since this is the spot for it i'll ask you guys and see what you think.i'm taking the motor out of my 79 z 28 and putting it in my 88 trans am since the 550 hp motor is going in the camaro.what kinda numbers do you think it could pull in a 1/4 and 1/8th?the 350 is really strong as it pulls that camaro to spped in no time.it has a crane cam in it but don't know what lift,just has a nice lump to it,nothing crazy.it has double hump heads with 1.5 rollers,don't know if any head work?was in the car when i got it.it will also have a edelbrock performer rpm manifold,edelbrock performer 600 carb,my newer hei disty with msd 6al running it.also gonna have hooker longtubes and the collectors are gonna get glasspacks attached, so that's it for exhaust.it will be bolted to my built 700r4(for up to 500 hp)with a 2200 stall,and i'm looking for a 4th gen rear to add to the mix,needing the posi.i think it should have enough power to be a nice fast street car and a decent weekend warrior.so what do you guys think i'll be looking at?

 

If geared properly, high 11's. Maybe a mid 11.

 

really?because that's not the 550hp motor mentioned either,i'm talking about the 350 coming out of the camaro and going into the trans am,so it would be my 88 trans am with described motor and probably a 3.27 or 3.42 posi rear.i was thinking probably high 12's which i would be happy with since the other car is gonna be the race car.
so to clearify.it is a standard bore(far as i know)79 350,crane cam,double hump heads,1.5 rollers,hookers headers,dual glasspacks(no other restrictions),edelbrock performer rpm manifold,edelbrock performer 600 carb,hei disty,msd 6al,probably 3.42 posi,gta wheels.in my 88 trans am+full interior and t-tops.

 

14's.

 

 

doubtful thats all it will turn.if you really think that how about a reason for it.

 

give me a reason to think it'll be faster...get specs to your motor and i'll tell ya what i think it'll run...

reasons i think it'll be slow:
-mystery cam "that has a lopey idle"...probably some junk 204/214 "rv" cam
-double hump heads
-600 cfm edelbrock
-2200rpm stall speed converter
-3.42's
-heavy frickin' car
-glasspacks (that won't fit where you're thinking of putting them by the way...you'll run into the underside of the car)

sorry...i'm in a bad mood tonight and have a hard time with people that don't know what they have asking these stupid questions anyhow...you wanna know what you'll run? run the damn thing and find out...otherwise it's a crapshoot when you don't know the combo.

 

i agree with the run it and then i'll know,but i was just seeing if i could get some numbers.i know in the 79 camaro it's in now,it'll put you back in the seat and has no problem grabbing speed.the camaro also has full interior and t-tops,so i figured the trans am was probably lighter and a little more advanced on traction,so i figured it would be even quicker out of the whole.
plus with the addition of the msd,carb,headers,and intake,just figured that would add a little more to hp.to anyone who doesn't like answering questions
people have about what their cars run,just don't throw in your 2 cents.

 

i pulled a motor just like that from a buddies 79 vette for my old 86 a cpl years ago, it felt strong as an ox, nice lope, full performance exhaust, edelbrock intake and holley carb, low 14s all day long............im betting 14.3 for u...

 

^^^good response,thanks for the guess.did you do aything else to that motor to net you any better times?don't really know how much else i want to do since i already have another car that's being built,i just don't want this engine to go to waste,but if i can get some better performance for little more that would be nice.

 

nah i ended up pulling the motor and sellin it to a buddy for his truck didnt keep it too long, i might have been able to get her into high 13s with better tires and maybe some more tuning....ull just have to play with it some and go from there, get a base line run and we can help u think up some cheap easy ways to pick up some faster times if need be......

 

that sounds good.i know a guy how can do any machining i might need done.
just don't know how far i want to take the car but i'm sure it won't be enough.

 

HAHAHAHAH!!!! You took the thought right out of my head. I think you were being optimistic though.

I say....

you take it to the track and the first runs spins the tires because they have to much air in them and are 15 years old.
You get excited and take the seconed run. It bog's down because the 600 cfm carb was bought new in 1993 and hasn't been tuned since. You are still able to muster up a 15.30 and have aspirations of 14 second slip.
So you stage for the final race, thinking, I have a "lopey" cam, some 60's era camel humper heads and my trans is built for 500HP!, I can do this!
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15.0001 @ 93 mph

 

Last I checked, this was a public message board and we still have the freedom of speach. You had to have known when you posted this that you might get a few answers you might not like.

IMO - too damn many factors to get a good guesstimate. I would race the 79' before pulling the engine to get some sort of a baseline to work from. Otherwise you're just pulling #'s out of your ****.

 

this concept right here is why i think it'll be slow...because all you can say about it is "it puts you back in the seat"...i can make a 2.8/5spd put you back in your seat...and to some one who may have never felt the power of a fast car, a 14 second car feels like a 12 second car. when i first built my first 305 camaro back 6 years ago, i thought i was hot ****...then i went and ran the car...went a 14.2...but hey, it had a lopey cam, and had no problem fryin the tires up at a low speed throttle stomp.

ta's are some of the heaviest thirdgens out there...probably only 200lbs lighter than your 79...traction is still limited if you're not running a good tire. bare minimum should be a bfg drag radial, if not a m/t drag radial, or the best of the best: hoosier drag slick


i answered your original question when i quoted five7kid...then you asked for my reasons why i think it'll run what i said...then you slam me for having a brain and thinking about a combo...yeah...my 2 cents is based on educated guesses based on ACTUAL experience...

