Figured I'd try and plan what I want to accomplish with my 'bird within the next year or so...gives me something to work for. Anyways, its an '89 Formula w/ stock internals. There is a TPIS Big-Mouth intake on it, ported runners, Edelbrock BBK throttle body, SLP headers, and besides the heads being "trued", thats it for the motor. The previous owner auto-crossed the car and had to adhere to all their rules and regulations (motor had to be left stock pretty much). There is a 3.73 Auburn POSI, along w/ a lot of suspension work (pulled 1.2 G on skidpad). As it stands, the car has been dyno'ed at 231 RWHP @ 4000 RPM, and 364 ft.-lbs @ 2800 RPM.....the car takes off like a beast, but lacks a bit in the top end.

Anybody have any specific setups what would work well? I figure i need to replace the following as they are most likely holding me back... larger cam (around .500+ lift) , ported heads, torque converter and anything else necessary. I don't know too much about specifics of what can/should be done to get more power out of it (model numbers, etc), so I would appreciate if some of you gurus could give me some pointers.

Thanks for the help...i appreciate it.

 

What do you want out of your car, and how much more are you willing to invest? A vigilante torque converter stalling around 2400 advertised would help you take off with those 3.73s. What kind of tires are you running? I couldn't imagine you hooking up at all with that setup.

 

mainly im looking to push as clost to 300 RWHP as i can (just checked the dyno sheet and its actually 221 RWHP...not 231), giving me a little bit more power at the top end. Like I said, I am just in the planning stage right now, and am willing to work towards whatever the final cost will be. I figure if I can get an estimate on a nice setup, i can then go from there to save funds towards it. I also have a jeep that I am restoring right now...once finished it too will be my daily driver, so i can switch between vehicles - - thus, mileage isn't too important.

Forgot to mention it has a 2000 stall torque converter in it now (not sure if its stock or not). Right now I have 16x10" CCW wheels, with BFGoodrich Comp T/A's 245/50/16....and I do have a bit of a traction problem, but i've gotten better by practicing launches. I am also planning on buying another set of wheels the previous owner used strictly for auto-x - - not sure which tires or wheels, but they are 16x10" wheels w/ flat, soft compound race tires. When I test drove it, it had these wheels on it, and the traction was amazing.

Any specific cam/torque converter I should go with? I've heard people praise the Comp Cams XE line, but don't know specifically which to get w/ my setup. Not sure if I can get near the 300 RWHP I want...but I definitely think the stock heads and cam are killing me.

 

...just bringing this back up....

TIA.

 

My goal is like yours. I want over 300RWHP. Although the best way I have found to do it is replace the engine. I am thinking about getting a 350 and building it up myself and engine swapping. I want to keep a fuel injection setup but I may have to go carb. Not sure yet.

 

well replacing the motor is something I definitely do not want to do... after seein all the receipts from the previous owner, its the last thing I'd want to do

The thing is.... this car is pushing awesome torque numbers, but is just lacking on HP, and I figured I improve them by first replacing the cam, torque converter and getting the heads done.

I checked prices on the Vigilante TC like rezinn suggested, and all I have to say is ....even so, like I said, it gives me an idea of what I need to save up.
Are there any other torque converters that anyone recommends?? I'll try and take a picture of the dyno sheets (dont have scanner) so you guys can look at it.

I checked my Jegs catalog and was looking at the Xtreme Energy Comp Cams.... I'm not too sure which one I should choose, so if someone could give me suggestions, I'd appreciate it. The ones I was looking at are...

Part # Grind # Lift RPM range

(Hydraulic)
249-12-242-2.....264........ .477/.480.......1600-5800
249-12-250-3.....284........ .507/.510.......2300-6500

(Hydraulic Roller)
249-08-422-8.....270........ .495/.502.......1600-5400
249-08-432-8.....282........ .510/.520.......2200-5800


Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldnt the best one out of those be the 282, as my peak torque is at 2800, and redlines around 5500+. However, if anybody who really knows what they're talking about (sure as hell I don't), please give me some suggestions.

Thanks

 

In all your posting you haven't told us what engine you have.

 

doh! its a 350 TPI

 

Here are the dyno sheets (graph and number chart). Sorry for the poor quality but I don't have a scanner, so all i could use was my digital camera.

Anyways....still looking for some insight on a good setup that can help boost my numbers.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/BAK1/fb/dynograph.jpg

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/BAK1/fb/dynonumbers.jpg