your basic performance concepts

[grumpyvette]

related threads

this whole hobby at its roots is based on or at least used to be based on,
the concept of modifying an existing car to improve its looks and/or performance,
in many cases that was or at least commonly involved increased horse power,
or lowering our cars weight,because bigger engines, bigger brakes, improved handling,
and a higher power to weight ratio, made the cars more fun to drive.
but certainly not limited to those changes alone.
now when I started out in this hobby darn near every young adult male dreamed of owning a muscle car that both sounded and looked impressive and yeah!
just like today most of us had very limited finances so we quickly found the new cars were far too expensive ,
but an alternative was to hit the salvage yards and carefully do the required research,
to find out a combo that allowed us to find a fairly light weight car we could mate too a larger than average engine,
and we found reducing weight and adding larger brakes and stronger drive train components from the larger cars in the lighter weight body styles held advantages.
we found that if you got an engine like a 440 mopar or 428 pontiac, 455 buick or 427 chevy from an older car in a salvage yard,
and rebuilt it along with as much of the larger cars drive train as we could afford or modify to fit,
in something like a lighter car like a camaro, buick special,dodge dart, ford falcon,or maverick or chevy vega,
or similar economy car, with its much lighter weight body,
the faster we could build are cars,power to weight ratios and cost were the main limitation,s , and it took time to perfect our skills,
it also became obvious that each guys experience varied and none of us knew enough to build a car without friends helping out,
so car clubs developed that allowed guys with similar interests to easily share knowledge,
skills and more easily learn how to repair cars using the collective experience of the group.
but we also found that we needed to fabricate adapters, modify and strengthen frames and suspensions and learn ,
to repair and adapt the parts we could find to work in each custom application.
MOST OF US HAD OLDER MORE EXPERIENCED FRIENDS THAT HAD
purchased or BUILT CARS THAT IMPRESSED US,
MOST OF US WERE EAGER TO LEARN NEW SKILLS.
Most of us were forced to work on very limited budgets yet we found that if we were creative we could build cars that we were proud to own,
and cars that were as fast or faster than the average cars to be bought off the local dealer shop show room floor,
and resulted in what some people might think were rather odd combos, like a 500 caddy engine in a dodge dart or 454 chevy in a buick skylark.


theres a ton of related info in the links and sub-links
viewtopic.php?f=69&t=2900

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=5363&p=16054&hilit=2800+lbs#p16054

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=5078&p=14433&hilit=2800+lbs#p14433

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=3899&p=11094&hilit=2800+lbs#p11094

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=3404&p=8992&hilit=2800+lbs#p8992

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=2709&p=8169&hilit=2800+lbs#p8169

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=783&p=1977&hilit=2800+lbs#p1977

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/no-computer-now-what.13973/#post-71209

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-for-truck-build-sbc-engine.12050/#post-57645

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=9612&p=35603&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p35603

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3733&p=30179&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p30179

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=5053&p=28837&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p28837

viewtopic.php?f=69&t=7722&p=26314&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p26314

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=339&p=21733&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p21733

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=5976&p=18464&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p18464

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4687&p=12679&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p12679

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4523&p=11968&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p11968

viewtopic.php?f=67&t=1073&p=2059&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p2059

viewtopic.php?f=80&t=644&p=865&hilit=getting+started+hobby#p865

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=775&p=8401&hilit=machine+shop+hobby#p8401

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=321&p=2933&hilit=machine+shop+hobby#p2933

 

[grumpyvette]

http://www.carcraft.com/projectbuild/11 ... ratio.html
Gears, Mph, And Tire Height
After you've figured out how fast you want to go, you need to find the weight of the car and determine how much horsepower you'll need to accomplish your goal. The formula to estimate amount of horsepower for a terminal mph in the quarter-mile is: hp = (mph / 234)3 x weight. As an example, if your car weighs 3,000 pounds, you'll need about 500 hp to run 130 mph, and if your car weighs 4,000 pounds, you'll need about 685. This is simply a power-to-weight calculation, and experience has shown us it is a little conservative, much depends on the engines torque potential. There are a lot more factors involved in goin' fast, but this is a good place to start, and it shows why weighing less is better.

The next thing you need to do is find out where your engine will make peak horsepower and pick a rear gear that will put the engine at about 200 rpm above that number going through the traps in High gear. Here is the math: gear ratio = (rpm x tire diameter) / (mph x 336). This is closely tied to the size of the tire you are going to run, so before picking a rear gear ratio, find the largest tires that will fit under the rear. You should also note that an automatic transmission in High gear will exhibit about 5 percent slippage, so you will need to add that to equation.

