Modifications for Horsepower, then and now.

[BTHOtu]

You can throttle them. Going to Dyno it when the weather cools down and add a custom tune.

 

[JohnRandle]

My Boss 302 H-Pipe/Quad Exhaust and QTP Exhaust Cutouts will be here tomorrow. Probably won't get more Horsepower but the cool factor will increase. Straight pipes out the side for free flowing loudness and with a flip of the switch it will go back to stock exhaust. Can't wait to crawl under the car and install it!

That will be a nice setup.
Do you have the H-pipe or X-pipe?

 

[BTHOtu]

That will be a nice setup.
Do you have the H-pipe or X-pipe?

H-Pipe...eventually going to install cat deletes.

Installed them this morning. Sounds great with the cutouts wide open. Sounds like my exhaust is in stereo now. Not raspy and no drone. Kind of a 70's Trans Am sound to them. I'm not happy with how quiet it is with the exhaust closed...But I need it for when the wife is riding shot gun. Took it out and dropped the hammer on it and it gives out a big growl when hitting the upper RPM range but can hardly hear it when cruising on the highway around 2000ish RPM's I can't feel any extra push like I did with some of the other bolt on mods but exhaust mods are all about sound anyway. Can't wait to dyno and custom tune.

 

[outofyourmind]

Cylinder Heads is where you'll get the most bang for your buck. Unless you have good flowing heads nothing else you are going to do will add much. A set from Edelbrock will run you about $1300 and then you'll have to have to pay for a valve train (preferably a set with hydraulic roller lifters).

It costs money but you should be able to get 400 hp out of it with it being a docile user friendly engine.

AMC 360 Engine Build - 370ci CC/Rambler Engine Makes 480HP - Car Craft Magazine

Shit, I forgot all about this one.
I took my low compression Pontiac heads off and got some high compression Ram Air 3 heads off of a 1968 GTO. Had them port matched, new valve guides put in, hardened valve seats, ground and ported a little. $150 total.


It made a world of difference.

 

[NativeWebfoot]

Another way to get the most out of your engine is to get it blocked and balanced. Port matching as prev mentioned is also very good for more power.

 

[JohnRandle]

Another way to get the most out of your engine is to get it blocked and balanced. Port matching as prev mentioned is also very good for more power.

Yeah, it's amazing how much the ports could be off on a factory engine, in some cases you could shave 3/8" off the exhaust manifold alone.

 

[NativeWebfoot]

Another way to get the most out of your engine is to get it blocked and balanced. Port matching as prev mentioned is also very good for more power.

I might be using the wrong term here, but on V6 & V8 mtrs the cyl banks are usually not exactly the same height from the center of the crankshaft resulting in a difference in compression, however minute.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

Hmmm...blocked and balanced huh? I bet that would make a huge difference. The waggy had a AMC 360 crate engine from Jasper put with Edelbrock heads, intake manifold and the old exhaust manifold. It would be a safe bet that nothing is balanced - as witnessed by the other shit the guy's mechanic did wrong.

 

[NativeWebfoot]

Nearly all engines are out of balance from the factory and it causes the eng to fight against it's self, resulting in loss of power. It's just unnoticed by most people. Every moving part should be weighed and all pistons weigh exactly the same w/ rings, rods weigh exactly the same, etc. You can gain some good HP right there and it most likely makes a difference in MPG as well. I worked on an SCCA race pit crew one season and the team was based out of an eng balancing shop. I learned a lot there.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

I wonder where I'd find someone with the brains to balance an old technology engine like mine? Most shops I've dealt with are staffed with flunkies and dumbshits.

 

[Breaker99]

We have a ford diesel truck. I put a tuner in it and dialed up the hp and torque.... Ripped the transfer case to pieces and broke a u joint. The potential already within these newer Diesel engines is incredible, all you have to do is ask the trucks computer to give it to you. It's already there.

P.s. If you get a tuner or chip, don't forget to take your truck out of four wheel drive the first time you stomp on it.

 

[Breaker99]

My Boss 302 H-Pipe/Quad Exhaust and QTP Exhaust Cutouts will be here tomorrow. Probably won't get more Horsepower but the cool factor will increase. Straight pipes out the side for free flowing loudness and with a flip of the switch it will go back to stock exhaust. Can't wait to crawl under the car and install it!

Sick!

 

[outofyourmind]

Anybody ever flip over the top of the air cleaner on the old 4bbls and it would give you an open gap at the top for better air flow.

Sounded better too.

Oh, and what about those glass packs for mufflers.

Those were both good for a few extra horsepower and a few extra tickets.

 

[JohnRandle]

LOL, the first thing I did when I got a different car was flip the top of air cleaner.
Now that I know, it was the worst thing you could do, just added hot air, instead of cold air ..

 

[outofyourmind]

there were some guys in high school that couldn't afford to change to a better rear gear ratio for better quarter mile times, so they got smaller rims and tires. It helped some but the dorky look didn't overcome the gain.

 

[OnlyCrimson]

For my current project a 1972 Chevy K5 Blazer, I took the 307 out and put a 350 in. Now I want more horsepower and torque so I'm installing a 7.4L Vortec out of a 1999 K2500 Suburban along with its 4L80e transmission.

 

[OnlyCrimson]

Here it is sitting in my yard under a pecan tree running for the first time. The Suburban was totaled when I bought it due to a serious wreck. I removed the body, sent the complete engine/transmission harness and PCM to 150tunes.com Got the harness back, hooked it up, hit the starter and it wouldn't stay in time. Pulled the distributor and the metal plat that the rotor button screws to was stripped off the distributor shaft. I welded it back together, reinstalled the distributor, squirted some carb cleaner in the throttle body and it started running. A new distributor is ordered to replace temporary welding fix.

 

[outofyourmind]

Anyone remember side pipes.





I always wanted some but never got them.
Although they didn't up the power any, they looked like they did.
Guys always thought your car was fast if you had them.

 

[outofyourmind]

Saw some guys use dryer ducting attached to the breather in an attempt to make their car have "Ram Air".
I guess in theory it worked, but it looked like ass.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

The car I'm selling now, a 1995 Taurus SHO had a twin cam Yamaha 3.0 L. (normally aspirated 220 hps)

Once the warranty expired, I put on a high flow y pipe (mandrel bent not 90 degree shit), a new free flow cat back system, a K&N air filter, underdrive pulleys. Maybe got me up to 240-245 hps?

Other than that everything I did was to make the car handle or brake better, put in multi piston front brakes, a Quaife LSD dif, better struts and springs, bigger sway bars, sub-frame conenctors, tower braces, trick clutch and ceramic throw-out bearing, etc. And it handles like a dream, like it's on rails.

But I know fellas who have put on big bore butterflies, heavier cams, extrude honed intakes, supercharger/turbocharger. Several have even dropped the orignal 3.0 L lump and put in the larger 3.2L one from a slusho model (mine was a 5 spd) or gone up to the 3.6 L short block that is available. Some of these guys are getting 500 hp.

But the car I'm replacing it with (2005 MB S55 AMG) has 500 hps right out of the box.... Not going to do a thing to it but drive it.