400-450hp 355 on a budget?

[Pete357]

Block is in at the machine shop! Im letting him decide on the heads, what ever he thinks i need, this guy has been at building engines for a while so i trust his expertise. He seems to think i will be totally in the clear at 500hp...if that happens, with my 2 bolt main. I just hope all the stars align because with our conversation on the phone today he thinks i should easily have a 450-500hp combo. Im pretty excited to get my block back from machining along with the box of parts to get her together. Once i have it togather its going back to the same shop im getting the machining done at for some runs on the superflow dyno. Ill keep yall updated with progress as i here from the man.

[Marv D]

Pete the $ spent on the dyno is not just for bragging rights,, the time spent tuning the motor is worth MANY TIMES what ever the dyno charge is. I've seen guys chase a tuneup with new carbs and plugs and jet kits, changing carb spacers, distributors, fighting it over and over and over,,,, when an hour on the dyno with a good tuner will START the motors life in the correct tune! it's money well spent.

i.e., I have a good buddy here with a very stout 434 that said he just didn't have the $ 550 to put it on the dyno. But over the 18 months he's been racing this motor I can count well over $2500 in parts and crap he keeps changing and tweeking to try and get it to run up to what he 'thinks' it's potential is. $500 would have told him what the potential is, and tuned it right before the motor ever went in the chassis. Then it's just jet changes for enviornment, not chasing yor tail throwing parts at it to try and find what is right.

[Pete357]

Totally aware its not for bragging rights. This isn't totally my first go round with a motor, just little different than previous go rounds. I'm use to building with rules for my street stock Monte circle track car though. This is my first one without following rules. But back in the day I never had the street stock motors dyno'd then last season I decided to and will never go without again.
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[redsled87]

You should be able to build a nice 454 for less than $5500.

[Pete357]

Well I did it! Totally blew the budget! Everything is currently being ordered
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[Pete357]

Alright, now that im not posting off a phone ill spill the beans. She is .030 over right now so she will be going .040 over. I guess they ordered up new rods for me to play it safe for the power i want to make, not sure on the details, just know they ordered some. She is getting topped with 75cc chamber AFR 195's and the weiand 177 blower with a holley 750 cfm supercharger carb. Guess they are still decided on what cam specs to go with, apparently a custom ground comp cam is only a few bucks more than the one i picked out so that is the planned route. And when i saw i blew the budget i mean i REALLY blew the budget! Stuff happens, id rather have it right the first time than saying to myself i wish i did this or that.

[bustedknuckles]

Sounds like it should make plenty of power. In my experience having a cam ground for your specific application is better than just buying "off the shelf".

[Pete357]

Update is...still not much news on it. Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Hopefully i have to good updates to come.

[Pete357]

Waiting on the finished product yet with much anticipation. Just have a few tranny questions if anyone sees it under this thread, if not i will start a new one. I do not believe the 4 speed saginaw that was in the truck will be satisfactory for what i want to do. I do have a couple of decent TH 350s laying around from the circle track days. Would it be wise to send one of them out to get looked over for behind this motor or should i be looking at other options? Truck will be a daily driver/street strip toy running both 1/8 and 1/4 mile. Also what will i be looking at to make the swap, cross member, tranny, torque converter, flex plate, shifter, and drive shaft, am i overlooking anything?

[mud.man.rj]

Smart move getting rid of the weak saginaw trans, manuals are nice but a built and stalled auto is a lot better for consistant performance, steet and strip, like the blower setup.

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

Chevy 1969 Cast Iron 3970010 350ci 4 Bolt Main (.30 over)
Engine Works 135290H - Camshaft Hydraulic Dual Pattern
http://www.engine-worksperformance.c...PartNo=135290H
Lopey Idle - .445/.465 Lift
Designed to suit the needs of entry level race classes
Idle = Lopey RPM Range = 2200 to 5800
Torque Peak = Mid Adv. Duration = 288/289
Duration at .050 = 214/224 Lift = .445/.465
Centerline = 107/117
KB Pistons 1479H-030 - Silv-O-Lite
Hypereutectic Pistons
Crankshaft Nodular Cast iron
10.5:1 Compression Ratio
1968 Chevrolet Corvette
327 Double/Camel Hump
3917291 - 327 - 1968 Corvette - 350hp w/temp unit hole
New Springs – 1969 – Z28
New Stainless Valves
Manley 1.94 Int / 1.50Exh
Hardened Exh Seats
Setup to 490 Lift
New Retainers and Locks
New Guides

Project: Full Metal Yellow Jacket - "Covert...

