grumpyvette

well just because I KNOW IM CORRECT HERE,(let that stuff hit the fan, I can prove my points) this company can sell you a 8 qt pan that will fit your block for about $100, www.midwestmotorsportsinc.com&TITLE=Midwest_Motorsport" if you have the chance go an get a better baffled higher capacity oil pan that is engineered to control the oil supply better, NOTICE not once did I say spend tons of money, please pay attention while I prove my case! http://www.melling.com/highvol.html http://www.melling.com/engoil.html ok lets look at a few things, pressure is the result of a resistance to flow , no matter how much oil is put out by the oil pump there is almost no pressure unless there is a resistance to that oil flow and the main resistance is from oil trying to flow through the bearing surface clearances and once the pumps output pressure exceeds the engines ability to accept the oilflow at the max pressure the oil return system/bypass spring allows the oil circles back through the pump ,now the amount of oil flow necessary to reach the furthest parts in the engine from the oil pump does not go up in direct relation to rpm, but it instead increases with rpm at a steadly increaseing rate that increases faster than the engine rpm due to centrifugal force draining the oil from the rods as they swing faster and faster since energy increases with the square of the velocity the rate of oil use goes up quite a bit faster due to the greatly increased (G-FORCES) pulling oil from the rod bearings over 5000rpm going to 8000rpm than the rate of oil flow increases from 2000 rpm to 5000rpm (the same 3000rpm spread) and remember the often stated (10 lbs per 1000rpm)needs to be measured at the furthest rod and main bearing from the pump not at the pump itself, next lets look at the oil flow itself, you have about 5-6 quarts in an average small block now the valve covers never get and hold more than about 1/3 to 2/3 of a quart each even at 8000 rpm (high speed photography by SMOKEY YUNICK doing stock car engine research with clear plastic valve covers prove that from what Ive read) theres about 1 quart in the lifter gallery at max and theres about 1 quart in the filter and in the oil passages in the block, that leaves at least 2 quarts in the pan at all times and for those that want to tell me about oil wrapped around the crankshaft at high rpms try squirting oil on a spinning surface doing even 2000rpm (yes thats right its thrown off as fast as it hits by centrifugal force, yes its possiable for the crankshaft WITHOUT A WINDAGE SCREEN to keep acting like a propeler and pulling oil around with it in the crank case but thats what the wrap around style milodon type windage screen is designed to stop)the only way to run out of oil is to start with less than 4 quarts or to plug the oil return passages in the lifter gallery with sludge or gasket material! now add a good windage tray and a crank scrapper and almost all the oil is returned to the sump as it enters the area of the spinning crankshaft! forming a more or less endless supply to the oil pump, BTW almost all pro teams now use DRY SUMP SYSTEMS WITH POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT GERATOR PUMPS that are 3,4,or 5 stage pumps each section of which has more voluum than a standard voluum oil pump because its been found total oil control is necessary at high rpms to keep bearings cool and lubed NOW I POSTED THIS BEFORE BUT IT NEEDs REPEATING ok look at it this way,what your trying to do here is keep an pressureized oil film on the surface of all the bearings to lube and cool them and have enough oil spraying from the rod and main bearing clearances to lube the cam and cylinder walls/rings. now a standard pump does a good job up to 5000rpm and 400 hp but above 6000rpm and 400hp the bearings are under more stress and need more oilflow to cool and because the pressure on the bearings is greater you need higher pressures to maintain that oilfilm.lets look at the flow verus pressure curve. since oil is a liquid its non-compressable and flow will increase with rpm up to the point where the bypass circuit starts to re-route the excess flow at the point were the pressure exceeds the bypass spring pressure. but the voluum will be equal to the pumps sweep voluum times the rpm of the pump, since the high voluum pump has a sweep voluum 1.3-1.5 times the standard pump voluum it will push 1.3-1.5 times the voluum of oil up to the bypass cicuit cut in point,that means that since the engine bearings leakage rate increases faster as the rpms increase because the clearances don,t change but the bleed off rate does that the amount of oil and the pressure that it is under will increase faster and reach the bypass circuit pressure faster with the high voluum pump. the advantage here is that the metal parts MUST be floated on that oil film to keep the metal parts from touching/wearing and the more leakage points the oil flows by the less the voluum of oil thats available for each leakage point beyond it and as the oil heats up it becomes easier to push through the clearences.now as the rpms and cylinder preasures increase in your goal to add power the loads trying to squeeze that oil out of those clearances also increase. ALL mods that increase power either increase rpms,cylinder preasures or reduce friction or mechanical losses. there are many oil leakage points(100) in a standard chevy engine. 16 lifter to push rod points 16 pushrod to rocker arm points 32 lifter bores 16 x 2 ends 10 main bearing edges 9 cam bearing edges 16 rod bearing edges 2 distributor shaft leaks 1 distributor shaft to shim above the cam gear(some engines that have an oil pressure feed distributor shaft bearing.) so the more oil voluum the better.chevy did an excelent job in the design but as the stresses increase the cooling voluum of the extra oil available from the larger pump helps to prevent lubracation delivery failure, do you need a better pump below 5000rpm or 400hp (no) above that level the extra oil will definitely help possiable deficient oil flow and bearing cooling and a simple increase in pressure does not provide a big increase in voluum that may be necessary to keep that oil film in the correct places at the correct voluum at all times.the stock system was designed for a 265cid engine in a passenger car turning a max of about 6000 rpm but only haveing the stress of under 300hp transmitted to the bearings, Im sure the orriginal designers never thought that the sbc or bbc would someday be asked to on occasion hold up to 450-800hp and 6000-8000 rpm.nore did they forsee valvesprings that placed 500lbs and up loads on the lifters and the use of over 9 to 1 compression ratios in the original design so the oil voluums and pressures necessary to cool those valve springs and bearings at those stress levels were never taken into account for that either. the oil pump can only pump as much oil as the engine clearances allow at the max pressure that the oil pump bye -pass circuit will allow, and no more. for your idea to be correct (which it could be under some conditions)the oil flow through the engine clearances would need to be so great that the pump turning at 3500rpm,7000rpm engine speed(remember the pump spins 1/2 the speed the crank