Newbie needing help

I'm  the green horn in the mechanical world, and I am wanting to start up on a side project for my truck. I have a 1997, z71, Silverado shortie, with the 5.7L Vortec 350. Unfortunately that is where my mechanical vocabulary ends. I am coming close to hitting 200,000 miles, and would like to start tinkering/building a new engine for it. By doing this I hope to broaden my know-how in mechanics, and to build a "mighty mouse" for my landscape business. I know I what to bump the horsepower up to about 450-500 and have some serious torque at around 500 to 525. I really just want to create some god aweful power to terrify all the little rice rockets in my neighborhood, but also be able to pull the governors house if need be. Can anyone give me some advice where to begin in finding just the block? Do I need to go big? or small? Can I handle the size of a big block? Or is that just a pipe dream? Are my expectations too high, or feasible? What is a good price range for the new block? and what kind of material should it be made of for the most durablity? I am just wanting to start from the ground up. Block first pistons and everything else will fall in place.
Thanks  

Honestly, the easiest way to get that level of power out of a small-block is a supercharger. But I don't think I'd just bolt one on to and engine with 200k miles. But if you're starting from scratch, a supercharged 350 will give you around that power level.

If you're building ground-up, I'd probably do an iron block, 4-bolt mains, forged rods, forged pistons and aluminum heads. There are plenty of companies out there that will sell you a turn-key crate engine with all these goodies still on it, but you can also build it yourself. Just depends what your budget, timeframe, and mechanical ability is.

You could go with a big-block, but I'd probably go for a blown small-block, because when you're not on-the-throttle, it'll get better fuel economy and run smoother than a comparably-powered big block.  

Thanks for the tips. As for finding the iron block, if I were to go to a junkyard, would there be anyway of identifying the block from other engines? Like some kind of punch in the metal or of that nature? I see it on some of the commercial created crate engines to identify Dart from Edelbrock, but would it be the same if a 1500 had iron, and a 2500 had Aluminum? Maybe a dumb question, but I just want to make sure whatever I pull out of the junkyard will work.  

Not a dumb question at all! I'm just not knowledgeable enough to tell you what to look for. It's pretty easy to tell an aluminum block from an iron one. For one thing, weight. Iron blocks are a LOT heavier than aluminum, and if they're un-painted, they'll usually have a little surface rust on them, whereas aluminum blocks won't.

If you're talking about GM production motors, all of the Gen I and II small-blocks from the factory were iron blocks, up to and including the LT1 and LT4. The LS1 (first came out in the 1997 C5 Corvette) was the first time an aluminum block was widely available from the factory. So chances are whatever small-block block you find in a salvage yard is going to be iron.  

Thanks again for the information. I think I have found one in one of the salvage yards here in the area. Came from a 99 Chevy 2500 light duty. The block looks fine to me, but all the heads and camshaft and such has been gutted. Might aswell be since I never really thought I would be able to salvage any of that in the first place. Thanks again for the info, and you might find me on here many days after this with new questions, and progression through out the project. Just out of curiousity, do you think this is something too big for the first timer to be takling? I mean I know I am way out of my means with this, but I am really just tired of not knowing how my truck works, or how to work on it. This is just the beginning project for my truck, because I know after creating this engine it will be likely that I will have to change the transmission to a stronger one, beef up the breaks, and possibly even work on the suspension. But I thought I would start with this first, that way I know what the truck will turn into.  

Well, as long as it's not your daily driver, and you don't have a pressing time deadline for it, why not? However, I would recommend trying to find a friend or mentor that has some experience working on engines, as it's REALLY easy to get in over your head if you don't know what you're doing. You might want to check if there's a community college in your area that has an auto shop program. There's also WyoTech and ATI if you want to get a little more serious about it. But if you just want to learn the basics and tinker around a little, I'd start with a CC.

Certainly the easier way to do it would be to order a crate motor from someone, but it's definitely not the cheapest way to go.  

Go with a bored and stroked 350. You will get the HP you want and more than enough torque which is more important than HP. I had a 302 bored and stroked to a 347 and it had 450 lbs of torque and 419 HP. Keep in mind whether you go with a supercharger or a stroker motor you will sacrifice on gas mileage. You will also need to have your tranny rebuilt to withstand all the power. Whatever you do be sure to have the block zero decked, honed and planed and balanced and blueprinted. It is easier to just get a crate 383 stroker motor ( bored and stroked 350)and then get a tranny to match the motor. If your motor puts out 500hp get a tranny that will handle 700HP. Also a good distributor like a Mallory Unilite would be advisable.  A new radiator (aluminum) will be a good idea too since you will be putting out a lot more heat and aluminum dissipates heat better than any other radiator. You should also get a mini starter and a bigger alternator. Done right you are looking at a minimum of $8,000.00-$10,000.00 just for the motor , radiator etc. plus another $1000.00 for the tranny.  
Mike Cook
Vice President
Inland Vans Berdoo
2008 Route 66 Hall of Fame Inductee

You brought up some key vocabulary I am not up to date with. I understand boring the engine out. That's a machinist widening out the cylinders for bigger piston heads right? But what does stroking mean? And how does that affect the engine? Also, if I find the block I want to use, can I get a machinist to work on it with out any of the moving parts selected, or should I get my parts that I wish to use and send it all in together? And when we are talking about a "Blown" Small Block, does that refer to a supercharger? And how does a supercharger differ from a turbo charger? I am sorry for the barrage of questions, but I am really just wanting to make sure that I don't goof up here. I might be doing what you all have probably mentioned, I might just be a little over my head. But I will make sure I just take it step by step. It's all my budget will allow actually. Thanks again for all of your information.  

Yes. Boring is simply enlarging the cylinder bores, and this requires new pistons that are sized to fit. For small-blocks, the usual over-bores are .030 or .060 (hundredths of an inch). Stroking is slightly more involved, as it requires a new crankshaft and usually new connecting rods. An experienced machinist could probably handle all of this. Regardless, I'd budget at least $2,000 for the engine work. Most likely you'll be spending more. It gets to a point where a crate motor can become the cheaper option. I'd do your homework before you commit to anything.  

stroking is getting a longer stroke from the pistons producing more power. When you have the block done, Yes you can have the machinist do what he has to do such as checking for cracks, machining etc. When you do tell him if you are going to use a supercharger or the bore and stroke. He needs to know what you will be doing down the road. The same with the heads when you have them done. Know what your ultimate goal is and what parts are compatible to reach your goals. You will want roller rockers. Your heads need to be polished and ported. A good set of headers is also necessary and the correct Carb and intake.Your cam needs to be ground to match the rest of the engine especially the rocker arms. Also get a high voltage coil. I would also use a high grade synthetic oil like Royal Purple. I use Royal purple in my motors, trannys, and rear ends. Use an aluminum water pump. Don't use any chrome parts on your motor. Chrome does not dissipate heat . Use aluminum valve covers. In fact use aluminum wherever you can. Better heat dissipation and not as  heavy. Dart Pro aluminum heads are great.  
Mike Cook
Vice President
Inland Vans Berdoo
2008 Route 66 Hall of Fame Inductee