I have a whimpy 265 hp 396 in my C20

[phil2013]

to all,

i just found out i have a whimpy 265 hp 396 from engine block, no wonder I was so disappointed. according to the web information, it came with a two bbl carb!

i have not had this truck long, it appears it is all stock except for the prev owner has a 4bbl stock intake and a holley 750 carb and it has dual exhausts already with cherry bombs. it is a two wheel drive and has a turbo 400 trans.

I just had a stock HEI put on it today, runs better but still is a dog.

Is this engine rebuildable with 9.0 pistons?

Also, are there any smart mods i could do to wake this wimpy motor up?
Maybe a better cam?

[steelhorse]

9.0 to 1 compression is respectable.If all the cyls have good pressure then a cam swap could make a huge difference. Just remember bigger isn,t always better.

[phil2013]

thats encouraging! i was really getting bummed.

from one source i read, looks like the heads on that stock motor are good heads! that is great news.

not sure what gears i have in that thing yet, goes about 80 mph at 3000 rpms

i was hoping to find someone on here that has the same motor than can give me an ideal what cam to put in that motor, compression is good in all cylinders.

[phil2013]

not expecting a race motor or anything, but a scary idle and good low to mid range performance would be nice to have. any ideas?

[southern parts]

remember, your pushing 4500-5000 lbs. up / down the road. it`s not going to run like a 2500 lb. camaro

[TBONE1964]

Does it have stock exhaust manifolds or headers? Headers will really wake up a big block. Up to 90 hp at the flywheel depending on existing components. You got to get the air in and the air out which means cylinder heads and going from oval's to squares is a lot of coin. A cam will make a little difference but is limited to the amount of air that can push through the heads.

[phil2013]

Originally Posted by southern parts

remember, your pushing 4500-5000 lbs. up / down the road. it`s not going to run like a 2500 lb. camaro

lol! my last classic vehicle was a 67 camaro!
I'd be happ to get 50-75 extra horsies under the hood!

[phil2013]

Originally Posted by TBONE1964

Does it have stock exhaust manifolds or headers? Headers will really wake up a big block. Up to 90 hp at the flywheel depending on existing components. You got to get the air in and the air out which means cylinder heads and going from oval's to squares is a lot of coin. A cam will make a little difference but is limited to the amount of air that can push through the heads.

great idea, has the stock exhaust manifolds.

any ideas on headers? I can afford to put some money into this thing before summer gets here

[Lee H]

265 HP out of a 396 is quite respectable from a used motor. They were built for low end torque, not high winding HP. How do you know it's 265 HP?
Posted via Mobile Device

[phil2013]

Originally Posted by Lee H

265 HP out of a 396 is quite respectable from a used motor. They were built for low end torque, not high winding HP. How do you know it's 265 HP?
Posted via Mobile Device

got that info from another member earlier based on the engine block numbers

[phil2013]

Originally Posted by Lee H

265 HP out of a 396 is quite respectable from a used motor. They were built for low end torque, not high winding HP. How do you know it's 265 HP?
Posted via Mobile Device

block says:

T0218jq 19j217889
a 1969 396 engine with 265 horse power (car application) 2 bbl carb

[LONGHAIR]

Originally Posted by phil2013

not expecting a race motor or anything, but a scary idle and good low to mid range performance would be nice to have. any ideas?

There are a few things to know here.
First, a choppy idle and low end torque are kind of opposing things. The duration and overlap that make high RPM power are what makes the lopey idle. A low end torque motor should be smooth.

Be careful about cam choice. As mentioned before, it is easy to over-do it. Too much of a good thing is bad. In general, "more" cam moves the usable RPM range upward.

Since this is an automatic transmission truck, the torque converter comes into play too. If you stick with something that works with-out having to go with a higher stall converter, you will be time and money ahead. It is very frustrating to drive something that is literally fighting with itself.

Rear end gears also play a roll. It's similar to the converter. You can help or hurt the "package" with the wrong gearing. Lower gears will make the truck feel lighter-quicker, but too much will cost you in higher RPM at highway speed. So it just depends upon your intended use.

[buckskins4ever]

I can only say that while your block numbers indicate that it SHOULD be a 265HP 396, that would be at the Flywheel and right at engine break in. If this engine has pretty healthy mileage on it, you could be realistic lower 200HP. Great for daily driver stuff but it would be best to pay for a dyno.........and do so after putting on a good set of headers. When doing a dyno run on the truck keep in mind anything happens to the engine is all on you....they will not be responsible if it blows. So grab your headers, check your compression, makes sure your oil pressure is good.
Good luck, the Dyno can help you.