 

[87vette81big]

:mrgreen:

 

[grumpyvette]

I constantly get asked about what components to buy and both rotating assembly's and cylinder heads are almost always high on the list of components being asked about, the fact is we all are forced to work on limited budgets some are FAR more limited than others of course! but the cylinder heads you select are one of THE KEY COMPONENTS in any build
heres an engine build thread from start to finish, with almost every question you might have being discussed in the thread or links in detail

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=3814

http://www.miata.net/sport/Physics/

most or at least many guys fail to step back, and carefully think through automotive projects before they start, theres a huge tendency to just work with and modify the car you have, vs stopping and thinking through what your goal is ,in the long term. It seems many guys would rather start buying parts and modifying the car they own rather than thinking longer term , about the potential and cost and parts availability.
pure physics will prove to you even if you won,t want too admit it that a 3500-3800 lb car will require a great deal more robust parts, a stronger engine, bigger brakes and a stronger drive train and suspension than a car thats 1000-1200 lbs lighter in weight.
If you have ever built a performance car youll eventually realize some engines, some transmissions and some brands seem to have far more factory support and a larger selection of components available.
youll also notice parts cost a great deal more for the less popular component parts, your choices are limited, in fact some of the less popular brands rarely see much aftermarket components developed for them, work with MOPAR,CHEVY FORD, etc. and youll generally find some suppliers, try building an AMC , desoto or caddy , pontiac or olds and your parts availability is a bit more limited.
this is one reason the COBRA KIT CARS AND T-BUCKETS, that generally can be built to weight under 2600 lbs make a great deal of sense as a weekend toy, and component access is usually reasonably good and the car weight is generally significantly less , than if your starting with a Olds 442, CHEVELLE, or ford Galaxy , or even a mustang,camaro or corvette.
plus your not limited to the engine or drive train,that came in the car.
YEAH READING LINKS HELPS

http://vexer.com/automotive-tools/1-4-mile-ET-HP-MPH-calculator

http://www.wallaceracing.com/et-hp-mph.php

https://robrobinette.com/et.htm

http://www.ajdesigner.com/fl_horsepower_elapsed_time/horsepower_elapsed_time.php

http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/2012/03/power-to-weight-ratio/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-many-of-the-cars-desirable.11244/#post-50845

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ssed-with-the-hellcat-dodge.10997/#post-48570

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=10655
RELATED THREADS, with a good deal more info as usual a couple hours reading links and sub links now could save you hundreds of dollars and weeks of wasted effort or regret later, CYLINDER HEADS ARE KEY TO A GOOD BUILD

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=534&p=41292#p41292

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=796

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=462&hilit=porting+help

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=8460&p=32631&hilit=porting+help#p32631

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=8485&p=29767&hilit=porting+help#p29767

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=8596&p=30222&hilit=porting+help#p30222

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=5078

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=181

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com...p=16066&hilit=cylinder+head+flow+chart#p16066

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com...9&p=9354&hilit=cylinder+head+flow+chart#p9354

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com...p=37693&hilit=cylinder+head+flow+chart#p37693

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com...p=32923&hilit=cylinder+head+flow+chart#p32923

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com...p=29767&hilit=cylinder+head+flow+chart#p29767

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com...p=11125&hilit=cylinder+head+flow+chart#p11125


yeah! some of you would rather be skinned alive and rolled and salt and alcohol than open and read links, well for those that are willing to suffer thru reading , your going to save a ton of cash and money avoiding the mistakes Ive seen made or made personally and gain from decades of engine builds and racing experience, yes reading may be painful, but it beats pissing cash down a rat hole buying parts that won,t work correctly

 

[grumpyvette]

I mostly build big blocks for muscle cars but theres been numerous 383-406 sbc combo built along the way, for street transportation, I generally suggest you build a 383 with a mild cam having about 208 -212 intake duration @ .050 lift and a 9.5:1 compression and something like 3.07 rear gears ,and match it to a over drive transmission like a 700r4 or 200r4 and have a tach installed and keep the rpms well below 2000rpms if maximizing mileage is your prime concern.
obviously thats not going to be the best potential combo for smoking tires or impressing your buddies with impressive low E.T. times. but you do see an increase in power thats quite useful while cruising on the highway or passing speeds with that type of combo.
on most early flat tappet TPI corvettes ,I suggest you build a 838 as the parts are common and cost is reasonably low, your correct that a 383 correctly built with a cam and compression like that will easily produce 370 plus hp and well over 430 ft lbs of torque , which easily exceeds the average results you see with a 350.this crane cam with 1.6:1 roller rockers , on almost any decent 180-200cc aftermarket aluminum heads like TRICK FLOW 195cc,EDELBROCK vic,OR BRODIX IK200 as the combo really wakes up a basic 383
http://crane.carshopinc.com/product_info.php/products_id/15916/114132

