thanks guys, 400 h.p. is just a target, but if all I can get is 300 without breaking the bank then so-be-it. as I said, I'm just looking for a nice weekend cruizer that is fun to drive. I've never driven a vette before so even the 190 the stock motor had might be good enough. but as with most guys, the more power the better (within reason). I found out yesterday that I'm kind of limited with what I can do due to our inspection standards here, basically, if the car came with it, it has to be there and working to pass inspection, we don't do sniffer tests but they always do a thourough visual inspection. so I'll have to get an intake with an egr setup, I'll have to have headers with the A.I.R. tubes in them, I'll have to have a cat with the A.I.R. pipe, and I'll have to use the A.I.R. pump too.

it sucks and looks like my thoughts on 400 are gone, but I'll take what I can get. I do plan on upgrading the heads, intake and cam but will likely stick with the factory manifolds and just live with the loss of power they cause. I did find a set of long tube headers from Hedman with the air tubes but at $360.00 I'm not sure they will be worth the expense considering the other restrictions I have.

I also found out that the P.O. had replaced the transmission with a non-lockup TH350. I assume it's a standard stahl converter but not 100% sure about that. the only I.D. I see on the converter so far is 1362650 and J15 stamped in it. there may be more on the pump side but I havent pulled it off the tranny yet.

 

I believe Hedman also sells some AIR tubes that you can install onto any header. Just drill the 8 holes and weld them into place.

 

yep, I thought about just getting a set of in-expensive headers and using the tubes from my factory manifolds and welding them in. that is an option and would certainly be cheaper than buying a set. do you think they will make a big enough difference to be worth the effort? I mean considering all the other issues I mentioned.

 

I think that's a great Idea. It will definitely make a difference. I used the Summit brand headers, stripped off the black coating that was on them and sprayed them with VHT paint. they look good still 2 years later.

 

I don't have specific knowledge of the '81 Q-jet carb, but it still had capacity of 750 cfm, so the guts should be able to provide that amount of fuel/air mixture to the engine. That's about twice what you are presently using, so I suggest you just stay with that carb.