grumpyvette

after reading thru this thread I think some of you are missing a few points the least expensive combo to to build with the most hp per dollar spent will be a 350 with a solid lifter cam and a decent set of 195-215cc heads I build these all the time, and a similar 383-396 sbc only costs a few hundred dollars more, so most guys opt for the 383-396 sbc simply because you get approximately the same HORSE POWER PER CUBIC inch of displacement, keep in mind that,HORSE POWER PER CUBIC inch of displacement,(thats average not peak hp, both engines may peak at similar hp but wont be close on average tq)because a 383-396 has three major advantages, first obviously the extra 33-46 inches of displacement are obvious, but the other two factors are not, that increased compression with the same cam timing and combustion chamber size and that the longer stroke lowers the EFFECTIVE RPM BAND, this tends to make controlling the valve train far easier in the upper rpms , while a 350 normally operates up to about 7000rpm, a 383-or 396 tends to operate at its peak of about 600rpm lower, at about 6400rpm lets look at the differance because its important lets use the same cam ,a crane 110921 heads,ARF210cc and start with a 355 with 10.5:1 cpr useing flat top pistons and a single plane intake with a 850 carb and the DD-2000 makes its wild guess at 511hp/456tq now lets build a very similar 383 using all the same components we find HORSEPOWER peaks at a similar 518hp but drops 500rpm and your up to 10.9:1 cpr and you gained tq to 484 ft lbs now that does not appear to be a huge gain UNTILL you look closely at the TQ curve the longer stroke increased AVERAGE tq about 35-37 ft lbs over most of the curve,and your port air flow velocities with the larger displacement tends to give you a more efficient cylinder fill(volumetric efficiency)and CYLINDER SCAVAGING from the exhaust BTW that similar 302, would require smaller head ports, and would make good hp at just under 500, but would be about a 100 ft lbs lowe in tq that the 383, thats A HUGE DIFFERANCE in its ability to move the car, and controling the valve train at 7500rpm PLUS can be a problem

How many guys have and use a IR temp gun? I just found and bought this one,on that site, (below) after you use these things you really are able to tune better and how much you need one to tune correctly,becomes aparrent I miss my old one!! I had one(can,t remember the brand or model , )it grew legs and walked at the track,(I used it mostly as a tuning tool) http://www.infrared-usa.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=4994 along with a timing light,vacuum gauge,and A/F ratio meter, and digital volt meter,leakdown tester are some of the other basic tools you need, I got the IR gun today, (4 days after ordering it) so they obviously shipped it the day after the order was placed with no delays or problems , it measures within 1% of my exhaust probe SO Im assuming its correct , it came in a plastic case with instructions and a spare battery, (ILL need to read up) but so far it appears to be about what I expected and should prove very useful as a tuning aid , like the A/F ratio meter and a few other high tech gizmos that make isolateing problems easier http://www.dawesdevices.com/airfuelmeter.html http://vmaxoutlaw.com/tech/leakdown_tester.htm http://www.centuryperformance.com/vacuum.asp http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2998&prmenbr=361 basically its a great way to spot cylinders that are misfiring (they run cooler than average( or cylinders that run lean(they tend to run hotter than average) and if your getting into to much ignition advance too quickly , or your retarding the ignition theres a noticable change in engine exhaust temp range. now each engine combo will differ as to the temp range and depending on the combo , 975F-1200F is the basic range of header temps ,but its the differance BETWEEN the differant cylinders that your looking for, if they vary theres a PROBLEM and it helps a good deal to spot it quickly, things like vacuum leaks, and clogged injectors are fairly easy to spot also,rocker arms can also be checked, if the bearings are starting th go or the oil flow is restricted thats fairly easy to spot also if the valve covers off, loose ignition wires, fouled plugs, ETC.

http://www.tdperformance.com/pdf%20pages/swapmounts/chevyswapmounts.html

yes, but the costs go up a great deal,I don,t think the results are worth the cost differance if your not racing as a bussiness vs a serious hobby

"how are the garage doors comin?" shopped till I was REALLY sick of it! found most of the dealers are not willing to be reasonable, but finally ordered a PAIR of 180mph rated insullated 8 ft tall x 16 ft wide garage doors that cost me $4700 INSTALLED PRICE ( without power openers,)(Ill get those later,) they are to be installed in two weeks.....needed to be ordered custom built, seem most guys get the cheap un-insullated doors rated at 110mph and they don,t sell many quality, high wind load rated doors so they don,t stock them every last one of thos SOBs quote MUCH lower prices over the phone, but once they find your demanding certified doors with back up paper work and a state certification the price goes thru the roof!