does)and most likely pumping at max pressure could lower the oil level to the point that the pick-up becomes uncovered or a vortex as you call it forms and the pump starts sucking air. now under hard acceleration it is very possiable for the pickup on ANY oil pump to to become uncovered in a oil pan that has less than 5qt capacity and with no oil control baffles as the oil rushes to the rear of the oil pan if the pick-up is located in mid pan or under hard brakeing if the pick-up is located at the rear of the pan on a non- oil baffle controlled pan. I will grant you that it is possiable for ANY oil pump to pump a good amount of oil into the lifter gallery at high rpms IF THE OIL RETURN PASSAGES IN THE HEADS AND LIFTER GALLERY ARE BLOCKED, preventing its normal return to the crankcase , but running a high volume oil pump will have little or nothing to do with how much oil is in the pan if the engines drain back holes are clear and your useing a milodon style windage screen. I have several times had that same complaint about lack of oil pressure under acceleration but it is caused by a non-baffled pan or the pickup mounted so close to the pan bottom that the pump cant get a good intake flow, if you carefully check youll find that on a dyno runs it seldom happens,because the oil is constantly removed by the windage screen is returned to the sump, most of the oil pumped into the system exits at the rod and main bearing clearances or at the cam bearings and from the lifter bores lower ends, its not the constant oil flow or lack of oil into the rocker arms that has the big effect on total oil flow as SMOKEY YUNICKS PHOTOGRAPIC RESEARCH PROVED YEARS AGO,its the oil flowing from the bearings and lifters and that oil flow is quickly returned to the sump by a windage screen scrapeing it off the spinning crank and rods as the spinning assembly passes over the windage screen. in effect most of the oil in an engine works like your timeing chain in that it constantly cycles top to botton and back never getting higher than the cam bearing lifter area. now what does quite frequently happen is that the guys installing a high volume oil pump just swap out the standard pump, reinstall the stock or simular pick-up and bolt on the pan with the pick-up in the stock possition on the oil pump. the stock pick-up is mounted about 3/8" off the pan bottom,the high volume pump is normally equiped with impeller gears about .3 inches longer than stock, the high volume pump body is that much lower in the pan, resultting in the pick-up being only about 1/8" from the pan bottom. the result is that on a normal chevy oil pump pick-up this leave a space of about 1/8" x 2.5" for oil to flow into the pump. at low rpms this works but as the rpms climb the pick-up that can,t get any oil to pump cavitates as it spins and fails to pump oil, result oil pressure drops untill rpms are lowered no matter how much oil is over the pick-up. simply checking to make sure that anout 1/2" of space is under the pick-up when the pan is installed cures that problem (a simple trick is to weld a 1/2" thick nut to the oil pump Pick-up base and test fitting the pan BEFORE WELDING THE PICK-UP TO THE PUMP BODY) what it comes down too in every case that Ive looked into so far is a improperly positioned pick-up or a non- baffled oil pan without a windage screen or less than 5 qts of oil in the system, not a problem of all available oil being pumped into the lifter gallery and valve covers like some people would like you to think. the MELLING COMPANY HAS THIS TO SAY Most of the stock automobile engines are designed to operate from idle to 4500 RPM. The original volume and pressure oil pump will work fine in this type of application. As the demands on the engine increase so does the demands on the oiling system and pump. The oil pump's most difficult task is to supply oil to the connecting rod bearing that is the farthest from the pump. To reach this bearing, the oil travels from three to four feet, turns numerous square corners thru small holes in the crankshaft to the rod bearing. The rod bearing doesn't help matters. It is traveling in a circle which means centrifugal force is pulling the oil out of the bearing. A 350 Chevy has a 3.4811 stroke and a 2.111 rod journal. The outer edge of the journal travels 17.5311 every revolution. At 1000 RPM, the outer edge is traveling at 16.6 MPH and 74.7 MPH at 4500 RPM. If we take this engine to 6500 the outer edge is up to 107.9 and at 8500 it is 141.1 MPH. Now imagine driving a car around a curve at those speeds and you can feel the centrifugal force. Now imagine doing it around a circle with a 5.581, diameter. The size of the gears or rotors determines the amount of oil a pump can move at any given RPM. Resistance to this movement creates the pressure. If a pump is not large enough to meet the demands of the engine, there will not be any pressure. Or if the demands of the engine are increased beyond the pumps capabilities there will be a loss of oil pressure. This is where high volume pumps come in; they take care of any increased demands of the engine. Increases in the engine's oil requirements come from higher RPM, being able to rev faster, increased bearing clearances, remote oil cooler and/or filter and any combination of these. Most high volume pumps also have a increase in pressure to help get the oil out to the bearings faster. That is what a high volume pump will do. Now let Is consider what it will not do. It will not replace a rebuild in a worn-out engine. It may increase pressure but the engine is still worn-out. It will not pump the oil pan dry. Both solid and hydraulic lifters have metering valves to limit flow of the oil to the top of the engine. If a pan is pumped dry, it is because the holes that drain oil back to the pan are plugged. If the high volume pump is also higher pressure, there will be a slight increase in flow to the top. It will not wear out distributor gears. The load on the gear is directly related to the resistance to flow. Oil pressure is the measure of resistance to flow. The Ford 427 FE "side oiler" used a pump with relief valve set at 125 psi and it used a standard distributor gear. Distributor gear failures are usually caused by a worn gear on a new cam gear and/or worn bearings allowing misalignment. It will not cause foaming of the oil. With any oil pump, the excess oil not needed by the engine is recirculated within the pump. Any additional foaming is usually created by revving the engine higher. The oil thrown from the rod bearings is going faster and causes the foaming. This is why high performance engines use a windage tray. It will not cause spark scatter. Because of the pump pressure there is a load on the distributor gear. The number of teeth on the oil pump gears determine the number of impulses per revolution of the pump. In a SB Chevy there are seven teeth on each gear giving 14 impulses per revolution. At 6000 RPM the oil pump is turning 3000 RPM or 50 revolutions per second. To have an effect on the distributor, these impulses would have to vibrate the distributor gear through an intermediate shaft that has loose connections at both ends. Spark scatter is usually caused by weak springs in the points or dust inside the distributor cap.

