Run what you brung......Part 2

We talked in the last post about how in a lot of instances it's more cost-effective to use the engine that's already in the car, rather than spending big dollars buying and building something else. Here's where you need to do some further thinking about what gives the most "Bang for the Buck" when your "Restifying" your musclecar. Here's some guidelines to help you maximize your car's performance regardless of brand. # 1. Gears make it go!! Let's say you have a disco-era Trans-Am. Whether you have a 400 Pontiac or a 403 Olds engine under the hood, before you start buying intakes, cams, headers etc, the first thing I would do is change the axle ratio. Most T/A's from 1975-79 with automatic transmissions have a 2.56:1 rear axle ratio. Switching to a 3.23:1 or 3.42:1 cog will drastically increase performance even with a bone-stock engine. This salt-flats gearing is common on '70's cars because of emissions. Most Chevelles, Camaros, and Monte Carlos have 2.73:1 gears from the factory. Most Mustangs, Cougars and Torinos have 2.80:1 or 3.00:1 gears. Stick with something in the 3.23:1 to 3.73:1 range. This will give good acceleration and still have reasonable crusing rpm on the freeway, and will work better with a hotter cam, bigger heads etc that you add down the road. # 2. Buy bolt-on power before you start taking the engine apart. For example-before you decide to buy a stroker crank kit to make that 302 Ford a 347, or that 350 Chevy a 383, or a 400 Pontiac into a 455, a set of headers and good dual exhaust, an Edelbrock intake, and maybe a cam will give you a SERIOUS hp boost-without tearing the engine down. The same goes for aftermarket aluminum heads. Don't get me wrong, their great, and make tons of hp on the right engine combo. However since, they cost nearly 2 grand a pair for most engines-think about it-2K will buy you a cam kit, intake and carb, headers and dual exhaust and maybe even a gearset and a high-stall converter. # 3. In the early '60's, Chrysler found more performance not in the engine, but in the transmission. The Torqueflite automatic introduced in 1962 was leaps and bounds ahead of the old GM Hydra-Matic, and Ford-O-Matics that were designed in the late '40's. The 383. 413, and 426 Max Wedge drag cars dominated, and GM and Ford scrambled to catch up.  However, most '60's and '70's musclecars have excellent automatic transmissions. GM TH350 / 400, the Ford C4 / C6, and the 904 / 727 Torqueflites will all stand up to mega-hp engines with minor modifications-i.e.- shift improver kits, adjustable modulators, and aftermarket converters.  If you have a stick, make sure the clutch linkage is adjusted properly and that the shifter is working properly. If the shift linkage is binding up, replace it with a new Hurst unit. They start at like $149.95 and are well worth it.  # 4. Make sure the engine is tuned properly. Even on a bone-stock engine, bad tuning can cost you as much as 30-40 hp. You'd be amazed at the number of musclecars running around on 7 cylinders, with bad plug wires, timing too slow or way advanced, vacuum advance unplugged or inoperative, or the carburator too rich or too lean.  These tips should help you get maximum performance for minimum bucks. Mastermind