I bought an 84 camaro...i got a 305 with hooker headersand a k&n. anyone know how much horses i should have?...i wanna go c what i can run in the 1/4 mile!...anyways i wanna buy a bigger engine to go faster...but im not sure if i should buy a 350 a 383 or a 400 i got a turbo 400 tranny ready for whichever one i choose...i dont really wanna subframe my car unless i have to but i need to go faster! tell me what i should do?.....

by the way b4 i got my headers...i was out crusin one night with a buddy of mine when a white guy with his gf pulls up beside me in a 5.0 i figured he would race so i dropped it down a gear in the high revs...and squeeled em'. he punched it and caught up to me...so i romped on it and we raced for about a mile it was neck and neck but i was pullin away from him...i dont kow how it sounded lik he had exhaust done...but im not too sure...do u guys think i would be able to beat this guy in a real race from the line?...thanx let me know! :rockon:

 

If it's an HO car, you might be at very high 14s. If it's the LG4, you're at very high 15s most likely.

Get a 400ci if you have the money.

 

um, ok, does that make the car faster.?

 

If you just wanna go faster then I suggest a modded 350. Get headers, cat-back, CAI, 2400 stall, aluminum heads, a good cam, 750cfm carb, and a good intake and you should run mid 13's if not better. This would save you alot of money compared to stroking a 383 or buying a 400 block.

 

yo mark!
why the **** u actin lik a smart ***?...i said a white guy cuz where im from there are alot of packes who dont know how to drive a real car fast....all that is left of the good drivers are the white boys from my city...

 

yes white guys have less melanin in skin so they weight fractions of a gram less which=faster...wooooooooooo

 

yo camaro boy ur sounden like white trash rite now u know dat. wit dem boyz of urs. fo sho i mean tooo

 

 

Me personally, I would go with the 350 simply because of availability. The 400s have steam holes in between the cylinders and you have to either drill the heads or cap the holes in the block. I'm currently building a 400. I would have chosen a 350 but I traded acomplete 305 for the 400. You can build a 350 with the right heads and cam and make over 400 horsepower. My 400 is already giving me hell. I had to hunt down a set of heads for it because I didn't want to mess with the steam ports. The best way to go would be build a motor for torque. If you build a 600lb/ft of torque motor, you'll get 450 horses as a biproduct. People who build motors for horsepower are usually forgetting this. I build my motors this way and I have yet to break a motor that I have built. I build them to never have to go above 5000 rpms. If you have a high revving motor, you are more prone to breaking rods and such. There are hundreds of stupid little tricks that people usually forget. I would suggest that you go and buy "How To Build A Small Block Chevy". Most bookstores carry it in stock. It's a very helpful tool when building a motor for power. If you have any other questions, let me know.


IROC-S10

 

yea ima still building my 350 its in my 65 but it was giving me hell cuz they didnt tap the hills so i kept on breaking screws inside and i had to keep on drillin them out it was a pain. but i would go with the 400 still cuz its cool to say i got a 400 just too many 383s and 350s out htere.
i still think u actin like white trash

 

but that is just my opinon so dont get mad at me cuz i think ur white trash u just act like it well i dont know how u act but ur writing sure shows it

 

Why go 400, when you can use what really counts, the extra stroke. Build a 383. Tonnes of torque and nice revving capability. the only problem is, if you think working on a 400 is a pain, try building your own 383. Everything is a tight fit and there isn't very much clearance at all. But trust me it's worth it. And yeah there is a lot more 383's out there, but there's a reason to that and it sure isn't cause they're cheaper.

 

400's have their downsides, but a 400 is superior to a 383 in the fact that it has the same stroke as a 383 but a bigger bore. a 400 is a better all around motor for building torque and horsepower.

 

A 400 definately has the low end torque, but if you have the money and build the 383 right you can get alot of that low end torque and still have the high end horsepower. It all depends on your driving style and what the car is going to be used for. I personally would go with the 383 because its a stroker. Not that its better or anything just its cool to have a stroker. But you have to have the block clearanced for the 3.75" stroke crank so thats a litte extra money at the machine shop but if you got the money, might as well spend it.

 

if u got money dont buy a small block. get a big block 400 or 502 or a 454 den u really whoop some *** even if ur black orange white tan it wont matter now will it

 

Yeah, but big block thirdgens handle like crap. So a nice 600hp small block would be ideal.