http://www.jegs.com/i/Brodix/158/1021006/10002/-1?parentProductId=760699#moreDetails

http://www.jegs.com/i/Harland+Sharp/851/1002/10002/-1

but that is still less that the 383 full potential

Couldn't be more happy with that crane cam in my 383. It's got a great lopey idle to it, performs fantastic and kept things mild for driveability and mpgs

Just to note, I've had the ik200s for about 6 years now and theyve been a great set of heads for the money.
Im running a 383 with around 10.4:1 cr, ik200 aluminum heads, comp xtreme energy 284/296 .507/.510" cam, and comp 1.6 roller rockers w/edelbrock rpm intake and 3k stall. This is such a great little combo, not so great on gas but I attribute that to the th350 with 3.55 gears and just like mentioned above........my foot is always to the floor! I didn't build it for a DD to get good gas mileage

what many people simply ignore or purposefully overlook is that it is almost never the peak power numbers that almost everyone seems to dwell on that are important in choosing the correct cam.
matching the power curve to the cars gearing and its TRUE use is FAR MORE important.
most guys seem to concentrate on the .01 percent of the time, they spend at a local track,looking for bragging rights, and ignore the 99.99% of the time they spend driving the car on the paved roads, in traffic or used as transportation, and the fact that they must have dependability and at least semi decent drive-ability.
I build several engines, a year and have for decades,I used to do it as a semi serious side job for years, and built a good local reputation, thats easily close to 150 plus, in the last 45 years, you tend to learn what works and what to avoid rather quickly doing things like that

HELPFUL LINKS
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=5078

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=741

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=82

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=181

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2007/07/cleaning-engine-parts-in-the-real-world/

http://www.enginerepairshop.com/cleaning-engine-parts.html

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/how-to-find-a-decent-machine-shop.800/

RELATED THREADS
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-prep.125/page-2#post-48605

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/parts-prep-cleaning.6255/#post-41064

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...on-picking-a-shop-to-do-work.5053/#post-14313

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/machine-shop-sequencing.4460/#post-11720

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/finding-a-machine-shop.321/

the most valuable tool you can acquire is as broad a selection of valid information, on exactly how and why things work in your car,s engine, drive train , and suspension , as a reference base to work from, and acquiring a good set of testing and measuring tools to verify and test with
you really should get these books and read them before going any further, it will help a good deal


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...5079777/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-1234339-0571324

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...gy_img_2/102-1234339-0571324?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...gy_img_2/102-1234339-0571324?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._books_1/102-1234339-0571324?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._books_3/102-1234339-0571324?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_2/102-1234339-0571324?v=glance&s=books

INVESTING THE TIME AND EFFORT IN PURCHASING AND READING A FEW BOOKS WILL BE VERY COST EFFECTIVE

http://www.dragzine.com/tech-stories/en ... ine-block/
"

SMALL BLOCK REFERENCE BOOKS YOULL WANT
start by buying these books and watching the video

http://www.themotorbookstore.com/resmchstvi.html

http://www.amazon.com/David-Vizards...8&qid=1456194032&sr=8-5&keywords=DAVID+VIZARD
HOW TO BUILD MAX PERFORMANCE CHEVY SMALL BLOCKS ON A BUDGET by DAVID VIZARD
.

JOHN LINGENFELTER on modifying small-block chevy engines
http://www.amazon.com/Lingenfelter-...=1456193940&sr=8-1&keywords=JOHN+LINGENFELTER

http://www.amazon.com/Smokey-Yunick...2&sr=8-1&keywords=smokey+yunick+power+secrets

 

[philly]

i just started reading some books by vizard this week, and thanks to grumpy i recognized alot of the concepts and the visual aids in the books, and i can honestly say the more that i know, the more i realize i didnt know shit. haha :lol:

 

[JackLee]

In my opinion, performance means fast, stable, safe.

