Boost on a naturally aspirated small block?
 

Well I've been watching a lot of drag racing on YouTube. My bucket list includes adding some kind of boost to my naturally aspirated 5-liter small block in my 82 pickup. Many years ago (1978) I inherited a V-belt driven centrifugal supercharger with a 4 inch hose and a can that bolted on top of the 4 barrel carburetor in place of the air cleaner. My friend who gave it to me said that he just threw it on his old Ford and it went like a "raped ape." I lost track of that thing and I'm looking for something like it that's less expensive than the ProCharger option.

Turbocharging seems to be the super economical way to go, but it seems finicky, and at the end of the day I want to maintain driveability and the regular 4 barrel carburetor, and I know it's possible, because here's a 1975 C10 that has what I'm looking for:

https://www.procharger.com/gallery/1...et-c-10-pickup

But being semiretired and broke, I'm looking for something that may be used, or old, or something that I have to cobble together myself, and I don't care if it's a belt driven supercharger or single or dual turbochargers, I just want to up the performance of this truck in a reliable, economical way, but also have the "cool" factor of boost. ;)

Any ideas?

Re: Boost on a naturally aspirated small block?
 

The LS crowd has done a lot of research into adding cheap Ebay turbos to naturally aspirated 5.3 engines. I don't know if much of that info would translate to your carbed setup or not.

Re: Boost on a naturally aspirated small block?
 

The easiest way to get into boost and the simplest installation would be to pick up a used Weiand 144, as it would come with everything to get you going, and allow you to use your current carb. I believe these can run up to 5-7 psi, which would wake the 305 up plenty. Make sure your head gaskets are in good condition!

A turbo will only be as finicky as it is tuned to be. It should also be sized to the engine that it will be powering. People can, and do, throw on whatever turbo they can get their hands on and make good power. The drivability may not always be optimal, but it's a cheap way to make power.

With a turbo, you will need to fabricate or buy an exhaust manifold and crossover tube to mount the turbo to, as well as a downtube. The turbo will need an oil feed line from the engine and a drain tube welded to the oil pan. A boost-specific carb is recommended, as is an intercooler, which adds additional plumbing. You will also likely want a better way to control your timing. A wideband O2 sensor and gauge will be invaluable to help with tuning.

Re: Boost on a naturally aspirated small block?
 

I would consider there too a Paxton style supercharger.

Typically they are easier on the running gear since boost builds to a crescendo rather hitting hard down low.

Re: Boost on a naturally aspirated small block?
 

Now that you mentioned that name, I think that's what this old supercharger was, a Paxton unit from the late 60s, early 70s.

Thanks for the feedback, guys, I'm going to try to get this done this summer, and part of my goal is to find a good used 350 truck block. Or swap to a Vortech.

Re: Boost on a naturally aspirated small block?
 

I dont know the answer but thought id throw this in, I watched a youtube where they took a china turbo and replaced the guts with used original parts they copied and made some serious cheap HP

Re: Boost on a naturally aspirated small block?
 

For ease of installation, a supercharger will probably be a lot simpler than a turbo because you don't need all the exhaust tube "plumbing," and the boost control is relatively simple.

Most superchargers are aftermarket products that were designed to be bolted onto a normally aspirated engine. You can buy a complete kit and bolt it on.
In some cases (e.g., the Mustang GT 4.6), it was even offered as a factory authorized dealer bolt-on. Most turbochargers were either a factory installation you have to adapt, or a Chinese manufactured setup that requires quite a bit of tweaking. I really like the concept of a turbocharger because it usually combines decent gas mileage with a significant increase in power. However, I just think its harder to do correctly and keep reliable.

Bruce