He said: And he said: One guy is talking about the transmission and the other is talking about the engine.
And I say" So saying you need torque, so does this mean don't ask for horsepower tips anymore or what????

 

No. It means you cant have torque without horsepower (and vice versa). They are inseparable.
When someone extols a need for torque and not horsepower, they are a bit lost.
V2 just seemed to be letting them in on reality, IMO.

 

I just get sick and tired of a guy asking for horsepower gains and instead of answering the question they tell them they need torque instead!
Really??? Well you can't put air in a tire unless there is a tire,common useless knowledge.
When people say they have double hump heads do they say 300 horse heads or 125 lbs torque heads????
Its just irreverent to bring torque up all the time ain't it??????

 

I never said you need torque instead of horsepower, quite the opposite, I was saying that to say you don't need horsepower, you need torque is a misnomer.

Professional engine designers and builders look at the torque curve to match the power bands to the needs of the engine's use. Torque is never irrelevant, but neither is horsepower. Just as Driveshaft has said, they are inseparable. This is my main point, nothing more.

I'm not going to comment on this again. We have hijacked the OP's thread. There is some good sound advice on how to get power in this thread, including yours Tim!

 

If it's an L82, it should have 9:1 CR and forged flat-top pistons. Assuming a .025 piston-to-deck clearance, a .015 gasket would bump you up to around 9.4:1 with a .040 quench distance, which is just about right. A 64 cc combustion chamber head will get you up over 10:1 CR.

The L82 is kind of over-cammed with the stock intake and exhaust manifolds, a Performer RPM style intake, headers and 2 1/2" dual exhaust, re-curve the distributor and tune the carb, probably make a huge difference in the seat of the pants.

Put forth the time and effort to make sure you have an engine that is worth bolting speed parts onto, I.E. compression and leak down test. If you are replacing the heads, you're only really worried about the ring seal, since you are putting fresh heads on.


Scott

 

You are technically correct, but when people say things like "You want torque, not horsepower!", what they really mean is that you want the engine to make power in a useable rpm range. You basically have about a 3000 rpm window in which to make real power. Maybe a little wider, maybe a little narrower, depending on a lot of different factors, but in general, around 3000 rpm. Yes, on a race car, you can have that rpm range be 5-8000 rpm, and change the gearing and stall speed to optimize that combo on a drag strip, and in that situation, it will be a faster car, because at higher rpm, you are moving more fuel and air thru the engine, making more power, and you can optimize the car to use that power to it's fullest, but on a street car, in which you want to use the existing stall speed converter, gearing, have a nice idle, etc., you are restricted to having that rpm range be something more like 1500-4500 rpm, or 2-5000 rpm, something like that. And, because of how the math works when computing horsepower, the torque curve and the horsepower curve cross at 5252 rpm, so if your 3000 rpm power band happens below 5252, it will manifest itself as high torque numbers and relatively low horsepower numbers. Even people who understand the mathematics of horsepower and torque will mostly agree that having alot of low-end torque makes a really fun to drive street car, because it will have great throttle response at normal driving speeds, even tho it may get it's *** handed to it down at the dragstrip. I hope you don't take this post as a personal attack on you, I'm just pointing out that there may be a bit of a misunderstanding in terminology.


Scott

 

WOW - its like one there's a bunch of hornets flying around today !
For sure lets stay away from telling him what kind of oil to use or if he should use ethonol based fuel

I say "know your audience if you're going to answer a question".
Our OP joined in Aug 2011. He has a '74 vette. So I'm guessing hes a young guy , maybe in his 20s ,new to corvettes. When I was a young guy a LONG LONG LONG time ago , I would have asked the same thing.
I just wanted to throw something out there for him to think about.

Now if someone was to ask the same question and they were a member here for 15yrs with a BB 502 , well maybe I'd have a different response.

Either way , hopefully someone will look at the responses and take something away from it. Even if its just going on the net and digging into what torque and hp really mean.

 

one of the most intelligent. responses here. and advance the cam 4 degrees and you wont believe it.

