hey grumpyvette, Ive read a bunch of these threads and most of them were heavily slanted toward building street/strip performance engines,
that run on high test pump gas, that's fine and I understand why.
but, what would you build on a semi -reasonable budget,
too put in a weekend toy / engine too bracket race,
not use for transportation, in some smaller lighter car like a A.C. COBRA clone , T-bucket, or VEGA, ?
well if your on a budget and want serious power you'll rather obviously need to look over your local race tracks rule book if you intend to run in a set class....
I've always promoted the idea that building any engine for increased engine durability and consistency is more important than squeezing the last possible potential peak horse power out of any engine.
you want too keep the track tech guys reasonably happy because youll be back week after week....I always found that was a huge P.I.T.A. to go through tech, so keep things simple, and personally Id rather just deal with the basic safety rules and build a car for a bracket or time range to allow you a whole lot more latitude, in what you build, and race.
so the first basic step is to get a copy of that local tracks safety rules and,
Id go talk to the guys over several week-ends,
who currently have cars at that track,
similar to what you might want too race!
I think most of us have run into a great many similar choices, between buying tools and auto parts,
its all a learning process, you want too simply want to mentally take a step back, take a deep breath or two,
and start testing to find out whats working correctly,in your current combo,
whats not working up to your expectations,and if its not meeting your goals, logically calculate what should change,
and then calculate what can be adjusted or if necessary parts that can be logically replaced, and re-tested,
if that required too improve the performance.
don,t make the all too common mistake of thinking adding horsepower is the only route to improved performance.
suspension mods, better shocks, better brakes, a stiffer frame, larger diameter and wider tires, and drive train gearing and removing weight,
and correctly setting up the cars chassis to more effectively apply weight transfer ratios,
swapping to lower weight parts,or stronger , or more durable parts, use of stronger drive train components, better matched gear ratios, all help
its simply the result of a limited budget ,in most cases,
and most of us make a few mistakes ,
but as long as you keep the goal of building the car in mind you'll do ok.
after you gain experience there's both engineering and art involved in the process,
you'll generally start with a goal, you've envisioned for your car, reality and physics will provide some of the limitations, you'll be limited to a budget and at times by your access too tools and limited by your skills and knowledge, youll generally start,by simply making a very detailed list of the components you want too use ,to upgrade and modify the car to gain the performance and look of the car, and once you have that list of components, and being forced by going back through that detailed, list and doing the required math too verify you have selected the correct matching parts, and when you find you have to change a few components you go back, change the list and again revue the math, most of us start out without the required knowledge to accurately match parts and your goal.
yet this process forces you to do some research into what you can reasonably accomplish with the tools and skills you have and the realization that you may need to acquire both skills and more tools as you proceed.
its almost always a good idea to post the city and state you live in, and don,t be afraid to ask questions or post pictures, as there,s at least some chance someone reading about your problem, or question, that has skills and a desire to help might read these posts that lives near you!
you might luck out and find a helpful mentor within easy driving range willing to help you out or at least get tips on local knowledgeable shops that work on similar cars are reasonable hourly rates, and what dealerships , repair shops, or machine shops in your area, to AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
even weekend bracket,low budget racings never going to be dirt cheap or easy,
but it may be fun if you realize your never going to have the fastest car on the track, unless your willing too constantly put a good deal of time and cash into the project.
so you build a car too run lets say , a consistent dial-in at 10.00 knowing,
you can go a bit faster but also understanding, you not going to break ,many parts, or push to have the car much faster, You just go for rock solid consistency, nor do much more that trailer the car to the track, and have fun making your competition pull their hair out,
as you've dialed in a consistent 10.00 and your not breaking parts
(you don,t want to go faster as most tracks have much more extensive safety regs for faster cars)
THINK EXCELLENT DURABILITY AND CONSISTENCY, NOT peak power
for an example
lets say my B.I.L. decided he wanted to make his A.C. cobra clone faster
(since you mentioned a cobra clone)
http://www.gtsparkplugs.com/VSECobra.html
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/Talk:General_Motors_transmissions
now If I was starting from scratch I might go with an engine based on either an LS series or a BBC
too keep costs reasonable Id try not to build anything exotic but I would try to gear the car correctly to match the transmission and intended engines power range, and Id damn sure build an engine with solid roller cam valve train and Id get the compression up near 13:1-13.5:1 and build the car based on decent flowing heads, a good single plane, dominator carb, style intake and use of long tube headers with side exhaust pipes.
a DART block would be preferred but you could use a stock 4 bolt block, if the local machine shop checks out the block carefully.
YOU BETTER TAKE THE TIME TO HAVE A LONG & DETAILED TALK WITH YOUR FAVORITE MACHINE SHOP MACHINIST$ about what your trying to do and the cost, AND TIME FRAME!
I like manual transmissions but for bracket racing consistency is important so Id build a damn consistent auto transmission, with a high stall speed torque converter based on what engine I built.
(personally Id go BBC just because I know the engine very well)
don,t forget a decent 7-8 quart baffled oil pan, with a windage tray, and Id certainly use a trans fluid cooler and a large oil cooler,roller rockers and a rocker stud girdle.
you would not need to get very exotic to stuff a high compression .060 over 454 engine, or stroke it to a 489, in a light cobra clone with decent heads and an intake with a solid roller cam too easily crack 600 plus hp, either, and if you wanted to keep costs semi reasonable Id start looking for good used parts in a block, and dominator style intake manifold, and Id buy a SCAT forged 4340 rotating assembly ,
with 6.385" rods with 7/16" ARP 2000 rod bolts,rated at near 800-1000 hp plus
obviously if your going to spin up a long stroke combo , to higher rpm levels,very high quality components are required.
http://www.scatcrankshafts.com/rotating-assembies/rotating-assembly-product-search/
and try to locate decent flowing performance aluminum, heads.
(trickflow , DART, AFR, PROFILER, or brodix small rectangle port in the 315-320cc range)
I don,t think youll have much trouble getting the car weight down too 2500 lbs-2600 lbs and the engines power to easily exceed, about 540-560 rear wheel hp.
YES I.m well aware that you will not be able to run this on common pump high octane gas and will need serious race octane fuel
talk to your local machinist about any deals he might have access too?
the key here as high compression, decent heads a single plane intake and a solid roller cam with about .710 lift
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/crn-138811/overview/
and gearing the car with something like a 4.11 rear gear and using a 4500 rpm- 5000 stall converter, and getting the suspension set up to give that light car decent traction,so Id set the car up with slicks, and proper suspension mods required.
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ngine-displacement-without-disassembly.16217/
blueprint engine blocks
https://www.jegs.com/v/Blueprint-En...brand&storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&langId=-1
DART BLOCKS
http://dartheads.com/product-category/big-block-chevy/blocks/
world products blocks
https://www.billmitchellproducts.com/engine-blocks/
G.M. performance
https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/category/LS196.html
http://www.wallaceracing.com/et-hp-mph.php
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