63mako

This is something that has been bothering me for a while on this forum. There are a lot of people with street cars on here that want a little better performance out of their car that don't drag race or autocross. Quite a few also lack the mechanical skills to tune and maintain a real high HP car. The 74 through 82 cars lacked power in stock configuration and I understand the desire for more power. But a lot of times the advice given in this forum is not in thier best interests. Properly matched components are the key to power. Not everyone is building or wants a full blown race engine. Solid rollers, 220 CC heads, 11 to 1 compression, huge single plane intakes and 900 CFM carbs are NOT their best options. I see this time and time again. Dependable power increases can be achieved without building a race engine. You can DOUBLE the power on a stock 75 using a good dual plane, stock qjet, headers, hydraulic roller and under 10 to 1 compression and still have a dependable, reletively maintanance free engine. Just need to look at the total picture, mechanical abilities and budget of some of these inquiries and think it through before you pull the trigger on giving advice. buying 220 CC heads for a future upgrade is not a good option for a guy with a 350 HP small block. Streetability will suffer drastically. I'm done ranting.

kevinator80

I like practical thinkers mako You have to resist the bigger is better syndrome because at some point it will bite you.

CJ 77

77/350- I kinda, almost agree. However there are those of us also who just want a ride in a classic automobile and still like the old 5lb black plastic dial telephones too. I just would prefer to keep mine as original as possible. I personally feel that every day that I am able to open my eyes its a great day. Being able to putz with the car and take her for a ride only makes it better. I enjoy this forum because of the rage of years, experience base, enthusiasm of the members and sincere responses you always see. So anyway, I look, maybe learn something new, add my 2 cents where I can and in the process if I run into a problem with my ride I'm confident someone will help me figgure it out.
chuck

gyopp

One of the hardest things to do when doing a restomod project is to exercise some self control. For instance, I had a 470hp 408 built which has what most would consider way too small a cam in it but it is very well behaved for street driving. For the same money I could have had another 50-60 hp but streetability suffers. still, its hard for us motoheads to buy the lesser hp engine.

73 red vette

WELL SAID.

Bullshark

I also Chuck Very good words to live by here on our forum.

63Mako, I wouldn't let it bother me any longer than a nano sec The way I look at it is, that for the most part, we are all pretty knowlegable here on the C3 forum, if I feel my 2 cents can add to the discussion, I'll throw it in, and take it on faith that the group knows how to seperate the from the apple butter.


Bullshark

BlueL36

63Mako- I agree with what you say. Awhile back, I tried to say the same thing but was misinterpreted. A number of forum folks can serve themselves by keeping their engine goals simple, which means tuning and maintenance are likely simple, too. I admire those who know what they're doing when they change to those jaw-dropping HP parts. But for those of us who aren't as expert as others, simpler keeps my vehicle on the road, running nicely, and a smile on my face.

hensen1954

Think you got it right there.........the rage of years ...........

77BuffaloVet

Great post 63Mako...You are right on the money...

I have been on this forum for almost 4 years now, don't post often, but read and learn something new every day. It took me a long time figure out who knows what they are talking about and what agenda and goals they deem important.

When forum members ask about increasing horsepower and/or torque I always laugh, because it is amazing the varying responses they get on issues of displacement, rpm range, compression, etc...

Maybe there should be a form to fill out before you can post a thread on, "how do I increase power," which asks all sorts of questions about what the person really wants out of their engine...

427Hotrod

I think you're right. While my tasts run to the extreme......I always spend some time asking what folks are really trying to do with their car and try to find out what appetite they have for maintenance.

Many folks have never driven a true 400, 500, 600 hp car...much less some of our 700-800+ HP street toys. While you can make them pretty driveable....its always a compromise.

I could easily make mine as mild mannered as could be with a simple cam change and still make over 700 hp......but there are a lot of good parts to go along with it.

Most $$ are best spent on the top end of the motor. Good heads are always a good investment. You can run a mild cam and still make power. Bad heads need more cam to get close...and run poor on the street. The bottom end just has to stay together.....

So I steer folks to things depending on their needs. Headers don't make a giant difference over 2.5" rams horns unless you have some cam and stuff. A little better cam can help stock heads...compression is always good....a good intake can help...but as you said..it's a package with compromises...just gotta decide what you want to emphasize.

JIM

Cali,68,L-79

Excellent thread.
I had all sorts of grandeous ideas when I first bought the 68. I mean how can a tiny 327 ever satisfy my needs? So I toyed with the ideas of a stroker motor etc etc. And along came LARS, and with a simple carb switch to a BG-750 and some carb/ distributer tuning he seriously woke this mouse up and I'm completely satisfied with over $6K saved.

