Actually in 1987 the small block changed from a two piece to a one piece
real seal. At the same time the end of the crank changed and the flywheels
are not interchangable from pre87 and post87. Very late in the 90's lot so
things happened to some of the small blocks but you chances of getting one
of those from a junk yard are slimmer.

"HLAviation" wrote in message
link.net...
Dude, as my Japanese friend Hiro say, "Same Same". You can bolt any small
block Chevy from a 265 to a 400 in there using all the same stuff. There's
only one thing to watch for is that later model motors will have the Vortc
heads which require a diferent intake manifold. If you have the four bolts
around the valve cover, look for an engine with that configuration. If
you're valve covers have the bolts through the middle of the top look for
those. I'd look for the engine out of a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup since it
"should" have a 4 bolt main block in it as well as a forged rather than
cast
crank. The way to look for this without pulling the oil pan off the engine
is to look at the flange of the crank. If it has a narrow ridge down
running
lengthwise with the crank, that is a casting mark, ok, but not the best
and
probably has a 2 bolt main. If instead of the narrow peak, it has about a
1/2" wide flattened raised area, that is a forged crank, stronger, and
generally triced up in a 4 bolt main block. With this bottom end
configuration, you can build a very reliable 400hp engine should you
choose,
or you can just stick it in the boat as is. The differences (with the
exception of some old Chris Crafts who had special blocks cast to bolt the
trans to the timing chain end of the engine) with marine engines are for
the
most part the accessories being spark-proofed. If you are raw water cooled
in salt, you may consider popping in a set of brass freeze plugs,
available
from Chevrolet if you can't find them elsewhere.
"bob" wrote in message
...


HLAviation wrote:

Dude, stop right there, go to junk yard, buy a decent long block,
you'll
save a ton of money in the longrun.

I don't know much about the differences between marine and automotive
engines
but are you suggesting a boat junk yard or an automotive? If atomotive,
where
can I get a cross reference of the automotive long blocks that will fit
my
application (engine mounts, transmission bolt up, etc.). Maybe a chevy
350 is
basically a chevy 350....within certain years anyway?