"Undesirable" engines serve their purpose.....Up to a point!...

After the recent posts about which engines offer the most bang for the buck and which aren't worth messing with I got some questions from people asking "What if your car has one of these engines and your short on cash?" Let me clarify the position I was taking. If your building a car from scratch and you have to go to a junkyard or swap meet and buy a running or at least rebuildable engine-then I would definitely try to get one of the recommended ones. In other words-if your looking for a Pontiac engine-don't buy a 326 or 350 just because it's cheap-400's are widely available, generally cost no more to buy or build and make WAY more power either stock or modified. However-like I said in an earlier post-if you have a 350 in your Firebird or LeMans or Ventura-a factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake, some headers and / or dual exhausts and a shift kit will work wonders for the performance of the car. You could even invest in a mild cam and an axle-ratio change to gain even more performance. A 350 Pontiac can easily make 325 hp and 400 lbs of torque and still have good drivability. And 325 hp may be enough for you-that's 100 more than the last W72 T/A's.  However-if you want 400+hp then your going to have to upgrade to a 400 or 455. Ditto for some others. If you have a 305 Chevy in an '80's Camaro / Firebird or "G" body-( Monte Carlo,Gran Prix, Cutlass ) an Edelbrock Performer intake and matching cam will give them a HUGE torque boost without hurting gas mileage or drivability. You don't have to start looking for a 350 just because you'd like a little more oomph. If your Duster / Dart or Challenger / 'Cuda or even Charger / Satellite has a 318-again-a 4bbl carb and intake, dual exhausts and a shift kit will really "wake up" one of these cars. If your '65 Ford Galaxie 2dr coupe has a 352 in it and after swapping the 2bbl for a Perfromer intake and matching carb and adding some dual exhausts behind the stock manifolds your perfectly happy with how it runs-there's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to go searching for a 390 or 428 because me or some other magazine writer said 352's were heavy and underpowered. If you've got a nice '66 Plymouth Belvedere and your happy with how the 361 runs-fine. Not everyone needs or even wants 400+ hp. On the other hand-if you do want maximum power then I wouldn't waste time and money building a 305 Chevy when 350's are the proverbial dime a dozen and make substantially more power for the same dollar investment. Ditto for a 318 Mopar or 326 / 350 Pontiac-360's and 400's cost no more to buy or build yet make way more power with the same equipment. Now there are some others that really are only good as boat anchors and are only useful if you want to drive the car while your building a proper engine. The 260 / 307 Olds V8's wheeze out 120-140 hp and there is zero aftermarket support. If you want any performance at all-you need a 350 or 403-which luckily is a bolt-in swap. Ditto for the 265 / 301 Pontiac V8's. Nothing interchanges with the bigger engines and even a 350 would be light-years ahead in performance. The 262 / 267 inch Chevys have the double attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage-even a 305 is a powerhouse compared to them. The 255 inch Fords of the early '80's make a 302 look like a Boss 429.  So except for the economy / smog motors / boat anchors I just listed-don't go out and pull your engine just because it's not on the "preferred" list! Mastermind  

"Good Deals" or "Swap Meet Finds" should be something the average Joe can find...Not "MoonRocks!!"

I hate to deride the buff magazines all the time, but just when I think their reasonable they pull the same crap again. This month either Car Craft or Hot Rod ( sorry, I forget which one-but it's one of them ) is featuring a 488 inch "FE" stroker engine buildup. I read the article figuring that Eagle or Moldex or someone may have come out with a new crank kit to stroke a 390. Nope. The engine builder just "happened to have" a for-real side-oiler 427!!  And they were using that block!!  Really??  Now how many people are going to have access to an original 427 Ford??!!!  This drives me up the wall, yet the buff mags do it incessantly. Read any article-"12 seconds for $1,200" or "Budget Small-Block Chevy buildup" etc, etc. I don't mind if they say they bought an Edelbrock manifold or a set of used headers at a swap meet for $50. We've all gotten deals like that. What makes my head want to explode is in the middle of the article-"Hey what about that set of ported and polished Brodix Aluminum Heads we almost forgot we had?" "Joe's brother not only gave us the 3.73:1 geared,disc braked, posi rear end out of his wrecked Trans-Am, he helped us put in the Camaro and bought the beer!" Ugh. One of the biggest offenders was "Super Chevy" with "10 seconds for $10,000." They decided to build a 10 second car for 10 grand, including the purchase price of the car. A noble pursuit-and worth reading about. I was fine with the 7 grand for a 500 hp 383 stroker engine,and two-stage nitrous system. What irked me was the "engineless" '79 Camaro they bought to put it in for $2,700-that had an 8-point roll cage,an ATI fuel cell, a 4.56:1 geared 9 inch Ford rearend,a TCI built Powerglide with a 3,800 rpm converter and a trans-brake,90 / 10 front shocks, Lakewood traction bars and Weld Wheels with 7.10x15 Moroso drag front tires and 275 / 60R15 BFG Drag Radials in the rear. A Currie 9 inch Ford rear with GM mounting points is $3,300 by itself!! Check Summitt Racing or Jeg's on the prices of the other stuff-Gee, I'd love to buy a car with $8,000 worth of premium equipment for $2,700!!! Another major offender was "Mopar Action". They were building a "Budget" 440. Again-I didn't mind when they said they bought a 440 out of a '75 Imperial in a junkyard for $450, and then had it hot-tanked and bored ,030 over. Standard rebuild procedure. Then they decided to use a forged crank and a set of "Six-Pack" rods they had "laying around". Check Summitt Racing-a Forged Steel 440 crank from Eagle costs $1,200. A set of Forged rods from Eagle is $599. After they got it running and made 480 some hp with an Edelbrock Performer RPM / 850 Holley combo-"Just for giggles" they decided to try the "Six-Pack" setup they had "laying around". Check Summitt or Mopar Performance-Edelbrock still sells the manifold, Holley sells the carbs,and MP sells the throttle linkage and air cleaner. If you buy it all-it adds up to $2,200. Since the tri-power setup came within like 10 hp of the 4bbl setup, but looked and sounded more "badass" they decided to keep it. How nice that they had $4,000 worth of premium parts "laying around"!!!  Don't bother telling me about "Moon Rock" finds you got for nothing-when I managed a Pep Boys store in the '80's I bought a numbers-matching LT-1 350 Chevy long block for $160. Someone had bought one of out $699 rebuild 350 Chevy specials and turned that in as the "core"! After triple-checking the numbers on the block and heads-I bought it for the $160 "core charge" and turned handsprings all the way home.  A friend of my dad's once gave us a complete Pontiac Tri-Power setup for a 2+2 we were restoring. That setup would easily bring $1,000 at a swap meet. We've all stumbled across stuff like that. But "Good Deals" in a national magazine should be stuff that anybody could find in a local speed shop or junkyard-not a side-oiler 427 Ford!!!  Just had to vent that. Mastermind    

Here's a forgotten fad that might be fun to re-visit....

