New Kid On The Block

[61BUBBLE348]

Hi Guys, I Have A Small Block 61 Belair Bubble Top. I Am Keen To Upgrade To A 348 W Motor, So Am Looking FoR A Good Running 348.
Only Problem I'm At The Bottom Of The World, Adelaide Australia.

So If Any One Can Help Re Any Tricks To Look Out For, Ie Cracks Etc, I Would Be Grateful
REgards

Grub

 

[rstreet]

hey you're on top of the world now during winter!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously you will probably hear from one of our active members(chevytaylorbang ) who is also very knowledgeable about 409's. Look at our merchandise selection and you will see his 409 on the calendar when you buy it
Welcome
robert

 

[jim_ss409]

Welcome to the site Grubbang
There's not usually any problems with cracking etc. unless the engine has been left out in the cold with no anti freeze. In that case the block will sometimes crack about an inch below the deck surface. It would be partially hidden by the exhaust manifold.

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

Welcome!

Greetings from the middle of the USA! Being "down under" is probably a good place to be right now, given the season we are currently in (Winter months).

Congrats on having a real nice vehicle, that 1961 Belair Sport Coupe. Love that body style. Putting a 348 in her will really turn some heads, plus give you plenty of enjoyable driving time.

Are you thinking of purchasing a fairly complete engine and build it locally, or are you looking for a complete running engine? Most 348s are of the 250 horse variety, pretty tame for such a heavy car. You might think about building one with a bit more power, and Jim will be putting out specs for variations on that theme. It just comes down to how much you want to control the final result.

I think unless you purchase a complete engine from someone you can trust, it might be best to have one build to your specs. Just my 2 cents, as we say "up here" .

Ask lots of questions, read some of our previous posts, and you'll find a lot of guys and gals who are willing to support you as you move forward and make important decisions.

Good luck!

TomK

 

[61BUBBLE348]

Hi Guys, Re The 348, Iwould Like A Good Runner. Usually I Build My Own Motors, I Like To Know Whats In Them.

Re Horsepower, I Currently Have Varied Interests, My First Chev, Purchased During The Oil Crisis Of The Late Seventies, Was A 61 Four Door Belair, Down Here We Got Canadian Exports With Leather Trim And 61 Pontiac Dashboards. Car Had A 283 And Glide, I Transplanted A Mk Iv 427 And T400 In 1981, All Done In My Front Yard, Things You Do When Your A Kid. I Have Had A Few Others Since 59, 62,63 All Four Doors. A Couple Of Mid 60's Buicks Both 401. Then In The Late 80's I Filled My Shed With Pre War Fords, Now I Have A 32 Roadster With Fe 390 Tri Power And Toploader, A 38 Club Coupe With Buick Tpi V6, And My Next Project A 33 5 Window With Flathead.
My Desire To Own A 61 Bubbletop Has Finally Happened, Only Took 30 Years, The Car Is Nice But Not Perfect, But I Reakon It WILL Be Just Right With A Low Compression, 9.5:1 Tri Power 348.
Australia Exports Some Of The Finest Oil In The World, And We Import Some Of The Worst Refined Petrol, It Is Real Hard To Stop Most Early Motors From Pinging, So Low Comp Helps.
Well Guys Theres My Life Story.
Re Adelaide, Never Snows, Perfect Mediteranian Climate, It Does Rain Now And Then, Population About 1.5mil, Australia Total Pop 20 Mil, South Australia Is The Driest State On The Driest Continent, For What Thats Worth. But A Good Place For Cars, Our American Car Scene In General Is Quite Healthy.

Looking Forward To Hearing From As We Say You Blokes.

Grub

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

Something in common!

Hey, Grub, looks like we've got something in common, but about a decade apart. My first vehicle was a "more-door" 1961 Belair as well .

I, too, have a 1961 Belair bubbletop, originally a 348 car. It needs a major restoration, someday I will tackle that. I do my own engine building as well, but compared to others I am an amateur at best. I need lots of help from folks such as those on this Forum.

If you're looking for a near complete but disassembled 348, I may have one that you can have for my cost (cheap!). The only problem will be cost to ship from the Midwest. You may have better options on your continent, just thought I'd offer that in case you can't get them down there.

Cheers!
TomK

 

[MRHP]

Glad to have another aboard. Pictures are always welcome!