 

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

377!!!

Actually 377's perform VERY well. If you have a 400 block that you can use, this is the route I'd go.

I would stay away from 383's just because they are torque monsters and have a hard time hooking up (unless you plan on running slicks)

The last 377 I saw roaming the streets of Chicago, was powering a low 10 second Monte Carlo.

-Doug

 

OK here comes Garrett with a stupid question. Jocww A Big Block 400?? I think you mean 402 which was just a 396 bored .030 over right. And Don't put a Big Block in because they do handle for cra and then for sure you will have to put subframe connectors in.
Just build a mild 400 (375 hp and about 450 tq) and you will be pleased. Like was stated earlier build for torque, screw Horsepower, torque is what you accelerate with not Horsepower. And who cares if you have a storker or big cubic inches. If I could build a 283 with 375 hp and 450 tq as cheap as I could build a 400 the same way I would I don't care what other people think, As long as I'm happy with the car I have.
And Dude I'm a "White Boy" and there are a lot of Hmongs around here that can out drive me (But they don't drive Camaro's Thank G0D, or they would beat me in races). So just because your white doesn't mean anything about your driving ability. Oh yea and not all Hmongs drive imports one has a brand new Cobra Mustang and another one has a early 90's TT Supra (I don't beat them )
Later, Garrett, and ease up on the racist comments.

 

hp wins races, torque =

 

No torque and being able to put it to the ground wins races.
Hp is an ego thing. But usually with Torque, hp is not far behind.

And why de-stroke a 400 to a 377 when you can stroke a 350 to a 377 or bore it .030 and get 383, or go .060 or .090 and get *** knows what.

 

HP wins races, torque puts the icing on the cake (or nail in the coffin).

 

As to the whole Torque vs. Horsepower thing,

Take a look at a Honda all Hp no Tq = no Fun at all.

Now look at Thirdgens low Hp and high Tq = a freakin' blast.

Torque is what helps you accelerate, Horsepower is for your ego like buying a Mustang (Or Camaro, I don't want to upset anyone, Nic and 5L5 )with a V-6, just so you can have one for your ego.

Torque is King

Later, Garrett

PS yes torque is for as well as :hail: and making your opponets do this . Man I love these smiles

 

Ahh,
We come back to the good old hp vs torque debate. And before you ask, I do know hp=torque x rpm / 5252 (I think?) . The reason I suggested the 377 is because it is a proven winner. For the most part (Im being very careful here) having lots of low end torque will be a waste in a street car.

A few ?'s to get the brains turning...
If torque is king, why dont we race with diesels?
Why dont LT1's beat LS1's (they have more low end torque)?
Why dont L98's beat LT1's?

I speak from experience, and most of my experience comes from street racing with street cars. I have seen many strange combos work extremely well, and I have seen common combos do poorly. In my eyes low end torque = the need for drag radials or slicks.

Also keep in mind that the 377's I speak of are no wimps. The Monte I mentioned above would lift both front tires a foot high for the first 60'. Now thats some torque!

And I suggested a 377 because I always wanted to have one. Its like a Chevy 302 with some *****! A larger small block that will take a healthy cam and rev till the cows come home. Of coarse, everyone is correct about the added cost of using a 400 block.

Just something(s) to keep in mind when building an engine.

-Doug

 

Its not low end torque that wins races, it's a long, high, wide torque band throughout the revs that really gets you moving. Horsepower is a bi-product of torque.

 

actually bruzr its a nice flat torque band thas as flat as a table top with the horses up top the perfect engine is a 800hp mill with a 780ft torque
my daddy always said and says hp may sell engines but torque will win u races and make tire companys happy

 

The torque band does not have to be flat. Just as long as it climbs and doesn't drop off...
Ahhh, good ol 383...

 

diesels have too small of a power band, LS1's have a flatter torque curve wit ha bigger power band and more top end and L98's have too small a powerband

 

SEE SIG!!! GET THE 400!! i cant wait for my damn SVO injectors to get here and get on the dyno again. im sure the HP will be around 440 EASY *if u saw my chart and how bad i am running lean u would agree a 40 RWHP gain is easy* but the TQ will jump up to 500.. well hopfully.. if be happy @ 480. what ever u do make sure u ahve enough fuel for it cause if not.. u r going to have ur A/F ratio @ 7 from idle to WOT!! DO'H!