What should I Do

[1979Calais]

A machine shop should be able to drill out the fuel pump push rod hole. Alot of times the hole is already part way drilled by the factory.[/quote]

I will check with a machine shop to see what they will charge.

 

[1979Calais]

Thats easy. Go to Fbody forums. Ask anyone running 12:1 and better compression what hp are they running at the wheels. The reason they do it without cams changes is that those cams are more expensive than a normal sbc hyd roller. So those guys run factory cams and the LT4 cams. The ones with dollars to throw at it are using aftermarket cams and running in the low 10s and high 9s at the track and you know that's way more than 500 hp. Those guys are running insane compression. I saw a high dollar Firebird running 14:1 AND SPAYING NOS!!! And complaining that he wasn't fast enough!!? I thought they were crazy til I built the one in my friends car a year ago. He had 3 grand to throw at the motor. So I ported the factory heads, put in 12:1 Arias pistons, put in a LT4 hot cam, beefed up the valve train using Trickflow push rods(got a deal on them), Comp Cam Pro Magnum steel rockers, and Hooker super comp headers. just under 580 hp @ 6800 rpm. The Intake is holding the the car back. We are looking for a LT4 intake to see what it will gain or something better. Here's some pics of it when i pulled it apart last month looking for a bad lifter.

My brother in law is on that forum learning about how to get more compression, so I will ask him for more input. He is the reason I am getting a LT1. Is over 450hp to much for a t top car?

 

[pencero]

:arrow: 450 is way too much for t top car but ynot

 

[jetsetw31]

Ok, I do need to clear up one thing. The motors I mentioned are not street engines. (Even though the owners drive them on the street) Technically they are race motors. Once you pass 10:1 compression, your mild cam has a noticeable lope like a hotter cam. The Camaro and the Vette LT1 motors were basically Identical, with the exhaust being their only difference. Both at 10.0:1. The b bodies had different heads, cams, exhaust, and compression.

On the motor in question, a 350 LT1 from a '94 -'96 Caprice making a stock 260 hp with a compression ratio of 9.0:1 and torque was at 330 lb ft. With the compression of this motor raised to 10:1 and the addition a free flow exhaust, this motor will jump almost 100 hp to around 350 -360 hp with over 400 lb ft torque. A chip for the computer is needed also. This combo has been done to death. With Aluminum heads, this motor can be brought to 11:1 and higher. At 11:1, this motor with no other changes but the heads, will be above 400 hp. Torque will be close to 480 lb ft. (BTW I stand corrected, the SS Impala did not come with the aluminum heads. The car i was thinking of had the Camaro heads put on it by a previous owner.)

The hp of the Camaro I worked on was at 285 hp stock. The addition of free flow CATs and a chip, put it over 330 hp. The car also was installed with a K&N high flow filter system and a Dynomax muffler on the stock exhaust. Then the car was pushing 400 hp. That's before I touched it. I added a 58 mm throttle body, a Hooker super comp headers and 3 1/2" Exhaust, LT4 Hot cam, 1.6:1 Pro Magnum rockers, Flowmaster muffler, a Hypertech chip, and you get the point, there's a lot in it to get the 580 it's pushing. I know there's more in it because the cam's range is 2500 - 7500 and it tappers off at 6800 rpm.

These combos are way possible when done right. The basic formula of 10:1 comp, a single plain intake, a 290 cam, ported 2.02 /1.60 heads, and a 750 carb will get you 500 hp in a 350 sbc. Heck, I got a 350 sbc with 8.5:1 comp to reach 500 hp with the right combo of parts. (It was spinning to 7200 between shifts. It was all in the custom cam and the heads)
Making 500 hp isn't a big deal, ask any race engine builder. Putting it to the ground is a big deal.
I was taught there are really only 2 ways to make hp. Cubic inches and High compression. No matter what the motor is.
That's coming from a old street racer. Which I guess I have become also since i'll be 50 this year.
T

 

[1979Calais]

:arrow: 450 is way too much for t top car but ynot

That's why I told the machine shop that I am not trying to go over 400hp.

 

[565bbchevy]

Instead of telling the machine shop to build you an engine with less horsepower why not send it to a chassis shop to have them strengthen it to handle the extra power.

 

[1979Calais]

Instead of telling the machine shop to build you an engine with less horsepower why not send it to a chassis shop to have them strengthen it to handle the extra power.

So it sounds like I should keep it stock.

 

[jetsetw31]

So it sounds like I should keep it stock.

Yeah, just keep it stock If you going LT1. It's a great DD motor as is and It may turn out cheaper than a 383. Plus you'll have more power than the 4200lb car it came from and if you ever want more power, that motor will deliver with the right parts tossed at it.
You still need to beef up the 200R4 if just for longevity. Also do what was said earlier, Put a LockRight in the rear. You can do that in a few hours and then you got posi.
And remember about the 4.3. There are more of them than LT1s. LT1s are in Caprice Wagons, Buick Road Masters, and the Cadillacs. The Caprices are 50/50. Check them all anyway. Some may have a 4.3, I never seen one in the other cars but, you never know. Also take everything from the donor car if its running, even the gas tank.
T

 

[1979Calais]

What is the most horsepower that I can put in a t top Gbody? I was telling my brother in law that the 4.3 is also a V8, but he keep telling me a 4.3 is a V6. Am I just loosing my mind or he just don't know?

 

[565bbchevy]

What is the most horsepower that I can put in a t top Gbody? I was telling my brother in law that the 4.3 is also a V8, but he keep telling me a 4.3 is a V6. Am I just loosing my mind or he just don't know?

The 4.3L (262 cid) V6 is the last and most successful engine in the Chevrolet 90-degree V6 engine family. This engine was introduced in 1985 as a replacement for the 229 cid V6 in the full-size Chevrolet, the Chevrolet El Camino and Monte Carlo. It also replaced the 250 cid in the Chevrolet full-size trucks and full-size vans (including the mid-sized Astro) as the new base six-cylinder engine.

Production of the original small-block began in the fall of 1954 for the 1955 model year with a displacement of 265 cu in (4.3 L), growing incrementally over time until reaching 400 cu in (6.6 L) in 1970.