get out your calculator the formula is BORE x BORE x stroke X NUMBER OF CYLINDERS x .7854= displacement DISPLACEMENT is the voluum of the cylinder formed by the travel the pistons displace between top dead center and bottom dead center times the number of cylinders, example if an engine had a 4" dia. piston and it moved down 3.48" between its upper and lower extremes that cylinder would displace, aproximately 43.73 cubic inches, eight of those in a sbc 350 would be the displacement 43.73 x 8 =349.8 or rounded to the nearest inch,to 350 EXAMPLE 4.030" bore times 4.030 " bore times 3.75" stroke times eight cylinders times .7854 = 382.7 OR a 383 sbc heres other usefull calculators http://www.csgnetwork.com/compcalc.html http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/motor.html http://www.4racecars.com/calculators/displacement_calculator.html http://hotrodworks.net/hotrodmath/hotrodmath.html http://users.erols.com/srweiss/index.html#jcalc http://users.erols.com/dmapes/GEARCLC.HTM http://www.doverusa.com/compression-height-calculator.htm http://kb-silvolite.com/calc.php http://www.bgsoflex.com/crchange.html http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/intake-tech-c.htm http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/runnertorquecalc.html http://www.newcovenant.com/speedcrafter/calculators/runnerarea.htm http://www.newcovenant.com/speedcrafter/calculators/intake.htm http://www.bgsoflex.com/intakeln.html http://www.me.psu.edu/me415/SPRING02/intake/intake.html http://headerdesign.com/extras/engine.asp#Intake_Manifolds http://www.team-integra.net/sections/articles/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=466 http://turbonation.com/intake.htm http://cochise.uia.net/pkelley2/DynamicCR.html http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/header-tech-c.htm you might want to buy and read this http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?...&kid=281466 http://hpbooks.carshopinc.com/product_in...6119779a324aaa8 http://sabooks.carshopinc.com/product_info.php/products_id/46840/06 you really should get these books and read them before going any further, it will help a good deal, while only the basic info is presented it still makes for a good knowledge base, and referance 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! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...F8&v=glance http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...nce&s=books HOW TO BUILD THE SMALL BLOCK CHEVEROLET by LARRY ATHERTON&LARRY SCHREIB http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...2699400-6836852 . HOW TO BUILD MAX PERFORMANCE CHEVY SMALL BLOCKS ON A BUDGET by DAVID VIZARD . JOHN LINGENFELTER on modifying small-block chevy engines

well I got shingles now!

I got asked which end of the oil pump pressure spring gets installed against the piston in the relief circuit ? which end goes where? "I have a Melling oil pump that I ended up welding the pickup tube on this weekend. But before I did that I took the spring out to keep it from the heat. BUT now for the stupid question, which way does the spring go back in. I am assuming that the larger end goes in first. Because if you put the smaller end in first, theres hardly any pressure to the spring" the bigger end of the pressure relief spring goes out against the retaining pin, yes the hole can be threaded (BUT NOT 1/4") but its generally not a good idea as the plug can back out far easier than the pin can fall out. BTW these NOT supposed to be pressure of any significant ammount against the pressure relief spring untill pressure builds at higher rpms,and installing the spring 180 degrees out can result in the piston being stopped by spring bind before the pressure relief passage is exposed, making it effectively useless. oil pressure that pushes the piston back to expose the pressure relief passage back to the suction side of the gears opens the relief passage, is what limits the peak pressure, up to that point the spring and pressure relief effect on pump pressure is non-existant btw in the old days guys installed a washer between the pin anf the back of the spring to take up space and increase resistance, this effectively raised the opening pressure resistance about 5 psi, with the stock spring,raising the peak oil pressure before the relief passage limited further increases, adding two or three washers could bind the spring enought to effectively make the by-pass circuit useless, if you want high peak pressure, install the correct high resistance spring NOT a washer!, abd oil pressure above about 75 psi does nothing to help so thats wasted effort

http://ohiocrank.com/short.html you may want to look into these(above) you can,t hardly do the machine work and buy the parts for the price they ask for a SBC 454 shortblock, that comes with the DART block, forged crank,(H) rods ETC.

