"Triple Twos"! I like it!
Here is the Reader's Digest condensed version of the 348 I bought. It was rebuilt in the early 1990s. The crank was turned .010 and .010, the cylinders bored to .060. The heads were rebuilt and left off the short block. The short block was covered up in a garage. It came with a 4 bbl. factory intake and rebuilt 4 bbl. carb. The cam is factory? So nothing very exciting as far as performance upgrades.
Now for those of you who want to pop open a cold one and settle in for "The Rest of the Story":
I saw an ad on craigs for a rebuilt 348 engine. It stated the engine was completely rebuilt from carb. to pan. $2,500
The seller was about 500 miles from my place. I contacted the seller and he got back to me that evening. He said a long time ago he found a 1959 Chevy 2 door in a field. He bought it and it had this 348 engine in/with it. He had the engine rebuilt. Crank turned .010 and .010, the rotating assy. balanced at a machine shop (I looked online and the shop is still in business), the block was bored .060 over. He covered the short block and stashed it away in his garage. The heads were rebuilt, but not installed. Years passed and he decided to sell the car. The buyer didn't want the engine. More years passed. He decided he was not going to use the 348 in anything he had. So he reinstalled the heads, intake, carb. and dist. ect. and listed it for sale. So while talking to him I got him down to $2,100 and he would travel and meet me half way with the engine. Also while talking about the engine he noted there was something odd.....that one of the heads took short reach spark plugs and the other head took long reach spark plugs. Now I am not the sharpest tool in the shed...... but I knew something was not right about those heads. I jumped online and did some research and learned about the early 1958 heads not having the cooling passages near the spark plugs (short reach) which caused some over-heating issues. About mid-year 1958 the cooling passages near the spark plugs (long reach) were added to solve the over-heating issue. So I knew the early '58 head would not work on that block. There wold be coolant pouring out of the cooling passages of the block. [Some one more knowlegeable can correct me please] So I called the guy up and explained this to him. I told him to research it himself so he knew I wasn't B.S.ing him. He said "I believe you". He called me the next evening and said the two heads on the engine were different. So I told him since I would have to find a replacement head and have it rebuilt, we would have to work on the price. So he offered the rebuilt engine as is for $1,600. But I would have to come to his place to get it as he didn't think about transferring the engine from his truck to my truck before when he offered to meet me halfway. I told him we had a deal.
I drove almost 500 miles to his place. He had built a wooden cradle that the 348 was bolted to. He had an overhead hoist with a block and tackle. He lifted the engine and cradle up I backed under the engine with my pickup and he lowered it into my pickup. He had a small pile of parts laying in the corner of his shop. He told me take as much of it as I wanted. So I got an extra 348 exhaust manifold (3 total), two extra 348 distributors (3 total), the factory oil canister, coil, flex plate and dust cover. I paid him $1,600 cash and I was on my way home!
I got home EARLY the next morning. After getting some much needed sleep I went out and looked at my recent purchase. I saw the block is a 1961 casting. I saw that the usable head is a 1959 casting and then to the other head is a 1958 casting. I got it unloaded in my garage and pulled the dist., inatake/carb. and the 1958 head. The lifter valley is spotless, as are the heads. There is still some white assembly lube on the cam and lifters. Tops of the pistons are clean. New freeze plugs in the block. So I have high hopes.
Now for the icing on the cake. I found a set of 1961 348 heads on ebay. New stainless steel valves, new valve springs, new rocker arms, new pivot balls. The heads were run for about 2,000 miles and then the owner decided to go with a stroker 348 with Eddy aluminum heads. I won the auction for his 2k mile rebuilt 1961 heads for $600 plus $172 shipping. So now I have the 1961 rebuilt heads, the 1961 rebuilt short block. I'm waiting for the Fel Pro 348 gasket set.
I have made a deal on another 348 short block (needs rebuilt?) currently .040 over bore., a set of "379" heads and a "triple two" set up (needs rebuilt?) for $1,000. Why another short block? Well the seller didn't want to separate the set of heads and the triple two set up... he wanted $1,000 just for the heads and triple two set up. He said he would take $1,000 for all of it. So why not?!
So there we have it... the rest of the story. Any advice on installing the rebuilt 1961 heads on the 1961 rebuilt short block would be appreciated.
And you wondered........... why the name "WARPT"?!?!
I hope, the Initials, stand for your name?
If not, you will be, in a couple of weeks, with all of us.
Nice Elky.
come on in...............
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