grumpyvette

most guys with corvettes stay with the stock valve covers unless forced into swapping , due to clearance issues caused by the use of roller rockers, stud girdles or other aftermarket valve train accessories. On some corvettes theres serious clearance issues with the winshield wiper motor housing and valve cover or accessory brackets that make using tall valve covers difficult but one thing that has not yet been pointed out is that the taller valve covers do have some slight advantage other that just additional clearance on the rocker assembly, and that slight advantage is they have increased surface area thats exposed to the realatively cool air of the engine compartment,compared to the oil temp, altho the air temp in the engine compartment may reach 170-190 degs its still much cooler than the oil that can reach 230-280 degrees while racing, that allows the constant sheets of oil thrown from the rocker assembly onto the inner surface to cool as it has the heat absorbed as the oil runs over the inner surface on its return to the sump. in effect the taller valve covers greater surface area acts like an oil cooler that helps cool the valve springs very slightly. now it may only be a few degrees but each little advantage adds to the effiency of the total lubracation system. I try to use those tall cast aluminum valve covers just for that reason even if they are not mandatory. another advantage is that the oil seperator baffles tend to be possitioned further from the flowing oil in the cylinder heads making it less likely that the breathers allow oil film to blow onto the outer engine or the PVC valve to suck oil into the intake on older engines with worn rings BTW if they are sbc perimeter valve covers JEGS sells these that help a great deal http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2207&prmenbr=361 a few things you should know [1] synthetic oil desolves that yellow 3m weatherstrip gasket adhesive than many guys use over a few months time so you cant use it to glue valve cover gaskets [2]you must use a o2 safe gasket cement like the BLACK RTV silicone cement and you must clean and degrease the cover with acetone or a similar solvent before glueing on the gasket to get the best retention [3]you need to allow at least a few hours to over night,depends mostly on temp. for that black silicone gasket cement to set up before installing the valve covers, and placeing them gasket side down on a table with a sheet of wax paper under them and a 20lb weight on top of each valve cover while the cement sets up is the best way to insure the gaskets stay correctly aligned on the valve covers perimeter [4]a light coat of (PAM) cooking spray on the lower gasket surface keeps them from sticking to the cylinder heads after installation [5] these gasket retaining rings add a great deal to the valve covers ability to firmly hold the gasket WITHOUT bending SHEET METAL VALVE COVERS OR CRACKING CAST ALUMINUM VALVE COVERS AND ARE WELL WORTH THE MINIMAL COST [6]doing it correctly the first time saves time and money

your not giving nearly enough info, yes its possiable to get 500hp from a 402 but its not comonly done, but you can get a really good idea of the true rear wheel hp,by getting a ET and mph slip and weighting the car useing this calculator http://www.prestage.com/Car+Math/ET+and+Horsepower+Calculators/HP+from+ET+and+Weight/default.aspx lets say that chevelle runs 13.0 and acctually weights 3700 lbs with the driver, thats 333 rear wheel hp , now figureing a 18% drive train loss thats close to 406 flywheel hp, don,t take his word for it ask for a track/ET slip, a chevelle should weight close to 3600lbs-3700lbs with driver, and 500 hp should get him to run about 11.9-12.0 at about 114mph minimum, in fact with the correct traction and tires you can run high 11 second 1/4 mile times at at least 115mph with quite a bit less hp, in fact if he can go faster than 120mph in the quater mile with a car that weights at least 3600 lbs Id say hes close to 500hp

ZMFDM sorry my wifes against it!!!

