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Just wondering if anyone has a rough idea how much horsepower I should be running. Have a modified L-82 (stock HP of 210 supposedly). Have an Edelbrock highrise manifold, flat top pistons, and thumpr cam.
On the dyno I got 183 hp and 208 torque. They fixed timing and the fuel mixture, but no changes were observed. Anyone know where I might be losing power? Have any easy tips to get more power without doing an engine swap? I’ve got plans for headers out to side pipes, but nothing much else.
Can you be more specific as to what "they fixed timing means"?
What carburetor exactly?
Edelbrock thunder series carb.
and the timing belt I guess? Not very familiar with the right lingo. I’m only 22 and very new to the auto world. Didn’t even know what a carburetor was before I bought this.
Last edited by TastyFlamingo; Jun 29, 2021 at 01:30 PM.
Probably added a timing chain when the cam was put in.
When putting a larger cam in its always a good idea to make sure you have the proper timing curve in the distributor
It can take the engine from "pooch" to "performer" real easy. If youre not sure how there are a few guys on this board who, if you mail it to them can do it for you. Which thumpr cam?
First dyno I had my A body on was an old Clayton water dyno...my #s were super low too but the car ran strong.
Learned what matters is the % of gain before and after..anyone can make a dyno read whatever they want.
Probably added a timing chain when the cam was put in.
When putting a larger cam in its always a good idea to make sure you have the proper timing curve in the distributor
It can take the engine from "pooch" to "performer" real easy. If youre not sure how there are a few guys on this board who, if you mail it to them can do it for you. Which thumpr cam?
First dyno I had my A body on was an old Clayton water dyno...my #s were super low too but the car ran strong.
Learned what matters is the % of gain before and after..anyone can make a dyno read whatever they want.
Gee I think I’m stupid, but what do you think the dyno tuners did regarding my “timing” if it wasn’t for the distributor?
also I’m not sure what thumpr cam I have… it was installed by previous owner.
i think they fixed the timing means the dyno guy reset the timing while it was on the dyno. tastybird: get a timing light and do some google and youtube and see what the timing actually is. is this your only car? or a toy-spare? cuz as long as you don't need to drive it to work tomorrow, buying the tools and parts is less than paying somebody to do it. and in the end you still have the toolss and you know one more thing about your car. and these are somewhere between continuous and constant upkeep beasties. i have a subaru. never open the hood. My Corvette? hood never even gets put on...
i think they fixed the timing means the dyno guy reset the timing while it was on the dyno. tastybird: get a timing light and do some google and youtube and see what the timing actually is. is this your only car? or a toy-spare? cuz as long as you don't need to drive it to work tomorrow, buying the tools and parts is less than paying somebody to do it. and in the end you still have the toolss and you know one more thing about your car. and these are somewhere between continuous and constant upkeep beasties. i have a subaru. never open the hood. My Corvette? hood never even gets put on...
hah that is a good point.
here’s what I saw them doing at the dyno. It involved a strobe light that they flashed at the (timing?) belt that attaches the radiator fan and engine. Involved a white line that was on the belt. Haha I probably sound pretty dumb right now
Last edited by TastyFlamingo; Jun 29, 2021 at 01:53 PM.
From: Some days your the dog and some days your the hydrant.
Royal Canadian Navy
As tastyflamingo, not sure about tasty lol, said, buy tools with the savings from paying labour. You don't even need a repair manual anymore - all the expertise you need is in here. Anyway, thats how I began learning and doing my own repairs at your age. I would get rid of that cam. Never heard anything good about its performance but apparently it sounds "good", lol.
Most of the Thumper cams that I tried to input into my Dyno software Showed pretty poor results. as mentioned they are designed for sound las the priority not performance. That said they're not all that bad they're just not that great either. The best thing you could do to wake that engine up would be to put 64CC heads on it
Most of the Thumper cams that I tried to input into my Dyno software Showed pretty poor results. as mentioned they are designed for sound las the priority not performance. That said they're not all that bad they're just not that great either. The best thing you could do to wake that engine up would be to put 64CC heads on it
As well as swap the cam for something more performance based?
Ideally.
Need to know what rear axle ratio you have
Auto or stick..w/performance cams you ought to increase the stalls speed of the converter. Many go out of their way to use a stock one with a cam thinking a converter is a detriment...its the exact opposite.
