Can I interest you in some bridges ? Vette chevelle camaro challenger nova east coast west coast that bitch got around huh?
Most of 'em will go to great lengths to get you to give them a good licken. Probably not the same bitch just a member if the same club.
The biggest problem i have yet to fully resolve is low speed driveability. You can have tons of HP and cruise at 16-1700rpm all day, no problimo. It is when you come into town and gear down to 2nd and try to idle thru town. It'll want to buck and surge because the throttle blades are closed and you are virually running off the idle circuit. The problem is very subtle, you'll be messing with the carb trying to find a happy co-existance between idle speed and driveability and blaming things on overly lumpy cam etcetc. This 632 has 715ftlbs of torque at 3700rpm, you can drive along in any gear press down the gas pedal and the tire break loose then lift the gas pedal and continue driving along as if nothing happened.
I totally believe you have wayyy too much engine in that thing. Let me do you a favor and trade a great running 400 horse 350 for the cammer motor. (Which would look bitch'n in the Scout). I'll even pay the shipping both ways
Best line of the thread Dave! As far as my personal opinion on the issue... I kind of being asking myself this same question over the last few months. To make a long story short, I currently only have 1 drivable Hot Rod in the stable (roadster avatar pic). It has a mild mannered 355 SBC that I would estimate that makes 350 flywheel HP. It runs pretty good (conservatively guessing it would run low 13's), doesn't heat up, can drive it anywhere or any distance, can run 87-93 pump gas... blah, blah, blah.... BUT I WANT MORE!!! Now granted, my other motor option is nowhere near what the OP has or what MatThrasher is running in his truck, but I do have a pretty stout 406 SBC with 2x4's (probably 450+ hp) that has been tempting me for the last few months. Not only would I be gaining probably at least 100 HP and who knows how much TQ, but due to the nature of the 400's and the higher compression ratio overheating is a concern as well as just the overall driveability since I tend to log a good amount of miles each summer. If I had another car that I knew I could get in and go anywhere without an issues, the engine swap would have already been done, but I hate to do it and then lose the driveability of the Roadster because I have just as much fun cruising the mountain roads of western PA as I do stabbing the throttle on any little stretch I come upon. I know the easy solution is to just have another ride, but for the time being... I just don't have the funds to do so.
Sorry, trying to respect the HAMB's rules. I built a slightly OT car 1967, built in the trans am series style, I was inspired by HRCC's Raybestos GTO which I was fortunate to get a ride in from Kevin "Ray Gun" Tully. The plan was to have a car I could drive on a very regular basis, not DD but say 3-4 days a week. Understanding that the SOHC P'up is going to be a little less around town friendly. The issue is the TA car came out a lot hotter than I expected. You know how when your picking parts to assemble a motor and upgrade to the better heads, leads to a hotter cam to really take advantage of that free flowing head, then you need intake and carbs that can "keep up"..hey while we're at it, how bout that forged stroker crank and a little overbore. The issue at hand isn't specific to what car, other than to say this isn't a case of trying to put 800 hp thru a modified 30's chassis and M2 suspension. It is a well engineered triangulated 4 link and it hooks well, too well sometimes.
This is really helping me bring this into focus, I believe after a little thought and some very good input from fellow HAMBers, the basic issue is low speed driveablity, a combination of the motor being unhappy at low speed ( you ever watch them trying to load the throughbreds into the starting gate at the Derby) and the overly touchy throttle. That motor is dying to let loose and the slightest touch of the throttle gives the motor its head the rearend does its job and its like being shot out of a cannon...in Dallas traffic, it is shall we say, exhilerating
Remember, nobody says you have to floor it every time. Of course, it's a lot easier to manage when the throttle isn't like a light switch ... I prefer a dimmer myself! Pedal ratio might help. But I wonder - What is the carb setup on this beast? Single carb? If it has multiple carbs, is there a progressive linkage?
Lots of good info here. The more experienced guys seem to be saying, yes there is definitely such a thing as too much motor. Either too much motor for the car, or for the driver to handle, or so much motor it throws the car out of balance especially for street use. When you build a motor you have to have all the parts working together if it is going to be any good. Same with a car. You could build a real nice car that is fast and a pleasure to drive with a 400 HP small block. The same car could be an ugly ill handling pig with a 600 HP big block and not a lot faster.