 

[grumpyvette]

In my opinion, performance means fast, stable, safe.

yes those are valued factors in any properly built car, and I see far too many younger guys who seem to concentrate almost exclusively on trying to increase the cars power, with darn few worrying about the nearly mandatory addition of related parts that are then needed like, larger and better brakes, more efficient cooling, and lubrication, better lighting or more robust drive train and suspension components.
I've always been a bit amused at the fact that so few guys think things through carefully, before something breaks, and they are forced to look into why some part failed or why the car ran into some track barrier!
most newer guys are far more concerned with adding engine power, and tend to ignore the drive train strength, suspension control and braking capacity and endurance and durability.
Well that is of course, untill they are forced into looking at those factors by a combo of parts failures and having a car fail to go where the driver wants it to or slow down rapidly and consistently enough to prevent body work costs from getting out of hand when the car hits things it should have been able to avoid in the hands of a skilled driver.
why is it that darn near everyone just reads a few magazine articles and assumes that when they show remarkable gains from a cam swap that they don,t mentally step back and ask what to me is an obvious question, "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT YOU FAILED TO MENTION?" like new valve springs ,new rockers, larger injectors porting etc. look the fact is that most stock valve trains are not designed to run at over 6000rpm, and most cars have injectors sized for the original power level, and most cars have automatic transmissions and rear gear ratios , and compression ratios more designed to lower emissions and increase mileage than to maximize peak power, so swapping a new more aggressive cam MANDATES other changes, like long tube low restriction headers and a low restriction exhaust behind the headers, to allow it to function to its full potential, and additions like an additional trans fluid cooler to math the higher heat produced by a higher stall speed torque converter and a different rear gear ratio, and better valve springs, higher cost roller rockers and porting the heads and intake is conveniently ignored,and that the original stock parts won,t work well with the new performance cam, without the parts they forgot to mention when that miracle cam jumped the peak power 80 plus hp is simply ignored, as posting that info might reduce sales of the cam the articles pushing for sale are not compatible with a noticeably longer duration cam.
When I look over the local guys racing cars its obvious that the current small block fords and chevy LS engines and the use of turbo's,
in the newer car builds, are much more common that the use of the older big block, 392-and 426 hemi, 429-460 ford, 440 dodge wedge, 454 Chevy and 400-455 Pontiac's,
that most Of the guys I grew up with raced.
many of the guys I grew up hanging out with, and helping work on their cars were seriously into building and driving,
Fords,Pontiac, Buick, Plymouth, Chevy, Dodge,and AMC cars.
I don,t really know why I have always preferred the G.M. CHEVY, CADDY,and MOPAR, DODGE,PLYMOUTH cars engines, and body styling,
but I know from helping many of those guys build their engines and having spend hundreds of hours helping them track down parts ,
build engines and tune those engines that theres good and bad points in all engine designs.
Ive never been impressed with the several versions of the ford small block,
but the 385 series (429-460) and the FE (352-428) have some decent potential,
provided you can locate the correct parts at a decent price.
if you have a strong engineering back ground , I think your less inclined to have a strong and at times blind brand loyalty,
and tend to look over component design, availability and cost ,
rather than just becoming a .
chevy or ford or mopar guy.
theres little doubt that almost any engine that has a strong basic block,
reasonable head flow potential,
and an engine builder with lots of cash to throw into parts,the ability to do accurate testing, and really understand what the testing results show,
and the ability to learn from his own or other builders research and some time to play with most engines,
can.t build an engine with significant power out-put.
the real key is access to a structurally, strong & rigid block, forged rotating assembly components,decent internal and valve train geometry, and cylinder heads that flow well.
the fact is that almost any of the larger displacement American V8 engines can produce 1.2-1.5 horse power per cubic inch N/a ,
and 2-3 horse power per cubic inch if your running non-pump octane fuels and turbos or nitrous, but you can,t really change the laws of physics, some engine designs DO have advantages and some have designed in limitations, and if you can install a decent dependable engine design in a light weight body to get a favorable power to weight ratio and a good strong suspension, and drive train the brand name or fender badge does not mean much.
"grumpy" really dosen,t have any real strong brand loyalty ,
hes more concerned with the cars owners skills and willingness to help others with their car projects!
he would drive a 1970 cuda with a 440 or 426 hemi just as happily as a 4 speed pontiac, GTO with a properly built 467 pontiac,
or a 1996 corvette with a big block 572 or
a AC cobra clone with a 557 ford big block,
THE BRAND is not as important,or impressive to me,
as the fact you personally built and maintain the car you choose yourself!
What I don,t particularly like , is the few guys that act like they have something far superior to anything you own,
simply because they have an impressive bank balance, too draw from, when they rarely can change their own spark-plugs, let alone adjust valves!
and it doesn,t need to be blindingly fast , anything that runs at least mid-to- high 10's too low 12's can be fun to drive on the street! (yeah 10's are more impressive )
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...dyno-test-results-on-an-ls3.10416/#post-43247

