I have always subscribed, somewhere in the deepest recesses of my Hot Rodder soul, to the secret belief that there is no such thing as too much motor for a Hot Rod. I had seen the quote, I believe it was attributed to Tony DeFeo, "that a true Hot Rodder would only be satisfied when the act of dropping the hammer resulted in instant death, anything short of that and you need more power". I thought, "words to live by." Now, I know you HAMBers, and before you go jumping down my throat, let me qualify it by saying, if you can afford the gas and insurance without jeopardizing your family or financial security is there such a thing as too much motor? The reason for my question is this: I took my latest project out for its first shake down drive (once around the block, as the driver's seat isn't bolted in and there is no interior or windows yet). The impression I'm left with after the 2 minute ride is... this thing is hairy! The exhaust note sounds more like a top fuel car than a street car and the side exhaust is loud, no actually, it's angry even at idle and vicous with only minimal throttle. So, will this be a case of, after I have a few months of driving this beast, do I learn to manage it and it becomes a very manageable (albeit a crap load of fun) street car, or is it so hairy that it really isn't practical to drive around town? Has anyone had a similar experience where it looked good on paper but once assembled it was too much? Hoping I haven't made a very expensive mistake. Thoughts, personal experience?
That thing is bad ass!.... but what were your intentions when building? Local streetfighter?..or cross country cruiser.....? I would pick option 1
If it's that p'up with the SOHC 427 that's in your profile and your avatar, I expect it is downright hairy! But make sure you're always sober when you get in it to drive, and treat it with respect and you should be OK. But at the same time, I've never had that much power in anything, much less a street driven hot rod!
No such thing as too much power, it's just that alot of times people put all that power in the wrong vehicles. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
If its whats in your avatar...it looks like an injected Cammer? If so....I would try to learn to drive it.... Looks like fun
From experience I'd say that some engines can be a bit too wild for the street. Not in the too much power but in the sense that they are a race engine that thrives at the track or strip but won't behave in normal driving conditions. I think we used to see a lot more of that 20/30 years ago when racers started building themselves street cars and wanted to have race engines in them on the street than we do now. When your car will only run on the premium from that one station in town that has the "good" gas or you have to make a run to the airport to buy avgas in five gallon cans and then add an octane booster to boot on either to get it to run right you might have too much engine.
I think there is such a thing as too much power in a street vehicle. That said, it is hard to define in such a way to get agreement. In my opinion, in most cases of excessive power it is about the ego of the owner/driver, not specifically performance, because at some point there is no way to actually utilize the performance potential. It's just bragging rights. If that's your thing, have at it. A Timex does exactly the same thing as a Rolex........it tells you what time it is. Which one you choose to wear is up to you ................ Ray
Really...if your seat was not bolted down that will greatly influence your driving experience and impression. That why I no longer will test drive a vehicle using a 5 gallon bucket as a seat. This engine made too much power...or at least it made more power than anyone could use on the street for more than a couple seconds.
Funny, well meaning neighbors actually asked if I would let my teen aged kids drive it...uh, no. First, the stroker motor make so much torque that, even w/3.55s, the throttle is like having a stereo that goes from 1-7 with no 2,3,4,5,6 and ends at 10. The suspension hooks so hard that there is no spin to soften the launch (and without the seat bolted down) you find yourself scrambling up from the passenger footwell in a sweaty panic. The exhaust is so nasty I might as well be driving the Blues Brother's car with the big speaker on top shouting "all police are child molesters." Bear in mind that all things are relative, I live in a fairly posh Dallas suburb where I see 20 911s on the way to work and at least one Lamborghini, Ferarri or Bentley a week. I love to get in the fake, plastic "car guy's" face with my hot rods but I think I may have crossed the line this time. I think I know how the inventor of nitroglycerin felt. Fist test, log entry...HOLY SHIT.
