Well i finally dynoed my Firebird. Read sig fro details on the Engine. I must say i was disappointed with my numbers. I was shooting for about 225-275HP and 275-325Tq. The official numbers were 180Hp and 275Tq. I found that pretty low. Now i do have a leaking oil pan gasket and the engine runs around 240 degrees all the time so im not sure if that is whats hindering my performance or not but those numbers seem low. I wasnt shooting fro impossible numbers i thought what i wanted to get was reasonable for whats in the car. Idk. Anyone know of how i can get more power out of the car without tearing the engine apart and getting engine work?

P.s. I didnt know where to post this so i posted it here.

 

what heads are you running?

 

Its a 0010 block i think. 2 piece rear main seal from the 1970's. I was told it was from a 70's model Chevy blazer by the guy i bought it from. So its the stock heads. The engine was freshly rebuilt when i bought it also.

 

Also is it not pretty ridiculous that at idle and in traffic my car runs at like 240-250 degrees although i have a 2 row aluminum radiator and 2 electric fans running on a switch. The fans are functioning properly. The water pump has been replaced. Not losing water anywhere and the oil is NOT milky so idk what the problem is. I can not figure out why it over heats. When im driving it stays cooler. Im currently running no thermostat but i am gonna put a 180* thermostat in it soon. But if you have any other ideas then let me know.

 

Search 70's Smogger motor. Sorry for your loss.

 

Agreed. If it's the stock heads and cam, the valves are barely coming off the seats and the CR is probably 8:1, if that.

 

What exhaust?

240-250 is alittle hot i would say. What CFm fans you running and how do you have them mounted? I also was having issues with Heat problems, turned out the fans werent pushing there maximum cfm the way i hooked them up. I would put a 160 or 180 in there before you get yourself too worked up, coolant doesnt have time too cool off, its constantly running through the motor

 

So is there anyway to get more power out of this motor or should i just leave the motor alone and just work on other things like handling and aesthetics?

I was thinking of just fixing the oil leak on the motor and then moving on to body work and suspension work. Just modding things to make it handle better and look better.

This car is my daily driver so another engine swap not practical.

 

Always good to have suspension first then power, i decided to go power then suspension, never fun having alot of power with no suspension to help it lol

3:08's huh, change them first, then get suspension

 

IDk the CFM's off hand but its the fans from oreilley. a 12" and a 14" mounted on the opposite side of the engine blowing air through the radiator.
EDIT: Mounted side by side

Im puttin a 180* thermostat in it next weekend to try that out.

 

True true, i have open diff so i was hoping to find another axle from a third gen thats posi and id like disc rear brakes. Wheres a good place to find gears for the 91 axle. I believe i have 28 spline 7.625 correct?

 

if its stock yes you have 28 spline axles

 

275 foot pounds of torque to the rear tires is not bad at all. With respect to HP numbers, that is what happens when you fnd any old 350. Unless you are looking for a track vehicle, and if the engine runs OK, then be happy with what you have and chalk one up to experience.

 

Yeah that was my plan. I didnt think the torque was that bad. i was kinda happy i hit that after i only made 180 Hp. Im just gonna start working on makin this car handle and look better now. Maybe after college ill do a motor swap. So until then....suspension.....interior......body work.....etc.

 

the overheating could be caused by using the wrong rotation waterpump too.

 

A person had told me that but this engine has serpentine system and the water pump is counter clockwise as it was on my old engine. Since im using the serpentine system, im also using the water pump for a serpentine set up. What water pump would i need to use to get it right?

 

if you have no thermostat,...pull the upper radiator hose loose from one end. start the car for a second & notice which way the water is circulating. it should flow up, toward the radiator. be careful of course. lol

 

The water is suppose to flow into the bottom of the radiator, out of the upper hose in the radiator and through the engine, correct? So it flows into the top of the engine, out the water pump through the lower radiator hose through the radiator then back through the upper radiator hose back into the engine right? Im just trying to clarify, because this is how i thought the coolant flowed through the engine.

 

You don't need to swap the motor with the right heads / cam 350+hp is easy.

Pull the valve covers see what heads you have. Then decide what you want to spend. I would suggest a mild cam with vortec heads. But with the right 70s heads and the right cam and springs you can make your power goals.

 

i think your picturing it wrong. hot water enters the radiator from the upper hose, cause heat rises. when the water cools in the rad, it drops to the bottom off the rad. then its pumped into the motor & out past the thermostsat. make sense? if your using the serpentine set-up, you need a reverse-flow waterpump. problem is they look identical side by side. thats why i suggested pulling the upper hose loose,...to make sure its flowing in the correct direction. overheating sucks.

 

ok, i thought when the thermostat opened that the water rushed through the top of the thermostat into the engine. so the water flows the opposite direction i thought it went. and yeah overheating sucks bad.

i did buy a rever flow pump(counter clockwise) but you also never know if the autozone got it right. ill check the flow this weekend and see if its flowing correctly.

 

Is the cam stock too? If stock cam and stock heads that is what is holding you back and 180hp sounds reasonable. Those 70's truck engines were made for torque. The pistons probably sit .020 - .040 below the deck which isn't great for compression/quench either.

 

I'm guessing it's the 882 heads. That's what mine had. Pull a valve cover off and look for numbers. If you want more power, ditch the 882s first, they make great weights to keep things from blowing away.lol

But I second the suspension/handling first. You have enough power to make your drive fun. Now smooth it out.

 

Reverse rotation, not reverse flow.

 

Has it occurred to anyone yet that the overheat issue and the lack of power issue could both be easily caused by the ignition timing being retarded?

Also 180/270 at the wheels from a truck motor with an Edelcrap on it is not the worst thing that ever happened.

 

Ok i checked the flow of the coolant and it is flowing out the top of the engine, into the upper raditor hose, through the radiator, out the lower radiator hose, through the water pump and into the engine. From what i understand, this is correct flow, right?

Also i have a 180* thermostat in now. Still not much change. Runs about 235*-250* depending on if im moving or in traffic, respectively. I will get the timing checked when i can afford to.