I think that looks fine, the only change Id make is to install the 1.6 rockers on the intake and the 1.5 rockers on the exhaust valves. that 2.5" exhaust may be slightly restrictive but I don,t think it should cause a problem.don,t forget that combo require you to keep the rpm range above about 3000rpm and below about 6300rpm to stay in the torque curves peak, so trans gearing and rear gearing and perhaps stall speeds if its an auto effect the combo! if its an auto equiped car a 3000rpm stall will be almost mandatory

I think you need to read this http://www.73-87.com/chp/chp.htm then take your time and look over these http://www.ryanscarpage.50megs.com/combos1.html THEN I KNOW your not going to want to hear this at this time, but it will save you thousands of dollars and lots of wasted effort in the long run,you need to understand the basics BEFORE you START SPENDING MONEY,TAKE THE TIME TO BUY A FEW BOOKS AND READ A FEW TECH ARTICLES, TO GET THE BASICS read this , by the time you understand all the links youll have the basics http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/cam-tech.htm http://www.mercurycapri.com/technical/engine/cam/lca.html http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/rod-tech.htm http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/PICS/detonation/detonation.html http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=397334&Forum=UBB64&Words=LSA&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=3&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=397176&Search=true#Post397334 if cams are a mystery please take the time to read these, it will get you a good start http://www.newcovenant.com/speedcrafter/tech/camshaft/1.htm (read LESSONs 1-8) http://www.mercurycapri.com/technical/engine/cam/lca.html http://www.wighat.com/fcr3/confusion.htm http://www.cranecams.com/instructions/valvetrain/camfail.htm http://www.mercurycapri.com/technical/engine/cam/index.html http://www.idavette.net/hib/camcon.htm http://www.cranecams.com/master/adjustvt.htm http://www.centuryperformance.com/valveadjustment.htm http://www.totalengineairflow.com/tech/valvelashing.htm http://www.chevytalk.com/tech/engine/Cam_Selection.html http://www.chevytalk.com/tech/101/Cam_Theory.html http://www.babcox.com/editorial/ar/ar119736.htm http://www.mercurycapri.com/technical/engine/cam/vtg.html http://www.n2performance.com/lecture1.shtml http://www.symuli.com/vw/camp1.html http://www.symuli.com/vw/camp2.html http://home.wxs.nl/~meine119/tech/camqa.html http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=200511&Forum=UBB64&Words=your%20kidding&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=200510&Search=true#Post200511 http://www.crower.com/misc/valve_timing_chart.html http://www.speedomotive.com/Building%20Tips.htm http://www.kb-silvolite.com/page05.htm http://chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/94138/ http://www.aera.org/Members/EngineTech/engine.htm http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/PICS/detonation/detonation.html if you do nothing else buy and read these books BEFORE starting the engine build I will save you THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WASTED and YEARS OF LEARN TIME http://www.73-87.com/chp/chp.htm http://chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/71298/index.html http://www.sa-motorsports.com/diyport.htm http://www.ryanscarpage.50megs.com/combos1.html DO YOURSELF A HUGE FAVOR buy these books, FIRST it will be the best money you ever spent, read them, and you will be miles ahead of the average guy. youll save thousands of dollars and thousands of hours once youve got a good basic understanding of what your trying to do! HOW TO BUILD THE SMALL BLOCK CHEVEROLET by LARRY ATHERTON&LARRY SCHREIB . HOW TO BUILD MAX PERFORMANCE CHEVY SMALL BLOCKS ON A BUDGET by DAVID VIZARD . JOHN LINGENFELTER on modifying small-block chevy engines how to build & modify CHEVROLET small-block V-8 CAMSHAFTS & VALVTRAINS BY DAVID VIZARD SMOKEY YUNICK,S POWER SECRETS SMALL BLOCK CHEVY ENGINE BUILDUPS

this will help ( if you take the time to read ALL ),the links and sub links http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=240659&fpart=1&PHPSESSID= http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=273710&fpart=1&PHPSESSID= http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=284869&fpart=1&PHPSESSID= http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=292257&fpart=1&PHPSESSID= http://www.grapeaperacing.com/GrapeApeRacing/tech/turbocams.cfm

sorry Ive always use the SCE copper head gaskets and have no experiance with that gasket your refering too. but useing a single copper head gasket should work just fine, useing BOTH a steel shim and a copper head gasket sounds like a great way to get leaks to me! http://chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/94138/ http://www.rolexhaust.com/Technical/Analysis/Detonation.htm http://www.misterfixit.com/deton.htm http://members.aol.com/carleyware/library/ic697.htm http://www.babcox.com/editorial/us/us80222.htm http://www.arrowheadradiator.com/preventing_cylinder_head_gasket_and_cooling_system_failures.htm http://www.babcox.com/nascartech/np50320.htm

