31 replies to this topic

[yel327]

It's not all that hard, but not as easy as a 308 especially in post 6/76 (or thereabouts) LX ie with ADR27A. Why not build a 308 stroked to 350 or 377? VN heads are pretty cheap and work as well on a 350 cube 308 as any stock or iron headed Chev head does on a SBC. There are twin plane manifolds around for these now too. And all the mounting gear is standard Torana ie mounts, radiator etc

[mr5000]

never heard of a 350 stroker im building a 355 i had a simialr problem with deciding i did a pole a while back if you can find it

[RIM-010]

I may be wrong but a 350 stroker is a stroked 308 that hasn't been bored 60thou? And a 377 ends up a 383...

Tim

[yel327]

never heard of a 350 stroker im building a 355 i had a simialr problem with deciding i did a pole a while back if you can find it

A Holden 350 stroker 308 is simply a 308 with a 3.48" stroke crank ie a 5.7 as per the VR-VT versions. A Holden 377 stroker is a 3.75" stroke crank in a 308 - the Chev equivalent is a 400 crank (3.75" stroke) in 4" bore block. People often incorrectly call these 355 or 383, but that is at an overbore of 0.030". If you use 20 thou or 40 thou they are wrong. You don't hear people going around calling a 30 thou up 308 a 311 or whatever it is, or a 202 a 206.

And as for Holden only good up to 400hp and Chev over that, make sure you use a good quality Chev block and aftermarket heads. A normal 2 bolt Chev block is not that much better than a 308 block strength wise.
I love Chevs and if you have to buy everything it won't be much dearer at all to go Chev - a brand new 300hp crate motor is only about $2800. Just the 308 stroker is a bit easier ie it was designed to fit, and easier to sneak past rego especially if you have ADR27A.

[orangeLJ]

LS1 or LS2... Thats the route i would be taking if i was V8ing a big torana. They are relatively cheap and plentiful, and make HP with ease.

[orangeLJ]

Bolt on centrifugal kits are making some pretty impressive figures on stock internals.

N/A wise, most make around/just over 200kW at the wheels in stock form

And if you can do the majority of the work yourself, then the costs are dramatically reduced.

The major cost I can see is the engineering, but he will have to follow that route for the 350 anyway.

[lxsstorana]

marshall. contact lxsstorana he may have his big hp 350 and tremec for sale out of his hatchback soon.

Sorry to disappoint you but I'm keeping the 350 and tremec. I can't wait to get it going and have some fun with it.

Regards Mick.

[Evan]

hey marshal
taken from this good thread, a basic breakdown of going chev.
http://www.gmh-toran.......&hl=toranaz

Engine $2030
th350 $750
Stally $380
Crossmember and speedo cable $195
Extractors $530
He Sump $360
CVR starter $308
Tailshaft and yoke $300
engine brakets + mounts $100
auto dipstick $30
B&m Mega shifter $310
Aftermarket oil cooler $33
V8 king springs $105
V8 uc Booster $95
New ball joints $50 + $30 installation
Gilmer belt pulley drive $170
Total: $5776

togo:
Exhaust will cost $150
Air filter
Fuel fittings
trans oil lines
rear springs
smaller dizzy!
lots of nuts n bolts biggrin.gif


If anyone is thinking about doing the conversion this will give you a pretty good idea what is required.


Evan .

[yel327]

Plus:

Radiator - $500 (for a 350 a 4 row minimum);
Shroud or properly done thermos - $150 minimum;
Longer starter lead - $75;
Change to bigger brakes as will probably be required to pass Engineering - starts at $600 do it yourself;
Engineering (if the engine isn't a 302/305/307) - $300 or more;

[yel327]

A 350 Chev may not run hotter than a 350 Holden but it DEFINITELY will run hotter than a 308 especially with cast iron heads. A 3 row is simply not good enough.

Prices, well they are estimates and I've been playing with Holdens since the early 1980's so I know what stuff is worth:

$500 for a 4 row radiator (example http://www.aussiedes...catalogue.htm);

$150 for a SBC into HQ radiator shroud under-estimated (example https://rsp-secure.c...a...20HX HZ WB). Plus of course a viscous fan;

$75 for 50 or 70sqmm flexible battery leads, lugged ready to go is cheap;

$600 for brakes - HQ Rotors $200 pair, bearings $65 pair, calipers $60 for the pair, caliper rebuild kits $80, redrill discs to torana pattern $80, new brake hoses $40, new rear wheel cylinders $60, brake fluid $15. Close enough to $600 and only the minumim is done. You should really be fitting HK-HG rear drums as well. Might be slightly cheaper if you used HG front discs as they won't need to have the stud pattern changed.

[MRLXSS]

I like the idea of keeping it Australian... That is a massive factor that has swayed me to stay with the 308/355 thing... Always good to know that whats under the bonnet is Australian!!

[TerrA LX]

Im not entirely agreeing with the whole ideology behind the need for a bigger radiator but one fact is the more power an engine produces, the more heat it produces, regardless of CID.