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ine-info-from-diferent-sites.5611/#post-17135

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/chevy-ls1-related-info.3918/#post-10424

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/418-cid-ls3-build.2033/#post-5418

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/calculate-fuel-injector-size.1200/#post-4041

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-octane-for-compression-ratio.2718/#post-7057

as most of the older members have probably realized by now MY long term goal is to install a serious BBC engine and a 4l80e trans and DANA rear in my corvette, I have several related threads, and Ive always been rather surprised that while I get lots of related questions , darn few involve brakes, cooling etc.

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=373&p=46541&hilit=handling#p46541

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=13

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=151

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=3954

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=6

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-for-truck-build-sbc-engine.12050/#post-57645

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=5579&p=45120&hilit=4l80e+manual#p45120

 

[Strictly Attitude]

In my opinion, performance means fast, stable, safe.

yes those are valued factors in any properly built car, and I see far too many younger guys who seem to concentrate almost exclusively on trying to increase the cars power, with darn few worrying about the nearly mandatory addition of related parts that are then needed like, larger and better brakes, more efficient cooling, and lubrication, better lighting or more robust drive train and suspension components.
why is it that darn near everyone just reads a few magazine articles and assumes that when they show remarkable gains from a cam swap that they don,t mentally step back and ask what to me is an obvious question, "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT YOU FAILED TO MENTION?" like new valve springs ,new rockers, larger injectors porting etc. look the fact is that most stock valve trains are not designed to run at over 6000rpm, and most cars have injectors sized for the original power level, and most cars have automatic transmissions and rear gear ratios , and compression ratios more designed to lower emissions and increase mileage than to maximize peak power, so swapping a new more aggressive cam MANDATES other changes, like long tube low restriction headers and a low restriction exhaust behind the headers, to allow it to function to its full potential, and additions like an additional trans fluid cooler to math the higher heat produced by a higher stall speed torque converter and a different rear gear ratio, and better valve springs, higher cost roller rockers and porting the heads and intake is conveniently ignored,and that the original stock parts won,t work well with the new performance cam, without the parts they forgot to mention when that miracle cam jumped the peak power 80 plus hp is simply ignored, as posting that info might reduce sales of the cam the articles pushing for sale are not compatible with a noticeably longer duration cam

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...dyno-test-results-on-an-ls3.10416/#post-43247

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ine-info-from-diferent-sites.5611/#post-17135

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/chevy-ls1-related-info.3918/#post-10424

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/418-cid-ls3-build.2033/#post-5418

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/calculate-fuel-injector-size.1200/#post-4041

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-octane-for-compression-ratio.2718/#post-7057

I like reliable also. Those are the things that make that happen.

 

[Grumpy]

I'm 19 about to buy my first "project street race car" I know a fair bit about cars (mostly the old ones) I'm blessed enough to have the time and a bit of money to be able to have a project car with that being said right now I'm looking at a nice 1983 camaro here's the engine specs. -: 350 engine. Camed, Flat Top Pistons, 2 speed power glide transmission with 2 stage kit, hurst shifter, 12 bolt rear end, and electric fan" I don't have any other information then that at the moment but I was hoping if somebody can tell me if this is a good start? Any additional information is greatly welcomed along with any advice thank you for your time in advance.

I think that takking into account your age, it might be a really good idea to have the cars mechanical and interior , and body work condition carefully inspected , by a dealership or profesional car appraiser , and get a writen report on the complete drive train, brakes transmission, etc, then have the title checked and a car fax report pulled before you put any money into the project.
yes I'm fully aware theres lots of really bright younger guys, with skills, but I spend a great deal of time helping mentor some of the local guys and no one person of any age knows how to do everything on a car restoration, it takes years, decades, to get really good in only a couple areas, so having skilled contacts and knowing who can help when you run into areas YOUR not familiar with helps!
the amount of work and parts required to get the car back into top shape could be rather excessive or it might be a good deal, the price is important but the condition of the car is critical to not finding yourself feeding cash into a bottomless money pit!
If you are willing to read a bit , taking several hours reading through the links and sub links here should help, and prevent weeks of work and thousands of dollars being potentially wasted.
you need to deal in facts and have a solid financial plan, a GOAL and a reasonable expectation that YOU can reach the goal, a place too work, and it sure helps to have several older experienced mentors, and the tools required, a few friends with similar cars would not hurt a bit either. think things through carefully, if the transmission or engine or differential were to turn into trash in a month, of you go out next week and find the engine won,t turn over and the batterys fully charged, as an example can you trouble shoot and replace the defective parts? do you think you have the required tools? Im certainly NOT trying to diswade you from purchasing the car, only pointing out the things that you might not have thought through.

