Thaat 212/218 would be perfect for your intended use imo, just a little fyi, the 88+ 350's are not all 4 bolt mains, but dont let that discourage you, the 2 bolt main engines are plenty strong. The 4 bolts are wayyyyy over rated

 

The LT4 Hot Cam does have a mechanical fuel pump lobe, but what will need to be checked is that due to being injected not all of the blocks have the hole drilled for the fuel pump pushrod. Most of them are drilled and just come with a block-off plate over the fuel pump mounting pad, but there are some that don’t.

Another thing with the Hot Cam is due to being designed to fit various motors, I.E. traditional SBC’s as well as the LT1/LT4 motors, the timing gear dowel pin comes pre-extended for use in the LT1/LT4 motors and would need to be tapped in approximately 0.030” for use in pre 1996 motor. Also due to the GM roller cam being a steel blank, you need to use a melonized steel distributor gear, also available from GM or damage will occur from running a steel dist. gear against the steel cam. While you can run a bronze distributor gear, I don’t recommend it, as it is a consumable part and would constantly need to be checked and replaced as necessary. Even with a lot of aftermarket cams you can now get them with an iron gear pressed onto the rear of the cam to keep from having to run a bronze dist. gear, but it’s one of those things where you just need to pay close attention before ordering, as most of the aftermarket cams are still a steel billet. Another thing to keep in mind is even if you pick up a cam that has iron dist. gear pressed on, the fuel pump lobe at the front of the cam will still be steel and you will need to purchase a bronzed tipped fuel pump pushrod or you will end up wiping out the lobe or at least damaging the end of the push rod. If you end up having to or just decide to run an electric pump, that point is mute.

 

the more and more i think about it i wanna just go pull a 96+ vortec 5.7.. it would save me the trouble of having to track down heads.. another reasonn i want 88+ is for the serpentine set-up, hell if the motor is running strong i might not even overhaul it... iv heard of these dam SBC goin 500k miles... its just a pain to find a 96+ 350/5 speed combo..

 

bear im really just considering running a electric inline fuel pump.. im going to be relocating the fuel tank to the rear anyways.. any recommendation for a inline fuel pump??.

 

Beings you will have a low pressure system by going with a carburetor, there a multitude of pumps that will fill the bill nicely. You may want look into a pump / regulator / filter combo from one company for a nice package, but is not absolutely necessary either.

 

ill start looking around and see what turns up.. sadly this is going to be a ongoing project since ill 4 hrs away from my dad and the truck.. i see some long weekends in my future lol...

 

Well at least it not either one of your daily drivers and it’s cool that it’s something you can work on together, so it really doesn’t matter how long it takes. Another good thing is the truck has been in the family for so long that I don’t see the two of you getting burned out on it and giving up like happens to so many projects that people can’t just whip out.

Good luck with it and most of all have fun working with your dad! Sometimes that's the most work, but can be rewarding just the same.