A better set of heads, some 1-5/8" headers, dual ex and the right cam it wil feel like you added a 2s
First, what kind of budget are you looking at, plan from there once you explore options so you arent doing it twice.
Ideally.
Need to know what rear axle ratio you have
Auto or stick..w/performance cams you ought to increase the stalls speed of the converter. Many go out of their way to use a stock one with a cam thinking a converter is a detriment...its the exact opposite.
A better set of heads, some 1-5/8" headers, dual ex and the right cam it wil feel like you added a 2s
First, what kind of budget are you looking at, plan from there once you explore options so you arent doing it twice.
Turbo hydra-matic auto transmission. I suspect a 3.08 rear axle ratio? I’ll probably need to open it up a bit to confirm. Got the dual exhaust.
Cost is no issue, though ideally, at least in the first couple years of owning it, I would like to keep my investments below what I paid for it - so less than ~$13,000.
here’s what I saw them doing at the dyno. It involved a strobe light that they flashed at the (timing?) belt that attaches the radiator fan and engine. Involved a white line that was on the belt. Haha I probably sound pretty dumb right now
actual timing is at about 5 minute mark. but setting the timing up from scratch is something you need to understand, if not actually do. then, just to make sure you don't think everything you see on youtube is done correctly, notice the amout of oil coming out of the rockers. and then the amount of oil coming out of the pan...
the other thing about working on cars. you put the socket or wrench on the bolt. before you start to pull, picture where the wrench is gonna go when bolt loosens. try to set it up so your fingers are not the first thing to hit. when the wrench stops. at 17 i could count 50 cuts on my hands at any given time. down to 2 or 3 after near 50 years...
Your numbers are in the ballpark if you use the conservative drivetrain/accessory loss of 15%
.15 x 210 = 179 so you are actually a little ahead of the curve.
Here is a good article on drivetrain/accessory HP loss:
and the timing belt I guess? Not very familiar with the right lingo. I’m only 22 and very new to the auto world. Didn’t even know what a carburetor was before I bought this.
How about YOU putting headers and sidepipes on the car first.
That should get you adjusted to using wrenches...and you need only the basic set of tools (which can be used on any other modifications you decide to make)
You may be happy with the improvement headers and sidepipes provide.
TF - There are NO timing belts on or in your car. What the mechanic was pointing to with the timing light (or as you called it a strobe light, which it is) was the timing mark on the vibration damper on the front of the crankshaft and behind the accessory belt pulley. As the engine rotates, the light flashes once every 720 degrees of crankshaft rotation, freezing the timing mark in relation to a numbered tab screwed to the engine block. The timing is adjusted by loosening the distributor and rotating it until the timing marks coincide with your tuning spec, usually around 12 degrees before top dead center. The timing light needs to be connected to your #1 cylinder spark plug wire. Do yourself a great favor and check out a book from your local public library on basic auto maintenance with plenty of illustrations. Welcome to the Forum.
TF - There are NO timing belts on or in your car. What the mechanic was pointing to with the timing light (or as you called it a strobe light, which it is) was the timing mark on the vibration damper on the front of the crankshaft and behind the accessory belt pulley. As the engine rotates, the light flashes once every 720 degrees of crankshaft rotation, freezing the timing mark in relation to a numbered tab screwed to the engine block. The timing is adjusted by loosening the distributor and rotating it until the timing marks coincide with your tuning spec, usually around 12 degrees before top dead center. The timing light needs to be connected to your #1 cylinder spark plug wire. Do yourself a great favor and check out a book from your local public library on basic auto maintenance with plenty of illustrations. Welcome to the Forum.
okay so this is what the dyno tuner did. It’s not something I will need to do again, and it likely isn’t what’s causing any loss of power. I’m going to just install headers I guess. I might be leaning towards keeping my dual exhaust instead of the side pipes. Maybe a muffler delete? Some other resonator instead? Not sure.
You are new to these cars and it has been dialed in on the dyno and running well then why not forget about numbers and drive the car for the summer. Undercar exhaust is less restrictive and saves your legs and ears than side pipes. If you start on the more power game you will end up with a new engine and drivetrain. If you are going to race it then that's another story that will suck up your cash but if you just want to go driving spend the money on gas and enjoy it.
How much HP should I have?
