New tricks for old dogs!

I mentioned in an earlier post that a lot of musclecar owners like to have stock-looking sleepers. A lot of them like to, or because of necessity, build them on a tight budget with inexpensive, but power-producing new or used parts. Especially if you don't have a numbers-matching engine anyway, you can build a real stormer for very little money. A couple of good examples-if your Chevy has a 327 or 350 small-block in it, upgrading to "Vortec" heads can give you an easy bolt-on 40 hp boost. They can be found in junkyards, but don't waste your time. A brand-new pair from Scoggin-Dickey or Summit is about $650! You'd spend that much buying used ones and having them redone at a machine shop, and they won't be able to do the trick valve job that GMPP does. You'll have to buy a Vortec-style intake manifold, but Edelbrock sells Vortec bolt-pattern Performer RPM manifolds for about 200 bucks, that will add another 20-25 hp. Stock the heads are good with cams up to .480 lift, but for a few extra bucks Scoggin-dickey sells them machined to handle cams up to .550 lift. This is a screaming bargain, as they breathe better than any factory iron heads, and as good as some aftermarket aluminum ones for a fraction of the price. The same is true for small-block Mopars. 1992 and later "Magnum" heads are plentiful in junkyards because besides Dodge Trucks, the 318 and 360 Magnum motors were also used in millions of Jeep Cherokees. Like the Chevys, the magnum heads will bolt up to earlier 318,340 and 360 blocks, but you will need a "Magnum" style intake. Again, Edelbrock to the rescue. This combo breathes better than any factory 340 or 360 heads and are way cheaper than aftermarket aluminum ones. Or, just buy the whole "Magnum" engine out of a wrecked truck or jeep and build that for your musclecar!  The same goes for Ford guys. 302 "Explorer" heads breathe better than any factory iron 289, 302 or 351W head, and are plentiful in junkyards. Or Ford Racing sells their GT-40 heads for 302s and 351Ws that really rock. And they use a "regular" 302 or 351W intake. Have a small-block, stick-shift Camaro, Nova or Chevelle and want a huge acceleration boost without changing rear end gears? 1975-77 Vegas had Saginaw four-speeds with 3.11 low gears and 2.02 second gear ratios. With 3.08 rear gears, it'll come out of the hole like having 4.11s with a muncie 4-speed, and still get good highway mileage. Also look for 4-speeds out of a 1980-82 Z/28 or Trans-Am. These were Borg-warner T10s with a 3.44 low, and a 2,28 second gear! In both cases you'll have to spring for a decent Hurst or Mr Gasket shifter, but that's a small price to pay for the performance boost your getting.  Mastermind