corZette hey,corZette did that rear main fix your problem, how close are you to getting the engine up and running

http://dab7.cranecams.com/SpecCard/DisplayCatalogCard.asp?PN=113841&B1=Display+Card the wider LSA and lower duration will smooth the idle some and broaden the torque peak

Helldrives next time you have a bare block with the freeze plugs removed ready to take to a machine shop for boiling out look carefully into the area around the outside of the cylinders inside the block where the coolent normally flows, youll notice that the bottom of the freeze plug holes are about 1/3 up the cylinder bore length, most of the engines heat is generated in the upper 1/2 of the cylinder and the heads so filling only the lower 1/3 of the coolent passage around the cylinders strengthens the cylinder walls but if DONE CORRECTLY has little effect on cooling efficiency

here read. it will help, if you don,t read the links the time and effort is wasted, its worth your time and effort to learn the tips http://www.sa-motorsports.com/blockdiy/blkdiy.htm http://www.hardblok.com/info.html http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1185/n8_v32/21148174/p1/ar ticle.jhtml?term=chevy+%2Bcombustion+%2Bchamber+design http://www.speedomotive.com/building%20tips.htm http://www.se-r.net/engine/block_prep.html http://racerhelp.com/article_racing-10.html now in addition to that info , heres what I do (1) get the block totally cleaned, DEGREASED and CHECKED by a GOOD MACHINE SHOP BEFORE INVESTING MONEY IN IT! (2) have new cam bearings and freeze plugs , oil plugs,installed only after all other machine work is done and after a extensive recleaning of all the oil passages just prior to starting assembly (3) screens over the oil drain back holes are a good idea ONLY if your willing to change oil and filters very frequently (4) several powerfull magnets in the oil pan and one in the rear of each cylinderhead to trap small metal parts is EXCELLENT INSURANCE (5) polishing and smoothing the valve edges and combustion chambers helps prevent detonation (6)never fill the water passages higher than the bottom of the freeze plug holes on a street engine (7) 7 or more qt oil pans with BAFFLES AND A WINDAGE SCREEN like MILODON MAKES are a GREAT IDEA (8)personally I use standard voluum BIG BLOCK OIL PUMPS or high voluum sbc oil pumps in those 7 qt plus oil pans (9) ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURERS INSTRUCTIONS UNLESS YOUR TRUELY POSSITIVE YOU KNOW BETTER (10) measure everthing at least 3 times and get the clearances CORRECT, not close! (11) use all ARP studs and bolts and get EVERYTHING BALLANCED, take your time ,ask questions and do it correctly the first time btw heres where you get the magnets and use no smaller than 1/8" grid screen EPOXYed IN PLACE, http://www.wondermagnet.com/dev/magnets.html (I use the #1,2 and #42)