Hot Rod every once in a while has a column showing old covers and articles from "10 years ago today...20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago."  One that caught my eye that the editors today made fun of was the "Van Craze" in the late '70's and early 80's. I remember-My dad and I worked at Serramonte Ford in San Francsico and they sold tons of tricked-out vans for top dollar. And the buff mags like Hot Rod, Car Craft, etc-featured them almost on a monthly basis. The upside for someone wanting to do a project now-is whether Chevy / GMC or Ford or Dodge-late '70's and early '80's vans are just old utility vehicles-they don't even bring the price of a beater pickup truck. Which means you can usually buy one in decent shape dirt-cheap. You could certainly do one in '70's style-carpeting, paneling, captain's chairs, a bed, a TV etc. if you wanted to. What would be cooler in my opinion is a bare-bones racer. A Dodge Van with 440 stompin' cubes under the bonnet,a Torqueflite with a high-stall converter, some 3.55:1 or 4.10:1 gears in the rear end, maybe some sandbags strapped down in the rear for extra traction. How cool would it be to show your tallights to the little boys in their rice-rockets, yuppies in BMWs or middle-aged guys in Hemi Chargers or new Camaros with an old van?  Pretty cool I think. Dodge vans were available with everything from a 318 to a 440 up until 1978. I'd definitely look for the 400 and 440 models, but a 360 would do in a pinch with the right parts. Ford vans were available with everything from a 302 to a 460 well into the '80's. I'd try to find a 460-but the much more common 351M / 400 can be made to really run too. Unfortunately GM never put a big-block in their 1/2 ton vans but there are zillions of them out there with 350s under the bonnet. There is more speed equipment on the market for the Small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet so making big power shouldn't be a problem. Just a thought....Mastermind    

More one or two year wonders that can be cool....

Here's some more cool one or two year wonders......# 1. 1971-72 "Heavy Chevy". These were a Malibu coupe with a domed,SS-style hood,blacked out grille,slotted 14" Rally wheels, and "Heavy Chevy" decals on the front fenders and rear decklid. Most are 350 powered, but the 396 / 402 was available. 6,727 were built in '71, and another 3,000 or so in the strike-shortened year of '72.  # 2. 1971-72 "Rally Nova". These had slotted 14" Rally wheels, a 350 V8, and duh-striping and graphics that read "Rally Nova".  # 3. 1974 Pontiac GTO. Often called the "best Nova ever built." This was the year that Pontiac shifted the GTO nameplate from the "A" body LeMans platform to the "X" body Ventura ( read Nova ) platform. They had front and rear sway bars,front disc brakes, a Trans-Am style "shaker" hood scoop, and a 350 V8 backed by a TH350 or a 4-speed. 7,058 were built.  # 4. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. While Dodge put the mighty Charger name on a re-badged Chrysler Cordoba-( Yuk! ) Plymouth was at least trying. For this one-year only they put the Road Runner name on the Sport Fury platform. You got Rally wheels, a "Tuff" steering wheel, the famous "Beep-Beep" horn and classic Road Runner decals on the front fenders. 318 models are dogs, but the 360 and 400 versions can be made to run. 6,500 or so were built.  # 5. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Trying to capitalize on the Trans-Am's immense popularity Pontiac came up with this performance package for the LeMans. They had Trans-Am style "shaker" hood scoop,"Judge" style striping,Rally II wheels,radial tuned supension, a Ducktail rear spoiler, a Gran Prix instrument panel, and ( depending on whether you lived in California or High-Altitude areas or the other 49 states ) a 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds V8 backed by a TH400 with a shift kit. Since the mid-sizes were all downsized for '78, it only lasted one season, but they are a cool ride if you can find one. # 6. 1978-79 Dodge Li'l Red Express pickup. These were a 2WD Short-bed, Stepside pickup with a red and gold paint job,vertical chrome Semi-Style exhaust stacks, chrome wheels, and a Police Interceptor 360 V8 backed by a Torqueflite and a 3.55:1 Sure-Grip axle. They have kind of a "cult" following, which drives prices up, but they are a cool ride. Mastermind

Some overlooked one or two year models that are great performers and bargains....

There's a few cars out there that for whatever reason-are overlooked or snubbed by enthusiasts. There's nothing wrong with them-it's just that the buying public is fickle. However-that makes them bargains for the rest of us. Here's my list of "diamonds" that are treated like a chunk of coal.  # 1. 1967 Pontiac GTO. For some reason everyone wants either the '64-66 models or the '68-72 models and these are largely passed over, and I don't know why. They have cleaner styling than the '66 model although the body is very similar,front disc brakes were optional for the first time,if you wanted an automatic you got the excellent 3-speed TH400 instead of the awful two-speed ST300 that was used from '64-66,the 400 V8 had much better breathing heads than the old 389 and actually made more power,although the factory hp ratings didn't change. 81,000 were built so they shouldn't be too hard to find, yet they are usually priced lower than the more sought after earlier or later models. Weird, but great for you if you want one. # 2. 1971-72 Dodge Demon. After the phenomenal sales success of the 1970 Plymouth Duster 340, the Dodge boys decided they wanted a piece of the action. These had cool features like a blacked-out,scooped hood, a Go-Wing spoiler and cool emblems of a little Devil holding a pitchfork. And the mighty 340 V8. Sadly, even in the '70's political correctness was starting to ruin things-a bunch of Christian Groups complaned about the name and the little Devil decals, and Chrysler caved in to the pressure-the name was changed to "Dart Sport" for 1973. Dynamite if you can find one, but I wouldn't pay more for one than I would for a 340 Duster, which is basically what they are.   # 3. 1973 Chevrolet Corvette. These have the plasic front bumper of the '74-79 models and the ducktail rear end and steel bumper of the '68-72 models. The L48, L82, and LS4 350s and 454 are rated at 190, 250, and 275 net hp respectivley, which actually isn't bad for the time. And they have catalyst-free real dual exhausts which makes them better performers than the later models. "McGarrett's" girlfriend on the new "Hawaii Five-O" drives one of these. For some strange reason 'Vette collectors snub these, but that means you can actually buy one for a reasonable price. # 4. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. These were touted to have the luxury of a Gran Prix and the performance of a Trans-Am. Luxury buyers bought GP's, and performance buyers bought T/A's, and these were discontinued after '75. However they had 400 or 455 cubes under the hood,wrist-thick front and rear sway bars,front disc brakes and cool interiors. If you can find one, these are actually more of a GTO than the last '73-74 models of that line....#5. 1982 Corvette. These had the last of the C3 body that dated back to 1968, and the "Cross-Fire Injected" 350 and 4-speed automatic that the '84 models used. They were decent performers for the time-7 second 0-60 times, and 15 second 1/4 mile times. Unique, if weird.  # 6. 1983 Z/28 Camaro / Pontiac Trans-Am. For this one year only, you could get the "Cross-Fire Injected" 305 and the 4-speed automatic. ( It was only available with a TH350 in '82 ). They were decent performers, and if you wanted this setup will feed a 350 or 383.  # 7. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These had a trick suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, 16" wheels and tires, Recaro seats, and a Turbocharged 4-cylinder that made between 175 and 205 hp depending on year. They didn't sell well when new because the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. However, you can buy them reasonably now.  Mastermind    

When "Completely Original"...or "Just as it left the factory" really screws you...

