just a couple questions

i plan on ordering subframe connectors, any opinions or reviews would be appreciated,

i'd like to know what the best spring rate would be to order, both front and rear if i were to order springs online, i'm considering just grabbing a parts car with a v8 and the stiffer springs but i'd rather one-up whatever comes in the v8 car to begin with. i'd like to bring the car back up off the ground, since whatever comes in these 2.8 cars is probably stiff enough to hold up a honda, not a 350.

torque converter- looking for a good converter for this car, i've got a brand new 700r with shift-kit and the works (which means it'll probably last ten minutes instead of five), having the shop swap over the tailpiece and output shaft as the transmission was built for a mud truck that i decided not to continue with. i'm not sure what the stall is on a stock '92 truck converter, but i think it's around 1500? i'm looking to upgrade either way, just looking for advice


the only other issue i have is building the motor, and the exhaust, which i guess i'll figure out as i go. i'm not sure what i'm using for parts in the motor, i've got too much kicking around. using a 78 4 bolt block with a new crank/rods/pistons, comp cams 287th7, edelbrock rpm intake and edelbrock 600 carb. i've got a set of vortec 305 heads i'm probably gonna slap on temporarily with new seals and springs until i decide to drop money on some aluminum.

at the end result, i'd like to spank my buddy's 79 stingray, make it look like a dog, and probably get pulled over everytime i take the thing out, so any advice on how to do so would be appreciated.

thanks
tyler

 

Need more info on power u want to push with the 350. What manner do u want when it comes to the convertor? 600cfm carb seems alittle small.

And 79 stingray is a dog to begin with lol I think I could take one in my mini van ;p

 

laberge07, welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

Yes, other than outrunning a '79 Vette dog, what are your goals?

Any particular reason for your carb choice?

I'm no fan of the Thumpr cams. They are made for the sound, not power. High duration, backwards intake/exhaust lift, & low LSA make for a horrible idle, horrible low-RPM response, and low peak power. Why they bothered to even make those cams is beyond me (unless there really are that many gullible people out there).

Can't say I'd go with the 305 Vortec heads, either. They require the Vortec-style intake manifold, but don't have any of the advantages of the famed 350 Vortec 906/062 castings (ports, chambers). You would have to do something about the valve lift with that cam, which is a lot of money down the drain for something you don't plan on keeping for the long run. 58cc chambers would make for pretty high compression unless you have dished pistons. Are you thinking of getting aluminum Vortec-style heads?

 

i've got both the edelbrock 600 and the holley 600 brand new, bought the holley, had issues with the junk self adjust floats, said screw it it and bought a brand new edelbrock and bolted it on.

i had a set of vortec 350 heads on another motor, they had a bent valve, and i found out after i put the thing together and had it ready to go, couldn't figure out why one of the cylinders wouldn't fire haha.
i've got the 305 heads on another 350 with an edelbrock performer cam and an intake made for the heads, it runs alright, that's why i figured i could try and use them on this other motor, but now i'm starting to realize it'd be a waste of time if i wanna make any power, plus the other motor's together and running and i have no reason to take stuff off it.

i'll probably find another set of heads to use, i'm sure craigslist will have something on there, i'm not looking to buy new heads, and if i go aluminum i'm going to want to build a bottom end as well and put something other than dish tops in it for pistons. i just don't really wanna spend the money quite yet, i'd like to build a motor from the ground up with just a block someday here, and that's pretty much when i'd like to go aluminum and stop doing things half assed haha

basically i would like to be able to use a 600 cfm carb, and get as much power out of that as i can with a halfway decent set of heads and a cam to match. i'm gonna be cruising around in the thing alot of the time but i definitely need it to get up and go, i raced motocross for 8 years and my competitive nature transferred right over to cars pretty easily, i don't like getting beat at stoplights, i got smoked by a toyota last summer and i'm still not over iti'm looking for something that'll have a pretty rough idle mainly just for stop lights and traffic, i love the sound.

i'm new to the whole numbers game with cams and heads, today i spent a good hour and a half reading about cylinder heads and all the different numbers, but it's still new.

as far as the converter goes, id really just like to be able to take off pretty aggressively with the car but still drive it somewhat normally. i'm not sure what i'd need.

i'd love to build a car for street/strip, basically just a weekend kinda deal, that's my goal here.

i've got a couple big talking buddys with big block ss pickups and i promised them i'd build something that'd blow the doors off the things, i'd hope a mild 350 in an f body would take a pickup truck with a choked up tbi big block, but ya never know haha.

 

You're starting off with at least a 1000 lb weight advantage over most any pickup, so that's a second right there in the 1/4 mile.

I bought a converter from Rev Max Performance for the LS1. He'll make one up for your car based on your engine, car, and intended use.

 

the plan for now is to build the motor i plan on using in the future after i get the swap finished and squared away. i've got the other running 350 with the 305 heads, intake, carb, and a little edelbrock performer cam in there all together ready to go, i've just gotta change the oil pan seal and a head gasket looks to be running a little coolant onto the block? i'll just change them in case haha.

it's gotta be good for over 300 horse at least, it pushed that huge truck it was in before around like it was nothing with 3.42s, which is what my car has, so i'm sure the thing will still go alright for now.

my options for converter for now i think would be to talk to the trans shop and see if they'd swap the one from my pickup back in for one with a higher stall, possibly an s10 converter? i think i read on tbichips.com something about doing that for a cheap alternative, who knows. i'm not looking to build anything crazy so if that would work, it'd be easier on me.

eventually, i'd like to do a 5 speed swap, put the other motor i'm building in, rollcage and build the rear end with a locker and the right stuff in the suspension to get it to hook, maybe play around at the dragway a little bit with it. that's what i had planned originally, but plans change fast when you don't wanna wait forever to finish stuff, haha.