your totally correct about that higher ratio gear =quicker car, lower ratio gear= faster car but!!!!! use the calc. below (even with a 4.56 rear gear your only spinning the engine 6200rpm at 160mph with that .62 overdrive top gearing, a 3.73 drops it to 5100rpm at 160mph http://users.erols.com/srweiss/calcrgr.htm http://users.erols.com/srweiss/calcrpm.htm since the cars far more likely to spend most of its time in the 40mph-110mph range the lower gearing makes more sence in a performance car with that overdrive top gearing trans.

IT will depend on your priorities do a search and read these posts Ideal rpms at highway speeds? why you should stay under 7000rpm YOUR engines RED LINE but if I was building the car Id use this calc to match the rpms of the engine to about 2650rpm to 75mph in top gear ( overdrive #2,or .62 ratio), and 7000rpm in the lights at the 1/4 mile in 1:1 ratio) thats about a 4.56 rear gearing BTW and will give you about a 160mph top speed http://www.sallee-chevrolet.com/ChevyTransmissions/gmt56.html http://users.erols.com/srweiss/calcrgr.htm http://users.erols.com/srweiss/calcrpm.htm

(1)YOU NEED the two washers (2)no! before you ask! hardware store washers can NOT be used!because the washers are required to have a beveled inner edge that matches the underside of the bolt head and the washers need to be a specific hardness, dia, and thickness plus have a surface smoothness that allows correct torque readings (3)summit carries them in small packs for those of us that replace them frequently BTW

the cam you pick is an excellet choice if your only spinning the engine to about 5500rpm, your'86 305TPI motor matches the cam perfectly, I used the same cam in a 350 to run low- mid 13s in my vette when I first bought it. 1.6 rockers will help your cam in that engine and matches the TPIs intake and cylinder heads flow curve but I doubt youll gain more that about 5-7 hp. here these ported runners should give you about 20-25hp once modifyed http://www.slponline.com/view_product.asp?PARTNUMBER=20002 I payed $300 for these several years ago so this is a good deal if your still running a TPI, BTW it won,t come close to what changing to a STEATH RAM INTAKE will do for you but heres a few ideas on how to get the most out of yout SLP runners and ported plenun on your TPI siameseing your runners over the upper 1/3 to 1/2 of thier internal length when combined with a ported base does raise the rpm levels your engine will effectively make power in by about 500-700rpm (a worth while gain ) but I would NOT ADVISE SIAMESEING the base as just the upper runners show the gains from my testing http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~davis/z28/buildup/plenum/ http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/siameseport.shtml things to read http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/faq/thirdgen.shtml http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/tpimod1.shtml