Like I said in the last post I talk to a lot of people who, after making a sizable investment in restoring a car-are often disappointed. In the last post-I talked about people being general and not specific on their expectations-"I want as much power as possible" then when the shop builds them a fire-breathing monster-their upset because it has a rough idle,gets 5-8 mpg, pings on cheap gas, etc. The other way people screw themselves is when they say they want a car "Absolutely Original". They say this because they think it's what they should say. Especially if your restoring some generic car. Let me explain-if your restoring a Boss 302 Mustang or an LS6 Chevelle or a Six-Pack Road Runner-I fully understand wanting to keep it as original as possible. It will be worth much more if you ever decide to sell it if it's not extensively modified. But there are a lot people who restore base-model Chevelles,Camaros,Challengers,Fairlanes,Mustangs,Satellites,Torinos,LeMans,etc,etc. Does it really matter if a 289 powered '67 Mustang has a 600 cfm Holley or Edelbrock carb on it instead of the awful 470 cfm Autolite 4bbl?  Is a '68 327 / 4-speed Camaro "ruined" because it has a Hurst Competition Plus shifter in place of the awful,constantly binding up factory Muncie shifter? Have you "butchered" a '66 Gran Prix because you replaced the 4bbl on the 389 with a Tri-Power setup?  No, of course not!!  Often, subtle upgrades can really increase the performance and driving pleasure of a car without adversely affecting it's potential resale value. Here's a big one-a lot of '60's and early '70's cars had inadequate 4-wheel drum brake systems. In a car with a lot of power-this can be scary. If you have for a example a '64-72 GM "A" body-Chevelle,LeMans,Cutlass,Skylark-'70-81 Camaro / Firebird front spindles wil fit. Which will allow you to install the 11" rotors,calipers and master cylinder / booster. Having front disc brakes will greatly reduce your stopping distance and they won't fade like the 9.5 inch drums! I seriously doubt if any potential buyer will gripe about having an upgraded brake system-everyone wants to be safe. I speak from experience-I had a '68 SS396 El Camino that was awful fast-and it had 9.5 inch drum brakes at all 4-corners. It would stop from high speed-100 mph+ one time. If you didn't let the brakes cool off for ten minutes between runs-the pedal would go to the floor and you would suck the bench seat up your ass while you prayed to God it would stop. The other is induction. believe it or not-there are a lot of base-model cars out there with 2bbl carburation. I've even seen Mach 1 Mustangs with spoilers, blacked-out trim,Magnum 500 wheels,etc-and a 2bbl 351 under the hood! I've seen Chargers with 2bbls on 383 / 400s, Fairlanes with 2bbl 390s,and Firebirds with 2bbl 350s and 400s. Adding a factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake isn't going to hurt the value of the car, it'll increase it because of the improved performance and gas mileage. Another is transmissions. Two-speed automatics and three-speed sticks aren't collectible, their just weird. If you have a pre-68 GM car with a Powerglide / ST300 you can get a tremendous boost in performance by switching to a TH350. They are the same length as a "Powerslide" and use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke. It's a bolt-in swap,and the difference in performance will be amazing. You can even use the stock shifter. The only downside is you won't be able to manually engage low gear, but if you have a good B&M or TransGo shift kit, you won't need to. Ditto for 3-speed sticks. If you swap the 3-speed in your Nova, Camaro or Duster for a 4-speed,your not only increasing the performance, your increasing the value to 99.9% of the population. Do you really think someone who wants to buy the car is going to check the numbers on your nice, 340, 4-speed Duster and say-"Damn! I really wish it still had the 3-speed in it!" "Sorry, I'm going to have to pass."  No!!!!  Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I know two guys that were customers of mine for years. One of them bought a '64 Olds Cutlass convertible and the other bought a '64 Buick Skylark convertible. They both wanted to restore them as summer cruisers for Hot August Nights. Not drag racers, just nice,comfortable, cool-looking cruisers. The Buick guy went "Just as it left the factory" crazy. 300 V8 / ST300,drum brakes, even using E70-14 bias-ply tires!!  I convinced the Olds guy to make a few subtle upgrades. One was swapping the 330 2bbl V8 / ST300 powertrain for a 403 4bbl / TH350 out of a wrecked Firebird. The second was upgrading to Firebird spindles and power front disc brakes. The third was upgrading the steering box from the 17.5:1 ratio stocker to a 12.7:1 out of an '80's Trans-Am. ( This box will fit most GM  A,F and X bodies from '64-77, as well as F bodies from '82-92 and G bodies from '78-88. They were also used in '80's Monte Carlo SS's,IROC-Z Camaros and Olds 442s ) The fourth was using Torq-Thrust mags which were period correct, but shod with 225/60VR15 Goodyear Gatorbacks. When the cars were done they showed them to each other and took them for a spin. The Buick guy was amazed at the awesome performance of the Cutlass. "My God." he said. "Your car has twice the power, stops on a dime, handles like a slot car, and still looks original." "Mine's a slug,corners like the "Queen Mary" and the brakes fade on the Mount Rose Highway." "How did you do it?" The Olds guy brought the Buick guy to my shop and I explained the simple changes we had made. The Buick guy immediately commissioned us to swap the 300 / ST300 powertrain for a 350 Buick / TH350 setup,install front disc brakes and the quick ratio steering box. He was amazed and exsctatic over the drastic improvement in his car's performance. "I should have listened to Bob when he told me what you guys were doing with his car." "What a difference." "It cost me a few grand, but it's a lesson I'm glad I learned." "Thanks a lot." "Next time I restore a car I'll talk to you guys before I start writing checks."  I was happy to help-both for the money I made and a job well done, and a satisfied customer. So think hard and talk to other people who have restored similar cars and get some ideas on what you really want. Sometimes a few minor tweaks can make a HUGE difference, without compromising the future resale value. Mastermind          

Be honest with yourself....And your car builder / restorer....You'll be a lot happier in the end!!!

