Some thoughts. It looks like you have a very good combination for a driver. Your car should probably be faster with what you already have. Don't go buying parts yet the motor combo looks fine as do the gears. I suspect you will gain a lot from a converter. If you have a tach I think we can roughly check the stall speed. More on that later. First get a timeslip from the local test & tune. The mph is important to you to know the power its making, its current potential, & at what rpm you are shifting & crossing the line. The 60 foot will help you with converter issues and probable traction issues.
Use Valvoline VR1. It says raceing oil but for you that just means it has the proper amount of zinc etc for hydraulic or flat tappet cammed engine like yours and most of ours ie non roller motors. It more expensive than regular oil but cheaper & easier than adding one of the zinc / zddp additive kits. You may have to ask your local automotive store to carry it in 10/30 which would be ideal. Most autoparts stores will have 15/40 or 20/50 which will also work but is a little thick especially if the rebuild is fresh. No need for synthetic and it often makes for leaks in an engine with some miles on it. Also use a good oil filter such as a wix or napa gold.
Your carberator is the ideal carberator for a real street car or "a driver". Especially for a big block. It is NOT too big. The Rochester Q-jet has a three venturi system so its capable a being responsive even on a small displacement or weak stock motor. GTO 78 is thinking along the lines of square bore Holleys which if you had a larger Holley that might hold some validity. But you don't.
Did you check out the other two boards I listed for you? They both have more Olds engine tuning gurus and racing gurus on them than this board. I believe timing, carberation, etc tuning issues is your first priority and that your car should be much faster than it is and that you just need help sorting it out. Again get some time slips so you actually know where you are then you can start making tuning adjustments and run again to measure your results. I have seen ill timed cars go from sloggy to responsive and pick up 3 or 4 tenths from tuning alone. That is 3 or 4 car lengths in the quarter which would make a big difference in your street encounters. Also seek out from the previous owner who built & put this car together. That person knows what he did (and didn't get to) and can be great help for you. Lastly when you are at the test & tune you can find another local Olds racer one who is going fast who can help you get it sorted out. Between realoldspower, the builder, & a local successful Olds racer I am sure you can get her sorted out. And leave 9 out of 10 cars on the street looking at your tail lights. And have great fun chasing the cork and getting her faster. Warning if you do this you will likely end up with an a addition.
Use Valvoline VR1. It says raceing oil but for you that just means it has the proper amount of zinc etc for hydraulic or flat tappet cammed engine like yours and most of ours ie non roller motors. It more expensive than regular oil but cheaper & easier than adding one of the zinc / zddp additive kits. You may have to ask your local automotive store to carry it in 10/30 which would be ideal. Most autoparts stores will have 15/40 or 20/50 which will also work but is a little thick especially if the rebuild is fresh. No need for synthetic and it often makes for leaks in an engine with some miles on it. Also use a good oil filter such as a wix or napa gold.
Your carberator is the ideal carberator for a real street car or "a driver". Especially for a big block. It is NOT too big. The Rochester Q-jet has a three venturi system so its capable a being responsive even on a small displacement or weak stock motor. GTO 78 is thinking along the lines of square bore Holleys which if you had a larger Holley that might hold some validity. But you don't.
Did you check out the other two boards I listed for you? They both have more Olds engine tuning gurus and racing gurus on them than this board. I believe timing, carberation, etc tuning issues is your first priority and that your car should be much faster than it is and that you just need help sorting it out. Again get some time slips so you actually know where you are then you can start making tuning adjustments and run again to measure your results. I have seen ill timed cars go from sloggy to responsive and pick up 3 or 4 tenths from tuning alone. That is 3 or 4 car lengths in the quarter which would make a big difference in your street encounters. Also seek out from the previous owner who built & put this car together. That person knows what he did (and didn't get to) and can be great help for you. Lastly when you are at the test & tune you can find another local Olds racer one who is going fast who can help you get it sorted out. Between realoldspower, the builder, & a local successful Olds racer I am sure you can get her sorted out. And leave 9 out of 10 cars on the street looking at your tail lights. And have great fun chasing the cork and getting her faster. Warning if you do this you will likely end up with an a addition.
My mechanic fixed the pack so all my other gauges work correctly, but my speed is wrong and tach is wrong. Speed, because of the different tire/rear gear. He tried to swap in another speedo gear set but it wouldnt work or whatever. I just use a GPS for speed while driving for now.
