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#1502683 Mon May 29 2023 08:21 AM
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 50
O
Ol'55 Offline OP
'Bolter
At what safe rpm range can a 350 chevy truck run at on say a longe road trip?

Ol'55 #1502685 Mon May 29 2023 09:23 AM
Joined: Feb 2023
Posts: 100
R
RLB Offline
'Bolter
I wouldn't be afraid of the 3,000 rpm range, + or - a little. Assuming everything is in good operating order.


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Ol'55 #1502690 Mon May 29 2023 11:06 AM
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,047
7
'Bolter
If you are talking about a Chevy 350 c.i. engine, it is considered a short stroke engine designed for medium to high RPM. My 1957 283 is governed at 4000 RPM, it was able to sustain that for hours and/or miles. The 265/283 is the grandaddy of the 350, same basic engine. A 350 that is in decent condition will have no issue with that engine speed.


1957 Chevrolet 5700 LCF 283 SM420 2 speed rear, 1955 IH 300U T/A, 1978 Corvette 350 auto, 1978 Yamaha DT175, 1999 Harley Davidson Softail Fat Boy
Ol'55 #1502693 Mon May 29 2023 11:40 AM
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,076
W
'Bolter
Most stock 350's don`t reach peak torque to about 3600 to 3800 RPM. In industrial applications they run 3000 + RPM for days at a time. When I used to have a boat, we very rarely cruised less than 3000 RPM.


1954 3600 Chevy Truck
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Ol'55 #1502713 Mon May 29 2023 03:31 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 27,000
H
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
We routinely turned small block V8's into the high 7K range on the dirt tracks. Yours will get you into speeding ticket territory for thousands of miles, regardless of the gear ratio you choose, unless you're running some kind of rock crawler offroad machine.
Jerry


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Ol'55 #1502718 Mon May 29 2023 04:35 PM
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 50
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Ol'55 Offline OP
'Bolter
I'd also forgot to mention a safe rpm with a relatively stock 235' engine on a long road trip, and Hotrod how did you keep from getting a speeding ticket going over that Grapevine with that there whale you told us about many moons ago?

Ol'55 #1502757 Mon May 29 2023 10:07 PM
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,661
J
'Bolter
A stock 235? After owning and driving these engines for about 60 years, I would say something around 25~2600 rpm for a long road trip would be the most I would ever consider suggesting to you. If the engine has been rebuilt professionally to OEM standards, 3000 rpm would be okay, but you also have to weigh reasonability vs economy. The 235 at 3000 rpm certainly will not be in the "economy zone." And it will sound like you're abusing it at that speed. If the 235 has several thousand miles on it, bad things can happen if you push it too hard. It has been about 6 or 7 years but a member on one forum I belong to posted a picture of a piston rod sticking out the side of his 235 with the message being something like "it sounded like I was overworking it before it exploded." The 235 in stock condition is anything but a racing engine. It is nothing like the small block V8 in any way. Have you ever been in a truck that threw a rod? Here is the sequence of events: horrible noise followed by a seized engine with possible loss of control (depending on where you are and road conditions...curve, wet road, etc). Driver startled out of his/her wits. If it happens on the upstroke, the piston keeps going on up to the head. If the rod is thrown while the piston is coming down, it can go through the side of the block. In any event the engine is instantly seriously imbalanced and not something you can drive home. Often the engine can't be repaired.


Jon

1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235
T5 with 3.07 rear end

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