I talk to so many people that have spent many thousands of dollars on a project and then are disappointed in the car's performance. And 99% of the time it's the car owner's fault, because they didn't give the engine builder or restoration shop the information they needed to get the customer the maximum return on his investment. Here's a perfect example. In the late '80's and early '90's my dad and I had an engine shop. We did standard rebuilds for people and repairs, but a good chunk of our business was building engines for circle-track race cars, old musclecars,drag boats,sand rails, truck pulls etc. Here's the problem I'm talking about. Guy brings me a 350 Chevy and says he wants to get the most power possible for a certain dollar amount. Ok. I can do that. But-if I'm building the engine to put in a Suburban and tow a boat, I'm going to build it a lot different than I would if it was going in a Nova street / strip machine!!  The Suburban engine would be built with everything geared to building low-end and mid-range torque-to have max power between 1,500 and 4,500 rpm-where the guy is going to spend most of his time when towing a heavy load. I don't care if it's all done at 5,200 rpm-most states have a 55 or 65 mph speed limit when towing anyway. Even if he's got 3.73:1 or 4.11:1 gears-his 60 mph cruise rpm is going to be around 2,800-3,300 depending on tire diameter. Even if he has to spend a lot of time in 2nd or 3rd gear ( depending on whether he has a 3 or 4 speed manual or automatic trans )-say going up Donner Pass-he's not going to be over 5,000 rpm that often.  Now for the Nova hot rod-that weighs about 3,200 lbs as opposed to about 4,700+ the boat for the Suburban the engine is going to be built much different. In a light car-especially if the owner is running a stick and low gears or an automatic with a higher stall-speed converter-low-end torque isn't that important. Now we want max power between 3,000-6,500 rpm. If he's going to shift at say-6,200 rpm-he'll hit 2nd gear about 4,500. So,we'll be running a much hotter cam probably with a choppy idle and lower vacuum, and a single-plane intake like a Torker II or Team G instead of a dual-plane like a Performer that we'd run on the truck. Were trading low-speed torque for top-end rush. Both engines will work great in their intended application. However-put the Nova engine in the Suburban-and the truck owner is going to be mad as hell. It won't Idle worth a shit,and won't even have the low-end power of the bone-stock engine, which means he'll have to keep it in lower gears longer-and when the powerband "hits" above 3-grand-it's going to jerk the truck and trailer,when he shifts to a higher gear at 5,500 plus it's going to jerk the truck and trailer again violently, and the fuel mileage is going to be terrible. Put the truck engine in the Nova-because of it's massive torque-it'll do great burnouts-but that's not conducive to quick 0-60 or 1/4 mile times-and if the car has stiff gears-it may run out of rpm before the end of the 1/4!!  Both drivers would be extremely disappointed. Now that's an easy one to see-the applications are totally different. But let's say a guy brought me a 400 Pontiac and wanted max power for his hot rod. Does it matter if it's a '67 GTO or a '77 T/A?  Yes it does!!  Because chances are the GTO has a 4-speed with 3.55:1 or 3.90:1 gears, and the T/A has an automatic with 2.56:1 gears. Big difference!  The reason is in the GTO I could use the factory RAIV or Edelbrock Performer RPM or equivalant ( Lunati,Crane,Comp Cams all make repro musclecar cams ) that has 231 /240 duration @ .050 and .470 lift. This would have a badass lope, yet stable idle and have 10 inches of vacuum at 900 rpm,which would be enough to operate the power brakes. It would pull like "gangbusters" from 2,500 to 6,000 or so. With headers and good dual exhausts and the factory intake ( or a Performer RPM if the owner wanted ) he'd have about 425 hp and with drag radials easily be in the 12s. Put that engine in the T/A and it would run like shit. 1st off-with a 900 rpm idle you'd have to kick it into neutral at a stoplight with the stock converter-or risk creeping into the car in front of you. With the 2.56:1 gears it would fall flat on it's face if you floored it, finally about 3,500-4,000 rpm it would "hit", but you'd have to shift about 5,500 and with a 1,500-2,000 rpm drop between gears ( it's a TH350, not a close ratio M22 4-speed ) it would fall on its face in 2nd, and have to "catch up" again. The car would sound wicked, and make a lot of noise and probably be slower than with the stock engine. The solution? If the owner wanted to run the stock converter and 2.56:1 gears-would be to run a mild cam like the Edelrock Performer or the factory "068" cam,a Performer intake and some small-tube headers. Just accentuate what Pontiac did-make big power and torque at low rpm. The car would literally spin its wheels as long as he wanted to stay on the throttle, he could even shift at 5,000-5,200 and it would lay 8-10 feet of rubber on the 1-2 shift and probably run solidly in the 14s. The engine would have 15 inches of vacuum at it's glass-smooth 600 rpm idle and it would probably get 16-20 mpg is he didn't drive like a maniac. Now if the T/A driver wanted to go as fast as the GTO guy-we could use the hotter engine-but he'd have to swap the 2.56:1 gears for some 3.73:1s and get a 2,500 rpm stall converter. Yes a Pro Stock drag car and a truck pull champion may both need a 700 hp 454-but the torque curve needs to be very different!!!  See what I'm saying?  That's why builder / restorers need more info than "I want as much power as I can get". Mastermind          

"Biggest engine you can afford".....The key word being "Afford"....

In the last few posts I've talked about the pros and cons of many engines the various manufacturers offered over the years. I got started on this because like I said in an earlier post there's an alarming trend of "Bigger is Better" in the buff magazines. Not everyone can afford, or even needs a 500+ inch monster. The old sayings-"There's no substitute for cubic inches,except cubic dollars" and "Always build the biggest motor you can afford" are still true. But the key word is "Afford".  For example-If your building a small-block Chevy-either stock or modified-a 350 makes way more power and torque than a 305 and costs no more to buy or build. Further-if the engine in question needs to be rebuilt-i.e.-needs a crank or new pistons-parts are so cheap for SBC's-that it doesn't really cost that much more to make a 383 than it does to just re-furbish the bottom end of a 350. So yes, I would tell someone that your going get a tremendous more amount of performance out of even a mild 383 than you would a hotted-up 305. Conversely, if you have a 400 Pontiac in a late '70's T/A-assuming it runs good, has good oil pressure, doesn't use oil, doesn't smoke etc. Your far better off just adding an aftermarket carb and intake, headers and dual exhausts and maybe a cam, or even an axle-ratio change and a mild converter than you would be trying to buy and build a 455. Even if the 400 needed to be overhauled-rings,bearings, and oil pump and gasket set is not that much. As opposed to the small-block Chevy-I've seen 383 crank kits as low as $399-a stroker crank kit to turn a 400 into a 455 starts at $1999. For two grand you could buy the aforementioned cam,intake,headers,gears, converter etc. And honestly-all other things being equal-a 455 is only going to make about 40 hp more than a 400. Car Craft built a 400 with the Edelbrock Performer RPM package. It made 440 hp and 460 lbs ft of torque. So if you spent the extra 2k on a 455-you'd have 480 hp. On street tires, in the real world-is a car with 480 hp going to be noticeably faster than a car with 440 hp?  No.  On the other hand if you have a 302 Ford in your Mustang it's totally reversed from the Chevys. With the proper equipment 302's can really rock. With the exception of the small-block Chevy there's probably more speed equipment available for them than anything else on the planet. It would make much more sense to pump up the 302 that's in the car than it would to hunt down and buy and build a 351W. And again-like the SBC's-the stroker crank kits are so cheap-it would be easier and probably cheaper to build a 347 out of the 302 you have than it would be to get a 351W. Switch to Mopar and it changes again. A 360 makes way more power than a 318 and costs no more to buy or build. Even if you don't have an engine and have to buy one-a 360 Magnum out of a Jeep Cherokee from a junkyard might cost you $150 more than a 318 Magnum from the same yard,with roughly the same mileage! If your building a big-block Mopar, just like the Pontiac-don't throw away a perfectly good 383 / 400 and then spend an extra 3 grand buying and building a 440. Each engine line is different. And-magazines and everyone else always talks about building from the ground up. You don't have to do that. You can add headers or a carb and intake or even a cam to the engine that's in the car without pulling it and completely re-building it. And here's where you have to take expert's advice-even mine-with a grain of salt. If you have an '84 Z/28 Camaro with an LG4 305 and a 5-speed that runs good and you'd like more oomph-an Edelbrock Performer Intake and matching cam and a cat-back exhaust will give you a HUGE boost in hp and torque and easily show your taillights to those smug 80's and early '90's "5.0" Mustang owners!! You don't have to trash the 305 and immediately swap in a 350 because the magazines said so!!  If you have a Duster or Dart with a good running 318-a 4bbl carb and intake, dual exhausts and a shift kit in the Torqueflite will "wake up" the performance immensely-you don't have to pull the engine and go buy a 360 because you want a little more power!!  If you have a 350 Pontiac in your Firebird or LeMans-yes if you want 500 hp-you need a 400 or 455. However-barring the need for 500 hp-I'd certainly invest in a 4bbl carb and intake,some dual exhausts, a shift kit in the TH350, and swap the 2.56:1 gears for some 3.42:1's, before I yanked it and went searching for a 400 or 455!!  See what I'm saying?  So think hard and do the math before you start pulling out your engine and your credit card!  Mastermind          

Still more overlooked engines.....And Why....

