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440hp Budget-Built Vortec Small-Block

By Tony Nausieda
Photography by Tony Nausieda, Matthew King
116 0209 Vort01 Z
01. The foundation of our budget-built vortec small-block is a $1,150 short-block from Wheeler Motorsports.

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02. It's always a good idea to properly torque the oil-pump bolt on a small-block Chevy, especially when you're using a high-volume pump that exerts added stress on the fastener. Our affordable Melling pump produced a stout 25 psi of oil pressure at idle and climbed to 65 psi by 3,000 rpm. Before you tack-weld the pickup to the pump body, remove the bypass spring and ensure the pickup is oriented correctly to the pan.

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03. We used a trick Comp Cams three-piece billet-aluminum timing cover for our motor because we had frequent cam changes in mind for future dyno-testing. It's convenient for adjusting cam endplay on a roller setup or indexing the cam in conjunction with an adjustable sprocket (see "Cam Swaps Made Easy" in this issue). You can save a couple hundred bucks by using a stamped-steel cover.

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04. The King slathered a very liberal scoop of assembly lube on the cam before stabbing it into the motor. In this case, too much is just enough, and it just may prevent a wiped lobe during break-in. We didn't degree the cam or check piston-to-valve clearance, but it's always a good idea to do so.
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05. In a serious time crunch, we picked up a set of head gaskets from NAPA. The high-quality Victor Reinz gaskets are designed for use with the Vortec heads. The application we asked for was a '98 Chevy pickup.
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06. Vortec heads use a clever reusable intake gasket that virtually guarantees leak-free sealing. Silicone rubber is bonded to a hard, non-compressible plastic skeleton. The correct GM shouldered intake bolts allow a precise amount of gasket compression before bottoming out, ensuring a correct installation every time. As directed, we didn't use any sealant on these gaskets, and we didn't find any leaks.

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