Stock FAQs

what cc heads to increase compression in a stock chevy 350 engine

by Dimitri Schimmel IV Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

The easiest way to improve compression is with a set of 64cc chamber cylinder iron Vortec heads and that 0.015 head gasket, which will push the compression up to 9.0:1 One further recommendation would be to add a set of mid-length headers to the engine. This will do more to add power than any other thing you can do.

Full Answer

What is the compression on a Chevy 350 crate engine?

With a composition head gasket, the piston 0.020-inch below deck, and a 76cc combustion chamber, and with a composition head gasket this puts the static compression at 8.5:1. This really isn’t bad. The standard Chevy 290-horsepower 350 Chevy crate engine you can buy isn’t even that good.

How can I increase the compression on my engine?

The easiest way to improve compression is with a set of 64cc chamber cylinder iron Vortec heads and that 0.015 head gasket, which will push the compression up to 9.0:1. One further recommendation would be to add a set of mid-length headers to the engine.

What should the compression ratio be on a 64cc engine?

If your engine has these pistons, expect the compression to be around 8.0:1 which is at least 1.5 ratios away from where it needs to be. The easiest way to improve compression is with a set of 64cc chamber cylinder iron Vortec heads and that 0.015 head gasket, which will push the compression up to 9.0:1

What should my compression be on my 350?

most sb's will be in the 135 to 155 range on a compression test.. cylinders need to be within 10% of each other... How would I check my compression on my 350? Run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature. Tests done on a cold engine usually show lower readings. Remove the plug wires and take out all the spark plugs.

image

How do I get more compression on my SBC 350?

The easiest way to improve compression is with a set of 64cc chamber cylinder iron Vortec heads and that 0.015 head gasket, which will push the compression up to 9.0:1. One further recommendation would be to add a set of mid-length headers to the engine. This will do more to add power than any other thing you can do.

How much compression should a stock 350 have?

It's likely that you have somewhere in the range of 150-170 psi.

How do I get a higher compression ratio?

One of the easiest and most cost-effective methods of increasing engine compression may be done by simply replacing the existing head gaskets. Substituting steel shim gaskets, for example, in place of traditional composition-style units can raise the compression ratio slightly and reduce quench clearance by roughly .

Does Overbore increase compression?

There's a whole lot of things to consider and you may have to change some things. A bigger bore gives you more CC's yes, but also affects compression ratio and the CC's in the combustion chamber. A bigger piston will also effect the balance of the engine.

How much horsepower does a stock Chevy 350 have?

The Chevy 350 engine has a small block V8 with a 4.00 and 3.47 inch bore and stroke. Depending on the year, make and model of the car, the power in the car can range from about 140 to more than 350.

What should cranking compression be?

Healthy engines should have compression over 100 psi per cylinder, with no more than 10 percent variation between the highest and lowest readings.

What octane do you use for 10 1 compression?

87-octane gasMost stock gas engines have a compression ratio around 10:1 and run just fine on regular 87-octane gas.

How much does milling a head raise compression?

In the definitive milling test, there is an average of 2.6% HP increase per point of compression. In the less definitive test where three sets of heads with different combustion chamber volumes were tested, there is a 6.24% HP increase per point of compression.

Does raising compression increase horsepower?

So how does an engine's compression ratio affect performance? All other factors being equal, an engine with a higher compression ratio will deliver a higher thermal efficiency. This means that the engine is able is turn more of the heat generated from the combustion process into horsepower instead of wasted heat.

How much can you bore over a 350?

Stretching a 350 to 383 inches has been a common practice for the best part of 20 years. The question here is, can we go more? In terms of bore diameter, there is not much room to go more than 30 over, although a sonic tester can find blocks good for as much as 60 over.

Do oversized pistons increase horsepower?

The short answer is that a bigger bore is generally the best way to get more power. It creates more space, allowing for bigger valve openings, which in turn can bring more fuel and air into the cylinder.

What does bored 030 over mean?

030 over it usually means it's been rebuilt once, but not always. It also adds cubic inches to the displacement, a 350 bored .

How much horsepower does a 355 have?

When all was said and done, we had was a stone-stock, two-barrel 355 with a stock cam that eventually produced 246 hp at 4,500 rpm and 364 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm with headers and an MSD distributor.

How many over was the 02. block?

02. After removal from the wrecking yard, the block was bored 0.030-over, honed, and decked in preparation for assembly.

What are the two types of compression ratios?

Ok lets look at it a bit, theres two types of compression ratio, static and dynamic, keep in mind its MOSTLY dynamic compression ratio, that effects your results.

What is the purpose of compression?

one of the the main functions of compression is to pack the fuel/air mix into a tight area for both fast effective ignition and to provide a mechanical advantage for the piston & rod assembly to push against the crank throw,as that mass in the combustion chamber burns and rapidly expands.

Can you swap heads in a compression ratio?

keep in mind swapping heads gives you the option to increase or decrease the compression ratio of the combo, and once the compression ratios increased you can use a longer duration cam timing without sacrificing a great deal of low rpm torque, that you would loose with the lower compression ratio if the same cam were installed in the lower compression ratio combo

How many cc is a 350 engine?

Continuing with our 350 engine example, with a 4-inch bore and the piston top inch down the bore, a perfect cylinder would measure 0.7854 x 4 x 4 x 0.50 = 6.28 ci x 16.39 conversion = 103 cc. Measuring that same cylinder using a four-eyebrow piston resulted in a 110cc volume for a total difference of 7cc. Combining this crevice volume with the more accurate manufacturer's gasket volume produces a much more accurate static compression ratio that can often be 0.10-ratio lower than computed using the less accurate method.

What is compression ratio?

Let's start out by defining compression ratio, which is the ratio of the cylinder volume with the piston at the bottom of its stroke (bottom dead center or BDC) compared to the cylinder volume when the piston reaches the top of its stroke (top dead center or TDC). If we measured a small-block with a cylinder volume of 45 ci at BDC and a cylinder volume of 5 ci at TDC, then 45 divided by 5 equals 9, giving us a compression ratio of 9:1.

How much clearance does a piston have?

Often, production engines can have as much as 0.020 to 0.040 inch of clearance between the top of the piston and the deck. Machining the block surface can reduce this distance, an operation referred to as decking. Reducing this distance increases the compression ratio.

How big is a 1003 gasket?

But this assumes the gasket bore is both round and the same size as the cylinder bore. In reality, the 1003 gasket is 4.166 inches in diameter and is not round. The better way to determine compression is to use the manufacturer's published gasket volume.

What is a performance engine?

Performance engines are built to push the envelope. A bigger cam, a single-plane intake manifold, a monster carburetor, and large-tube headers all contribute to making more power. Everyone also wants to push the compression as well. Certainly, the harder you squeeze what's between the combustion chamber and the top of the piston, ...

Does compression increase with bore?

For example, as the bore becomes larger, compression increases. If you use heads with a smaller combustion chamber, the compression will increase. Even changing to a thinner head gasket will increase the compression ratio. Number Crunching.

Does stroke have a greater effect on compression than bore?

If you've never computed compression ratio before, this is worth experimenting with on a number of levels. For example, stroke has a much greater effect on compression than bore, which is why the short stroke/small displacement engines require such small combustion chambers.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9