thinking about useing stock connecting rods? in your next high performance engine? well Id think harder if the hp level is intended to run over about 450hp or the rpm levels might exceed about 4000 feet per minute in piston speed! http://www.prestage.com/Car+Math/Engine+Building+Calculators/Calculate+Piston+Speed/default.aspx the stock conecting rods were orriginally rated at between 400- 450 hp, I personally don,t trust them quite that high,on average, ESPECIALLY since a good set of FORGED (H) style rods with 7/16" ARP rod bolts, http://www.scatcrankshafts.com/forged4340hbeamrods02.html can be purchased for about $300-$900 that are at least twice as strong SCAT EAGLE PROWLER OLIVER CROWER CORRILLO MANELY all make rods that are at least slightly stronger and in most cases vastly stronger than chevys (X) rods keep in mind its RPMS more than peak hp that cause the rods to fail and they mostly fail on the exhaust stroke where they don,t compress the cylinder volume to lower the load on the rod bolts as the piston plays crack the whip on the end of the rod. a 3/8 rod bolt has a cross sectional area of close to .1106 sq inches a 7/16 rod bolt has a cross sectional area of close to .1505 sq inches thats a 36% larger area, now if the rod bolt steel holds 180,000psi thats a 7182 ft lb advantage in strength well worth the slight extra costs, plus the (H) style rods them selves are normally stronger and lighter and they tend to have greater clearance between the outer rod dimension and the block ,for less machine work when building stroker motor. http://www.vips.co.uk/demos/mech/con_rod/vm_anim.htm things to read http://www.grapeaperacing.com/GrapeApeRacing/tech/rodsstock.cfm http://em-ntserver.unl.edu/Mechanics-Pages/Luke-schreier/unzip/Tension%20and%20Compression%20in%20Connecting%20Rods%20VI.htm http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/rod-tech-c.htm

http://www.scegaskets.com look under, catalog, chevy head gaskets) I have been useing SOLID COPPER HEAD GASKETS for years with aluminum heads on iron blocks (WITHOUT (O)rings) If your surfaces are strait and true and you correctly install them they work fine, now keep in mind that you MUST run high concentrations of anti-freeze and an anode in the radiator sure does not hurt to prevent electrolosis from causeing problems but I have never yet lost a head gasket and that includes nitrous use on several engines. now they sure are not your only option but they are a good one. btw I totally clean and degrease the block deck and head surfaces then spray the head gasket wet with COPPER COAT GASKET SPRAY then install them tacky wet and torque them down in 5LB stages to factory spec http://www.jcwhitney.com/productnoitem.jhtml?CATID=5131&BQ=jcw2 RADIATOR CORROSION INHIBITOR Prevents overheated radiators caused by rust, scale and corrosion. Save money on needless flushing, repairs, anti-freeze changes, special additives! Zinc anode slips in radiator filler neck and neutralizes rust/corrosion-causing chemicals. Lasts for years. NOTE: Not for radiators with plastic tanks. http://www.pjhbrands.com/vht/coppergasketcement.htm

http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=239139&fpart=1&PHPSESSID=