ZFAN,..your existing combo should work GREAT with a 125-150hp nitrous kit but you may need better valve springs, to control the faster accelleration of the valve train and a better ignition with a retard timing feature

http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=629333&an=0&page=0#629333 read thru this post should answer MOST questions, ID strongly suggest you install a good WET plate style systemDRY systems tend to burn parts far faster, and, both adjusting it to be slightly too rich on fuel and retarding your timing slightly, both adjustments tend to keep detonation under control

you can use these specs from the AFR 345cc head the differance is minor and the new heads are supposed to slighly exceed those specs

I was asked if a TBI can be used rather than a carb or MPFI system, yes, you can , but don,t get stuck thinking about those near worthless restrictive stock systems, there are NO stock production, tbi systems that Im aware of that are true PERFORMANCE applications but thats not saying you cant get good performance from a TBI system if its correctly set up but THIS IS WHAT ID USE SB Chevy High Performance Street #52030 - Show Polished #52031 - Satin Finish Fits 1957 - '95 Engines This Power+Plus Hurricane manifold is the best performing manifold of this type that you can buy, regardless of cost. Yet the Power+Plus manifold is one of the least expensive manifolds of this type on the market http://www.holley.com/products.asp?product=950-21S http://www.holley.com/BrowseCatalogs.asp?Catalog=Holley&Page=169 btw I played with one of these HURRICANE INTAKES fairly extensively over the last few weeks, while the casting quality and finish are not top grade its a servicable intake once its cleaned and mildly ported and makes excellent power btw a TBI rather than a carb will LOWER the operational rpm band slightly and give better low rpm power due to the more precise fuel metering control

while I have no desire to EVER sell my current home,just as an example. I purchased the 5 acres of open ground on a dirt road 20 miles from the nearest shopping center or gas station, ETC. in 1970 for $23,000, (I was making $98 a week at the time and the payment was $150 a month,today a 5 acre lot sells for $500,000 or more in this community and the homes sell for more, now I made lots of stupid mistakes investing and lost money by the truck load at times, not selling stocks when I should have, but I still managed to be in the black vs red consistant investment in real estate and diversification in a stck portfolio will pay off over time never put more than 20% of your nest egg,in any one investment

mine is still under construction I planed/saved all my life to have a decent garage and now that Ive retired Im building one! 36 feet deep x 74 feet wide x 16 ft tall, it will eventually have a 36 x 50 loft for parts storage, its being built with a bathroom to clean up in (wifes idea) Battle Pope...when I was 20 I lived in a trailer park, things improve as you work tword your goals if your consisant, especially if you buy real estate out in the boonies where its cheap now while your young, I could NEVER afford to live where I do or have what I have if I had not put 10% of every pay check into, investments, real estate and savings since I was 18 years old

congrats on getting a reasonable result from your flow testing, BTW minor bowl cleanups done correctly almost always result in better not worse flow numbers, so taking the time is well worth the effort

any garage can get broken into, my goal is to make it more difficult and slower than its worth,so far in the 8 years Ive lived here every theft in our developement resulted in someone caught and serious measures taken that prevented repeat tries I have redundant security systems on my house, as do most people in my community,theres people on premiss 99% of the time as Im retired, my wifes retired,my mother-in-laws retired,(lives in the guest residence on the property) my younger son still lives here, Ive got a fenced yard, and dogs, I live in a community thats patrolled, by well armed security,24/7 /365 , (I know I help pay for that, and they drive by every few minutes and know all the property owners by name and thier vehicals )my neighbors and I are constantly in contact and theres other security measures I won,t mention, no one gets even into the community without video survallance records only a complete fool makes things easy for theives, I prefer to make things VERY DIFFICULT, as money spent on redundant security systems prevents losses that could cost more in the long run.

while the metal SECURITY door I bought came with brief installation instructions, which Ill follow,but I thought Id ask if you guys had any hints basically its a very heavy metal SECURITY door and matching frame and locks,security plates ETC. for my garage access door and it came with (6) 1/2 DIA, redhead style bolt/anchors that anchor drilled into the concrete, the frames hollow but made from about 1/8" folded metal frame as is the door (cost $500) any ideas as to ways to strengthen the instalation, backer material,construction foam insulation? yeah, Ive already installed security hinges and multipull security pins plus welded in internal angle iron bracing to prevent any chance of prying being successfully attempted, plus the garage has a security alarm with motion detectors, heat sensors,radio transmiter backup, and door contacts, what Im looking into mostly is securing the door to the poured concrete opening more effectively , now obviously Ill add several more concrete anchors but any more suggestions are most welcome

