read me

[IanSzgatti]

i just bought a 350 sbc, sitting in storage now... honestly, I have no car to put it in. I will admit this, I am a freak... i cant keep my hands off my daily driven 97 malibu...

all i've done to this engine so far is port the UIM and LIM, add a 56mm tb, an intake (WAI, but it's winter up here now anyway), and a higher flowing cat with a flowmaster muffler... I've done what I could on the cheap to make it breath, and i definately notice a difference.

now what I want is to get an idea of what my next logical step would be. I'm not going to change cylinder heads unless I can get them cheap, used, from a local wrecker.

I'm throwing some rims on this bitch for the summertime, but i dont want to have just a loud v6 with nice wheels and four doors.... i've been looking on MMS and it looks to me like the next best LOGICAL upgrade for me would be the exhaust manifolds.
I like that giant TB, but will it make me lean? I think the 3100 (pre 2K) is probably no good for that TB, although I thought I remembered hearing that a smaller plenum was more suited to a larger TB...
I'd like to know when MILzy's injectors would come into play for me....like going from 19lbs to ??29 is it? advice here please...

[blackbombshell95]

You won't need larger injectors until you are about 180whp i think for your engine. To get to 180whp on your early 3100 you are talking ported heads and cam. Did you upgrade to large port lim/uim?

Also those ported manifolds won't do you any good. Stock manifolds from newer 3400's and i think 3500 should fit with better gains than ported early Gen III manifolds.

I wonder if S&S headers will fit in your car?

[RedBird]

Milzy only sells overpriced crap. Only good things are his cams, and they're still way exspensive for the specs on them.... My cam from the 60* store is the same as his stage 2, just a bit less lift, and it cost 100 less :P

a bigger TB would give you better throttle response, but it wont make it go lean. Also, IMHO, ported Exh. mani's are somewhat of a waste of time. Their logs, they can only flow so much. best bet is to use the "header" style 3500 ones, if you can, or 3500 impala ones, which are liek the regular 3x00 ones, except with much bigger ports.

[IanSzgatti]

[QUOTE=blackbombshell95;351716] Did you upgrade to large port lim/uim?[QUOTE]

no i did not... I was looking at the sets on the MMS site... but they are expensive, not to mention im in canada so i'd be paying shipping too... i work in a garage, so im not worried about having tools or anything to do this stuff... I just wanted some reasonable suggestions.
i'd go with a 65mm TB if it was worth the money.... so what about having the larger 3400 upper and lower intake set-up with a 56mm TB... i really know nuts and bolts, but not the range I can push the MAF too... all i know is that at some point after this stuff the PCM must be tuned and the injectors must be upgraded... im just having fun, so im not concidering an engine swap... i just want squeeze a few more ponnies out of this motor

PS. if i could find SS headers and a downpipe i'd be all over that first and foremost... to me it makes sence to relieve the engine of it's strain on exhausting... so that power can be put into accelerating

PSS, i was searching a local wreckers inventory, and they have Chevy Venture 3.4 heads for about 100 each, I could probably get the a few bucks cheaper.... would these heads be better than mine are now? just seems like a good place to start if im going to larger port upper end

[Superdave]

I think your best bet would be to swap in a 3400 or '00+ 3100 lower intake manifold, and a 3500 plenum with a 62mm TB. Then some 3500 Malibu exhaust manifolds.

Back away from the MMS site, Recent studies have shown that MMS products cause ED.

[blackbombshell95]

Don't port your small port manifolds. Swap a 3400 topend. You can find used 3400 heads on here for about $100 in the for sale section now and then.

Then get large port uim/lim. And get them ported. This store on this site sells them ported with the core charge included. Order a 95-99 to 00+ EGR adapter from the store and you are in good shape. I'd go with a 62mm TB in your situation unless you decide to go with a 3500 UIM then i'd get a 65mm tb. After all of that you should still be ok with your stock injectors. You would get more ponies with a tune but it should run fine without a tune.

MPracing.org/store I believe sells PCM's for your car! If you do the topend swap they can do a tune for you.

[IsaacHayes]

Hell I did the large port swap and I have the stupid non-roller rockers that don't clear it so I had to grind... And put on the 3500 plenum at the same time.

If I get 2.5" exhaust done with new downpipe my intakes would show so much more than what they do now. The 05 3400 impala manifolds would help too, or even better the 3500 shorty header runners.

You don't need an EGR adapter since you are 97 OBDII. Just get the 2000+ EGR and the EGR tube and it will all bolt up fine.

[IanSzgatti]

[QUOTE=IsaacHayes;351801] The 05 3400 impala manifolds would help too, or even better the 3500 shorty header runners.
QUOTE]

i can get the intakes for dirt... it's the 05 exhaust manifolds that are pricey...

[IanSzgatti]

I called a salvage yard about 2002 intake manifolds... they have a whole 3400 motor thats 'noisey'. Anyways, they said the manifolds are gone but the cylinder heads are still good, and they're 75 bucks each...

so 2002 3400 cylinder heads are good right? I guy on here just e-mailed me about some ported 3400 exhaust manifolds too... i wish i hadnt spent 1200 on rims/tires/lowering

[IanSzgatti]

so 2002 3400 cylinder heads are good right?

gotta bump this and find out... you all know the small to large port swap wiki isnt done yet....

[19Cutlass94]

2000+ 3100 heads = 3400 heads, but for your motor however, you would gain in performance from switching from 3100 heads to 3400 heads.

I would worry more about other things first than exhaust manifolds. Such as:

Don't port your small port manifolds. Swap a 3400 topend. You can find used 3400 heads on here for about $100 in the for sale section now and then.

Then get large port uim/lim. And get them ported. This store on this site sells them ported with the core charge included. Order a 95-99 to 00+ EGR adapter from the store and you are in good shape. I'd go with a 62mm TB in your situation unless you decide to go with a 3500 UIM then i'd get a 65mm tb. After all of that you should still be ok with your stock injectors. You would get more ponies with a tune but it should run fine without a tune.

MPracing.org/store I believe sells PCM's for your car! If you do the topend swap they can do a tune for you.