Had some more questions on why I didn't mention certain engines as having great performance potential. They do have great potential, but the cost of buying and building one would be so prohibitive-that your better off-both in sheer dollars invested and in hp and torque made-"bang for the buck" that your better off just starting with a more plentifully available engine. Here's some examples. # 1. 400 Chevy Small-Block. No doubt that a 400 can be a HUGE power maker. Countless magazine articles over the years proved that. However, they've been out of production since 1980 and the siamesed cylinder bores can't be safely bored more than .030. And they had overheating problems when new because 400 heads which had 76cc combustion chambers and 1.94 intakes also had steam holes drilled in the heads and block for cooling. In the search for great power-geniuses would put 64cc "2.02" 350 heads on the 400 blocks which would cover the steam holes and cause them to overheat. The chance of you finding a 36+ year old block that is serviceable-i.e. hasn't already been bored .030 or more-is almost nil. And if you did-you'd have to have a machine shop custom drill the high-performance heads for the steam holes for proper cooling-which would be major league expensive. With 350s the proverbial dime a dozen,-and they don't need the steam holes-so you can bolt-on factory or aftermarket high-performace Iron or Aluminum or Vortec heads and companies like Eagle and Lunati offering stroker crank,rod and piston assemblys for as low as $399 it's much cheaper and easier to just build a 383. Or if you "gotta have" a 400-Dart offers brand-new heavy duty 400 blocks that can be safely bored to 4.165 inches and can use standard heads. Either way would be much more feasible than trying to find and build a usable 36+ year old 400 core.  # 2. 413 Chrysler. Yes-the 413 is an "RB" engine just like a 440 and heads, intakes, cams etc that fit a 440 will work on these. However-they've been out of production for over 50 years. The chance of you finding one in serviceable condition at a reasonable price is almost nil. Seriously-unless your restoring an early '60's Max Wedge car to the nth degree-your better off using a 383 / 400 or a 440., or maybe using a 360 based 408 inch Blueprint Engines crate motor stroker.  # 3. 428 Pontiac. I love 428s. They have the torque of a 455 and they rev up like a 400. However-they were only built from 1967-69 and used in "big" cars. If you have one or can buy one cheap, by all means use it. However the 455 that was used from 1970-76 is more readily available, and the 400 that was built from 1967-79 is much more plentiful and Eagle and other companies offer stroker crank kits to turn a 400 into a 433 or 461.  # 4. 428 Ford. I personally think the 428 is the best of all the Ford Performance engines. They make torque like a 460 and they'll rev to 6,500 or beyond with the right cam and valvetrain. The problem is they were only used from 1966-1970 mostly in "big" cars, cop cars and a few 1968-70 Mustangs, Cougars and Fairlane / Torinos. The chance of you finding a 46+ year old 428 in usable condition is pretty slim. If you do-the price is going to be high because of people restoring 428CJ Mustangs, Fairlanes, Torinos and Cougars, and T-Birds. If you have one in your car-or can buy one for a reaonable price I would definitely use it. But the 390s used from 1963-76 are way more plentiful and with Edelbrock heads, etc-can make just as much power for a lot less money. # 5. 427 Chevy. No one doubts the awesomeness of 427s. But they were only produced from 1966-69 in big cars and Corvettes. The low production numbers coupled with people restoring old 'Vettes and Impalas-have driven the prices into the stratosphere. The 454 used from 1970-1995 is much more prevalant. If you can't find an '80's truck in a junkyard with a 454 in it-you aren't looking past the end of your nose. And if you "Gotta Have" a 427-GMPP, Eagle and other companies sell 3.76 inch crank, rod and piston / kits along with the flywheel and balancer ( 427s are internally balanced, 454s are externally balanced )  so you can build a 427 using a 454 block.  Mastermind      

I'd like to see "Project Frankenstein"....A cheap,nasty bastard that's fast and unique....

So many magazines feature cars that people have over $100,000 invested in. A lot of them are great looking, and great performers. But I'd like to see something that someone built for $10,000 including the purchase price of the car. Something that someone built with literally stuff they had laying around or bought from or were given by a friend.  And something not mainstream-maybe a beater '78 Camaro with a 425 Olds engine in it? Or an '81 Gran Prix with a 472 Cadillac V8 in it.  A '76 Nova with a 430 Buick in it, a 75 Chevy 2WD pickup with a 400 Pontiac in it, an AMC Hornet with a 383 Mopar in it, Stuff like that. Or later stuff people made from wrecks or junkyard parts- an '85 Firebird with the engine and trans out of a GMC Cyclone / Typhoon-that Turbo V6 would rock in a light F-body. How about the Supercharged 3.8 V6 from a Riviera of Bonneville SSEI in a Buick Reatta body? Or in the rear of a Pontiac Fiero? ( I've actually seen that done-an absolute rocket! ) Just a thought. Anyone else have any ideas along these lines? Mastermind    

A "Smog Dog" that can be a tiger with a little work.....

Had a couple inquiries from people wanting to possibly do Ford projects. One guy wanted to do a '74-76 Torino in "Starsky and Hutch" style, and the other guy wanted to do a 71-72 LTD in "White Lightning" style. Both of them had been told that if they wanted real power they'd have to swap in a 460. ( I love the "experts" that give advice like this who have never worked as a mechanic or owned or built a race car or project of any kind, but give other people advice on how to spend their money ). Not true. I told them-as I've said in earlier posts-the 400C used from 1971 on and the 351 / 400M used from 1975-82 can make plenty of power with very little work. If you read the "Engine Masters Challenge" every year there's always someone with a 400 Ford making over 500 hp. If you think about it-regardless of brand name anything 400 cubes should make decent power and torque. Anyhow-the reason they got a reputation as "dogs" in the '70's was threefold. They were only available with two-barrel carburation,single exhaust and a lazy cam. And fourth they usually had salt-flats gearing like 2.80:1 or 3.00:1. An Edelbrock Performer intake and matching Carb and a set of headers ( or even just adding a good dual exhaust sytem behind the stock manifolds ) will REALLY wake up one of these engines like you won't believe. You'll think you dropped in a 460 with just these two simple mods. Why? It's all about airflow. Now it's breathing like it should. A 400 V8 with a 2bbl carb and single exhaust is like a 250 lb man trying to run while breathing through a straw! The other big things that are easy is an axle-ratio change. Swapping the 2.80:1 gears for something in the 3.23:1-3.73:1 range will cut your 0-60 and 1/4 mile time by 1/2 a second and not hurt drivability too much. The other thing would be putting a shift improver kit in the trans. B&M and TransGo both offer excellent shift kits that will give automatic kick down to low gear under 15 mph and much firmer full-throttle shifts. These simple mods will give your "Gator" or "Starsky" car or "Muscle Truck" more than enough oomph to do smoky burnouts and back up the image. If you want to go faster than that-Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer performance aluminum heads for these engines and Edelbrock,Crane,Lunati and Competition Cams all offer cam kits from mild to wild. So if you have or want to buy a Torino, Montego, Cougar, Ranchero or F150 or Bronco that has one of these engines-no you don't need to spend megabucks swapping in a 460. You can make plenty of hp and torque with very little investment. A friend of mine had a Bronco and he was blown away by the improvement in performance simply by adding headers and the Performer Carb and intake. It had way more power and got better gas mileage even pulling his boat! So trust me....Not some yahoo working at Wal-Mart....Mastermind  

A few AMC's I'd like to build.....

American Motors made a big splash when they lured Trans-Am Champion driver Mark Donohue and team owner Roger Penske away from Chevrolet. I always thought Donohue's Red,White and Blue '71 Javelin AMX was a badass looking car. I'd like to find a '71-74 Javelin and do it up in Trans-Am style-Minilite Wheels,side-exit exhaust,etc. Like I said in an earlier post-even if I got a 304 version-360s are plentiful in junkyards since they were used in Jeep Grand Wagoneers until 1992. Edelbrock offers performance aluminum heads, cams and intakes for these engines. Maybe swap in a Richmond 5-speed, and some Recaro seats-you'd have a unique and cool hot rod. Another one that would be cool is a '74-76 Matador done in Nascar style-like Popular Hot Rodding's "Project Talledega" Chevelle Laguna. Buddy Baker won a few races for AMC in a Matador in the mid-70s. The muscular, fastback body would look mean with radiused fenderwells, fat tires and Nascar-style graphics. The final one that would be cool would be a '71-77 Gremlin. A friend of mine had a Gremlin "X" in high school. Him and his dad pulled the 304 and swapped in a 401 out of wrecked Ambassador police car. He showed his taillights to many a shocked Camaro and Mustang driver! Their light-about 2,700 lbs-and the short wheelbase actually makes them a good drag racer. A 360 Gremlin could really rock for low bucks. Maybe I'll start scouring the want ads....Mastermind    

Some "Rodney Dangerfields" that didn't make the list....And Why....