ITS still a big empty 36 deep x 74 long 16 tall, open conctete block room at this point with open rafters and nothing else, but as soon as I get the interior installed ILL post some pics

stock TBI cams are designed for emission compliance, fuel ecconomy and smooth low rpm torque, and to work correctly with the sensors controlling the TBI (injection) NOT max performance, if you keep the TBI and matching computer controls youll not have a great deal of room to get a more radical cam to work correctly with the stock computer controls, now you CAN reprogram the computer parameters but the TBI does not flow a great deal of air and its restrictive at the upper rpm range. you really should get these books and read them before going any further, it will help a good deal, while only the basic info is presented it still makes for a good knowledge base, and referance its almost a 100% sure thing youll waste time and money if you don,t 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! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...F8&v=glance http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...nce&s=books HOW TO BUILD THE SMALL BLOCK CHEVEROLET by LARRY ATHERTON&LARRY SCHREIB http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...2699400-6836852 . HOW TO BUILD MAX PERFORMANCE CHEVY SMALL BLOCKS ON A BUDGET by DAVID VIZARD . JOHN LINGENFELTER on modifying small-block chevy engines SMALL BLOCK CHEVY ENGINE BUILDUPS

more slow progress, the roofs tar papered, and soon to be shingled

these tools are cheap(about $30) and well worth the money, Id HIGHLY ADVISE DOING THE JOB CORRECTLY, BUY the TOOL! but if you insist, an old head stud can be used most big block cranks are threaded 7/16 nf , most small blocks are threaded 1/2 20 NF youll need to find a fully threaded 7/16" nf or 1/2 20 NF stud about 6" long, install the ballancer by hand as far as it slides on, now thread in the stud untill it bottoms out, slide on the damper retaining washer ,a dozen large fender washers, squirt with oil and install the nut, now tighten the nut slowly to force the washer stack against the damper untill it slides on. heres a good place to look, or try EBAY http://www.etoolcart.com/browseproducts/Harmonic-Balancer-Installer-SKT92514.html http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/2899/Moroso-Harmonic-Balancer-Tools.htm Harmonic Balancer Installer Item No. - 46040 Don't risk altering the crankshaft end play by pounding the harmonic balancer into place! This tool supplies the steady force needed to correctly mount the Balancer on the crankshaft. The 8 adaptors (7/16"x20", 1/2"x20", 9/16"x18", 5/8"x18, 3/4"x16, 12mmx1.50, 14mmx1.50, 16mmx2.0) will fit both domestic and foreign cars. Requires 1 1/4" capacity wrench. Replacement adapters available (7/16" x 20). Limited 1 year warranty. Regular Price: $31.99 having gone thru this several times , Ill point out a few things, (1) the stripped threads are surely caused by trying to pull the damper in place using the bolt, (bad idea) you NEED to use the correct 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, YES THOUSANDS OF GUYS THINK THEY DID IT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS BUT... 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 DAMAGE 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! [bASK 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 ,(happens 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 (2) you can easily RE-DRILL and RE-THREAD the crank from the 1/2"NF to the 7/16 NF thread used on big block cranks and use a bbc bolt if you strip a sbc crank,AND TO THOSE ASKING WHY THE FIT IS SO TIGHT first let me point out that theres a DESIGNED CLEARANCE RANGE of manufacturing tollerances and if its not the factory original ballancers theres an excellent chance the ballancers internal dimension does not match the crank snouts outside dia.....next I need to point out its DESIGNED to be a slight interfearance fit, it it just slides on it will not be as effective at absorbing crank harmonics if theres ANY SLACK and only the crank KEY keeps it from turning, it takes a very tight fit to act as DESIGNED, now that being said, theres no reason that it needs to be excessively difficult to install and a BRAKE HONE used to open up the internal dia. slightly is perfectly exceptable, as is placing the damper in hot (not boiling)water top expand the internal dia. and oiling the crank snout before installation. or packing it in a bag of DRY ICE,to contract its dia. but using the correct tool makes a huge differance in how hard they go on!

http://prorollers.com/prod02.htm http://www.mightymount.com/ http://www.hotrodparts.com/chev.htm http://www.mustangdyne.com/enginedynamometers.htm http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...sspagename=WDVW

"but it will never house a car or tool." never assume you can,t work something out, who knows the horse may drop dead or the wife may loose interest in horses, leaving you with a nice 60x100x14 building / garage once its steam cleaned top to bottom several times and a new floor installed