Too much gear is almost a disease. If a door slammer needs a 430 (Mopar we often run that) or a 456 than there is absolutley no way a FED or altered weighing 1400 to 1500 lbs using the same tire should need that. Otherwise it is hampered because it will be RPM starved. I have fixed two REDs also this way. One went from 10.30s to 8.85 and the biggest part of that came from the gear change. It had 4.56s before. i put in 3.91s or Vern C did as he crewed that car for years. The other was more recent. I speced 390 but the owner whimped out and put in 410s just because he doesnt like being told what to do. However it still made a huge difference in the car from its original 4.56s. One guy quized me on this and so since he had one of my old engines I asked him this. If the dragster ran 158 in the quarter with that engine on 3.90 gearing with the same size tires and your car a pro built street roadster weighs about the same just where are you going to get the Et and miles per hour from using 456 gears and the same size tire on the same engine?" Coming from the new school where "lightening strikes the car and it surges forward in a burst of speed" he just said "Huh?" More is not more in many cases. don
I've known a lot of people who have pulled an engine from a junker and put it in their race car and gone racing. Talked with a guy at Loring ME a week ago who ran in the 170 range with a 350 from a junk yard a set of $400 heads and a $3 cam. 170 in a 1 1/2 mile for this cost is pretty good I think.
Dean, That's a nice vintage injector. I redid one of those last year for a friend of mine - it worked really well, but like most stack injectors can be cantankerous for getting them to idle evenly. If you haven't already toss the "old" butterfly screws & replace them with some nice new ones. A tiny bit of 222 wouldn't hurt AFTER you have them dialed in - don't forget or you might suck one thru the motor liek my buddy did :-( In my case if I would have had more MONEY I would have put together a KILLER bottom end and updated the top as I deemed necesary. AS it stands now - I am on the fence. Keep us posted which ever way you decide to go.
Thanks Jacin! We haven't touched the injectors, but fully plan on going through them completely before we use them. Thanks for the tips! BTW- I emailed you back, but it said your HAMB inbox was full, so it bounced. We're just budgeting and planning ahead- the actually drivetrain may happen next year, or possibly the year after. The budget is tight, so it will just take time to finish the car, as much as I'd just love to bust hump and finish it in 6 months.
build the best bottom you can and a good oil pan is important, then you can up grade the top end at a later date. just getting it running is a big step
I would have to agree with Jeff on that. Make a list of the budget motor will cost, triple it when it goes away, add the down time of not being on the track and the wounded parts that comes along....shit happens ! Now make a second list with a forge crank, 4 bolt mains, ARP head studs, new oil pump, gear drive, oil pan with crank scrapper & windage tray, good aluminum rods,coated racing pistons, roller lifters,o-ring heads, good valve springs with titanium retainers, SS valves, copper head gaskets and roller cam. Machining and balancing will cost about the same for both for either motor. Either way it is going to cost you money....build it right the first time and have someone with experience do it. Dexter "Pop" Bradford can build you up a nice motor, PM me if you want his number and he is in Citrus Heights ! Maybe later on you can add some Nitro. Otherwise put a stock carburated SBC in it on gas and get use to driving your digger and have some fun.
run the package you propose and get used to the car,then as time & money are available creep up on going faster by adding to your base set up. don't skimp on the bottom end keep that stout & when you order a converter make sure you tell them your gonna be hand braking it and not trans braking it. paul
If your goal is to run 9's get your self a big block and bolt it in. Why spend time and money using a engine that started with 200 hp amd modifing it to get 400 hp. when you can start out at 400 hp.
Bearing Burner there is only 1 problem with your thinking is that if at some point he wants to change back to what he had planned nothing will fit and not everyone to see or wants a big block.
The "econo-dragster" concept, of many years ago, got taken too far by guys who actually had money, spending more money than the class was created for. In the late 70's-early 80's I ran a FED. Short block was a .040 over, small journal, 327; reconned stock rods, the GM 10.34:1 "high compression" pistons, a small mechanical, flat tappet cam, an old, reworked set of 461X heads, roller rockers, Holley 300-25 intake, 750 Holley carb, STOCK, recurved, single point, distributor, and Hooker adjustable dragster headers (the biggest build expense). There was NO cooling system on the car, other than fill and drain the block between rounds. It was self starting, and carried a small Die Hard battery. Car had a shorty Glide, with 1.82 first gear, trans-brake, and a 4500 RPM stall converter. Rear end was an early Olds/Pont with 4.10 gears on an open carrier, with 29" tall, 10" wide M & H slicks. This was a SHORT car, 120" W.B., and had to have wheelie bars. Best time was a 9.23 @ 146 MPH. I did ALL the work myself, other than having the block bored, and pistons pressed on the reconned rods. The motor was'nt even balanced! I had MAYBE $2500.00 in the entire car, including the $800.00 I paid for the rolling chassis. I had probably another $600.00 in the single axle, open trailer. I think the car was really what the econo-dragster class was meant to be. I only sold the car to build a rear motored Super Comp class car. The engine, with a cam and induction system change, is in my 56 Sedan Delivery. I still have the converter and trans, though I did sell the shorty kit some years back. I even still have the 2 piece fire suit, but it no longer fits me; I can't understand why they shrink when not used for many years (?). So, you can build a mild motor, and still go fast and have fun. Butch/56sedandelivery.
Like said strong bottom end. steel crank good rods. moroso pan and pump 377 makes great power 350 stroke 400 bore good luck
56SD is right I had a 327 .030 over basically a TRW motor with a AFB dynoed at 482hp a3600lbs nova ran 11.40 118mph with a power glide all the parts have to work together, cam, intake, torque and gears so before buy call the company and talk to a tech and tell them exactly what your doing and how many rpm you want to turn and stage at
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