Sometimes the above last sentence covers it well. An overpowered platform, even when dressed up, is still a pig. When the engine works well in the chassis, you can handle the events as they come up. More satisfying than having to fight to keep her, on the road. Prior to Littleman's days, I was actually...truth hurts...a, yes...S-R! We could find many crunched vette parts, from cars that drove faster than the minds that piloted them. Usually sand or wet pavement and corners w/a bump or two. and off they'd go into the woods. They did not behave like rear wheel driven 60's "stock cars". Yard sale times for scroungers of some, of GM's best gear.
In that case you need to apply the Mark Donohoe motor test: "If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower."
Not an answer to the OP's question but everytime I see a T Bucket with a blown BBC or Hemi I think to myself: Whats that gotta be like?
Using an example to prove a point is not going to offend anyone with any common sense. We have all owned and driven OT cars, some of us still own and drive OT cars. There is just too much out there to choose from when it comes to transportation.
just one more reason to go automatic. Not to mention, I've managed to tear up enough yokes, and R&P's with automatics, I dont even want to think about a stick with DOTs, my right foot, and big power.
Ok, here's the update. Driver's seat FIRMLY bolted in proper position and moved the throttle pivot 2" (just an eyeball guess) no windows or other interior appointments. Test drive #2 (& 3&4) what a difference. Don't get me wrong, this thing is still hella loud and fast as hell but, I'm believing manageable on the street. May take a month of regular driving to get proficient but god this thing is gonna be fun. Thanks to all who gave great input and helped me sort this out. Amazing what a simple thing like throttle ratio can do to drivability. Got a good audio clip, I'll figure out how to post today! Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Really, I don't think anything needed to be said after this. If I had a T/F engine in a Crosley I think I would get used to it and be thinking, "It could be faster...". My friend and I have had this conversation many times and we always come to that conclusion. It's an illness...
I have discovered in my lifetime that a vehicle with lots of zot gives you a thrill when you stab the throttle, uh at first. Then you get used to it and have to build another more powerful to get the same thrill. Its like heroin. Its a good thing that I am not independently wealthy, if you give a heroin addict money they will kill themselves.
This was the problem, the original throttle linkage WAS saying have to floor it all the time...ah ha! Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I like to build them with 1" pedal travel, that gives the driver a very positive feel for the engine. I learned that from the corvette. The biggest improvement you made was bolting the seat down, taht planted your ass and gave you a feeling of security and being in control. When i first read the seat was unbolted i thought you were in the pickup and had your back aginst the cab. If you were in a sedan and the seat was insecure then it must've been a very scarey drive. I road tested a rambler that i put a 283 into with a 5gal bucket for the seat and scared the shit out of myself, that was with -maybe-170hp, i can't imagine doing it with 500+
Looking back, if I could have had someone in the car filming that first drive I bet it was freaking hysterical Like trying to ride a brahma bull in rollerskates while drinking tea. Picture this: ease out clutch...car surges forward, seat tips back, slightly surprised driver instinctively presses feet to floor to steady seat, throttle (with 2:1 mechanical advantage) gladly transmits the message to motor..Scotty we need more dilithium crystals, motor, which is DYING to rev, happily abliges car leaps forward, seat flips back - last thing driver remembers before head disappears below top line of door is there are cars parked on either side of this little industrial street, thankfully the four link gods were with me and the car tracked dead straight or I would have been straight dead. Hence the OP. My poor kids ask if the're adopted with a hopeful tone in their voice.
NEVER too much, the motor in my Avatar was pushing 975 hp and I wanted more, Just LOVE the sound rattling off the buildings and the people that snapped their necks around when you idle across a parking lot. Let alone the occasional "Blip" of throttle that produces that WHAP you see in all the CARtoons . Personally I love it. WAY too much fun to drive...Have a LOT of fun with yours. It was a "slightly "modified" automatic. Don't think I would try that with a stick shift.
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