example 2

Heavy Z - That's not what you started out this thread to be about but........ what happens if the 383 can't rev any higher that 6,000 RPM but the 327 can go to 7,800 RPM? with the same max piston speed (4000fpm, which is normally considered maximum)the 383 would be limited to 6400rpm a 327 would be limited to 7384 rpm Horsepower is just an equation HP=Torque X RPM/5252. true That's why, when the sanctioning body (NASCAR, FIA, etc,) restricts engine displacement, everybody wants to rev their engines higher. they sure don,t WANT to rev the engines higher, in fact it costs a great deal more money to do so! its just that the higher the rpm level is needed for the max power production if limited to the lower displacement Again for the street I think torque rules. And that's because we spend so much time accelerating and/or cruising at low RPM's. car engines are designed with mileage and long maininance free operation, not max hp as the goal However, in a race car you spend very little time at low RPM even in a road race. So, geared properly, the shorter stroke engine will rev up faster. Like I said, look at a current Formula 1 engine - a little, normally aspirated 900 HP 3.0 litre V-10 that idles at 4,000 RPM and is redlined at 19,200 RPM!!! Just listen to one go through all seven speeds up to 210 MPH in a matter of seconds sometime - you'll be convinced. yeah Im convinced...Im convinced...that the rules limiting displacement, car weight, fuel,induction,etc. force the cars to design and run those style engines to be competative. theres not a single team that would not increase displacement or turbocharge if the rules allowed it!! the only reason NASCAR dropped from 430 max displacement to 360 max displacement was to keep the cars from becoming faster than the tracks and drivers/safety tech. could handle you all keep ignoring the fact that the engine can turn increased rpms only as fast as the cars gearing, tires, and weight will allow, if your not limited by class rules, the larger displacement slower turning engine will last longer and produce the same power with less stress on the engine. no one in their correct mind thinks a 19,000rpm 3 liter formula engine will push a car nearly as fast as an intercooled twin turbocharged 555 cid displacement aluminum engine, running 80% NlTROMETHANE 20% toluene (those frequently make over 3000 hp btw)

"So that means my 377 will beat the 383 right?" the results will depend on the cars gearing and how well the cam/compression ratio/exhaust tuning match, the 383 with its larger displacement and slightly lower rpm range should pull better in the first 2/3s of the track if all parts are properly matched, the 377 with its greater breathing potential and slightly higher rpm range should tend to start pulling ahead after the cars in the higher gears , which is truely faster at the 1/4 mile mark should depend on which combo is taking the best advantage of the combo used! both should if correctly set up provide excessive hp/tq in the 500/hp500/tq range with the best parts and a huge grin! but if I had a 400 block ID BUILD A 406-421 displacement combo and get BOTH THE LONGER STROKE,LARGER DISPLACEMENT AND BETTER BREATHING FOR THE BEST OF BOTH POTENTIAL RESULTS

just some EXTREMELY IMPORTANT INFO http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/techinfo/heads1.html http://www.geocities.com/z28esser/headcomp.html http://www.dw1977.cz28.com/photo2.html http://www.canfieldheads.com/heads.html http://www.kendrick-auto.com/head_flow_figures.htm http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/41598/ it's very hard for me to express strongly enough how important picking the correct cylinder heads and matching cam are to the results are likely to get from the engine, the best advice I can give you is to spend at least a third of your total budget on the cylinder heads and cam on any engine, a block and rotating assembly should also be approximately one third the cost of the total, the remaining third will be consumed in machine work costs, and parts like oil pans and intakes,etc. it. If you are not spending approximately that ratio you're unlikely to get the most out of the engine.