DR.Jay

I personally just want some more modern technology in a C-3 Corvette. Often with these type of upgrades (IE. fuel injection, electric fans, OD transmissions, wider/lower profile tires, larger brakes) you get better or more modern performance.
I may not drag race, or auto cross, but when driving in an emergency situation (little old lady that pulls out in front of me) my vehicle needs to have the capability to react the way I need it to, and when I need it too. To me more HP to a point, and better performance evens the odds of survival.
Don't get me wrong I think some people are not suited for high HP motors (the better than the Jonses syndrome) Others know what they are doing, some just want to try a new challenging project to be able to say they accomplished some thing that they should be proud of.
I think I'm getting off the subject. Flame me if you want.

DR. Jay the practicle

CA-Legal-Vette

Great post Mako and very timely for me.

Ultimately, the question is how much is enough.

The gut reaction is always to get as much as is possible within the budget that we have (or more likely, over the budget that we have). Granted, big HP engines are certainly a blast and many of us would love to go to the track and break 10 seconds in the 1/4 but this probably makes very little sense for normal, day to day driving.

I just picked up a 73 vert with a damaged, NOM block. I was particularly interested in this car because it took away any temptation of trying to stay original. My intent was to drive it as is for the summer and decide which massive engine I'd replace it with over next winter. Now that the block has proven essentially unusable, I'm having to move up my timetable and I'm also reconsidering my original goals.

I think that all of us would like to be able to melt tires at will. I'd also like to be able to accelerate well at highway speeds. Both of these goals will require some power. I'd also like to be able to drive the car to work from time to time in bumper to bumper traffic without overheating. I'd also like to join the Lake Tahoe cruise this summer which would require some pretty high altitude driving. Neither of these last two goals work well with a 500 HP mouse.

What's the answer? Big block? 400? L82 type engine? It's really easy to get caught up in the big HP discussions. I know that I'm having trouble not getting caught up.

SmokedTires

Geez,that's pretty close to describing my sbc I will admit, this was not my first buildup. I started with a very reliable 355 based upon Edelbrocks RPM formula which was a fun engine.

My present engine now makes more power, but at a greater cost and maintenance. I have a ball driving with the new engine and equally as much, enjoy the thrill of the build. I now have enough HP, but can still see myself going forced induction one day just because I enjoy learning and wrenching when I can.

When looking at a build, the 1st thing to consider is your budget. This will help to determine lots of things

RadicalPursuit

My goal was to take a nonroadworthy project 75, that PO had given up on, and have a daily driver with moderate HP, torque, drivability and respectable gas mileage. Imagine my horror to find after two years of puzting - I had 11 mpg. Car looked good, and runs. Now for the driveability and mileage improvements.

turtlevette

I take exception to that. Bigger is always better.

Damn straight.

litevette

YOUR CAR! That's what I needs!!!!

SIXFOOTER

Good Post guys, I agree with you. For me, I tend to drive my cars a Long time and I drive what I want for me and not to impress anyone else. My 81 was the stuff the day it was built, but now in 2007 it is weak and then there is all the technology available today. 600 hp might be fun, but where the hell am I gonna drive that? I'll squeeze out 300 to 350 out of this thing with heads, cam, headers and some tweeking and drive it fil time to do another body off, this time with my grandson.

Green73

Have to say I agree with you.. but as an observer, I'd have to say that 80 percent of these people that ask about these super high horse motors are absolutely full of crap and have either no intentions or means of building such a motor. Furthermore its always easy to find an "expert" on the internet. When you combine the two, you end up with dreamers getting bad advice from ignorant people, so no harm done.(my apologies to the genuine builders out there and the very few out there that can advise someone to what they actually want, not to just what they say they want) Its always nice to daydream and with the ease of a message board and the anonymously of the internet, its just too easy to waste bandwidth, knowledge and server space with stupid questions. I'm sure there are a few (and I mean a VERY few) people with sincere engine questions, and those are the people that need the advice. The bench racers out there that have nothing better to do than talk about what if's for the rest of their lives are the only ones that enjoy the whole "well if you go to a methanol cooled intake and a 250 shot of nitrous with 110 race fuel" scenarios.... I could go on.. but then I would be no better than those wasting those megabytes on the message board servers. Now I'm done ranting as well.

Ironcross

Well informed opinion 'Green73'