ok i want o run a low 10 or high nine in the 1/4 in my 85 camaro z28 and right know i have a 305 lg4 with flowmasters im going to build a new engine but i dont know what to use plus how much horsepower would i need to do so this summer i will have between 5000 to 7000 to spend all ideas would be helpful

 

To run that fast your only option is to run huge amounts of nitrous oxide. You will have to build the engine accordingly which will cost a fortune. I would set a more reasonable goal of 12's and start there.

 

ok then what would i need to run low 12s high 11s plus how much h/p would i need to do so

 

Gonna be tough with that kind of money. It's easy to end up with $5K or more in just the motor for a low 12/high 11 sec car. Then, whatcha gonna do about the rest of the driveline ($$$)? I'd say a more reasonable goal is in order.

EDIT: this post is in response to the very first one. Man ya'll are fast!

 

I dont run 9s, 10s, hell, my car is broken, but I can tell you that 7G's isnt going to get you in the 9's or low 10's, unless you find some absolutely STUPID deals. You're going to need a new motor, tranny, and rear end, as well as upgraded suspenion parts, like a beefy torque arm, subframe connectors, and LCA's at the least. You also need a new fuel system, wiring harness (if you plan on staying EFI, upgraded EEPROM (most likely an entirely new DFI system), or you could run a carb.

Motor: ?????$
Tranny - TH400 w/ customer convertor: 1500 maybe?
9" or 12 bolt - $2000
Slicks + Wheels: $500?

Thats 4g's right there without the suspension, or a motor! You need to do one of the 2 following things: set a more reasonable goal, or spend more money.


PS... I wrote this post when there were no other replies, shoulda typed faster I guess, lol.

 

what would i need to build a 12 sec car then

 

About 420-450 hp.
There are guys doing that who post here regularly.
Some searches will reveal much more than any one guy gould tell you.
I'm not trying to avoid the question, it's just that there's a surprising amount of information out there, if you look for it. It would be to your advantage to research as much as you can, because there are a lot of routes to go, to get to 12sec.

 

Traction.

 

best way to get a 9 second car is to run 1/8 mile tracks. if that doesn't work try for a 15 second car and work you way to a 9 second car.

 

by making alot of power and putting it to the ground.

 

You *could* build a 9-10 second car for $5000 or less but as the saying goes "fast/reliable/cheap - you can only pick 2." I know a guy running very low 10's on a COMPLETELY stock shortblock: cast pistons, crank, rods, stock rod bolts and all. Good set of heads, a solid roller nitrous cam, and spraying 250HP into it with a fogger. Now, this car is also completely gutted and weighs probably 2700lbs but I doubt he even has $4000 into the entire car.

Would it be the kind of car you drive around on the street? Not often. Why does the motor last? Probably because he doesnt care about it and if it does break, big deal its a junkyard 351 (oh yeah did I mention this is a FORD!?)

Secondly, its silly to even try to go from the 16's or whatever your current motor runs to 9's. You gotta crawl before you can walk. Set a 13 second goal, then 12's then 11's then 10's then 9's or else you're settng yourself up for a big expensive failure.

 

how much horsepower would i need for a low 13 sec -mid 12

 

depends on how much weight you have to start with, among other things

 

I would build my suspension up first and go from there. For that kinda speed I would get a moser 12 bolt or 9'' rear with a 4.11 gear or so. At least. Theres about 2500$ gone already.

Then Torque arm,SFC, LCA's, panhard rod, shocks, springs...say $1000

Then your gonna need a nice tranny. Gonna have to spend at least 1500$ on that.

Total is already up to $5000.

Then I would start building an engine. I would probably try to find a 400sbc and start there. Build a nice bottom end for it. Now your funds are depleted.

Then cam, GOOD heads, intake, carb, exhaust and nitrous....your looking at another 3 grand at least.