you can get a lot of good advice above, the only thing that I would add is do lots of homework and research before you start, if you're intended to build your own engine I would highly advise you purchase a good engines stand before you start, it's almost indispensable. If you do not already have the car I would advise you to find the car with the body in excellent shape, bodywork can become very time-consuming and expensive. The basic swap is relatively easy and all information you may need and all apart numbers are available on this site. If you're using a small block Chevrolet I doubt you can find a question that will be answered by doing a search. In general a 350-thru 406 displacement will prove to be an excellent choice. If you have access to a welder it will make your life much easier, but like I said to your homework, get a quality engines stand. And figure everything will cost two to three times more than your initial estimate. check list if theres any one tool you need its a good engine stand stand info you don,t need anywhere near a full selection of tools but be very carefull checking clearances and I highly advise buying a damper installation tool look at the picture carefully the small 7/16 thread ,on the tool threads into the crank, the damper slips over the tool, the large washer style bearing slips over the tool followed by the solid washer followed by the large nut that threads on the tool, the back of the tool is normally a 9/16 or 5/8 hex this is held with a box end wrench to keep the engine from turning, the large nut is usually a 1 1/8" nut and it is tightened with an open end 1 1/8" wrench or a adjustable wrench against the two washers drawing the damper onto the crank snout! lube the threads on the tool, the inside of the damper and crank snout with oil before starting. the damper will normally slide on about 1/4 of the way bye hand then the tool is needed to draw the damper on the last 3/4 of the distance, don,t over tighten the tool the 7/16" thread will snap off in the crank after the damper bottoms out on the lower timing gear if you do!, NEVER USE A HAMMER AND BLOCK OF WOOD TO DRIVE THE DAMPER ON, [color:"red"] YES THOUSANDS OF GUYS THINK THEY DID IT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS BUT...[/color] IT WILL DAMAGE THE THRUST BEARING CLEARANCES, IT CAN BREAK THE ELASTOMER TORSION RING ON STOCK DAMPERS IT CAN CAUSE THE INERTIAL RING ON FLUIDAMPER TO BECOME JAMMED INTERNALLY IT CAN CAUSE THE DAMPER TO FAIL. IF THE DAMPER FAILS THE CRANK WILL EVENTUALLY BE DAMMAGED IT GREATLY STRESSES THE CRANK SHAFT IT CAN DAMAGE THE CRANKS TRANSMISSION PILOT BEARING IT CAN DAMAGE THE TRANSNSMISSION ALMOST EVERY TYPE OF DAMAGE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOWS UP RIGHT AWAY, BUT IT WILL DANMAGE THE PARTS LISTED AND THERES THOUSANDS OF GUYS THAT ARE WONDERING WHY THOSE PARTS FAILED 6-24 MONTHs LATER WITH NO CLUE AS TO THE CAUSE! ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION, IF CRANKSHAFTS THAT ARE A FEW THOUSANDS OUT OF LINE I.E. NOT PERFECTLY STRAIT ARE BENT/STRAITEND WITH A LEAD HAMMER BY CRANK MANUFACTURES (and yes thats how its done) AND CRANKS THAT ARE DROPPED ON A CONCRETE FLoOR SOMETIMES BEND SLIGHTLY ,(happends all the time) WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT BEATING ON THEM WITH A HAMMER AND A BLOCK OF WOOD WONT DAMMAGE THEM? AND WHILE WERE AT IT WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO SOME GUY YOU CAUGHT BEATING ON YOUR ENGINE BLOCK WITH A HAMMER? WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CRANKS DOING TO YOUR MAIN CAPS WHEN YOU BEAT ON THE CRANK? PROPERLY USED THAT INSTALLATION TOOL CAN EXCERT OVER 15 TONS OF PRESSURE TO SLIDE THE DAMPER ON, IF IT WONT SLIDE ON, THERES A PROBLEM! FIND IT AND FIX IT .....DON,T BEAT ON THE DAMPER/CRANK I KNOW your not going to want to hear this at this time, but it will save you thousands of dollars and lots of wasted effort in the long run,you need to understand the basics BEFORE you START SPENDING MONEY,TAKE THE TIME TO BUY A FEW BOOKS AND READ A FEW TECH ARTICLES, TO GET THE BASICS read this , by the time you understand all the links youll have the basics http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/cam-tech.htm http://www.mercurycapri.com/technical/engine/cam/lca.html http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/rod-tech.htm http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/PICS/detonation/detonation.html http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=397334&Forum=UBB64&Words=LSA&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=3&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=397176&Search=true#Post397334 if cams are a mystery please take the time to read these, it will get you a good start http://www.newcovenant.com/speedcrafter/tech/camshaft/1.htm (read LESSONs 1-8) http://www.mercurycapri.com/technical/engine/cam/lca.html http://www.wighat.com/fcr3/confusion.htm http://www.cranecams.com/instructions/valvetrain/camfail.htm http://www.mercurycapri.com/technical/engine/cam/index.html http://www.idavette.net/hib/camcon.htm http://www.cranecams.com/master/adjustvt.htm http://www.centuryperformance.com/valveadjustment.htm http://www.totalengineairflow.com/tech/valvelashing.htm http://www.chevytalk.com/tech/engine/Cam_Selection.html http://www.chevytalk.com/tech/101/Cam_Theory.html http://www.babcox.com/editorial/ar/ar119736.htm http://www.mercurycapri.com/technical/engine/cam/vtg.html http://www.n2performance.com/lecture1.shtml http://www.symuli.com/vw/camp1.html http://www.symuli.com/vw/camp2.html http://home.wxs.nl/~meine119/tech/camqa.html http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB64&Number=200511&Forum=UBB64&Words=your%20kidding&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=200510&Search=true#Post200511 http://www.crower.com/misc/valve_timing_chart.html http://www.speedomotive.com/Building%20Tips.htm http://www.kb-silvolite.com/page05.htm http://chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/94138/ http://www.aera.org/Members/EngineTech/engine.htm http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/PICS/detonation/detonation.html if you do nothing else buy and read these books BEFORE starting the engine build I will save you THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WASTED and YEARS OF LEARN TIME http://www.73-87.com/chp/chp.htm http://chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/71298/index.html http://www.sa-motorsports.com/diyport.htm http://www.ryanscarpage.50megs.com/combos1.html DO YOURSELF A HUGE FAVOR buy these books, FIRST it will be the best money you ever spent, read them, and you will be miles ahead of the average guy. youll save thousands of dollars and thousands of hours once youve got a good basic understanding of what your trying to do! HOW TO BUILD THE SMALL BLOCK CHEVEROLET by LARRY ATHERTON&LARRY SCHREIB . HOW TO BUILD MAX PERFORMANCE CHEVY SMALL BLOCKS ON A BUDGET by DAVID VIZARD . JOHN LINGENFELTER on modifying small-block chevy engines how to build & modify CHEVROLET small-block V-8 CAMSHAFTS & VALVTRAINS BY DAVID VIZARD SMOKEY YUNICK,S POWER SECRETS SMALL BLOCK CHEVY ENGINE BUILDUPS

