i have an 82 cutlass with a 350 small block chevy with th350 and i have pretty limited funds my motor is bone stock four bolt man forged crank. what would be the best performance enhancing item that i can buy on the cheap side.i have also never done anything internally to an engine but i can figure most thing out through things on this site and i appreciate any help.
cheap performance
- Thread starter carl_graham2001
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You can try a carb spacer, K&N air filter for starters.
Update the ignition with a high performance coil. Get some good wires. Get the best plugs you can.
Run premium fuel.
If you do not have any of these items they should help give you some gains in performance. Sometimes a carb spacer may hurt but usually they help. This is about all I can think of for now,,most of these parts are less than $50 each but this way you can do a little at a time and not have to worry about pulling an engine.
Other things to try is upgrading to a flowmaster exhaust. If you have single exhaust, you could just buy the muffler for around $60 and that will give some good gains too.
Update the ignition with a high performance coil. Get some good wires. Get the best plugs you can.
Run premium fuel.
If you do not have any of these items they should help give you some gains in performance. Sometimes a carb spacer may hurt but usually they help. This is about all I can think of for now,,most of these parts are less than $50 each but this way you can do a little at a time and not have to worry about pulling an engine.
Other things to try is upgrading to a flowmaster exhaust. If you have single exhaust, you could just buy the muffler for around $60 and that will give some good gains too.
I would change the gearing if it is still stock. If you have less than a 3.08 rear axle (2.41 is the usual), better gears will be the single best improvement you can make. It doesn't have to be expensive either if you get a complete rearend from another car that already has good gears. I got my 3.23 axle from a 4 door V6 83 Regal that had the optional gearing and installed it for under $100 with new brakes.
Don't go over a 3.42 with a TH-350. Ideally, go with the 3.23 like I have as it won't buzz the engine too high in normal driving. With a 3.54 you would be running about 3k at 60mph.
Don't go over a 3.42 with a TH-350. Ideally, go with the 3.23 like I have as it won't buzz the engine too high in normal driving. With a 3.54 you would be running about 3k at 60mph.
What ^he^ said. Except I would go with 3.73s.
My Malibu has a bone stock 305 (except duals), stock TH350, and a set of 3.73s. Sure, it's not a rocket, but I can take most of the new HEMI cars. and the new mustang GTs. As long as their stock lol. And the miliage wont be that bad with the gears. unless you do alot of highway trips.
My Malibu has a bone stock 305 (except duals), stock TH350, and a set of 3.73s. Sure, it's not a rocket, but I can take most of the new HEMI cars. and the new mustang GTs. As long as their stock lol. And the miliage wont be that bad with the gears. unless you do alot of highway trips.
well i got headers and true duals i was thinking about a carb spacer,som guy i know said something about a differant flywheel will help performance and they are cheap
I wouldn't bother wit the flywheel thing. And the carb spacer idk, you will have to experiment with it and see if it makes an improvement.
You didn't mention if the motor is rebuilt or older. If it's an older motor, a new cam will do a lot. It's not to hard of a job, as long as you have a place to do it and some tools. Also an aftermarket intake would help too (unless you already have that).
If you have a Quadrajet carb on it, look on Google for ways to improve it's performance. Or you could try to rebuild yours. Or go get one from a junkyard and rebuild that. That way you aren't stuck without a ride while you're working on it, or if you mess it up lol.
You didn't mention if the motor is rebuilt or older. If it's an older motor, a new cam will do a lot. It's not to hard of a job, as long as you have a place to do it and some tools. Also an aftermarket intake would help too (unless you already have that).
If you have a Quadrajet carb on it, look on Google for ways to improve it's performance. Or you could try to rebuild yours. Or go get one from a junkyard and rebuild that. That way you aren't stuck without a ride while you're working on it, or if you mess it up lol.
A lighter flywheel will do little for you with an automatic transmission. It uses a flexplate, not a flywheel. All the weight is in the torque converter on an automatic. Also, not every engine improves with a spacer, some get worse. You have to view the car as a whole, not just see the engine as a path to improved performance. If the whole combination is not optimized to work together, you will end up throwing money away on parts that may not help, or may even hurt your car's performance. An engine is a complex combination of parts. They must be chosen wisely to work together right, and the gearing must match the power curve of the engine to see the full benefit of the power the engine does make. I would get a hold of a simulator program and play with it for a while. It will teach you many things about parts combinations.
^Very true^
I remember when I was younger I took a pretty much stock 305. Miled out with stock heads. I stuck some BIG huge cam into it. And an old Torker intake. Used a carb adapter to put my quadrajet back on. Then I threw a set of long tube headers on it. The rest of the drivetrain was a TH350 with an RV shift kit, and an open end 2.29 rear end.
Well, at that time, I thought that thing was gonna be a rocket. But I'm sure all you experienced guys know how wrong I was.
The thing was such a slug. It wasn't anywhere near as strong as it was when the motor was basically stock (except duals and a stock cam from an older 350). And I mean not even close.
So yes, you have to use the right combo for you motor to work right.
I remember when I was younger I took a pretty much stock 305. Miled out with stock heads. I stuck some BIG huge cam into it. And an old Torker intake. Used a carb adapter to put my quadrajet back on. Then I threw a set of long tube headers on it. The rest of the drivetrain was a TH350 with an RV shift kit, and an open end 2.29 rear end.
Well, at that time, I thought that thing was gonna be a rocket. But I'm sure all you experienced guys know how wrong I was.
The thing was such a slug. It wasn't anywhere near as strong as it was when the motor was basically stock (except duals and a stock cam from an older 350). And I mean not even close.
So yes, you have to use the right combo for you motor to work right.
thanks for the help and my motor is rebuilt yeah im going to go to the salvage yard tomarrow and see if i can find a monte carlo ss rear end they are all over at a junk yard a mile from my house probably 100 of them.i downloaded a desktop dyno thing and like you said im learning from it
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