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield always joked that he got "No Respect". That's why I called some of the overlooked engines in the last posts "Rodney Dangerfields". However-as I pointed out-these engines can make plenty of power and torque for low bucks. Like I said,maybe not as much as a GMPP 572 inch Rat or Mopar Performance 505 Wedge or Ford SVT 514 or in the case of the small-blocks not as much as-an Edelbrock or GMPP 383 or Ford SVT 427-but enough to get the average Joe 12 second et's in a still pretty streetable package for relatively low bucks. I had other people suggest other engines that I overlooked but they were specifically kept off the list for one of two reasons-either they are obsolete and parts are non-existant or very hard to find and expensive, or there is a "sister" engine that is much more widely available and has good parts availability and makes way more power for the same or less dollar investment. # 1. This is a perfect example. 1968-73 307, 1977-95 305 Chevy V8. People asked why I overlooked the 305s and 307s when I espoused the virtues of the 283. Here's why-the 283 can be safely bored to 301 inches-with a 4 inch bore and a 3 inch stroke that's exatcly the dimensions of the original Z/28 302. Chevy engineers did basically the same thing-they put a 283 crank in a 327 block. Like I said a 301 Chevy can be a high-winding rocket. The small-journal bottom-end will stay together till 7,500-8,000 rpm easily and big-port "2.02" factory or aftermarket heads will fit. SCCA Trans-Am racers were getting 485 hp from 302 inches with in 1968-with off-the-shelf Chevy parts!  Even 40+ years later you can't make anywhere near that power level with a 305 /307. Here's why-mainly they are both a small-bore / long stroke design. This was done to make an "economy" motor designed to get good gas mileage with a 2bbl carb and still have enough low-end torque to pull a station wagon or 1/2 ton pickup around. However-this caused two problems for people looking for high-performance-the small-bore design doesn't allow you to use the big "2.02" or even 2.05 / 2.08 intake valves of  most factory and aftermarket iron or aluminum heads. The valves will hit the block. Without the big-port heads the engine can't breathe good enough to generate any serious power. And the long-stroke bottom end doesn't hold up well past 5,500 rpm. And lastly-350s are the proverbial dime a dozen and make WAY more power either stock or modified. The only thing a 305 or 307 is good for is if it's already in the car and running, and you want to drive the car while your building another engine. # 2. 352 Ford V8. While these belong to the same family-the "FE" series-of the 390 / 427 / 428-there pretty useless. The reason is-while their big and heavy-there only 352 cubes. Since 390s were used in zillions of Ford cars and trucks from 1963-76-and can be bored and stroked to 447 inches-I'd just get a 390. Or a 351W can make way more power for less money. Also avoid the 360 V8 that was offered in Ford trucks in the mid-70's. They used a 390 crank in a small-bore block and had the double attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage. Unless your restoring a 1960 Ford Starliner to the nth degree I'd forget the 352 and just get a 390. # 3. 326 / 350 Pontiac V8. These have the same problem as the 305 / 307 Chevys. They are a small-bore / long stroke design which gives them decent low-end torque, but the big-port / big valve heads used on the larger 389 / 400 / 421 / 428 / 455 engines don't fit-the valves hit the block. Some people talk about notching the cylinder bores for clearance but why would you spend a ton of money on custom machine work that may not work anyway-how are the head gaskets going to seal with a big gash cut into the cylinders?-and all other things being equal a 350 is not going to make anywhere near the power a 400 will and a 400 costs no more to buy or build. # 4. 361 Chrysler. These are a "B" engine just like a 383 / 400. However-like the 352 Ford-their big and heavy, and there only 361 cubes. An "LA" or "Magnum" 360 small-block is much lighter and makes way more power for less money for the street rod crowd. And for musclecar guys since the 383 /400s are so plentiful-and make substantially more power even stock-it just doesn't make sense to use a 361. # 5. 394 Olds V8. These are big and heavy,there's virtually no parts availability-and because 1965 and later engines use a different deck height and bank angle-NOTHING interchanges with the later 400 / 425 / 455 engines. Edelbrock makes Aluminum heads and Pefromer, Performer RPM and Torker intakes and cams for the later engines-but none of that stuff will work on a 394. Unless your restoring an early '60's 88 to the nth degree-you'd be better off with the later big blocks or even a 350 / 403 in your Olds project.  # 6. 300 / 327 / 340 Buick V8. Same deal here-there is zero aftermarket support and nothing interchanges with the '68-77 350. If you have an early Skylark with one of these and want a big performance infusion and keep the car all Buick the best way is find a '68-77 350 and swap that in and swap the two-speed ST300 for a TH350-they are the exact same length and use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke. If you need SERIOUS power and want to stay all Buick-( no 350 / 403 Olds or big-block Chevy or Pontiac transplants ) then you'll need a 400 / 430 / 455 out of a big car.  Anyhow-hope this helps everyone out-some overlooked engines are "Diamonds in the Rough" and others are only useful as boat anchors. Mastermind           

More "Rodney Dangerfields" that can make good power.....

In the last post I talked about some "forgotten" engines that could make big power for low bucks. I had a few people bring some others to my attention that I overlooked. Here's that list. # 1. 289 Ford. These were used in just about every compact and mid-size Ford or Mercury from 1963-68. In a light car like a Falcon / Comet or Mustang / Cougar / Fairlane these can be fun. They don't have much torque but with the right cam, intake and stiff gears they love to rev. There is a ton of speed equipment available for these engines-almost as much as for a small-block Chevy.  I'd recommend a 4-speed and at least 3.90:1 or 4.11:1 gears. If you want to run an automatic I'd recommend a C4 with a 3,000 rpm converter and 4.11:1 gears. If their set up right these engines can handle 7,500-8,000 rpm easily. I've known some guys with early Falcons or Mustangs that were wicked fast with 289s. The 302 used from 1968-1997 is much more plentiful, and Ford SVT sells 302 crate engines to this day. However-if the car you have or want to buy has a 289 in it I would by all means use it. And although the Small-Block Chevy is a more popular swap-a lot of guys put 289s into Austin-Healeys to create a "poor man's Cobra". # 2. 400 / 425 Olds V8. Everyone wants the 455s but anything that fits a 455 will fit the 1965-69 400 and the '65-67 425. Edelbrock makes aluminum heads and Performance intakes for these engines and companies like Crane, Lunati and Comp Cams make cams and valvetrain gear. Hooker, Hedman and other companies make headers. These can make just as much power as a 455 with the right combination. I wouldn't search the galaxy looking for one, but if the car you have or want to buy has a 400 or 425 in it I would definitely use it rather than spending a few extra grand trying to chase down a 455. # 3. 400 / 430 Buick V8. Just like their Olds cousins Buick guys fight with machetes over 455s but largely overlook these engines. Anything with 400 or 430 cubes is going to run pretty damn good even bone-stock. However-Edelbrock offers heads and intakes that fit these engines as well as the 455s and Lunati and Comp Cams offer cams. I give the same advice here as I did to the Olds guys-If you have one in your car or a car you are buying, or can buy one cheap I would definitely use it. but I wouldn't search the galaxy for one.  # 4. 360 AMC V8. While 390s and 401s are scarce and priced accordingly-there are millions of these in junkyards that were used in Jeep Grand Waggoneers until 1992. Edelbrock offers aluminum heads and intakes and other companies offer cams, headers etc. Since AMC engines are externally identical ( like Pontiacs ) this is a bolt-in swap to replace a 304. At the engine masters challenge a guy with a 360 AMC made over 500 hp. Impressive.  # 5. 403 Olds V8. Even though these were only built from 1977-79, they were used in millions of Buick Rivieras and LeSabres,Pontiac Bonnevilles, Olds 88s and 98s, all the big BOP wagons and hundreds of thousands of Formula and Trans-Am Firebirds. Anything that fits a 350 will fit these engines. This makes them a bolt-in swap for a 330 / 350 in an early Cutlass, or a 307 in a later "G" body. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their Performer RPM package on a 350. With 53 extra cubes you'd easily be well over 400 hp. Magazine writers spout numbers flippantly but 400 honest hp will make any street car into an absolute rocket.  Mastermind    