With a coupe of street cars now running in the 6's at over 200 (Jeff Lutz just went 6.90 at 215 in an all steel 57 Chevy, after having done an over 30 mile street drive) and these cars are making over 3,000 HP, I would say NO, you don't have too much power - just not enough chassis http://www.nmcadigital.com/2012/11/11/lutz-pounds-out-a-true-street-record/
I used to subscribe to the "No such thing as Too much Motor " and "NO substitute for Cubic inches"---- all pretty much true for a lot of years and purposes. But that was in the days when I also used pretty wild chemicals in the tank in an attempt to see how fast something could go in a straight line. One must remember that at one time it took the Summers Bros 4 huge fuel Chryslers to break 400 MPH at the flats, things have changed . Last I heard some guy was going way faster than the Summers with ONE 300 and some inch motor!! Not sure how but it would seem engine builders are getting a LOT more out of an inch that used to be possible. SO perhaps there is a point at which one needs to consider perhaps just because you CAN do something -- but SHOULD you? I had planned for all the years I was collecting parts to build a 26 T roadster,( Got most all I need except a body) to power it with a blown , poked out 392 Chrysler-- now I think perhaps I will use one of my 354 Motors -- unblown-- should be plenty.
For a street car, I have found that the more radical the motor is the less I drive it and or enjoy the vehicle. Fouled plugs, heat, noise, driveability, gas mileage all make for a lot of work for getting around.
no such thing as to much HP if you can still drive it on the street. Once it is unstreetable, it is a waste unless it is a racecar. if you have lots of power, now figure out how to make it stick. though there seems to be a difference on streetable HP comparing EFI to old fashion carbs... EFI seems to have a higher end of driveable hp
Seriously, no video? Not even a photo? With out this very important information I'd have to say bolt your seat down and try it again, you'll figure it out.
Now, don't get me wrong...I have no intention of throwing in the towel until the pile of nuisance tickets gets too tall or I have one too many OH Shit moments (such as I actually see Jesus more than twice in one week or think I might have touched him for a moment). I will give it the old college try and hope the learning curve isn't too steep. i will keep you informed of my progress and I'll try to post an audio clip so hopefully you all can tell we what type of reception to expect from Five-0. Any one had personal experience with driving a car with a really wicked exhaust note?
I know for a FACT that truck has enough chassis. I was there while most of it was getting built. Glad to hear you got to drive it!
Try a 270 rear end if it has that much low end power. If you vision was the same as tony Defoe's then you have not gotten there yet. Bolt the seat in, Increase the gas pedal ratio , up the pedal travel to blade movement. Tune it to take some low end out of it, Get some highway gears, Learn to love your monster Dr Frankenstein
Try a 270 rear end if it has that much low end power. If you vision was the same as tony Defoe's then you have not gotten there yet. Bolt the seat in, Increase the gas pedal ratio , up the pedal travel to blade movement. Tune it to take some low end out of it, Get some highway gears, Learn to love your monster Dr Frankenstein
I was messing around with the thought of building a new car so I put mine up on Ebay with a big number. Someone forewarded me this link after the auction, wussy's... http://bangshift.com/blog/ebay-find-a-1934-chevy-thats-built-to-the-hilt-but-is-it-too-much.html My thought, build it for yourslf and if you are happy who cares. I drive mine in the area I live and have a blast. I have no desire to drive cross county and I have no problem going over the car after every few outing to make sure everything is happy.
I was asking a friend the other day "just exactly when did 400 horses become not enough on the street?" But hell, you built it, might as well play with it. Got another rod to enjoy all the rest of the time? P.S. It'd be a real hit at my bar!!
Tony DeFeo, "that a true Hot Rodder would only be satisfied when the act of dropping the hammer resulted in instant death, anything short of that and you need more power" Amen and well said!
Actually, this isn't even the SOHC powered truck. This is the rod I planned to use as my fairly regular driver (566 hp/567 ft/lbs) 2600 lbs. The scary part is, I expect the truck to be much stronger than the current car. This was supposed to be a regular driver (not a DD but regular driver for sure) The motor is stroked and made 400 ft/lbs at 1200 rpm the torque comes on so quick and the motor revs so hard it is a handful. The chassis hooks really well but that also means when it finally comes unstuck it happens in a hurry.
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