Ok I get lots of questions on how to build a good street engine and how to find and match the correct parts, now Im going to be refering to your average hot street combos built on a budget with easily available parts. first the math (1)youll be limited to about 1.2 hp per cid on engine size (2) YOULL BE LIMITER to about 6400rpm with HYDROLIC flat tappet cams and about 7500rpm with SOLID LIFTER flat tappet cams (3)piston speeds that exceed 4000fpm usually lead to trouble (4)dynamic compression ratios of over about 8.3:1-8.5:1 with aluminum heads or about 7.8:1-8:1 with iron heads can cause detonation problems (5)the formula for matching POTENTIAL HP to INTAKE PORT FLOW is (.257 x port flow at max cam lift x 8(3 of CYLINDERs)= POTENTIAL hp (6) look closely at the duration used for each MATCHING rpm range. ALSO KEEP IN MIND THE DCR AND OVERLAP MUST MATCH look here these are the valve timeing overlap ranges that are most likely to work correctly trucks/good mileage towing 10-35 degs overlap daily driven low rpm performance 30-55degs overlap hot street performance 50-75 degs overlap oval track racing 70-95degs overlap dragster/comp eliminator engines 90-115 degs overlap but all engines will need the correct matching dcr for those overlap figures to correctly scavage the cylinders in the rpm ranges that apply to each engines use range OK now lets follow the rules and build an engine suitable for the average street strip car and lets set the goals at pushing a 3400 lb car to 12.5 seconds in the 1/4 mile with a 3.08 rear gear, and TH350 (JUST TO SCREW THINGS UP BECAUSE USEING A 4.11 RATIO MAKES THINGS TO EASY) 26.5" tires and an auto transmission to simulate an average late 70s car. well the first thing we are going to need to know is how much hp /tq will we need useing this quick guide http://www.prestage.com/carmath/calc_ETMPH.asp we find that we need about 375 rear wheel hp or 469 flywheel hp to easily run very low 12s those 3.08 rear gears and 26.5" tires we will only be spinning about 4900rpm in the lights so well need an engine with lots of mid range tq, the 469 flywheel hp says we will require heads that flow at least about 230-240 cfm at about .48-.499 lift if we figure that we must build a hydrolic cammed torque monster that has very high intake port speeds for good volumetric efficiency in the mid rpm ranges to get the tq curve correct for those crappy 3.08 rear gears, the cam rpm chart shows we will need a cam in the 230@.050 duration range with about a 50-75 degree overlap and we need about 390-406 cid mimimum to get 469hp, REMEMBER WE ARE ONLY SPINNING 4900rpm in the lights so an engine that makes most of its hp at far higher rpms is a waste, that combined with the low rpm range would make a 383-406 the first choices here. http://www.prestage.com/carmath/calc_gears.asp so what we wind up with is a 406 with a 10.5:1 static compression, a comp cams #12-246-3 cam with 190cc AFR heads as the smallest port heads that flow enough air at that low duration http://www.compcams.com/information/search/CamDetails.asp?PartNumber=12-246-3 open headers 1 5/8" full length,at the track, an 850 carb and a dual plane intake. a 3000rpm stall speed, shifts at about 5500rpm now theres other combos and ways of getting there but you get the idea about how the parts should all be working towards the goal and within the restrictions , drop a cam like the crane cams #114681 and your hp goes up but above the rpm range that you ideally need it in altho the results are still good, a 3.73-4.11 rear gear would make the change to the solid lifter crane cam a far better choice now lets look at your combo, to keep the most torque (and keep in mind your parts are designed for torque not high rpms) youll need to keep the duration fairly low. because youve got about 9:1 compression and a cam with more than about 215 degs@ .050 will have a low torque curve untill the rpms pick up to about 3000rpm, most of your parts are designed for low to mid range torque also , an OPEN 3.90 rear will not allow you to put to much power to the ground either. this cam and a 2000rpm stall match well but will limit your rpms to about 5200rpm http://www.compcams.com/information/search/CamDetails.asp?PartNumber=12-234-2 but by going just one step larger like this cam below you will allow the engine to pull to about 5700 rpm and would be my choice because anything larger and the rest of your parts won,t support the rpm range anyway http://www.compcams.com/information/search/CamDetails.asp?PartNumber=12-238-2

the HOLLEY STEATH RAM is almost the perfect EFI tunnel ram style intake to use in a turbo setup,

info you might use http://www.drivetrain.com/gmt56inst.html http://www.sallee-chevrolet.com/BorgWarner/bwt56pics.html Listed below are the critical dimensions of the T56 in comparison to T5 and traditional four-speed transmissions. Metric dimensions are converted to inches, rounded off to the nearest 0.1 inch. Trans model A B C D E F GM Super T10, Muncie, Saginaw 6.3 14.2 23.0 N/A N/A 3.75 GM T5 (V8) 6.3 16.0 25.0 19.0 21.2 3.75 GM T56 F-car (production) 4.9 21.0 26.4 21.1 23.9 3.75 GM T56 F-car (aftermarket)1 6.3 21.5 27.0 21.6 21.6 3.75 Notes: 1. Dimensions B through E include 0.5-inch-thick adapter plate

you NEED to get your oil temp to about 215 degrees (F) to allow it to burn off the moisture and lubericate CORRECTLY. you will make the best power on almost all engines with the water temp in the 180-210 degree range and the air as cold and dense as you can get it. oil temps MUST go above about 215 degs (F) to remove all water from the oil that forms when the engine cools and the moisture in the air trapped in the engine condenses that otherwise would form acids in the engine from combustion byproducts. next point is that as engine temps are raised the vapor formed as fuel hits hot surfaces becomes easier to hold in the port air flow and the smaller the fuel particals are the faster and more completely they burn. SMOKEY YUNICK did alot of testing for G.M. for the NASCAR GUYS , heres some quotes from him on the subject, on coolent temps "running an engine at 180 degs will drop the overall hp by 2%-3%, for max power the coolent temp. should be at least 200 degs on oil temps...."the operateing temp of the oil is one of the most important aspects of racing engine operation.....the oil temp must be between 230f and 260f degs...but 260F degs is about the safe upper limit if your useing mineral base oil.. now concidering how much G.M. payed in dyno time to find that out!!!!!! use the info!!! it takes 212 degs to boil water and at 213 degs PLUS any water mixed in the oil can,t remain in a liquid state at sea level air pressure and will boil out of the oil as its heated and sprayed around on the hot interior engine surfaces. now a little trick Ive been useing is to use a 195 deg thermostat but I drill about 8 3/32" holes in the perimmeter flange, this alows a steady but restricted flow of coolent over booth sides of the thermostat and no chance of an air pocket insulating the thermostat delaying its openning responce time, this tends to keep the engine coolent temps at about 190 degrees and rock steady except while seriously racing and even then they rise slower, a good oil cooler and a 7-9 qt oil pan will also help keep temps stable. and one of these, is a cheap effective way to drop oil temps about 10 degrees http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=1734&prmenbr=361 [This message has been