Building a car isn't cheap. But if It was me I'd start with the suspension and go from there. You can still drive it with a nice suspension. Then start building the motor and when its ready throw it in the car and have some real fun.

 

Right now you've got a 16 second car. You can probably make it a high 15s car without too much trouble.

A great place to start on turning it into a 9-second car would be to get it down to 14 seconds. Then get it to 13 seconds. Then get it down to 12 seconds. And so on.

Nobody here is going to be able to tell you to just buy this and bolt that together, and it'll go 9s. Won't happen.

There's ALOT more to making a car fast than just sticking a monster motor in it. There's also alot more to racing it at the track, than just what it takes to go fast. There are rules and certifications of all sorts for cars that run that fast.

Spend a little time at the track and learn what racing is all about. There's more to racing than just your ET. Consistency, reliability, and just plain fun, are all part of it too.

 

this is my dumb reply,

You can make any car do a 9 second quarter mile.......ONCE

Not saying it will ever work again

 

The facte you posted that shows you are in now way ready to put together a 9 second motor,maybe you should do some reaserch,read some books,mags and back posts and then start working on a 13 second car

 

It's easy. Open a catalog and order a 10,000 dollar crate engine. Then take your car to a shop and pay another 2k to have everything under beefed. THen pay another 1500 to have a good rearend put in. If you can afford that then you have what you need.

 

Regardless of what everyone on here is saying...............running 9s for 5 grand IS possible....just not logical. An aquintence of mine down here in Tucson has (well HAD now) this 79 El Camino that started as a total piece of crap. The cost of the car was $500 or so if I remember right, and he scored a 383 forged short block used from the local hot rod grapevine for $1000, and bought some used Brodix Track 1 heads for another $1000, put in a solid roller cam that was also used for another $150, bought a nitrous system (cheater system) for $300 and made a home-made alcohol injection system for it. Then he scored a 12 bolt chevelle rearend with a posi and 3.73 for $200, slapped a few more odds and ends on the car (fuel cell, completely gutted it, welded himself a 12 point roll cage) and guess what, his el camino ran 9.90's all day long on a 175 shot, and it ran 11.30's on the motor. So its not impossible, but remember now........this car was very obnoxious to drive on the street (although he did anyways), weighed no more than 2,900, and he scored lots of good deals on parts. Still, seeing the look on people's faces when the quiet black stock looking el camino pulled the wheels on the launch and ran a 9.90 at around 140 was just funny as hell.

What the other guys were saying is right though. Set a more achievable goal first, then you could maybe dream about 9s.

According to the goals I set for myself, I should have been running 10's last month, but here I am stuck with a car that won't hold 3rd gear because I spent MY 5 grand all on the motor with a junkyard tranny backing it up!! See what I mean???

 

that reply really has nothing to do with a third gen either because of the differences in suspension and undercarriage upgrades ...and he is wanting to build an engine i doubt he will be able to score a engine cheap and all the parts cheap to put it together i see what ya mean it can be done but not unless you can run into a bunch of "great"deals ....lol...not tryin to flame ya or bash ya at all man but i agree with everyone here includin what you said you have to start with a more reasonable goal to begine with and work your way into it or your gonna be very disapointed in your end result i would start with a 383 stroker engine to begine my build and get a good set of subframe connectors, strut tower brace, rearend work , transmission "probably a th350 built " then some rear gears, headers, free flow exhaust, and see what all that will net ya to begin with then you can add and add to the 383 to make your goal to each second frame youd like to be in ...but thats my opinion.....

 

I love the sig

 

i do basicly the same thing the guy hes talking about does.
the key is to be "in the grapevine"... everyone local here knows, if they need a hand with anything from headers to trans swaps, to anything performance related, just give me a call.... by just helping out everyone you sometimes have the chance for a better deal. just keep your eyes and ears open, and dont be afraid to try to ask for a low price.

so far ive gotten on the cheap in the past few months:
400SBC w forged bottomend
assembled Dart Iron eagle heads
solid roller cam (from someone on TGO actually)
roller lifters/pushrods from a friend
comp pro mag rockers
T56
driveshaft
B&M ripper T56 shifter
valvecovers (and lots of them)
3 rear ends 3.42,3.73,4.11.. all posi, the 4.11 is the one i posted that exploded
made for you wire loom
LT1 starter
misc other parts...


fun stuffs
deals are out there, you just have to get "in" and look around.

