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.
To begin part two of the build-up, we caught up with Jim at the Speed Shop in Glendale, California, who wrapped up the accessory assembly on the giveaway V-8. Jim bolted on all of the billet accessories, as well as the fuel delivery systems and miscellaneous parts that were needed to make the engine run.
As with any engine project, sometimes you run into an obstacle or two as the engine's coming together. We had to overcome a small setback as some of the parts that were donated turned out to be incorrect matches for what we needed and had to be replaced with the exact proper parts. On the plus side, the convenience of doing the tech with the Speed Shop was that we were able to use parts from their stock, although we only did this with small pieces. By the end of part two, the engine was looking good.
In the next segment of the Dream Engine build-up, we will be Dyno testing the new 350 to see how much horsepower the engine can produce with all of the bolt-on goodies that we have added. For now, follow along as we show you the progress of the build-up up to this point.
01. One advantage that we had in our build-up was that if we got stuck on parts we were able to improvise and take them out of the Speed Shop's stock. | 
02. Here's a look at where we left off on the first part of the build-up. As you can tell, most of the engine was put together and needed only the detail work. |
03. Jim used a six-groove belt to measure the belt size that would be needed for the engine routing. Remember to use the proper flow water pump when routing a serpentine system as you can blow up your engine if it's done incorrectly. | 
04. Jim started on the fuel system which included installing the Demon carburetor. |
05. Next was to lube and install the fuel pump rod which works nonstop off of the cam. | 
06. The street-designed fuel pump was perfect. |
07. The fittings on the carb were the first to be tightened down. | 
08. Using high-pressure steel-braided hoses will help deliver the proper fuel needed, as well as help prevent vapor locking. |
09. Since we were already plumbing the carb, we decided to connect the vacuum for the distributor. | 
10. Next on the fuel system was the very important fuel filter, which helps prevent trash and debris from screwing up the floats on your carburetor. This filter was going to be bolted down in an easily accessed area of the vehicle. |
11. High-pressure Teflon sealer was used for the fuel filters. | 
12. This Professional Products fuel filter was ready to be fitted with the fuel line. |
13. The mechanical fuel pump needed fittings so that it could be connected to the rest of the fuel delivery system. | 
14. The rest of the engine was ready to be plumbed with steel-braided components. |
15. Jim made quick work of the small task of connecting the fuel lines. | 
16. The fuel delivery system was ready to be fed with high octane. |
17. The next step was to install the stainless steel Lokar spring throttle holder. | 
18. The tension spring was hooked into place. |
19. The Lokar setup was ready to be put into place. | 
20. With all of the billet accessories being bolted on, these GM chrome covers were going to be swapped out. |
21. The heads were checked out to make sure that they didn't leak any oil when the valve gaskets went back on. | 
22. The ball-milled valve covers really complemented the billet accessories that were being used on the engine. |
23. Jim aligned the high-torque Power Master starter with the B&M heavy duty 350 flywheel. | 
24. Next on the agenda was to wire up the Flame Thrower distributor and coil. |
25. Jim started laying out the high-current MSD sparkplug wire needed to make the engine run. | 
26. Jim started to crimp the sparkplug wires with the right electrical boots to make the distributor spark properly. |
27. As you can see, the wiring task can be a little confusing as it involves several wires. | 
28. The wiring of the sparkplug wires was ready to pass current through the ignition system. |
29. The wiring of the sparkplug wires was ready to pass current through the ignition system. | |