need bearings and pistons you can get an engine kit from northern auto parts (that is what i did for my 383).  then you can get what you need all in one package.  if you dont need bearings or rings, its pretty simple to replace all the gaskets, maybe get new heads and intake and carb, but this all depends on your budget and what you already have.  Cam selection again depends on what you want the car to be and what other parts you have to that is really hard to say.  There is alot of info out there on small block chevys and they are pretty simple so read up, ask questions and dont be afraid to mess something up because it can always be fixed.  

"Where to start" is a question that can't be answered without a book, so I suggest going to your local library or bookstore and picking up a few. I highly recommend several of David Vizard's books and John Lingenfelter's book on how to modify small block Chevys for performance...

Do your research, become friends with all of your local machinists and make a decision on who you trust the most (or if you're going to haul it to multiple places). Dive in once you get some help from local friends and then come back; verify the information you get from your various sources and ask some of the harder questions here.  

thanks alot guys
I started tearing in a little today and have some numbers and I had a numbers book. on my way to work tonight I am going to stop at the library also.  hope to get to know ya all better
thanks again
Brian  

You should ask your dad for help too.He will be happy to help out and a good source of what to do so you dont make all of the rookie mistakes we have all made(there are better ways to learn)than blowing stuff up.Especially if you are on a tight budget.Ask lots of questions of alot of people in the know.Start with dad and go from there.Knowledge is power.Good luck.  

Bot your question brings back memories. Ask your dad to help, if you want to do the physical part of the job I'm sure he won't object! The first time even with the best books you are going to make mistakes and have questions the book doesn't answer, this can get frustrating and expensive! This may sound silly to you but the first engine I built was a model kit with a battery that turned it over when you were done, it was see thru plastic so you could see where everything was and how it worked and knowing why something in an engine does what is does is as important as what it does. Above all  have fun  just my two cents worth     good luck     Jake  

Boy your question brings back memories. Ask your dad to help, if you want to do the physical part of the job I'm sure he won't object! The first time even with the best books you are going to make mistakes and have questions the book doesn't answer, this can get frustrating and expensive! This may sound silly to you but the first engine I built was a model kit with a battery that turned it over when you were done, it was see thru plastic so you could see where everything was and how it worked and knowing why something in an engine does what is does is as important as what it does. Above all  have fun  just my two cents worth     good luck     Jake