88 Monte SS, what is the best set-up with what I have

[mbc9ie]

Here is what i have to play with

88 Monte Carlo SS
L31 Vortec 350 needs freshening up
200r4 or 350 Turbo

I am building on a small budget. What is the best cam/intake/carb I can put on this motor to get good performance that will not break my bank account

Also what stall should I get and thinking about that which transmission is better to use 200r4 or the turbo 350 i have heard good and bad about both.

And last what Rear end gearing, 3:55, 3:73, 4:11

I dont need to have the fastest car, i just want to have fun and include my 10 year old son in on the process. so give me all your good advice.


thanks Guys

 

[-83MONTESS-]

Since you don't need the fastest car you could go with a stock-mild cam and not have to do the work to those cylinder heads required with high lift cams. I would talk to an engine builder at your local shop and see what they prefer and see what they can hook you up with.

For trans I would stick with the 200-4R because of the overdrive and thats what the car came with from the factory so the crossmember will work. I would go with a simple shift kit and the stall is all gonna depend on what cam you end up with. A 200-4R will be plenty enough for a mild 350.

I would also stick with the factory 3.73 gears with a limited slip carrier. If you use the overdrive the 3.42s will be too mild on the street and the 4.11s will be a little aggressive for just cruising around.

 

[truracer20]

For the transmission I would use the 200 R4. The TH350 is a great transmission, I love them but overdrive is really nice. Gears I would use the 3.73's with the 200 R4 or 3.42 if using the TH350. Do you have a carb already or not? Is your block compatible with a mechanical fuel pump?

I would recommend the Edelbrock Performer EPS intake 2716 for a square bore carb.(I don't know of a Vortec manifold for a spread bore carb)
For a carb I recommend the Quick Fuel 750 cfm vacuum secondary, electric choke SL-75-VS(Quick Fuel Technology carbs come with upgraded features compared to Holley.) You could always go with a Quadrajet carb, you would just have to find a spread bore intake for the Vortec heads.
Whatever you go with for a carb stay between 650 and 750 cfm and a vacuum secondary carb will be more streetable than a mechanical secondary carb.
For a cam you have to decide if you want to modify the heads, the Vortec heads don't allow for much lift in stock form but are great heads otherwise. I would have a competent machine shop do the required modifications for extra lift when they get rebuilt, then go with a cam similar to the Edelbrock 2204. It would work nice.
A higher stall torque converter would be very nice, it's best to talk directly to the converter builder to get the one you need for your exact application.
When ordering pistons the Vortec heads are 64cc chambers.
Make sure the distributor drive gear material is compatible with the cam gear. As long as the stock roller lifters are good they can be used on a new cam. Here is a little insight on the head modifications for higher lift, http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/148-0208-vortec-heads-valve-lift/

 

[truracer20]

To use a stock converter use the GM performance cam 24502586 or similar will work well.

 

[dr..mach]

3.73 with OverDrive is a great overall combination. May not need much more than a well tuned stock build to the motor to achieve your goals. Good luck.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

For the carb just stick with the stock ccc qjet. GM sells a spread bore intake manifold for vortec heads with provision for EGR, valve. Just to run an external EGR, line from a exhaust manifold to the intake manifold or get a ZZ4 prom chip to delete the EGR.