this is a question I have been asked so many times I can't even remember how often I've heard it asked and of course as with most things, the answer is
IT DEPENDS ON...
a great many factors ,
(1) like do you have a decent clean, well lighted and adequate place to work?
(2)do you have a wide assortment of the required tools?
(3)do you have the skills & knowledge and experience,
required to even assemble the engine if you have the parts in front of you!
(4) do you even have the knowledge to list the parts and required machine work?
(5) do you have a local machine shop that can do the work correctly?
(6) can you afford to take the time and effort to collect the required tools and components you'll need?
(7) can you buy a readily available commercial or perhaps a custom made short block,
and just add the required components to reach your goal?
(8) are you willing to do the required research to list the best parts,
or at least the most easily available parts that match your intended goal?
(and that will fit and function correctly if assembled correctly?
(9) be realistic, your wallet and your skill level DO matter,
you probably don't realistically need to build an 800 hp engine in your daily driver transportation
(10) be aware there are people that KNOW a whole lot more about ,
correctly selecting and correctly machining engine components than you OR I do,even if I've been doing it for 60 years ,
or damn near anyone else ,
(everyone's got some knowledge and skills, but no one knows everything)
so do the required research and ask questions, CROSS CHECK AND VERIFY
and take the time and effort to find a good skilled machine shop to work with,
never NEVER ASSUME ! ASK FOR REFERENCES, TALK TO SEVERAL KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE!
just open your wallet and bend over , as there is always someone willing empty your checking account,
without doing what they promist in the time frame they promised!
now you have to start some place,
and that generally will be in doing the research into what engine components match your goal,
and time spent in research and the purchase of several manuals and books and video's etc.
and talking to a decent machine shop,
can save you a great deal of otherwise wasted money!
what the cost of those components are and if they are available, and I can assure you that most of the articles in magazines or info on engine builds posted on the internet skip over and ignore a great many components and much of the machine work, time and accurate measurements that will be required.
you'll need to start with the basics, a long list of components, and a check list to list the components you'll need, and
you'll obviously need at least a decent engine stand to do the assembly process,
and you'll want to buy or borrow an engine crane, or have several husky friends handy,
to put the basic block up on and lift the finished engine off that engine stand,
as usually Ill post a bunch of related links and yeah, skipping reading the sub links will as usual be a big mistake!
yeah as usually its going to seem like and endless bottomless rabbit hole 
and yeah it helps a great deal if you have reference material (books videos and spread sheets)
You'll need a few basic tools if your going to proceed
so down the bottomless rabbit hole you go... kicking and screaming in terror...
or is that just your wallet and bank balance I hear?
links...and yes you do need to read through the links AND SUB LINKS
IT DEPENDS ON...
a great many factors ,
(1) like do you have a decent clean, well lighted and adequate place to work?
(2)do you have a wide assortment of the required tools?
(3)do you have the skills & knowledge and experience,
required to even assemble the engine if you have the parts in front of you!
(4) do you even have the knowledge to list the parts and required machine work?
(5) do you have a local machine shop that can do the work correctly?
(6) can you afford to take the time and effort to collect the required tools and components you'll need?
(7) can you buy a readily available commercial or perhaps a custom made short block,
and just add the required components to reach your goal?
(8) are you willing to do the required research to list the best parts,
or at least the most easily available parts that match your intended goal?
(and that will fit and function correctly if assembled correctly?
(9) be realistic, your wallet and your skill level DO matter,
you probably don't realistically need to build an 800 hp engine in your daily driver transportation
(10) be aware there are people that KNOW a whole lot more about ,
correctly selecting and correctly machining engine components than you OR I do,even if I've been doing it for 60 years ,
or damn near anyone else ,
(everyone's got some knowledge and skills, but no one knows everything)
so do the required research and ask questions, CROSS CHECK AND VERIFY
and take the time and effort to find a good skilled machine shop to work with,
never NEVER ASSUME ! ASK FOR REFERENCES, TALK TO SEVERAL KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE!
just open your wallet and bend over , as there is always someone willing empty your checking account,
without doing what they promist in the time frame they promised!
now you have to start some place,
and that generally will be in doing the research into what engine components match your goal,
and time spent in research and the purchase of several manuals and books and video's etc.
and talking to a decent machine shop,
can save you a great deal of otherwise wasted money!
what the cost of those components are and if they are available, and I can assure you that most of the articles in magazines or info on engine builds posted on the internet skip over and ignore a great many components and much of the machine work, time and accurate measurements that will be required.
you'll need to start with the basics, a long list of components, and a check list to list the components you'll need, and
you'll obviously need at least a decent engine stand to do the assembly process,
and you'll want to buy or borrow an engine crane, or have several husky friends handy,
to put the basic block up on and lift the finished engine off that engine stand,
as usually Ill post a bunch of related links and yeah, skipping reading the sub links will as usual be a big mistake!
yeah as usually its going to seem like and endless bottomless rabbit hole
and yeah it helps a great deal if you have reference material (books videos and spread sheets)
You'll need a few basic tools if your going to proceed
so down the bottomless rabbit hole you go... kicking and screaming in terror...
or is that just your wallet and bank balance I hear?
