A turbo 400 with street tires will probably live for a while. With a manual trans if you use the power you will lose the drivetrain. That much power will kill parts way faster. As I said before $6000 for a rear end and $4000 for a trans.

 

I'm already planning on getting a TKO-600, so the tranny will be ok. However, I don't want to spend $6K on a rear end, so I guess I'll keep looking. Do you think 450-500 is a safe range for the stock rear end? I don't mind upgrading certain parts: BlackRat recommended replacing all the U joints w/ Brute Force solid non-greasables, which in combo w/ street tires should keep the rear end safe. Makes sense, but even still I don't want to push it and have a $6K "fund necessity" on my hands after a few weeks or months of driving the car when I'm done w/ the engine/tranny install.

 

Blackrat is correct. Solid u-joints and 450 to 500 Hp on street tires will live, hard to say how long if you beat it. A lot of guys run stock rearends with street tires and 500 plus Hp but don't count on it lasting with big power. GTR1999 can build you a stonger posi. Run Spicer solid or Brute Force U-joints. 3" halfshafts and street tires. If you want to powershift 550 plus HP you need a Tom's setup for..................$6000 plus. A lot depends on how you drive it. you can run 1000 hp through a stock rear end and never hurt it if you drive like grandpa. Nevermind, Im a grandpa.

 

I'd say my driving habits would be "normal" w/ occasional "stomping on the pedal." It's really impossible to quantify, but I'm not going to the strip and besides the occasional "let see what this can do" (obviously w/in reason ), the driving should be fairly normal...probably more like cruising. There's only one highway by my house anyways that I'd even have an opportunity to open it up, so a lot of driving will be more residential/town areas w/ "getting on it" here and there when I'm getting on the highway. Point is, I'll probably only drive the car a few days a week at most (weather permitting) and the majority will NOT be opening it up 100% and seeing what I can do. So, does that help at all in a ballpark assessment of how the car will hold up to a 450-500HP engine?

EDIT: Quick google yield this: Denny's Driveshaft

The first set (3in) or second set (3.5in/aluminum) come w/ 1350 spicers (non-greaseable). Would those (or similar) make a big difference on what the rear end could take? I don't mind spending $5-700 to beef up the rear end enough, but I'd really like to avoid beyond that if possible.

 

Should be fine with solid spicers and street tires. No powershifting.

 

I will NEVER power shift. A friend showed me how in a previous car, and while it worked, it felt so wrong to me that I never did it again. Guess I wouldn't make anything of a true drag racer, but like I've said, that's not what I'm trying to do with this car. Thanks for all the help mako and everyone else, I greatly appreciate it! Beers on me if we ever meet.

 

I wouldn't recommend it but I run a Tom's 4.33 rear with a steel cap. The car is a BB car with a th400 and a 4000 stall and a 10 inch slick. I run consistent 1.46/48 60fts, the car is 3000lbs even though which helps. I know it is on its last let and am reading everything I can on the forums to try to figure out my best option for an upgrade. Some of my splines are twisting as well...not good. Just wanted to let everyone know it is possible but not smart.