Looking for info and wisdom as I start a resto on my/dad 1972 Monte Carlo. Last time we had it going was about 20 years ago. Blew a head gasket and now it has been sitting in garage (he assumes it was). Has a 350/350 Trans, dual carb setup, everything else was/is original. Will pull the vin/maybe plate numbers to see what original set up was. My priority is to get it mechanically sound; I'm assuming every gasket is bad and anything that had fluid is garbage. My list will prob go something like;

- 383 Stroker / TH400 Trans; may go the turnkey/ Mid Dress Engine Build

- New Trans cooler / Trans brake

- New Oil / water / fuel pump

- New Alternator, starter, gas tank/lines of course

- New exhaust and headers;

- All wheel disc conversion, everything gets replaced

- New alum radiator / cooling fan

- New Cragar / wheels



Prob wont start cleaning up appearance until next year, year 2;

• Paint (blue) / top (black) are in pretty decent shape
• Interior is great so shouldn’t need much in there
• Will replace interior chrome piping as needed

Paint will be last, year 3;

• Replace exterior chrome as needed

 

The only times I've seen a head gasket fail on a SBC is when it was faulty, it's not installed properly or if the engine severely overheated. Nevertheless, pull out all the plugs and examine them. A failed head gasket will leak coolant into one or more combustion chambers. The problem child (children) will be obvious. You would also see coolant in the oil and oil in the radiator.
If all the plugs look ok and the engine isn't seized, do a compression test; there may be some broken piston rings. Also, pull the valve covers off then observe the rockers while you do the compression test; you could have one or more flat cam lobes which would manifest as one or more rockers not moving or moving very little compared to the others.

I agree regarding the fluids. Gaskets, not necessarily. Rubber (i.e. hoses & belts), definitely.

Just curious, why bother with determining the original setup when you've already decided to do the laundry list of stuff?
By the way, what's your ultimate goal? ¼-mile sprinter, trailer queen, daily driver, fair weather cruiser, boss of the burn-outs, low-rider?

 

Thanks for response,

Just curious, why bother with determining the original setup when you've already decided to do the laundry list of stuff? An: I wanted to see what was original setup, I know if I went with something other than a 383 or 350 it could cause more headaches, from what I read I think they even made a few with the 454, though not a SS.
By the way, what's your ultimate goal? ¼-mile sprinter, trailer queen, daily driver, fair weather cruiser, boss of the burn-outs, low-rider? Probably just a fair weather cruiser, not looking to go too fast

 

If your goal is a fair weather cruiser, I encourage you to stick with what's in the car now; 350 SBC with TH350 trans. That's what's in my '74 Monte Carlo which I've owned for 40-years; a blueprinted 400hp 350 SBC with a beefed up TH350 and 2.73 final gear. I can smoke the tires off the line if I want, then cruise @ 80mph while the engine's at a comfortable 3000 RPMs.

383 cubic inches is created by putting a crank shaft from a 400 small block into a 302, 327 or 350 block. The 400 crank has a stroke that's just over ¼in longer than a 350 crank which makes it produce a little more torque and is really suitable for truck applications but it creates severe rod angles meaning it puts lots of pressure on the piston skirts against the cylinder wall which can cause scoring of the bore and ultimately lead to premature ring failure.

Swapping a TH350 for a TH400 will require a different slip yoke and drive shaft, not to mention changing from a mechanical detent to an electrical detent and a different transmission tail mounting setup.

Acknowledging it's your car, unless you're doing burn-out competitions or pulling out tree stumps, you can save a fair amount of money, time and hassle by sticking with what you have.

Nevertheless, please keep us in the loop as you proceed on this journey.