looks good , brings back memmorys, youll LOVE the results

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- automatic transmissions like the 700r4 with a 3200-3500rpm stall converter would seem to be the easiest to install , give you overdrive gearing and eliminate all the clutch, shifting B.S. and if set up correctly will make the car very fast and consistant, manual transmissions can rarely handle the torque and hp loads as long without problems and cost way more money. the 383-406 sbc engine is the cheapest to build and if the correct parts are used produces a 450hp plus engine for less money than any other combo. it also is one of the smaller combos that can be made to fit. if your buck$ up a LS1 vette engine/corvette rear/trans combo modified to fit your car will also make a nice combo but will easily cost $10,000 by the time its installed and have several fabracation problems that the first gen 383-406 sbc will avoid. presonally Ive been looking for a clean 300zx at a good price to install a V-8 in. I personally like the body style and as most of you know if you have access to a plasma cutter and mig welder theres not much that you can,t easily do to make the swap work. (I have several 454bbc engines looking for a home and I bet a carefully planed swap would be a real (HOOT!) as the old guys used to say.

Ive tried to stay out of this but I might as well jump in and get involvedIve done this many times its not that hard. heres what I do, get some of that plastic smurf tubeing in the 2" dia size and some ceiling hanger wire and some of that hard set constuction isullation foam. now weld 1" stubs of the exhaust tube to the header flange exhaust ports and bolt it to the cylinder heads. clamp the collectors to a 6 foot section of 2x6" wood and jack it up solid under the car (collectors not touching the car anywhere)to position them where you want them under the car, now cut (8) sections of smurf tubeing too about 36"-42" long(theres a formula to figure the exact length)slide 4-6 pieces of ceiling suspension wire in each tube with the ends looped over inside the tube. now startin with the upper inside collector position and the rear exhaust port, bend and fit the smurf tubeing to fit, the next forward exhaust port goes to the lower inside collector port the next exhaust to the upper outside collector port and the furthest forward to the lower outside collector port , once they are all bent to fit shoot the tubes full of hardening construction foam, let it harden and then pull each individual tube off one at a time and duplicate it in steel tubeing,(or have your local muffler shop duplicate it) this method REALLY makes the fit and try time minimal. and assures equal length tube headers.SMURF TUBE is flexable plastic electrical conduit thats normally BLUE or ORANGE and COMMONLY called smurf tubeing by contractors its a plastic version of that metal GREENFIELD tubeing that electrical contractors use but its cheaper and easier to work with, it resembles a canister type vacuum cleaner pickup hose but stiffer, its available at big hardware stores,and electrical supply houses dirt cheap in 10' lengths about $6 each or les you will need (3)BTW the 4-6 wires act like rebar in concrete, the loops keep the wires from moveing in the foam while their incased in the construction foam, the hard plastic foam is what keeps it stiff and no it will not be exact you will still need to tweak it to get it to fit but it will speed up the process of making the tube pattern shapes. just keep in mind that you can buy headers fairly cheaply (under $300 in many cases) for most cars its when you go and get an odd ball combo this comes in handy, like putting a 502bbc in a 57 vette or a 392 hemi in a 63 falcon, or you need headers for a LS1 in you 67 camaroHERES INFO YOU CAN USE! ]http://www.ssheaders.com/images/MergeCollectors.jpg[/img] http://www.schoenfeldheaders.com/bbflanges.htmhttp://www.headersbyed.com/hdrkits.htm http://www.ssheaders.com/header.htm heres a quick way to figure your true primairy tube length (use 1250f degs(950k) and 5000rpm for race cars, 1200 degs(922K) and 3000rpm for street cars) http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~allan/fluids/page7/PipeLength/pipe.html if you want other temps look here, http://www.convertalot.com/downloads.html heres a quick cross check http://www.btinternet.com/~mezporting/exhaust_length.html http://www.slowgt.com/Calc2.htm#Header http://www.prestage.com/carmath/calc_headerlength.asp or if your really lazy http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/header-tech-c.htm and the answers in meters (about39"=1 meter) but if you just use 36"-40" it will just move your tuned rpm level up or down slightly, not enough to make much differance except on a very peaky engine combo in a very light car.and this assumes your tube dia. is the same size as your exhaust port size.(never smaller, slightly larger dia. is ok.) btw mild steel is much easier to work with than stainless http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/flomstr1e.htm http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLine/Products/ES/ESH/WeldUp.html a pipe dia. that is small enought to partly block the exhaust port can hurt the cylinder scavageing by causeing turbulance and restrictions at the port exit, while a primary tube size slightly larger than the port leaves a ledge that partly retards returning pressure waves from reduceing the scavageing effect ,...USE THE CALCULATOR PROGRAMS THATS WHAT THEY ARE THERE FOR and keep in mind the displacement and rpm levels effect the dia. and length of both the primaries and collectors, these MUST VARY IN DIA. and LENGTH TO MATCH THE ENGINES EXHAUST PULSE TIMEING so that a NEGATIVE PRESSURE WAVE WILL BE CORRECTLY TIMED to SCAVAGE THE CYLINDERS EFFICIENTLY at the desired rpm range http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~allan/fluids/page7/PipeLength/pipe.html if you want other temps look here, http://www.convertalot.com/downloads.html heres a quick cross check http://www.btinternet.com/~mezporting/exhaust_length.html http://www.slowgt.com/Calc2.htm#Header (btw its not((Degrees ATDC) they mean subtract the BBDC from 180 degs. then use the answer and the rpm level should be picked for the expected torque peak http://www.prestage.com/carmath/calc_headerlength.asp or if your really lazy http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/header-tech-c.htm and the answers in meters (about 39"=1 meter) example , my 383 vette has a cam with exhaust cam timing that opens at 83degs bbdc, thats 97 degs atdc, http://dab7.cranecams.com/SpecCard/DisplayCatalogCard.asp?PN=119661&B1=Display+Card Bore: (Inches) 4.03" Exhaust Valve Opening Point: (Degrees ATDC) 97 degs Peak Power RPM: 5500rpm Calculated information appears below Header Pipe Diameter: (Inches) 1.84" Header Pipe Length: (Inches) 37.65 Collector Diameter: (Inches) 3.5" Collector Length: (Inches) 18.82" btw DD2000 guesses at 516hp/514tq http://www.chevytalk.org/forums/Forum64/HTML/005497.html

