Edelbrock Performer for Olds 350???

[J.Rod22]

Whats up guys, Im getting a 1970 Olds 350 in a couple of weeks for my Cutlass. I started thinking about the parts I wanted to use for it when I came across an edelbrock catalog that I have. I saw the Performer Olds 350 intake (part number 3711) and all the parts that go with it Performer-plus camshaft (pn 3712), roller timing set (pn 7813), valve springs (pn 5812), spring retainers (pn 9724), etc. This is going to be my first engine rebuild and I was wondering if this is a good package to go with? The car is my daily driver and I dont plan to race it or anything like that I just want to get some nice power out of it so I can have fun with it. Also if I decided to go with this kit, what length pushrods will I need because it said that I might need some longer than stock pushrods if I use that cam. And which valve stem locks do I need? The catalog doesnt tell me which ones i need it just has all different sizes. Sorry for the rookie questions Im just excited and would love to build a nice engine the first time around. Thanks

 

[DoubleV]

In order to pick a cam, you need to give more info like the compression ratio, gears etc. I can tell you there are better cam choices out there than the generic Edelbrock though. Pushrod length will need to measured. You can save your money on the Edelbrock Performer intake. It won't make much if any difference over the stocker. Don't be afraid to contact an Olds specific builder for good tech advice. They would most likely carry all the parts you'd need too.

BTW, are you planning on running this engine on the computer?

Also, what are your performance goals? What kind of times are you looking to run?

 

[J.Rod22]

So I decided to get the edelbrock performer kit for my olds 350 and now am in the process of gathering all the parts for the rebuild. My question is are the stock pistons or stock replacement pistons ok to use or should I get another type of piston? I read somewhere that the cast pistons are junk and shouldnt be used.

 

[CUTLASSJESSE]

the performer RPM will pull your power into the higher rpm so you dont have so much low end grunt since normal driving your starting to get out of your power ban

 

[CHRIS.O]

Cast or a hypereutectic piston will be just fine for an engine that isn't forced induction or spraying nitrous. Even then sometimes you can get away with it.

 

[J.Rod22]

Cast or a hypereutectic piston will be just fine for an engine that isn't forced induction or spraying nitrous. Even then sometimes you can get away with it.

Ok thanks. Im just going for a stock type build with a little more power thats all. Im not looking to do anything special since this is my first rebuild.

 

[Peter]

pick a lunati voodoo cam, the word is that its one of the best olds designed cams

 

[DoubleV]

pick a lunati voodoo cam, the word is that its one of the best olds designed cams

Where as I can't honestly say the Olds Voodoo cams are 'the best', I can certainly say that they are better than anything Edelbrock has to offer. Those Edelbrock 'power packages' are all hype.

 

[Bar50]

If you look at the numbers the cams offered by Lunati, Edelbrock, and Elgin are all pretty similar.

The big thing to spring for is the conversion kit to use adjustable rocker arms from Comp Cams.

Then pick a cam that matches you application. thr 496/520 lift cam shows up alot for Olds applications