Some "Rodney Dangerfields" that could make big power...

There's been a "Bigger is better" movement in Hot Rodding the last several years-witness GM, Ford and Chrysler all selling mega hp 500+ inch crate engines. Aftermarket companies like Edelbrock,ATK and Blueprint engines all sell monster motors as well as stroker kits to make a 350 Chevy into a 383, a 360 Mopar into a 408,a 351 Ford into a 427, etc, etc. These are all good investments that offer great performance-If you can afford them. But not everyone can afford 10 or 15 grand for a custom crate motor. But don't despair-there are a lot of "forgotten" engines that can still make big power for low bucks. Here's the list that offers the most "Bang" for the buck. # 1. Small-Block Chevy. Whenever someone says "Small Block Chevy" everyone automatically thinks "350". However-from 1958-67 the 283 V8 was available in just about every Chevrolet model. Ditto for the 327 from 1962-69. My cousin had a 283 powered '63 Nova that was wicked fast. Most '58 and later 283 blocks can be overbored to 301 inches. In a light car like a Nova or '64-67 Malibu these can really rock-especially with a stick and stiff gears ( 4.11 or 4.56:1 ) and a solid-lifter cam-they can rev to 7,500 easily if you have the valvetrain. In heavier cars like Chevelles, El Caminos,Camaros etc-a 327 can really rock. They can make just as much power as a 350-but at higher rpm. Because of the extra cubes they'll have more torque than a 301 but you'll still need a 4-speed and 3.73:1 or stiffer gears or if you want to run an automatic you'll need a 2,500 -3,000 rpm converter and 3.73:1 or stiffer gears. With the right cam,carb and intake-a 327 can make big power from 2,000-7,200 rpm and stay together. I've seen guys run them 8 grand-but your just beating up the valvesprings and bottom-end-they don't make any more power above 7-especially with stock type heads. In a car under 3,600 lbs-these can be a fun alternative to the cookie-cutter 383s that are in everything. And GMPP and Eagle offer 3.00 or 3.25 inch cranks and rotating assemblys so you could build a 301 or a 327 from a 350 block if you wanted to-and it may be cheaper than trying to find an old one.  # 2. 389 Pontiac. In every buff magazine-"THE" setup for a Pontiac is a cut-down 455 crank in a 400 block to get 461 or 467 cubes. However the 389 was standard equipment in just about every Pontiac model from 1959-66. If you have one or can buy one cheap they can really rip with the right equipment. Especially in a light car like an early Tempest or Firebird or Ventura. All you have to do is accentuate what Pontiac did from the factory-make big power and torque at low rpm. When you've got 430 lbs of torque at 2,800 rpm-you don't need to rev to 7 grand. If you can find a tri-power setup and want to use it-great. Otherwise an Edelbrock P4B or Performer Intake and 750 carb will work great. If you want dual-quads the Edelbrock P65 and two 600 carbs work and look great.  If you have a 4-speed and 3.55:1 or stiffer gears you can use the factory RAIV / Edelbrock Performer RPM cam. It will have badass lope and still have 10 inches of vacuum at 900 rpm, and pull like a rocket to about 5,800. If you have an automatic I'd use a 2,500 rpm converter and 3.90:1 or stiffer gears or I'd use the milder RAIII cam with an auto and 3.23:1-3.73:1s. ( Lunati has the best version ). Edelbrock offers D-Port aluminum heads that will fit these engines and Eagle makes crank kits that turn one into a 421 if you so desire. The 400s that were used from '67-79 are much more plentiful and have better breathing heads stock-so if you have or can get a 400 cheap do it. But if the car you have or are buying has a 389 or someone wil sell you one cheap-they can really run with the right combination. # 3. 390 Ford. These were used in millions of Ford cars and trucks from 1963-76. There is still great aftermarket support-Edelbrock claims 452 hp and 428 lbs of torque from the Performer RPM package. Since "FE" engines look externally identical-you could build a Cobra replica or Thunderbolt clone and no one would know it's not a 427. Ditto for building a 428CJ Mustang or Cougar clone-no one but you would know it's a 390. # 4. 383 / 400 Mopar. The 383 was used from 1963-71, and the 400 ( which is just a bored-out 383 ) was used from 1972-78. There is great aftermarket support-aluminum heads, cams etc. A 383 can run just as strong as a 440-just at higher rpm. A guy I know has a 383 Duster that runs 10s.  Any of these forgotten warriors can really rip with the right combination and be built cheaply,and be unique. Mastermind        

How about Project "Cheap Shot": Grocery Getter into Dragstrip Terror...

Maybe we can get one of the buff mags to serialize the build and do some drag testing. I had an Idea the other day for a cool project. Take a '60's or '70's compact or mid-size sedan and turn it into a killer street / strip machine for very low bucks using mostly junkyard parts. Here's the candidates I thought of. They might not be sexy, but their cheap and could be wicked fast with not too much work. # 1. Fords. I thought of three cars here. If you can find one a 1962-69 Falcon / Comet is light, a lot of them had 289s under the hood, and their short wheelbase makes them good drag racers. And a lot of suspension and brake upgrades that fit early Mustangs fit these. # 2. 1970-77 Maverick / Comet. These are lightweight and a lot of them have 302s under the hood. A buddy of mines 440 Road Runner got it's doors blown off by a hotted-up Maverick. "Dyno" Don Nicholson had great success in Pro Stock in the early '70's with one. # 3. 1975-79 Granada / Monarch. They may be ugly, but a lot of them had 302s or 351Ws under the hood and some even had limited slip disc-braked 9" rear ends stock. Their rep as dogs came from 2bbl carburation and salt-flats gearing. With a warmed over 351W and some 4.11 gears one of these could really rock. # 4. GM Obviously the 1968-79 Nova is a choice as any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird fit these cars, and the engine bay will accept any small or big-block. Other X-bodies include the '71-77 Pontiac Ventura and the '73-79 Olds Omega. One of these with a 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds would be cool. Since they weigh 600 lbs less than a late '70's Firebird they make a good hot rod. I had a '71 Ventura with the 400 out of my wrecked '77 T/A and it was a great sleeper. # 5. '69-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. While most '70-77 Monte Carlos of this vintage are small-block powered, GP's had 400 cubes standard all years, and a fair number of '70-76 "SJ" models had 455s. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle fit these cars so there's tons of potential. # 6. Mopar. 1968-76 Dodge Dart / Plymouth Duster. These cars are cheap and light so even 318 versions can run. However a 360 is a bolt-in,and Mopar Performance sells the crossmember to install B / RB engines-i.e.-383 / 400 / 440s. What I'd really like to see with these cars is manual transmissions and multi-carb setups. How cool would a 360 Dart with a Six-Pack setup and a 3-speed manual be?  Or a Maverick with dual-quads on a thumpin' 302, or 3-2bbls on a Small-block Chevy in a Nova with a 3-speed stick, or two 4bbls on a 455 Pontiac. The bodies could be done in '60's "Gasser" style-removed front bumpers,radiused rear wheelwells, Old school charm, but wicked fast. Write to the buff mags and suggest they coordinate with me-maybe we can get it done. Mastermind  

"Old School" parts can really rock....And be "Period Correct"....

