It's ok to "Run what you Brung"......

With the premium models bringing a King's Ransom-GTO's, SS Chevelles, Z/28's, T/A's, Mach 1s, Charger R/T's etc-a lot of people are buying base models. I then hear them lamenting how much it's going to cost to build it the way they want it. It's your car-build it any way you want. But if you buy say a 350 powered 2 dr 1970 Malibu-You don't HAVE to turn it into an SS454 clone. There's more speed equipment for the small-block Chevy available than there is for all the other makes combined. A small-block Chevelle can really rock with the right equipment. And they can really be made to handle with the proper suspension upgrades-much better than a big-block model ever would-because of about a 200 lb weight difference in the engines. If you buy a Mustang-it doesn't HAVE to have a 351C or a 428 or 429 to go fast. I've seen many '65-73 Mustangs that hauled ass with 289s and 302s, 351Ws or 390s. Then there's the "Other"-i.e.-Non-Chevrolet 350s. Buick, Olds and Pontiac guys are snobs because the 400,425.428,430 and 455 engines were plentiful for many years. If you have one of those or can buy one cheap-great-"There's no substitute for cubic inches, except cubic dollars." However-if you have a LeMans, Firebird, Ventura, Skylark, Cutlass, etc with a 350 under the hood, don't despair. Of the three-the Olds has the most potential-there was a fire-breathing factory version-the Vaunted "W31" that was grossly under rated at 325 hp. Think-the base Cutlass 4bbl 350 had 310 hp. A cam with 308 duration and .474 lift,special heads and exhaust manifolds, and an aluminum high-rise intake only added 15 hp to the lo-po "station wagon" motor?  Riigghhttt. Anyhow-their tough-and reliable and Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs ft of torque with their "Performer RPM" package. Magazine writers spout numbers flippantly-but 400 honest hp will turn any street car into an absolute rocket. The Pontiacs respond well to basic hot rod tricks-headers, cam, carb and intake-but their limited because the small bore won't allow you to use factory or aftermarket big-valve heads-which you need to make big power. However-even with the small heads you can make 300-350 hp and 400 lbs of torque pretty easily. If you need more than that-I'd get a 400 or 455. Same for the Buicks-there's not a ton of speed equipment for them-but they can make 300-325 hp with basic stuff. Like the Pontiacs-the head design kind of limits them-and they won't rev much over 5,500 rpm. But if you need 400+ hp then why aren't you building a 455?  Ditto for Mopars you don't "Gotta Have" a Hemi or a 440 to go fast. I've seen some STRONG 383 cars-that were rockets. You just need the right combination of parts. And-360s can really run as well. There's millions of 92 and later "Magnum" engines in Dodge Trucks and Vans and Jeep Cherokees. The "Magnum" heads breathe better than any factory head and many aftermarket ones, and Edelbrock makes 4bbl intakes that are compatible. Magnum heads will bolt up to earlier blocks-you just need a "Magnum" style intake. Mopar Perfromance sells a 360 crate engine with 390 hp. And there's stroker kits to turn a 360 into a 408. So don't despair if you don't have a mega-cube engine under your hood. You can still have a kick-ass car with whatever came with it. Mastermind