Rev'in the Ole' '62 - YouTube

[Marv D]

Originally Posted by Pete357

Waiting on the finished product yet with much anticipation. Just have a few tranny questions if anyone sees it under this thread, if not i will start a new one. I do not believe the 4 speed saginaw that was in the truck will be satisfactory for what i want to do. I do have a couple of decent TH 350s laying around from the circle track days. Would it be wise to send one of them out to get looked over for behind this motor or should i be looking at other options? Truck will be a daily driver/street strip toy running both 1/8 and 1/4 mile. Also what will i be looking at to make the swap, cross member, tranny, torque converter, flex plate, shifter, and drive shaft, am i overlooking anything?

Pete, My good friend runs a Hughes STREET STRIP TH350 in his 3400 pound 74 Nova. Has been running low 10s for the last 2 years,, but the street saw lots of 200 mile round trip drives to the track behind a 406 that ran 11.3's for the 8 years prior to that. If built well a TH350 will take a heck of a lot. But in stock (short clutch pack, stock sprag) form they become the weak link if thraction is there.

[Pete357]

Sounds great. Im going to tear down and check over one of my spare circle track th350's and get it set up for the motor. I do believe im going to go with this for a crossmember/motor mounts http://www.performanceonline.com/196...M6372-D-17818/
Anyone have any experience with this kit and what about polyurathane instead of rubber mounts? I know in my circle track car i used solid motor mounts and a poly tranny mount, any reasons not to used poly on motor or tranny?

[Pete357]

Had to head into my builder today to drop of some parts and had a seriously shocking update! Turns out my crank was shot and he figured he could build me a 383 for roughly the same amount of cash i was going to have into my 355 set up! Cant wait till it gets buttoned up and ran on the dyno.
[IMG][/IMG]

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

Dang............

[mud.man.rj]

Dang,,, that is wicked lookin, wooo.

[Vortecpro]

Originally Posted by Pete357

Just looking for someone to tell me if im crazy before i call my race engine shop for machine work and parts tomorrow and sound like i lost my mind.
Im looking to build an honest 400-450 hp 355...or 357, depends on if the guy doing my machine work says my bores are good to go. I will be doing all the assembly work on her myself and already have it down to a bare block to save some buck there.
Looking on going with the weiand 177 blower on top of my 355 to help get me there. Blower kit i priced out at $2359 through summit but my builder is going to see what he can get it for. Carb to top off the blower is $580, its the 750cfm holley blower carb. I priced out a dished forged piston and ring kit at a 26cc dish for $720. I was checking out this cam and lifters for $225 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CRN-113822/
Set of larger tube headers $160. Then i fig rod and main bearing around $40. Pricing everything through summit i had a cost of $4130. My builder said he would see what he can get me parts for if its any cheaper. Heads i have that are paid for are the 492 casting double humps. 64cc chambers and 26cc dish should plot me somewhere between 8:1-8.5:1 comp ratio right?

Final question do you think i can hit my hp mark with this setup and do you think im crazy for trying to do this motor for a budget with a max cap of $5500?

Build a NA 406 Build a NA 406, for under budget.

[Pete357]

NA 406 has long set sail...and so has my original budget and hp goal
But in all reality this isn't terribly over my original budget, its pretty bad @$$ in my mind, and by far meets and exceeds my expectations by far. Im loving it and cant wait to see it in my 69

[Pete357]

Next big question will be how to get this to hook in a lwb truck

[Bad70sbchevy]

Easy, fill the bed with sand.

[83gmc4x4]

This is the build I was thinking about following. Seems to make good power and Tq.

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...ild/index.html

[Pete357]

Well guys, she is finally done and dyno'd. I didn't get to talk to him long as i was at work so i don't have rpm or torque number but i did get to talk long enough to catch peak hp number and some details. Anyone want to take a guess at it before i spill the beans? With the afr 195 heads the blower was only make 1.5-2 psi of boost so he went with a different pulley set up and now its reading 3-3.5 psi of boost. Ill give ya a hint, the peak hp number absolutey blew my mind.

[Marv D]

no cam specs, nothng but 3.5psi,,, I'm shooting in the dark and saying peak 540HP but up in the 6000range, torque numbers that are really dependant on boost and octane,, but I'd say 560 at 4300

hows that for a shot in the dark

[Pete357]

Sorry, i really don't have any specs to give, i really know nothing bout this thing yet besides the rough general conversations i had with him when the build started. All i know is for a shot in the dark you are pretty awesomely close! I don't know torque numbers myself yet, i had to work all day while he was open so i really didn't have time to chat and get all the info i wanted. Not even positive at what rpm but she peaked 570 hp. Im hoping i get a day off of work here real soon to go pick this baby up and ill have some pictures and all the good info for ya then.

[lurch115]

this may sound like a dumb question but why would you use a hydrolic lifter cam in blown or supercharged engine instead of a solid lifter cam?