 

Cheapest?
Recurve your distributor so that the mechanical advance is "all in" by whatever RPM is your highway cruise RPM. Make it total (initial plus centrifugal) about 34 degrees (before any vacuum advance). After you have done that, connect your vacuum advance so that it runs full time. You will need to readjust your idle speed.
Put in an oversize K&N air filter. The stock '74 air filter element is very short- you can put in a taller one one designed to fit a '77, and get a longer 1/4-20 stud to hold down the cover. It'll fit.
Also, the stock fuel filter on a '74 is tiny. You can get a longer inlet nut (from a '77 or so) and double the filter in size, without looking too different from stock.
You want to run a truck sized engine oil filter.
Those are cheap modifications.
And a true 2 1/2" exhaust, with high flowing mufflers, will definitely help.

 

If you start changing cams and heads and intakes and putting on true duel exhaust - Your probably looking at $2 - 3 G. If you want 50 hp and you want the CHEAPEST way to get there then go buy a 50 hp NOS package and bolt it on. Don't know how long things will last- but it'll be your cheapest way to get there. Maybe the L-82 can handle it.

Anyone noticed the OP hasn't chimed in. Are we just arguing with ourselves ?

 

If you can go with a true dual exhaust, without cats, this would be the cheapest bang for the buck except for redoing the ignition advance curve.

Any K&N 'oversize' filter has an equivalent paper filter, if you believe you need more filtering area. I have to laugh to myself whenever I see K&N recommended. Back when I was younger, K&N made their mark (whatever that was) by convincing ricers that they could get anywhere between 5-25 HP more by using K&N. Usually not true, but .... This idea soon spread to the Hot Rod community, mainly the younger members. Put YOUR car on a dyno, switch out the air filter, and see how much YOU gain. Oh yea, put a K&N filter top on your air cleaner, as opposed to running a stock cold air induction system, and see how much you gain from sucking in the hot under hood air. Use actual dyno, not butt dyno, numbers.

I'm waiting for the numbers.

 

Hmmmmm..............methinks we may have been hoodwinked!!!!! Just another bogus post to drum up the post numbers to make the advertisers happy?


Scott

 

Curious why you recomend a 750 for an auto? Vacuum secondaries with an automatic yes but if anything a smaller carb would be in order, like a 600, me thinks the smaller bore would increase throttle response, drivability and performance.

 

74 L-82 had dual exhaust and no cat-last year for the true duals and no cat!

 

Like your very first responder stated, "nitrous" is the simplest and lowest cost method of increasing your engine's output by 50 hp. And, that much nitrous will not overstress your engine (in its present state).

 

Go to a dragstrip and ask any racer there whether they want a free 400TQ motor or a 400HP motor. I agree with the phrase " Build for HP and the Tq will come" unless your in the tow truck business.

To the OP headers, manifold and 650 Holley lose all the smog equipment might be the answer. A rear gear change will make it feel like it has more power.

When I built my 427ci small block I wasn't building it to make 500TQ I was building it to make 600+Hp and low and behold there's plenty of torque there

I do however kind of agree a 350ci needs torque, kinda a bandaid for a small ci motor but it is relatively easy to get some torque out of it. I got 330Ft/lb and 295HP from my warmed over L48 at the rear wheels

My 427ci. Over 300Tq at the rear wheels when he stepped on the gas at 2000RPM on chassis dyno



My previous 406ci was shooting for 500+HP, this was an engine dyno I got numerical printout so I plotted them

 

Getting 50 HP from a stock L-82 is not that hard and it does NOT involve changing heads or nitrous. I know that I have easily achieved that with my changes to the carb, exhaust, timing etc without going into the motor. Until I get to the dyno, I can't be definitive yet BUT:

Forum member, Karol, who has a basically stock 100,000 mile ( that's right!) L-82 engine with a Performer intake, OEM Q-Jet, cam of unknown origin in the OEM stock 882 smog heads, NO headers but 2.5 true duals with Magnaflows just dynoed his car AND:

248 and change RWHP, NOT Net, NOT Gross. That is abut 290-300 Net HP

That would be an 80 HP increase over the 220 Net HP stock rating on a 100,000 motor! 80 HP with the smog heads on a hot humid day!!

Changing heads with a decent cam, the L-82 will make over 400 Gross HP! It's been done and documented-easy!

 

Blower/Supercharger! over 100 horse and gobs of torque.. 2 grand kit (I am surprised to see this for just 2 grand)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...CS81RGM0YS044E

 

+1, but I'm not sure its the "cheapest" way

 

A vettes Quadrajunk carb is already 650cfm.
A 305ci in a 79 Cutlass can handle a 750 Vacuum carb.
Got to put more air in if you want more air out.