if you already have the 300-36 I would not waste money on the RPM intake the differance will not be that much. both the canfield and trickflow 23 deg heads are good choices but the afr heads do have a slight edge in performance

BUILD AND RUN THE 400 sbc/114681 cam/10.5-11:1 cpr/PERFORMER RPM combo having built and run that combo many times with good heads (Canfield 195cc, Pro Top Line 200cc, or AFR 195cc 64cc chamber, straight plug,TRICKFLOW 23 deg ® series) I can tell you I SERIOUSLY doubt youll feel underpowered!!!!!

(1)looking at the picture its obvious that MARK'S PERFORMANCE ENGINES PHOENIX, AZ appears to be and most likely is some kids garage (2) after reading the E-mail Id say that anyone DUMB ENOUGHT TO BUY FROM HIM IS A CERTIFIABLE IDIOT (3)yes used blocks in near new condition have become more stable as to the dimensions after heating and cooling several dozen times, but be aware that corrosion takes a toll over time and its not at all unusual for a block thats more than 15 years old to have corroaded to the point that its unusable IF electrolosis or plain water not anti-freeze was used over long periods , marine blocks can corroad to the point they are almost falling apart in only a few years if salt water is used for direct in block cooling

the guys are correct check for a parts list and GET EVERYTHING LISTED IN WRITING, IT WILL cost about $7000 or more to build a 600hp 400 sbc and about $5000 for a 500hp 350 minimum (complete engine carb to pan/non-nitrous) so its likely that the (B.S.) is deep ! yes once in awhile good deals are out there but Id bet the B.S. is more plentiful than the dyno proven hp

lets make this much simpler http://www.slowgt.com/Calc2.htm#PistSpeed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.slowgt.com/Calc2.htm#PistSpeed http://www.axis-engineering.com/Geometry.htm http://www.geocities.com/rustyatv/sampcalc.html http://www.ucalgary.ca/~csimpson/Tech/Calculations.html http://www.victorylibrary.com/mopar/rod-tech-c.htm http://www.prestage.com/carmath/calc_pistonspeed.asp http://www.rapidline.com/calc/engine/pcpiston.htm http://www.stahlheaders.com/Lit_Rod%20Length.htm

