What do you think?
late 350 block
67cc World Casting heads--10:1 compression. slp runners
22# injectors with TPI Intake system.
450lift,216duraion@50,110lobe seperation CraneCam
1 3/4 slp headers 3"cat back exhaust.
K&N air filter with Airfoil.
700R4 Auto Trans.
2:73 limited slip rear end
245/45/zr17's on 17x8.5 razze 5 wheels
GM 1988 e-prom
Balanced & Blueprinted
Estimate 340HP and 370#/ft of torque.
It sure beats the old 305.

 

i think you should let me borrow it.

 

Sounds good except the Gears Suck and The cam may not work great with a 110 lobe seperation. I'm not sure though, since I don't have TPI but most of the TPI cams tend to be 112-115 degrees.

 

Well the gears may be low, but its a street machine to be driven daily. So what do you think?

 

The gears suck. They will slow you down big time. Get some 3.42s.

The cam sucks. You should be able to get one with at least .050" more lift. All the money in the world spent on heads will do you no good if you only barely crack the valves open.

You fail to mention a torque converter which is absoluetly essential if you keep the terrible gear, only slightlly less so if you improve the gear. You also fail to mention any suspension mods. Power is worthless if all you do is sit there and make big clouds of tire smoke.

You also fail to mention the main restriction in the TPI induction: the base. The SLP runners will probably actually make you go slower in the stock base, than the stock ones will. I'm no TPI expert but I've seen several reports to that effect.

All in all, a few good parts but not a good combo.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

IN reply to the last post, .050 more lift? I drive it on the street. NO problem getting it down. And if you don't have a TPI what makes you know what it needs. Well it runs great and what do you think? Still beats the 305.

 

He's been around for a long time and so TPI stuff is always talked about. He did come off sounding like an *** hole though with all that "you fail to..."
Really though, tell us what kind of suspension work you have done. Also it's true about the SLP runners and the stock base, the SLP runners are shaped differently at the end and they don't match up too well with the stock base unless you did some porting.
I hope to god you're running a high stall converter or your trans is going to be toast in a few days. Stock converter is going to heat up the fluid to a damaging temp.
Gears are one of your biggest problems. It's been said before and I'll say it again but gears make or break a cars combo. If you plan on having 300+ hp and keeping 2.73 gears then you must really want to keep that top speed of 170mph. If you don't mind loosing some top end and want a _hit LOAD of get up and go then higher gears are a must. I recommend gears to stock vehicles let alone mod so if I were you I'd be saving up to make the car a killer combo.
You've kind of worked backwards from the rest of us, all engine then suspension. That is if you haven't done much to the suspension. The idea is you might have a 350TPI with a cam and loads of power but a guy with less hp and active traction is going to win and you'll just be pissed :-).
Still, I like your ideas but like said before, you need to work a little on the combo building and get more parts that compliment each other. That's my opinion and that's all it is so take it or leave it.

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, Jon (91 RS too many mods to list)

 

Thanks for your opinion, but Iam not going to drag race this car. Just a nice sleeper. It beats the 305.

 

Yeah, I hammered you fairly hard. I apologize for that. On the other hand, you asked for opinions, and I gave you an honest assessment of what I saw. Now I've only been building fast cars (including motors for some pro racers) for 25 or 30 years, so I've got a thing or 2 yet to learn; and I don't have a TPI myself right at the moment but have worked on several of those over the years as well as various other FI setups, but again I haven't seen everything. I can probably learn something from you, and would gladly do so if the occasion permitted.

It would be a really sad state of affairs if your 350 couldn't top your old peanut-cammed 305. That doesn't mean that it's as good as it can possibly be though, which is the direction you need to be looking. I would strongly suggest that you listen to what other people have found successful, and learn from what they have to say, rather than getting defensive about your setup. Your response was a textbook case of reacting in such a way as to make the knowledgeable people on this board never answer another post you make, and consign you to further self-gratification with the squirrels.

I also stand by my earlier post. You have a decent short block and heads, but every other component of the car is working against you. Instead of looking for a pat on the back about what a great job you've done, look at what you need to do next to use what you've already sunk huge money into (more money than I have in my car I'd bet) but aren't getting the full benefit of. Combo is king: one weak or poorly matched part out of the many that make up a car can ruin an otherwise potentially healthy car. Notice I said car, not just motor.

How do you stack up against the faster Mustangs around your area? That's a little better of a benchmark for your combo than your former 305. Go race a 5-speed Cobra and come back and tell us how it went. BTW I drive mine as a work truck too, so I'm concerned with gas mileage, longevity in the 100,000 mile range, the ability to close the hood and leave it closed for an entire oil change interval, etc.

Another excellent benchmark would be to compare your setup against a stock 350 TPI. That's about as direct a comparison of how well one setup works versus another: as nearly as possible identical test beds. See how yours stacks up next to a stock one.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

[This message has been edited by RB83L69 (edited March 05, 2001).]

 

To:RB83L69
Thanks for your comments. It sure beats the 305 and ALL the parts are healthy in this car.

 

your missing the point. all the parts may be healthy for a stock engine/car but your vehicle is not stock, therefore does not need stock healthy parts.

 

PEACE IN THE WORLD OF THIRD GEN CAMARO'S.
BYE; I got to look for the elusive 5sp COBRA.