Post your heads w/size & cams, and are you happy with the set-up. What would you change, if doing so?

 

Oh, this ought to be fun! Let me jump in first!

540 cubic inches.
Brodix 2Xtra's- start at 365cc
Ported to 377cc (way too big...ask anyone!)
Engle solid roller- (old school..not cool...ask anyone) 266/272 .774/.731 lift 112 LSA
Super Victor Intake-ported (way too big...ask anyone)
1050 Dominator- (too big...ask anyone!)

It all depends on what you're doing. Mine is easily streetable and can cruise all day without a burp.

I'm not a 100% proponent of all that Hot Rod Magazine *build for TQ* stuff. Works great if you're building a motor home motor. What is real fun is TQ at higher RPM...which is HP. If the tires are spinning...you have enough TQ...no need adding more. Get it to *hang on* after peak HP and spin it a little and you will be amazed.

JIM

 

Small block chevy

AFR 227cc, are you kidding me, on the street
CC 254duration .640" lift, that's way too big for a small block, and a solid roller, you kidding me ?
Vic Jr single plane, port matched to heads, a single plane on the street ?
Here's a good one 825 Drag Race Demon (flows 975cfm )double pumper mechanical secondaries, 50cc pumps, 45 squirter in the front and 40 in the back, jet extension and jets so big I don't even want to post them

Runs perfect on the street and I wouldn't change a thing

Sad part is people are going to keep building the HotRod magazine tow truck motors and never get to hear one sing

 

Motor home, hot rod magazine engine!
forged 383 10.4 to 1
Lightweight rotating assembly
AFR 195 heads competition ported, 2.08 1.60 valves
XE288 Hydraulic roller 114 LSA with AFR hydra rev kit
Large base tripower, Offy 360 split single plane W/ 150 NOS.
MSD pro billet, 6ALN, nitrous window switch. On 3500 off 6400
6500 RPM Rev limiter
RPM kills motors and I can't afford to do it again.
Tom's 4.11 rear end, halfshafts, spindles.
D&D Performance Chevy/Viper T-56 6 speed
Want old school look, wide torque band, Nitrous likes wide LSA
Street/ show car
Past 1/2 way point in complete frame off
3 years in it and way to much $$$$
Goals
Powershift it through 5 gears with the nitrous engaged
Cruise 75 MPH @ 2300 RPM
Not have to worry about hurting anything.
650 + FWHP with the nitrous
Street manners
20+mpg
All the above with a 60 year old induction design.

Will let you know how I did when I get it together.

 

Let me know when you are going to do this, I'll drive behind you, I am always looking for spare parts

 

Hey, I will have to try it out. It's only a 150 shot on a motor home engine.

You still running that stock rear end behind the new motor and the TKO? If you are, you better not try this at home.

 

If you are going to do it don't cheap out like Moterhead and I with wimpy 427 or 434 ci and 227 cc heads.

For the same price you could get 4.125 stroker small blocks and get real power with 441-447 ci

From the get go with 272 cc brodix -12 degree spread port heads that flow 350+ CFM 227's only flow in the 314 range

As for cams I'm happy with endurance road racing lobes @ .685/.714 lift who cares if you have replace $500 springs every 5000 to 8000 miles

 

Wow a 266/272 advertized duration cam in a 540 how did you get all the lift with 2.0 plus ratio rockers. Hot rod ragazine will be proud of you for setting such a good example does that 266/272 fall dead on its face in the 540 at 3000 rpm, why did you use a 1050 carb for a 3000 rpm engine, seems like a EDL-1406 fuel economy carb with factory oval port heads would be the ticket.

I have a long time freind back when 502s was the thing to have he wanted to build a 502 use oval port factory heads ( they will give better torque his words ) Without saying your nuts I tried to tell him a 502 is not his old 396/350 hp 68 camaro.

tell me again about the viper race sliding around on your street tires
with your no torque 540 ( cam heads carb to big for any low end power)

 

OK. 10 to 1, internally balanced 502 with AFR 315's, solid flat tappet with 258 @ .050 and .630 lift on a 108 lsa, (a 427HotROD weenie cam ) with a 1.8 intake rocker, Holley Strip Dominator and 1000 hp. Very streetable with a hp peak at 6100 rpm. Will soon do a bigger solid roller to have some real fun.

 

And now, from the peanut gallery:

355 c.i.
Dart Iron Eagle 180 cc runners and 72 cc chambers, polished
Comp XE262H cam

I am happy with the combo, I drive it as my main vehicle to work every day and on out of state trips several times a year. Good performance (350+ hp) and fuel economy (18 in town, 22 highway)

If I could do it all again, I would go with a roller cam conversion (Comp XR264/ 270HR) and do a more thorough port/ polish job on the heads (maybe in the future).

God bless, Sensei

 

I sold my old '68 SS/RS 396 Camaro to a buddy. He felt cheap and wanted to buy it without the 427 oval port in it. After building a few 454's and scattering them, he decided to buy a ZZ502 for it. What a slug! The 427 would have walked all over it any day of the week. It was out of steam by 5200 and hitting the wall at 5500. A little head milling and a real cam makes them come alive pretty good though!