 

I've got a daily 9 second / daily driver and nothing has been cheap in order to reach my goal. Just like said above fast/reliable/cheap you can only pick two, I happened to choose fast/reliable

Motor alone = $11k
Chassis/Suspension = $5k

 

i love these questions

 

I agree. This thread is just talking about motor and drivetrain. Don't forget about all the safety equipment required to legally run 9's. I don't want to even get into it not to mention the competition drivers license required as well.

 

Wanna go fast cheaply and stay streetable? Sell off the camaro. Then get a 78-87 Regal, Chevelle, Cutlass or Monte and drop a 455 buick or bb caddy in it. Bolt in a built dual bellhousing 350 turbo. Then get a a common s10 8.5 rear or ford 9, add brackets. The tranny will bolt right up in stock location, stock crossmember. A very simple swap. Swap out front springs. Think I used cut down Electra springs. When it comes to street cars I've always preferred sleepers. Have done many Vegas and Monzas, but my standard v6, stock appearing 1981 455 bbb Regal was real fun running the lights or open highway. Especially when coming across Turbo v6's, Vettes and Stangs. Was a real nice money maker. A bbc would be nice too, but those are getting harder to come by. Plus the caddy and buicks can be bought real cheap for all the torque they give. When all my other projects are done or sold off, been really considering a caddy powered 2 dr. Malibu wagon to build. Good luck to you.

John

 

 

In the end I bet you have $20k in the car, and that doesn't even make it look pretty.

But with $5-7k involved you can probably figure out if the dream is worth chasing. At least that's what I'm gamblin'

The engine will need at least 450+ hp. The trans is going to have to be prepared to support that much power. The driveshaft and rear end will need to be made so that they are vibration free and resistant to twisting themselves up. The suspension with have to be upgraded to put the power to the ground. The brakes should be done up so you can stop on the other end. The chassis needs to be fortified so you don't twist it up after buying those big sticky slicks. You also need a proper seat that is braced correctly and works with a 5 or 6 point harness. Lastly, but most importantly, you will need a helmet.

And none of this includes whether you have the skills to drive a car straight for nine seconds, and not blow it and/or you up. Trips to the dragstip in the interim will help you nail that part down.

That's a lot of prep work. The steps from where you are to where you're going will be many, and not all will seem like they are going in the same way you are. But, like any project, once you get done I am sure you will have pride in its completion, and be ready for another.

Jason

 

you'll need more than 7K to run that fast. It's not all about building a motor. your tranny, chassis, and suspension mods alone will probably cost you 5-7K. you can however go into the 11s with that kind of cash. a hot 350 with a good sized cam, AFR or similar flowing heads, carb and intake, built th350 trans with 9" stall, 9 bolt rear or beefed 10 bolt with gears, LCAs, Slicks, subframe connectors, weight reduction, ignition, and a good tune. the other thing you'll have to ask yourself is can you handle trapping 135-140 MPH. don't want to sound like an *** but a newb driver should not be behind the wheel of a car that fast. When you floor it on a 9 second car it is fuggin sick and can get out of hand if you're only used to 15s and 16s lol. hell I drive a 12 sec car and the low 10 sec camaro I drove was nutty.

 

Your best bet is a build up I saw in Super chevy it was a 406 with 440 horse and 575 ftlbs. $3,000 budget build.

$3,000 get a T-56, installed with centerforce clutch.

$ 900 richmond gears eaton posi 4.10 gears

thaTS 7,000, and your car will haul! Now can you hook it up?

My .02