I've said many times that I'm not one of those fussy Concours / Just as it Left the Factory types who point out that someone has the wrong kind of hose clamps or who thinks a '69 Mustang Mach 1 is "ruined" because it has a Hurst shifter ( instead of the awful factory unit ) halogen headlights, an Edelbrock or Holley carb ( in place of the god-awful Autolite 4300 ) and radial tires. A '69 Camaro with Cragar S/S mags,Lakewood Traction bars, headers,an Edelbrock Tarantula manifold and a 650 Holley is just as "Right" now as it was in say-1972. A '69 Camaro with a Fuel-Injected LS3,a 4L80E, a DSE front subframe and rack&pinion steering, and 20 inch Center Lines is so wrong on so many levels that I'll just leave it at that. The point I'm trying to make is you can "Restify" your classic musclecar so it has greatly increased performance and handling while still retaining the period correct classic look and feel that makes them so attractive in the first place. And you don't always need the "latest and greatest" thing. So many people read magazine tech articles-but don't really READ them-and then go spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on parts that are totally wrong for their car and how they use it. Here's several examples. A while back Car Craft tested a bunch of dual plane and single-plane intake manifolds both factory and aftermarket to see which made the most power. A Small-block Chevy was the test mule. They decided that the Dart and the Keith Dorton single-planes made the most power and torque. However-the test mule was an 11:1 406 inch race motor with 230cc intake port Aluminum Dart Heads, and a .630 lift solid roller cam!! The Dart / Dorton intakes are designed for NASCAR and Drag Racing-they make huge power from 4,000-8,000 rpm!!  Now if "Joe Average" buys that intake and an 850 Double-Pumper Holley and puts it on his 9:1 350 that has stock 165cc heads and a cam with say .450-.475 lift-it's going to absolutely kill the bottom-end and mid-range torque. He'd be far better off with a GM, Edelbrock, or Weiand dual-plane intake and an Edelbrock or Holley vacuum-secondary 600 cfm carb-especially if he had an automatic transmission. If he had a stick and stiff gears and wanted the top-end boost of a single-plane-an Edelbrock Torker II or Weiand X-celrator or Team G would give him a nice hp and torque boost from 3,500-6,000 rpm and probably drop his 1/4 mile time by as much as 1/2 a second. Here's why-if he shifts at 6,000 rpm he's going to hit the next gear at 4,400 rpm-right in the thick of the manifold's power and torque band. So it'll help his 0-60 and 1/4 mile time-even though the dual-plane may actually make the same or more power and torque in a wider powerband-"under the curve" on the dyno. But the Dart / Dorton setup would slow the car down substantially even compared to a stock 4bbl intake. It's just too big for a street application. Hot Rod did the same thing with a header test. Their test mule was a Big-Block Chevy. They decreed that the Hooker Headers with 2 1/2 inch primary tubes were the big power makers. However-again-the test mule was a 540 inch 12:1 compression stroker with Huge Rectanular Port Edelbrock Victor heads and a .714 lift solid-roller cam!!  Again-"Joe Average" with a 396 or even a 427 'Vette or 454 Chevelle with even a .550 lift cam would be much better off with 1 3/4 or 1 7/8 inch primary tubes!! First off-it's a documented fact that the big rectangular port heads don't show a noticable gain in hp or torque on the dyno until 6,300 rpm!  Now how often are you going to be above 6,300 rpm in your street / strip machine???  Secondly the huge primary tubes would over-scavenge the engine and kill the bottom-end and mid-range torque. There has to be some restriction to create flow velocity in the combution chamber. So just because this was the hot setup on their 540 inch, 700 hp race motor-doesn't mean it would work at all on your 400 hp street engine! In fact-the opposite-it would hurt the performance greatly over even stock exhaust manifolds. The main thing is coordinate the whole package and be honest about the use. For example-Edelbrock still sells the original Torker for Ford 351C engines. If a guy had a '70 Mach 1 with an 11:1 351C, a 4-speed and 3.91:1 gears-the Torker would give him a huge top-end boost and drop his 1/4 mile time substantially. If a guy put the Torker on a '73 Mach 1 with a 7.9:1 351C, an automatic, and 3.00:1 gears-it would absolutely kill it. See what I'm saying?  If your a Pontiac guy and you stuff a Ram Air IV cam into your 10.75:1 compression 400, 4-speed, 3.55:1 geared '68 GTO-it will really rip on the street or strip and have a badass lope, but stable idle. If you put an RAIV cam into your 8.0:1 compression, automatic,2.56:1 geared '77 T/A-it won't hardly run at all-it'll have no low-end torque and not much top-end because of the salt-flats gearing,low compression and restrictive intake and exhaust. You can be period-correct and really rock if you choose parts wisely. For example-let's say you have a 'Vette or an Impala SS with a 390 hp 427-iron intake, Q-Jet carb, lazy cam and you want more ooommph, but don't want to go to aluminum heads and a bunch of aftermarket stuff. You don't have to. GM Performance Parts still sells the original L78 / L88 396 / 427 aluminum high-rise intake. A lot of people don't know it-but this intake is equal to or better than many aftermaket ones up to about 5,800 rpm. With a vacuum-secondary Edelbrock or Holley carb it would be awesome on the street. It's even 15 hp and 25-30 lbs ft of torque better than the LS6 454 intake-because the LS6 was supposed to be offered in the Camaro and Nova as well as the Chevelle and the taller '66-69 manifold wouldn't clear the flat hood of the new for '70 Camaro. So the LS6 intake is so flat that the fuel actually has to flow UPHILL to the head ports. Many Stock-class LS6 racers switched to the '69 style intake for that reason. Crane and Lunati offer exact replicas of the factory performance cams. If you wanted to build an L88 spec Rat Motor-World Products and Merlin offer the big Rectangular-Port Iron heads. I'd much rather see a '66 Mustang with a solid-lifter 289 topped by an Edelbrock F28 dual-quad intake and two 500 cfm Carter AFBs than I would one with a SVT 302 crate engine with aluminum GT40 heads and a Peformer RPM "5.0" fuelie intake!!  I'd rather see a '71 Cuda 340 with an Edelbrock LD340 intake and 750 Holley on it or a Six-Pack setup than I would a 6.4 liter SRT8 Fuel-Injected Hemi!!  Right? If you run across an orignal Torker for a big-block Chevy where the carb sits at an angle,or a Tri-Power setup for an Olds 400, or Pontiac 389 or Ford "FE", engine or a dual-quad intake for a 413 / 440 Mopar or 396 / 427 Chevy or 389 / 421 Pontiac- or a Paxton Superhcrager for small-block Fords-by all means use it-you'll love the look,sound and feel in the seat of your pants.  Like Arnold said in the last "Terminator" movie-"Old, not obsolete".  Mastermind