just some EXTREMELY IMPORTANT INFO http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/techinfo/heads1.html http://www.geocities.com/z28esser/headcomp.html http://www.dw1977.cz28.com/photo2.html the CHEVY aluminum and iron L98 cylinder heads while better than average are EVEN INFERIOR to the vortec heads in stock form. youll be FAR FAR BETTER OFF buying a good set of aftermarket cylinder heads like the TRICKFLOW,AFR,CANFIELD,PRO-1 or similar cylinder heads, I can tell you with no hint of error that your engine will produce better power if you invest in the better aftermarket heads rather than the corvette heads,because even after extensive port work they will not equal the potential airflow and will cost more after the necessary port work its hard to find any other single part that will limit your potential hp as much as the WRONG CYLINDER HEADS FOR THE APPLICATION,or matching the WRONG CAM to the CYLINDER HEADS

This is one of those cases, we'll have to check out the Canfield heads when you get them, I have seen many Canfield heads, that were in excellent condition right out of the box, but I always buy dirrect from canfield,yet I have heard, of several incidences where they were not in top condition. Wait until you get them, inspect them carefully, and if they are not to the condition you think they should be sent them back. In general. Canfield heads and I have seen have been very good condition, you can easily have been checked, and any good head porting shop with a flow bench. I think you find any major problems are obvious just by looking. In general I do not think you will have to worry about those heads being bad shape.