heres info you can use, btw I build more BBC than SBC engines ,those #290 heads make nice hot street heads on a 427 if they get the larger valves and minor port work done to them,but theres no way that they can compete with a good set of aftermarket heads, now if you install the bigger valves (2,19/1.88) and do the port work those 290 heads should get you easily in the 10s with a well built 427 if you put it in your (Z) instead of the truck These oval port cylinder head will fit all 1965-1996 Mark IV and Gen V or VI 396 thorough 502 cubic inch big block Chevrolet engines. They are fully machined with semi-finished Bronze Alloy guides and semi-finished valve seats that use 2.19/1.88" valves. These high velocity "290cc intake runners enhance mid range throttle response and torque. The exhaust runner volume is 110cc., the 110cc semi open combustion chamber design will make a very streetable compression ratio. Spring DIA is 1.55", with 7/16" rocker stud holes. These accept all stock accessory brackets except Gen V where the bracket holes have been enlared to 7/16". The roller studs and exhaust bolt holes are heli-coiled for strength. Technical Notes: These heads are made from 356-T6 aluminum alloy. The 9/16" deck surface is for maximum strength and greater head gasket sealing . Designed for 3/8" push rod diameter. These heads require cylinder head bolt kit P/N 12367779. Use the following performance head gasket 1965-90 with standard bore to 4.370" use P/N 12363414 and with 4.47" to 4.540" use P/N 12363413, and with GEN V 1991-98 engines with standard to 4.370" use P/N 12363412, with bores of 4.47" to 4.54" use gasket P/N 12363411. The semi-finished bronze guide can be finished either 11/32" or 3/8" . The inter-locking hardened valve seat will accept leaded or unleaded gas. Use intake gasket P/N 12366985. casting #12363391 you may have the casting #s 391/291 confused http://home.hiwaay.net/~ppatter/patrick_budd_article.htm http://rodshack.port5.com/t_torque_big_block.htm 3964290....69-70...oval..CLOSED..396, 402, 427, 454, 101cc chamber 3964290 427 and 454 1966-1970 Closed chamber 3963512 1969 - 71 427 454 390 / 425 COPO 360 / 365 hp 2 & 4 bolt http://www.chevytalk.org/forums/Forum64/HTML/014034.html http://www.chevytalk.org/forums/Forum64/HTML/014113.html

BTW it occured to me that one of the most important parts of the question was not answered , what is the cars speed AT cruiseing rpms ? well you should be cruiseing at those rpm ranges someware in the 55mph-75mph range thats for sure or your likely to get hit in the rear by most freeway traffic where I live and I don,t know about you but with my overdrive trans I sure want to be at or close too 75mph and no more than that 2647 rpm on a long trip cross country. now keep in mind that your not going to be useing that overdrive highway final drive ratio while drag racing and haveing a slightly taller set of tires for long trips is an option that helps, also keep in mind that the rear gear ratio and trans gearing must be set up to match your engines rpm/tq curve for best performance. lets look at a few examples my 1985 vette has a 700r4 (SHORTLY TO BE A 4L80E) the torque curve of my engine says I need to race in the 3500-6500rpm range yet for trips a 383 should spin about 2488rpm as a goal due to its longer stroke while cruiseing useing the same formula the trans gear ratios are 4L80E 2.48 1.48 1.00 0.78 700-R4 3.06 1.63 1.00 0.70 so max performance shows I NEED A 3.73 REAR GEAR AT 126 MPH IN THE LIGHTS TO KEEP THE RPMS IN 3RD GEAR AT about MAX hp (6000rpm) and still have a 75mph 2490rpm cruise with the 700r4 trans in overdrive, when I swap to the 4L80E a 3.55 ratio for cruising would be a better match but Im going to stick with 3.73 which will kick my cruise rpms to about 2775rpm (2633rpm with a 3.55 rear) if I wanted to keep the same launching gear ratio and let the trans shift into overdrive as I went through the lites a 4.56 rear gear would be needed but that would kill the highway rpm range. as it stands if I swap to the 4L80E and let the trans shift into overdrive I be turning about 4700rpm at 125mph (about peak tq so Ill be fine)especially because I prefer the higher top speed the 4L80E can give me as the gearing better matches the hp peak at 5900rpm (165mph) where the 700r4 is geared to high to pull well at those speeds yes I have driven THE 1985 VETTE over 165mph AND YES THE rate AT WHICH IT PICKS UP SPEED OVER 150MPH SLOWS AND YES I MIGHT BE CRAZY BUT HELL I DO LIKE THE FEELING THAT 160 MPH PLUS GIVES YOU! http://users.erols.com/srweiss/calcrpm.htm http://www.wallaceracing.com/reargear.htm AND YES YOU WILL NEED TO FIGURE YOUR OWN BEST OPTIONS,AND WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOUR GOALS AND YES EVERYTHING IS A COMPROMISE

pull the distributor cap and watch the rotor closely as it turns,it should turn smoothy, if it jerks as it turns look for mechanical problems Ive seen broken cams and loose cam gears or loose timing chains give exactly that symtom.

very nice work PETE!