Quaker State Giveaway Dream Engine Build-up -- Part One

The Speed Shop of Glendale was ready to help us out with our Dream Engine project.

We originally came up with the idea of building a fully done-up carbureted engine and then giving it away to some lucky lowrider enthusiast during a brainstorming session at a Lowrider staff meeting. After several months of planning and securing the involvement of many top aftermarket manufacturers, the Dream Engine project was on its way to becoming a reality. A key player was GM Performance, who donated the "hearts" of the Quaker State-sponsored giveaway--two new small-block 350-c.i.d. "crate" engines that are both rated at 330 horsepower right out of the box.

Once GM was onboard, several other manufacturers followed suit, and made big contributions to two fully done-up small-block Chevy engines that will look good in any classic lowrider. One of these engines was overseen by Senior Tech Editor Dick DeLoach, while the one that we are focusing on here was handled by yours truly. The goal was to have them ready for the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada, this past November, so that the manufacturers involved could display their products.

Leading this particular build-up was Jim Greer of the Speed Shop of Glendale, California. Jim is major "gearhead" and was happy to work with us. We gave Jim full control as far as what combination of parts would produce the most reliable and powerful engine. Judging by the results, this proved to be a good decision. In part one, we are going to start assembling and dressing up the engine. Once the engine is completed, we are planning to subject it a dyno bench test to see how many horsepower we can pull out of the new setup. For now, follow along as Jim helps us take our first steps in the build-up of the Quaker State Dream Engine giveaway.

The GM crate engine was put up on an engine stand and made ready for assembly.	The engine was prepped for a touch of paint by wiping it down to remove any oily surfaces.
The engine was sprayed with a high heat protective finish.	The gloss black paint was let to sit before we started to wrench on the engine.
Jim was now ready to crank away.	The stock timing chain bolts were removed and replaced with new stainless steel ARP 12-point bolts.
A chrome Proform timing marker was bolted on to help out with the precision timing involved for tuning.	When it came time to bolt up the harmonic balancer, we used the time-saving trick of greasing up the crank to allow the harmonic balancer to slide on.
The harmonic balancer was placed on the edge.	Using an installation tool allowed the harmonic balancer to be pushed on properly, ensuring that it would not fall off during operation.
To give the harmonic balancer a clean look we used a chrome harmonic balancer cover.	The new gaskets were laid out and set in place.
The intake gasket kit came with the silicone that was necessary to seal the intake manifold.	Jim used the ARP bolts to tighten down the Edelbrock intake.
The factory valve covers were bolted on to keep any debris from falling into the "internals" of the engine.	We used a chrome water neck for the intake, which accented the polished intake manifold.
A set of Energy Suspension performance chrome motor mounts were used for the engine.	As you can see, the engine is starting to take shape.
The Speed Shop provided a set of their chrome block hugger headers.	The Lokar oil dipstick needed to be bolted onto the headers.
The dipstick was ready to measure oil.	Jim installed the Pertronix flame thrower distributor after making sure that the engine was at "TDC" (top dead center).
If you install a distributor right, it will look similar to this with the rotor pointing to the number one piston.	Jim routed the MSD high-energy conductor wires.
The engine wires will look good after adding wire separators. These separators will keep the wires from becoming tangled.	Jim was like a kid in a candy store as he opened up all of the new goodies.
Sealer glue was used for the gaskets placed on the aluminum water pump.	A shim spacer was used for the water pump pulley. This shim is not always needed, but in our case it helped align the pulleys.
The harmonic balancer pulley was bolted on, but it was not torqued down as we were still waiting on the ARP harmonic balancer crank bolt.	You'll need a set of Allen wrenches for the serpentine kit as most of the fasteners are Allen wrench-style bolts.
A new design power steering bracket was used to raise the power steering pump and keep it from hitting the frame rail.	The Zoops pulley for the remote power steering pump came with a press-on tool to slip on the aluminum pulley.
The billet alternator bracket was bolted on to the engine heads. This bracket makes sure that the alternator doesn't sit high.	Jim marked up where the Power Master alternator would be bolted on.
To keep the alternator from overheating, we added a billet fan.	This pulley was air impacted to make sure that it won't fall off.
After a few hours of bolting on parts, the Quaker State engine giveaway started to come together. Stay tune as we finish assembly of the new 350-c.i.d. engine in part two of the build-up.