Just some things to keep in mind, the first one is that if the tires are not spending much of their time spining and the engine is connected to the drivetrain the engine's ability to rev,or build RPM's will be directly related to the amount of distance the car covers and the amount of time it takes to do so, if you're tires are 27 in. height, which is about the largest tire that I can imagine you sticking a modified wheel well. The tire rolls approximately 85 in. per revolution now that's approximately 185 revolutions and a quarter-mile., if your geared correctly and have the correct cylinder heads,ETC, a 383 will spend most of its time between 5800- 6200 rpm, at 327, and will more than likely be in the 6200-6700 rpm range, but will be geared and this is important it will be geared so that the car covers the same distance but has more power strokes applied during that distance, yet those power strokes have less total torque per strokes but the average torque because of the higher number of power strokes will tend to be slightly higher. But the difference will not be as large and as the you might think, playing with my computer, it would appear you only have about 8% more power strokes in the same distance covered with a smaller engine, but the larger engine in this case at 383, should have approximately 15% more power per stroke, now playing around with different gearing will allow you to keep the difference slightly smaller but no matter how you gear the car, the extra displacement longer stroke and more power per stroke of the larger engine will tend to be more useful. In the slightly higher number of power strokes with less overall torque per stroke. In short we keep coming back, to the fact, at the larger the engine , in relation to the weight of the car and more horsepower per pound we can apply the more likely we are to have the car that shows exciting performance. Also keep in mind. The car with an engine like a 406, it as a useful rpm range of 3500 rpm to 6400 rpm is going to make from much nicer car to drive and a 302 and as a useful performance rpm of 4500 rpm 7500 rpm it will also have, far less of a tendency to break or burnout parts simply because stresses cumulative and the higher the RPMs involved the greater the stress. I have built lots of 383 engines and have over 100,000 mi. on them, most of the 302-327 size engines are used to build, have been upgraded to the 383 displacement simply because the owners got tired of watching taillights, those engines all made excellent power, but the power range was slightly narrower and less useful on the street, a something the owners eventually came around to realize. The only reason I don't build almost exclusively 406 displacement engines is that the 400 blocks of far harder to find in good condition, than the much more common 350 blocks which I build 383s from and yes theres a hell of alot more factors involved and yes thats just a rough over view, and it disreguards many other things

hey grumpy what kind of engineer were you? TAKE YOUR PICK, they all fit OLD TIRED MECHANICAL ELECTRICAL MARRIED RETIRED GRUMPY MOSTLY UNDERFUNDED GROUCHY HAS BROKEN ANKLE EXPERIANCED HAS TWO KIDS 21 & 30

lets look at the differances quickly your standard 23 degree cylinder heads , even better ones available, normally an intake flow numbers in the 270 -310 CFM range, Stock Chevrolet heads rarely surpassed 240 cfm, most of the 23 degree heads the stock components like rocker arms, push rods,etc. and you probably get away with the costs including the cylinder heads and rocker arms and push rods of under $1700-$1900 heres the 210 AFR flow numbers in the 12-18 degree heads normally cannot use any of the stock components, require special push rods, special rocker arms, and of course the different cylinder heads themselves,many if not most require offset roller lifter cams, special machine work,special headers,special pistons,and they are designed to work best only at high rpmd(above 5000rpm) and high valve lifts(above .600 lift) port size can run 235-290cc,cost of the complete setup , including the heads,cam,rockers,pushrods,intake,and special machine work seldom come in under $4500 and frequently much higher, but you do get the increased air flow that allows a 358-410 cid displacement to make 650hp- plus in a correctly set up engine, short answer, there great if you have very deep pockets, but they are not to be thought of as a standard or cheap upgrade http://www.brodix.com/onlinecatalog/page31-32/12X12-286CHARTSM.gif

you might want to look this over http://www.turbobuicks.com/members/scottiegnz/vette-irs-swap.htm and think about a dana 44

http://www.wondermagnets.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/WMSstore.pl?user_action=detail&catalogno=0001 everyone , reading this should buy 4 of those #1 magnets and install them in their engines oil pan,run the engine for a few months , pull the oil pan and then tell me what you find,If you wan,t Ill save you some time, youll find a larger collection of metallic dust than you would ever want embedded in the engines bearings , stuck to those magnets, and youll find the bearings looking far better than they ever looked before!

http://www.wondermagnets.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/WMSstore.pl?user_action=detail&catalogno=0001 if you don,t believe me spend $12 , buy 2 and find out! (just don,t get your finger between them or they will instantly prove to you that being dumb HURTS!)

baddriver Those computer magnets make excellent engine magnets and if you can get them cheaply grab all you can and no you're not trying to be cheap, you're trying to use what you have available to you, and that's one important hot rodding skill Nowas far as the oil screen goes, they are designed to be used at the track to check the engine condition they are not designed for streetcars they tend to clog up over time I would definitely not run one on the street but it is a good thing to have on your filter when you're at the track you can spin off the filter and check for any emminant problems, I would remove it before leaving the track if it's you were only transportation it might help if you looked at it as a fuse that tells you when something is about to go wrong