havacamaro

iTrader: (1)

Going to be tearing into the camaro this winter for more power. Right now it just has a crate 350 in it, car is fun but no where near where I want it. I have a vortec over at the engine shop, they went .030 over, I am wondering what parts to order for the motor, intake, what cam, valves, etc, would like to use the stock heads if possible, and what direction to take. Want a lumpy cam but still want my power brakes to work. Need something that will smoke my rear end so I will be forced to get a limited slip If this has already been answered just point me in the right direction. Thanks guys!

vetteoz

iTrader: (13)

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...formation.html

Budget?
Google "Vortec 350 " build ; a multitude of documented build on line like
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...c_small_block/

Vortec heads need machine work or special valve springs to use extra valve lift.No biggy
Haven't stated if you have a computer or not ?
Computer and lumpy cam don't generally go in the same sentence with out a lot of $$ or work.

Food for thought
A lumpy cam is in a engine not because some wa*ker wants a certain rough idle to impress the burger bar crowd but it is required
to let a engine breath and make Hp up top.
That same cam also gives away idle and fuel economy as well as off the line performance,unless you install a higher stall convertor and lower
diff gears. ( even worse fuel economy )

1gary

A 383 with aftermarket heads and a cam to match the SCR is a walk in the park for your goal.Interesting your talking about 400 hp which generally would be in the upper rpm ranges.I'd think you would want to build a engine that had a broad torque curve and a lower hp curve.So my point here is why a target of 400 hp??.Is this a street car only??.

novaderrik

build it with about 10:1 compression and get the GM HOT cam kit. put screw in studs in the heads and modify the valve guides for the .525 lift of the cam...
there's your 400HP motor, and it is computer friendly since it was designed to be the factory installed cam in LT4 Corvettes but they went with a smaller cam for emissions or fuel economy...

Heatzone25

+1 on the stroker

havacamaro

iTrader: (1)

my long term goal is to be able to get around the track with the car, so I dont want a ton of hp, not a big fan of drag racing. but do need to make good hp in the 3-5k rpm range

havacamaro

iTrader: (1)

The car is a factory carb setup. I guess I want it to sound good at idle but not a crazy lumpy cam, fuel mileage isnt a crazy concern as it will be built in the long run for road course.

Dyno Don

iTrader: (7)

The first thing you need is an intake that will flow enough air to support that kind of power.

That is a real challenge without doing a lot of work.

havacamaro

iTrader: (1)

what would you recommend don? also carb wise, I have a brand new 600cfm edelbrock on the car right now, should I shoot for more, like 750?

vetteoz

iTrader: (13)

If you filled your PROFILE in we would all know that and you would get more accurate answers.

As I said ,
anyone who refers to it as a "lumpy cam " doesn't understand the reason why it is lumpy

havacamaro

iTrader: (1)

I understand what a lumpy cam is, i guess I was just using it in the wrong context. I don't really want a lumpy cam as my goals arent for straight line speed. My long term goals are 400-450 hp. Want it to run on Pump Gas. The thing doesn't get out of its own way right now, so motor is on the fast track list of things to do. I need a descent lift cam so I can make good hp in mid to high rpm's. After the motor comes tranny, rear end, and crossmember support, suspension work, brakes, etc.

I guess I would like some suggestions from what you guys have done. What is nice to drive around town but will still get it on the track? What kind cam? intake? Pistons? I am still researching alot of this stuff, as this is new to me. Motors are not a new thing, but the tuning part is. My dad owns a shop so nothing pisses him off more then watching me fumble through a project like this

FRMULA88

One suggestion I learned from an older wiser hot rodder years ago is:

start from the rear of the car and work your way to the engine.

Because nothing is worse than putting a new hi-output engine and grenading the weak original drivetrain., twisting the uni-body, getting lousy traction.. or worse of all not being able to stop..

That being said this is the order of magnitude I have followed:

Chassis: (on a uni-body car car install sub-frame connectors sooner rather than later) brakes & steering (suspension) make sure they are like new.

Tires: install good tires especially at the rear.

Rearend: upgrade it to a or Ford 9", 12 Bolt, or Dana 44

Trans: A stock 700R4 will need to be upgraded to handle the higher output engine but they can easily be re-built to handle 500 HP. if this is track only car you may want to swap in a bullet proof trans like a Turbo 400.. if this is a road race car.. a T-56. manual.

1gary

Really??. Where did we meet??. LOL!!. The other part is to set up a drive train to take into account the power curves and take advantage of that.

vetteoz

iTrader: (13)

Still haven't stated your budget is?
The guys on here can tell you how to best spend $500 or $5000 but have to know what you got in your back pocket?

1gary

The open book build cancels the need for a budget.You guys put way too much wt in a budget.It results in the kind of bottom of the barrel type of builds we see way too many times and the results we hear of all the time.As you move from a bare block out in a build in each topic you deal with you do the right thing and if at that time you don't have the cash,you end up saving up the money/ waiting until you do.To talk about a budget and hot rodding isn't correct.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

I pretty much have that engine in my car, its not 400 horsepower. I dynod mine a few weeks ago and made 325 on a mustang dyno with 87 octane and only 34* advance. I have ported trick flows too. granted iI could have made more power with 92 octane and gone to 36-38* advance, there are much much better cams available than the hot cam. The hot cam is a budget cam with decent results. You're trading power for idle and economy if you pick the hot cam over a comp cams xfi or similar stick.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

You're in Denial. Everyone has a budget when they build a motor, even you. If we had no budget we would all be driving around with the best engine at the time of the build. Perhaps you mean "What kind of power does a person want?" and the power range would then dictate the amount that needs to be spent on parts. IE a street driven stock TPI rebuild can be done with cast everything for dirt cheap but a 500 flywheel HP engine will cost more and a 700 flywheel HP engine will cost even more.

Agreed that it is foolish to build a 600 horsepower motor with cast parts it is equally foolish to propose spending 5K for a 300 horsepower motor.

vetteoz

iTrader: (13)

Most of the junior members on here don't have that sort of patience;
if they spent all what they had in their pocket on the bottom end then they would throw some JY smog heads on just to get it driving

As the old Hot Rodding saying goes ; "Speed costs ; how fast can you afford to go ?"