Where should I begin?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 485
Likes: 0
From: STLMO31Fo
Where should I begin?
Wow... all the options...
Since I'm still green here in old timey domestic H.O. motor land, I'm going to have to suck in my gut and buck up for a nubie beating on this one.
Now that the motor is running well I'm ready to begin "fixing" her. I have a 76 L48 350 4spd where should I begin?
I want side pipes, but they can wait. I need brakes - Pat K and I are taking a gander at those this weekend hopefully, and I'll do the body work when she's decent.
So, where to start?
Something that'll give me a good low end torquey kick in the pants. Cost is really no consern, if I can't afford it I'll save up for it if its worth it. I was thinking of a new rear end gearing cams fancy shmancy trick heads or something, but it seems to do one thing I must do another. So what I'm really looking for is a basic plan of attack for a 350 SB. Where to start and what steps to take next. Not really brands, altho helpful, not nessessary for me. I need suggestions on parts themselves so I can start building knowledge of part interaction first. ...and not the basic i/h/e stuff, please, I'm not that green! :lol:
Thanx ahead of time guys!
Later.
~ ericshaw
Since I'm still green here in old timey domestic H.O. motor land, I'm going to have to suck in my gut and buck up for a nubie beating on this one.
Now that the motor is running well I'm ready to begin "fixing" her. I have a 76 L48 350 4spd where should I begin?
I want side pipes, but they can wait. I need brakes - Pat K and I are taking a gander at those this weekend hopefully, and I'll do the body work when she's decent.
So, where to start?
Something that'll give me a good low end torquey kick in the pants. Cost is really no consern, if I can't afford it I'll save up for it if its worth it. I was thinking of a new rear end gearing cams fancy shmancy trick heads or something, but it seems to do one thing I must do another. So what I'm really looking for is a basic plan of attack for a 350 SB. Where to start and what steps to take next. Not really brands, altho helpful, not nessessary for me. I need suggestions on parts themselves so I can start building knowledge of part interaction first. ...and not the basic i/h/e stuff, please, I'm not that green! :lol:
Thanx ahead of time guys!
Later.
~ ericshaw
Advanced
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Gulf Coast MS
Re: Where should I begin? (ericshaw)
I always liked to go with a new rear gear say a 350 or 370. then for a kick in the pants, a small shot of NOS 100 to 125hp. Stock 350 can take that with no problem and the cost is fairly cheap for the HP gained. :chevy
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 963
Likes: 0
From: melbourne,Australia
Re: Where should I begin? (ericshaw)
Eric,you may find deeper gears destroy your highway cruising pleasure...a high torque at reasonably low revs is best for that and the simplest way is a good 383 or other cubic inch increase...383 is probably easiest because the parts are readily available...john :chevy
Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,307
Likes: 92
From: Press "2" for English
Re: Where should I begin? (ericshaw)
eric, first off, what is the usage? rear gears are nice but if you plan on driving it often, you might get the same effect without the compromise by switching in a 5 or 6 speed. my opinion from what you just listed is brakes first. c-3s are notorious for having tempermental brakes. many people on this forum have started off thinking a couple hundred dollars will fix their problems and once it gets close to $1k, they start getting a little miffed. if your going to go fast you'd better be able to stop fast.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,428
Likes: 0
Re: Where should I begin? (ericshaw)
If you legally can, get rid of your stock exhaust system. and go to any type of true dual exhaust sys. You will :D at the difference. Think about adding a good street cam (mine is kinda mild but works great :lol: ). In short, see my sig to see what I have done. All of my mods were recommended to me by members of this Forum and I am more than :yesnod: with the results. Probably heads and headers will be next if I want to go that far. GOOD LUCK........ :seeya
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,514
Likes: 1
Re: Where should I begin? (tnt76vette)
Yep cam, intake and exhaust are the quickest mods to get more HP from that era of engine. Notorious for small cam and poor exhaust, just upgrading those 2 items will give you an increase easily felt. Rear gears will also do it but you'll sacrifice running a comfortable RPM at highway speed. Good Luck
Scott
Scott
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,407
Likes: 2
From: Carmichael CA
Re: Where should I begin? (ericshaw)
If money is no problem then take a look at Merlin522's Project Insane Asylum...I think he's at around $150,000 now and counting. A more reasonable approach is to take it as it is over to a chassis dyno and get your base line reading...pay the extra money for the tech to tweak on it to get the most HP out of it by jetting the carb, tunning the carb, adjusting timing, etc. That way you can take it back there after you do a mod and just see what changed in the way of torque/HP.
As mentioned above the 1st thing to do is check your smog laws to see if you can go to dual exhaust. You might want to get a dyno reading after that, then select a better cam, including better push rods and springs and of course get a dyno reading after that.
But, my favorite performance upgrade is a helmet and frequent visits to the local drag strip and autocross track!
As mentioned above the 1st thing to do is check your smog laws to see if you can go to dual exhaust. You might want to get a dyno reading after that, then select a better cam, including better push rods and springs and of course get a dyno reading after that.
But, my favorite performance upgrade is a helmet and frequent visits to the local drag strip and autocross track!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 485
Likes: 0
From: STLMO31Fo
Re: Where should I begin? (Scott78)
Honestly I love the way it drives (especially on the hwy) I just want a bit more punch when I hit the petal, maybe a bit more tire spin when I really punch 2nd or even 3rd. :cool:
I've come to find the car's already been modded... valve covers and intake are the obivous ones. I'm gonna have to look over this thing a bit more before I start doing anything.
[Modified by ericshaw, 7:38 PM 6/7/2002]
I've come to find the car's already been modded... valve covers and intake are the obivous ones. I'm gonna have to look over this thing a bit more before I start doing anything.
[Modified by ericshaw, 7:38 PM 6/7/2002]
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Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,711
Likes: 43
From: San Antonio TX
Re: Where should I begin? (ericshaw)
Rather than throw a lot of money at the car with aftermarket parts that may compromise the things you really enjoy about the car, consider putting the best tuneup you can on the car. Get the carburation and ignition to their optimum performance (including the advance curve). You'd be surprised how much horsepower can be found in a great state of tune.