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ting-started-in-the-car-hobby.339/#post-21733


keep in mind that when you build a performance car its not just the engine that requires modification, the frame, brakes, drive train, transmission cooling system and exhaust will all need to be upgraded!
thats one reason on a serious race car, build the frame and suspension, will require some serious modification too the cars suspension, tire clearance, rear differential, transmission, and engine mounts etc.
All cars,will almost always require a full roll cage be welded or bolted into the car,too significantly strengthen and make the car frame and suspension a far more solid and rigid supporting structure with much less flex.
Experience is an expensive teacher!
one of my first cars was a hillman minx, that we stuck a modified SBC engine, and an M21 manual transmission and a shortened 9" ford rear differential into,
when you power shifted the trans gears under full throttle, the whole car flexed enough to crack windshield glass, the brakes were virtually non-existent and by the time we cut and modified the engine compartment and welded in new sheet metal ,very little of the original body structural strength remained, and that was pathetic to begin with.
my hillman looked like this originally but was a dark green

 

[Grumpy]

I got asked to look over a friends 1965 chevelle that looks amazingly similar to this picture
I found posted on line
(except his is very dark blue)

(his engine compartment looks similar to this chevelle, except he has 17 inch chrome spoke wheels)

this would be a great time to carefully read the links below.
a properly set up fuel delivery, system, fuel pump and filter,
and tuned carb goes a long way toward making the car both perform and dependable.


understanding how everything should work,
and whats required,in a properly set-up fuel delivery system, knowing how too select and design and install, and correctly match components,
will go a long way toward making the performance car application run better than you might imagine.


http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/how-big-a-fuel-pump-do-you-need.1939/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/setting-up-your-fuel-system.211/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/fuel-pressure-regulators.635/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/flex-fuel-lines.4381/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/return-line-in-fuel-system.14125/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/carburetor-intake-manifold-test.58/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/carb-tuning-info-and-links.109/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/cooler-denser-air.8961/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/fuel-line-sizing-return-vs-feed.3067/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/dual-quad.11867/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-the-holley-4150-and-4160-series-carbs.10736/
he had installed a fairly radical flat tappet solid lifter cam in a 454 bbc
crane 131141
http://www.cranecams.com/userfiles/PP0811A_SinglePages.pdf
and could not get it running after the cam swap,, he had tried for several hours
I know how frustrating that can be so I started checking the basics,
fuel pressure,
ignition timing ,
valve adjustment,
compression
spark at the plugs,
firing order, etc
it was a simple fix once I found that
his valve adjustment was don,t incorrectly
I re-adjusted the valves, set the ignition timing and it fired right up.
he had simply run the rocker nuts down a bit too tight allowing the valves to not seal.
it always helps to not assume anything, and if confronted with a similar problem,
step back mentally and start from checking the basics,
yeah! I know your sure everything's correct,
but youll be amazed at how often you locate problems,
if you go back and verify each factor as if you never saw the car before!

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/correctly-adjusting-valves.196/

 

[johnnmo]

30 years ago I built a good 455/cutlass package. It ran very strong.
A local guy, who made fun of it until he saw it run, asked me to put together an engine package for his mustang.
After a fair amount of work I had a strong street engine package.
He and his friends decided they could improve on it by, lower compression to run regular gas, more cam for more rpm. Then they took the dual plane to a single, bigger headers etc. A few days later he came by to let me test drive it. I told him to drive it out of town and I'd drive it back. At 40 mph I told him to floor it. He got mad and said, " IT is damn it." Then I had to spend time explaining why it was slower than stock. Good thing is, it didn't knock or get him tickets!
It isn't always simple but more cam requires more compression, street use is a dual plane intake and smaller headers, Small cu. in requires more rpm, to play with a big block.
I don't know what happened after that.
That 302 has potential.

 

[Night_Stalker]

I was pretty fortunate joining a local car club when I was in grade school as a social member,later on a full scale member.Went to a vo-tech hs & later became good friends with a speed shop owner & had friends who owned junk yards back in Philly. Now that I have this 93/lt1/6spd Im gathering as much info I can find.Like I tell em in work,I work smart not hard.