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Upgrading to higher CFM fans. Hopefully it will keep it cooler when idling. We’re having them go through the Sniper2 wiring to see if there is any thing to clean up from the original install.
We’ll download the newest update from the Holly site, go through the Snipper set up wizard, get a decent base tune, then off to Dardantune. He’s supposed to be one of the best in SoCal.
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Seems like you can always find the "guy" that can't find the issue,,, so they just start throwing parts at it to see what works. Sorry your in that 'Grand Canyon' of miss direction. Keep searching. Proper direction is out there. Just hope you find it before the budget is depleted.
I think you’re right. Not only the tune but also, improper Snipper2 installation can cause overheating issues as well. The shop owner that did the brakes, recommended his long time friend’s automotive electrical specialty shop. They’re doing the fans. They found that the original dirt bag shop that installed our engine, re-used some pretty ugly old wires. They’re going to clean up a bunch of old wiring that is now useless and hopefully get rid of any electrical gremlins. They ‘re going over the Sniper 2 system to check that it was properly installed
Last edited by JakeLucas; Jan 2, 2026 at 01:34 AM.
The car looks amazing.
I especially like the painted rocker panels!
Thanks! When we got it painted I assumed that they’d paint them but they didn’t. They looked pretty bad. I asked the guy if he’d paint them and he did, no extra charge. They’re flat black to give them a bit of contrast. I should have had them paint the chrome aground the window. It still looks okay though. My son doesn’t really care that much about looks. He’d have just left it primer. I was concerned that leaving that way it would degrade the fiberglass. It needed new seals so, I didn’t want to get the seals installed before it was painted. It’s warranted for 5 years. There are a couple of spots I might have touched up.
Darden asked we I had the Holly tuning cable. We don’t. I ordered it and it should be here by the 14th. Perfect timing, because it should arrive by the 14th. $89.49! The reviews say that it works well and is good quality but most feel as though it is way overpriced. Oh well, just another drop in the bucket, into the proverbial @60 Shark money pit.
I can’t wait to see if the horsepower claim by that jack-hole shop owner, that had the engine built by his builder, is anywhere near what he claimed it would be. He kept saying it would be over 500 hp, close to 600 hp. I doubt it will even be close to 500hp. I’ll be totally shocked if it’s over 500 hp.
His claims of a custom build with high-performance parts probably went out the window in the end because he took our money and seemingly spent it on other things (and turns out, probably at the casino) then scrambled to get it completed after we kept pressuring him for over a year to get it done. He was then done with it, even though he said he would readjust the suspension to account for the heavier big block, do the alignment, then after 500 miles, change out the break-in oil and give it a once over.
I didn’t press him for any of that because I was just glad to be done with that piece of ****. I’ve spoken to three reputable local shop owners that concur that he a degenerate gambler/bullshitter. I know a couple of his nearly lifelong friends that he jacked over. They don’t talk to him any more either. As you can tell I’m totally over it. Haha.
I’ve read this:
A custom big block Chevy bored .030 over can range from ~400 horsepower for a mild street build to over 600+ HP for a high-performance setup, with the final number depending heavily on heads, cam, intake, compression, and tuning, as the bore itself adds only a small incremental gain, perhaps 1-2 HP per cylinder but the surrounding components dictate the significant power. Factors Influencing Horsepower
Cylinder Heads: The biggest factor; CNC-ported heads can add significant power over stock.
Camshaft: Affects lift, duration, and overlap, crucial for power band.
Intake & Carb/Throttle Body: Determines airflow, with tunnel rams or modern single-plane intakes boosting top-end power.
Engine Assembly: Quality machining and assembly prevent power loss.
Examples of Potential Builds
Street Cruiser (350 bored .030): With a decent hydraulic roller cam, aluminum heads, and an RPM intake, 400 HP is an achievable goal.
High-Performance Street/Strip: Using better heads, a more aggressive cam, and forged internals, 500+ HP is possible.
Extreme Builds (Big Block Chevy): A 540ci big block (not .030 over, but illustrative) can produce 800+ HP naturally aspirated, showing the potential of the platform with aggressive parts.
Last edited by JakeLucas; Jan 12, 2026 at 12:51 AM.
Do you guys think those numbers sound about right? Our build was supposed to be high performance. Sounds like a high performance cam. I just don’t have any faith in anything that guy promised. Charlie, at Charlie’s Electrical, said he thought it looked like a solid build and it seems like it has a lot of potential. Of course, he can’t tell what the internals are like.
Find someone who runs a static dyno in your area.
They can tell you what your rear wheel horse power is and then you can easily calculate what the horse power is at the crank.
No guess work.
Do you have any idea of the build specifics?
Heads used?
Cam used?
C.R.?
Maybe this will help:
As I recall you have a 454 right?
My 454 dyno'd at 485HP and 550 TQ. In an engine dyno room. I have a decent LS6 level street cam.
That was with the mild Erson solid roller 230/238* @ .050.
A factory solid lifter BB cam was 242/242* they were all the same (except for the extreme L88.)
That cam is very streetable and drives pretty nice, with nice parking lot manners. LOL
I also have the very old school but the awful flowing GM L88 aluminum heads and the flat 569 R-port intake.
Modern AFRs would have been so much better!
My builder and the dyno builder both guaranteed another 100+HP with AFRs and a better intake.
Several builds I have seen online back that up.
At the time I had no idea how much better the AFRs are on a BBC, vs the old GM heads.
The airflow improvements are amazing.
A 350 built to the same level, like an LT-1 but with better heads and a modern cam, should go 450HP and still be nicely streetable.
More than that is tough and street limiting. You need cubes. My old LT-1 made right at ~390HP with the old 1970 heads on it.
It would add 50-60 HP with AFRs.
In both cases you need much bigger cams, and a lot more rpm, to get more HP. Those pull to 6500 really nice. Bigger cams go higher.
Honestly, SBCs are just more efficient. For the dollar, and the HP per dollar, and in gas used. LOL
But cubes still rule.
A 383 SBC is probably your biggest bang for the buck these days. And honestly, about all the HP a C3 needs.
They go 450-500 HP when built to the same level as above.
That makes it a very quick-a** car!
A friend's stock GM ZZ 383 425-450HP? 323 gears, and auto, and convertor, ran like 11.70s at Atco often with slicks in a 69 Camaro.
I drove it and it would happily smoke the tires indefinately in the first 2 gears, on street tires.
IMHO cars with Hot Big Blocks or more HP than that need much experience, and or a something like a racer's license!
You just can't randomly floor them below 60 without spinning the car.
The new hot rod cars have all those computer nannys to keep it under control.
Old cars do not.
If it were my son, I would make him earn the experience.
One step at a time.
Last edited by leigh1322; Jan 13, 2026 at 05:53 PM.
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