Most of *streetability* is really *tuneability*. If you can tune, you can make most anything pretty streetable.

My cam is 266/272@.050....so for sure there is no way that thing will idle and cruise around right? In fact, people have called it wussy sounding! Listen to the attached videos.....it idles like a puppy....but comes alive when you give it a little reign!

Heck, I took the 1050 off the old 427. It drove great and got 14+ MPG without any OD and using 3.36 gears. Still runs great...but only gets 12-13 mpg or so with the 540. Probably need to do some tuning on it for cruise mileage.

Edelbrock 1406? I think I have one of those on my lawnmower!

Oh yeah...the Viper story! Yep no low end! Short version...drove first leg of 2000 mile round trip. Had mild old school solid flat tappet in it to see how it would do on the trip. Pulled into track, literally right off the highway and unloaded luggage and lawnchairs. Pulled to the line with plain BFG street tires, capped headers, fat and heavy front tires, no carb spacers or tricks. Traction was a little difficult and I was hitting some killer 2.40 60' times!! They paired me with a Viper on one run that had drag radials and a Vortech blower on it. He dilled me out of the hole...I fishtailed and spun as I feathered the throttle to get traction. Finally got my foot in it in 3rd gear and had to play catch up. Chased him down and passed him before the lights with a low 11sec pass at 131+ MPH! It was terrible in first half...but I was flying at the end. He accused me of having nitrous because there is *no way you passed me like that on motor!" He He He.......top end power is great!

Check out the deformed street tires trying to hold on! This race looked a LOT different about 2 seconds from this pic!



Just a little stop to ask direction in Memphis on the way to Bowling Green from Houston!




Whatever you do...NEVER scrimp on heads. That's where the power is. Everything else just has to stay together!

JIM

 

sensei what kind of #'s do you run at the track i have a similar set up with f.i.

 

I'm in the weanie peanut gallery here too.

385 SB with older 190 AFR heads and a solid flat tappet cam. 252/260 @ .050 duration and a .540/.558 lift. 10.8 to 1 compression. It put down 409 RWHP with a Victor jr and an 825 Mighty Demon. Right now converting to fuel injection

 

Weenie Peanut Gallery? I don't think so.

First you have 190cc heads. Good Lord didn't you ever read where those heads are way too big? You'll never be able to drive it with larger than 180 cc heads on a 385!

A SOLID FLAT TAPPET? I mean really..what rock have you been living under? EVERYONE knows flat tappets go flat (that's why they call them flat tappets!) before you even crank them don't they??? If you don't have a hyd roller it will NEVER run good on the street! And 252*@.050??? No way that thing will idle. It will foul all the plugs and have absolutely NO bottom end driveability!

10.8 Compression? Again....even with aluminum heads you can barely run 10.0 on the street. Didn't you play with the DCR calculators??

And an 850 CFM mechanical secondary carb....on the street? What were you thinking???


You ROCK DUDE!!! 409 RWHP out of a sweet little 385 on pump gas with a flat tappet cam. Let one of those Hyd roller guys pull up beside you and se how quick they have to grab gears as you *spin 'er to the moon!"

That's deep deep 11 second power right there..........


JIM

 

Guess I live by my late father in laws saying "If it don't go, chrome it!"

 

My mentors told me:

*Who cares about bottom end TQ? Anything under 3000 RPM ought to be pulling into a parking place!"

* A clutch is a *variable stall speed* converter!*

*He who makes the most explosions between the start and the finish wins!*

*Almost all Hp is made within 1" on either side of the valve*


But if it's not fast .."Run she may...but shine she must!"


JIM

 

72 406 sbc-4 bolt block forged pistons-10.43:1
5.7 Crower sportsman rods
Ported Vortec heads-906s with double springs62cc heads
Comp Cams Hyd Roller retro fit 1.6 Roller rockers
.548-566 lift/234deg@.050 112 lca
Holley Vortec intake w/modified 3310-2
Accel ign
Hooker headers/2 1/2"-FM40series
BUILT 2004R w/2400 converter
3.55 rear
Love the midrange torque at 80+mph-2300rpm
Cruise with newer Vettes on hwy and don't have to spin the **** out of the motor doing 100+
Quicker than my 96 Impala SS by a long shot.

 

Yes I have been told this is not a very streetable motor but I think it is very streetable. It is a little rough below 2000 rpm but who drives below 2000 rpm!

 

They built houses all around the Pecan Park track, and then all the people who moved into the houses complained about the noise of the race track so they closed it down Now the nearest track is somehwere in Gainsville, so I don't go. I run an E4ME Quadrajet and computer, which I have modified and tweaked extensively. It would be interesting to see how that compares to EFI.

God bless, Sensei

 

Allready some big hitters in this thread, but what the hay i"ll play!
355ci, dart pro 1"s 180/72, 10.1-1cr, xe284h= 507/510 lift 240/246@50 110 lsa I run a holley contender, with a 750dp. msd ign.