Getting the most from the new beast

[shuttermutt]

My new 350 has a bit more cam than I expected. It's not a full-on race cam, but it's darn sure lumpy. As a point of reference, my low-end torque (1000-3000 rpm) has suffered and the engine doesn't like to idle in gear unless the choke is on or the engine is FULLY warmed-up.

The good news is that the engine comes to life over about 3000 rpm. The bad news is that the engine doesn't come to life until over about 3000 rpm. Sure, I could change the cam, but I'd like to tweak some more before I make that move.

To get the most out of the engine before I spend time and money that I don't have, I'm considering the following mods...

- A crossover pipe. My brand-new 2-1/4 inch dual exhaust (Flowtech Afterburners) run to just before the rear wheel. It's the shortest setup I could get away with and still keep an inspection sticker. I'm thinking a crossover might help pick up the bottom end a little.

- A K&N air filter. Right now I've got a stock air filter with the little snorkel and all. I think letting the engine breathe a little might help.

- An adjustable advance curve kit. I've got a good HEI, but I suspect it could use a tweak to help me determine where the advance needs to come in at.

- A new intake and/or carb. I have a rebuilt Quadrajet with a stock Chevy iron intake. I'm thinking a good dual-plane intake might pep it up a little.

The engine is in good tune right now. I've set the timing to almost 12 degrees initial and my carb man tweaked the Quad. She's strong off the line, but the TH400 makes its way to 3rd gear almost instantly. Maybe a shift kit to get the revs up between shifts would help. I know I need a kickdown, too.

Anybody have other thoughts?