links...and yes you do need to read through the links AND SUB LINKS
building a potentially impressive BBC
think twin turbo/ intercooled /e85/ 1300 plus hp with added oil cooler etc. think of this as a quick way to blow $33K minimum :facepalm: :like: YOUR CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND EXPECT IT TO RUN ON THE LOCAL GAS STATIONS PUMP LOW OCTANE FUEL heads...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
Bbc Related & Links And Useful Info
a few useful links, and sub links videos, and tips to look over yeah, increased displacement helps and building a killer BBC old school, for your car can be both cost effective and produce impressive results some of the most effective, cost per hp and efficient combo's , will be the 496...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
sources for auto tools
"Building Race cars for others you need the best." That is a different situation than using once or twice. When I did tool and die work, I had 2 sets of micrometers. Good ones and then really good ones. I only used the really good ones for when I worked in .0001's (ten thousandths of an inch)...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
matching parts and a logical plan
I just had a rather long and detailed discussion with a guy who it was all too obvious ,was basically just, trying to get me to give him a detailed list of engine components to build his engine. one of the main secrets , too building a really effective combo is to match the engine and drive...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
under car safety
I had a guy forward me this info "I know we have all read and heard many a times,when you jack your car up to work on it PUT THE DAMN JACK STANDS UNDER THE CARS FRAME. Well I just got a call from my Aunt and Uncle that my cousin 2 years older than I am (and i'm 42)who's name is also Kevin was...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
engine crane and engine stand,mods & accesories
for many years Ive used an engine crane in the shop to pull engines, and it became very obvious that some mods to the system were darn near MANDATORY, ID start by pointing out the 2 ton rated engine cranes tend to be FAR more solidly built and have significantly longer reach and more stable...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
TBucket Engine Project (Dart SHP)
It's time to get this party started! Last night I picked up some of my parts, the only thing left to come in, is the Mahle piston and rings. This is just the first order, mostly the things I need right now to get started. It's been over ten years since I've driven this car and I am SOOO ready to...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
finding a machine shop you can trust
I was recently asked how to find a decent machine shop near some member in a different state! now there's a few links and sub-links below, but your best option in my opinion, is to visit several local race tracks and join the local corvette or muscle car clubs talk to the obviously more...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
A Few Basic Precision Tools
Hey GRUMPY, I need a few basic tools to measure bearing clearances and tools for installing a cam, etc, and suggestions? (and yeah, I'm not swimming in cash, so please take that into account!) keep in mind there's a long list of more expensive tools, like mills, lathes, various types of...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
sellecting cylinder heads
READ THIS THREAD AND LINKs and SUB LINKS AS ITS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTANDING SOME FACTORS, and theres a ton of useful info in the links read these threads and sub-links also, as they contain good info, if you fail to read thru the sub links youll miss a ton of useful info, don,t think published...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
sellecting valve springs, and setting up the valve train
How do you determine the spring pressure needed to keep the valves under control for a given lift, duration, and max rpm. It might take you several hours to read thru all the links and sub links but its time very well spent as it could save your engine from destruction and save you thousands of...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
degree it in correctly and get it to last,cam install info,
IM frequently asked (why bother degreeing in a cam, the timing set comes with index marks to install it?) it basically comes down to, a question of do you accept a random install where the timing can be almost any place randomly or do you insist on maximizing the engines potential and know...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
semi fool proof cam sellection
you can start with this, the SIX cam manufacturers POSTED OR LINKED BELOW that have proven to be dependable, the soft ware below might prove useful, so use it to get a base line INFO YOU NEED IF YOUR selecting the correct cam for YOUR combo FIRST!!>>>>>>ANY AND ALL CAM MANUFACTURERS WILL need...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
getting the correct piston to bore clearance, on your block
always think every step you take in any performance engine build through, logically and don't just jump off the dock head first, financially, without asking detailed questions , and documenting as much as you can in writing, and having a well thought through plan, parts list and time frame...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
Plastic gauge?
Question: Can plastic gauge read correctly if used on a crank already oiled or with assembly lube?? I am wanting to confirm the work done by my machine shop but I do not want to tear it down and dry it off, just see if they did the clearances correctly. I figure to check one or two main caps...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
block choice
grumpy I have read several threads on this and other sites that strongly suggest the original production Chevy small block 4 bolt main cap block, is not the best choice for building a decent performance engine, due to the thin casting and tendency to have the main caps shift or squirm under...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
scat cranks & related info
Chevy V8 bore & stroke chart Chevy V8 Crankshaft Journal Sizes Here's a list of Chevy V-8 crankshaft journal sizes. All journal sizes are given in "STANDARD" sizes. Your crankshaft may have been cut down in size previously by a machine shop. Make sure your crank will work in the block you...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
using the charts,calculators and basic math
theres a hundred threads on this site answering various questions about how to properly select or installation of various components and its rather obvious that the most common questions are some variation on how to either build a decent running performance engine at low cost or trouble shoot...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
bits of rather useful info, yeah its going to take awhile but theres good tips
if theres one subject that won,t die, its the constant need for guys to discuss and ask questions, concerning how to build a lower cost SBC engine. Ill save you a a great deal of time and effort , the KEYS to performance are, AND ROUGHLY IN THIS ORDER GOOD HEAD FLOW HIGHER COMPRESSION CAM...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
building a potentially impressive BBC
think twin turbo/ intercooled /e85/ 1300 plus hp with added oil cooler etc. think of this as a quick way to blow $33K minimum :facepalm: :like: YOUR CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND EXPECT IT TO RUN ON THE LOCAL GAS STATIONS PUMP LOW OCTANE FUEL heads...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
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