 

i wish i could go lay down some base numbers with the camaro but i'm pretty sure the trans is on it's weaker leg,i won't say last because it is driveable,it just won't hold load in second gear.so a trip to the track is going to be postponed.i've definetly been in fast cars,the built motor that i boughtcame out of a 81 camaro,very similar to my 79,obviously.that trip in that car is what got me to pony up the money for the engine,almost scared me.i've driven plenty of ls1 trans am's so i know what a 13 second pass fells like,i also know what a 15 second pass feels like,personal daily driver.i'm cofident that the combo between the trans am and the motor along with some decent tires is worth a mid 13,of course there's no way of knowing till it's been done.i've been around cars my whole life,i know cars pretty well.i also know that double hump heads aren't really the ideal heads by today's standards but in their hay day powered some decent engine's.until i can get everything swapped over and i can see what both motors can do,i may continue building this motor,i might be perfectly happy with the numbers.if i need more power,some diffrent heads and bigger cam,along with a bigger carb will be next.right now i'm sure it's not just me feeling the crunch of the economy,so tax time just can't come soon enough.i appreciate you guys comments on what you think it will do,i'm the only one here that has been behind the wheel of it,and i'm only guessing as well.the motor and the came and heads,and rollers were on it when i got it,the guy i got it from got it from his uncle so he didn't even know much about it.some attempts where made to get more speed out of it,the extent of is on clear unless i crack into it.with the trans am i'd be happy with a low 13 high 12 because i don't really need two race cars,it'd be nice,but not neccesary.i'd fgure with a good cam heads and carb i should get there,better then what i have now.afr heads seem to be evrywhere and that must be for a reason.so what would you guys suggest on a decent combo there.

 

I hate to pile on, but.....first of all 79 engines were smoggers...the heads were outdated teh day they came out...only someone who was VERY good with porting made any real HP out of them. Edelbrock carb...well read around the board and you'll get your answer there. Do you even know if this engine is healthy...compression wise???

No gears, stall speed barely over stock, no tires, trans am=heavy SOB (not that a 79 is a lightweight), no suspension work.

Cam...i thing Matt summed that up already.

MSD and 6AL aren't worth jack unless you've already pushed this motor and are looking for the last 1 or 2 HP.

Trans...steep first gear and no tires = lots of smoke...

I'm gonna be REAL nice and say ...................14.5 @ 94 mph

If you get there with what you say you have.....then it's a good running engine.

BTW...curious how you can say it "gets to speed" good with a bad trans in the 79.....

 

i figured somone would ask that after reading once i posted it.story behind that is the guy i got the car from had informed me of the trans leak he had thought it was the tailshaft seal,turned it out to be the speed cable.didn't really know how bad it was till getting under there,so i don't know how long he rode around with it like that.when i first got it and would take it up to speed it would go great up to about 80 then start kicking.then it got worse and worse.only second gear though but now it won't really pull over 60 without me getting out of it.so,that's how i know that it will move,altough it has a bad trans,and also the same reason why i can't take it to the track for some base numbers.th350's aren't to expensive but i need a bilt one for the 550 hp motor going in the camaro,so it wouldn't make much since to go thru the hassle of buying a cheap replacement,swapping it in,just to pull it back out.and as far as edelbrock carbs go,don't see why everyone is so down on them.just cause they aren't holley dp evryone thinks they're junk.from what i heard,holley are a tinker with carb,always needing adjustment.when i boughtthe edelbrock it was going on the trans am and was gonna be a daily driver,so i wanted something that would give enough gas for performance,but be easy enough to drive daily.

 

i've ran just about every carb under the sun...my car got the best gas mileage and best performance with the 650 double pumper when i had my hotrod 305 in the car still

 

i was looking around at some 383 stroker kits lastnight and came upon one for right under 1000.was seriously thinking about that and some decent heads added to the mix.the pistons that were with it were,8.8(i think),and 11.1,which one is better for running nitrous,i'd imagine the lower comp is for boost,but i don't plan on running any on that car,just a little nitrous.also since this car has to be streetable what would be a good cam to run that would still have a good sound and performance,but also retain it's streetability?i'd figure that would get me into the high 12's hopefully,then all i got to do is up the stall,and get it to hook up.

 

I don't think you need to build a new 383 to run high 12s, but I have never seen a car with a mystery cam run to good. I would hesitate to say it is a 550 hp motor with a dual plane intake, double hump heads, and a 600 carb, more like 350 hp.
If your set on running 12s I would start by tearing down the motor and finding out what you have, a re-ring kit is cheap and a good idea on a mystery motor.
Hopefully you will find flattop pistons, a 270 cam, a good valve job, and a sound bottom end. If this is similar to what you have I could see high 12s with a good tune. If you have dish pistons find a garbage can and build a 383. If it remains a mystery cam chuck it and buy a comp 270 or 280 cam. If the heads are junk find some stock vortecs. That will give you a good building block.
If you want to run high 12s on a budget hooker 2210s are a little pricey, for 550$ they will run great, but for 150$ a set of hedman longtubes will run well, and save you about 400$ to spend on things that should be a higher priority.Most likely a good carb and heads.
An edelbrock carb is ok, but a holley dp is better, and no, you do not have to tinker with them, I do not know where that bs came from, I have owned several and only tinker with them when I want to.

 

the motor in question isn't the 550 hp motor i have.this is just a motor coming out of my 79 camaro.the 550 hp motor is 60 over,all forged internals,dart heads,blue printed and balanced,it's a very stout motor.i had originally planned on putting that in the trans am,then i got the camaro.

 

you can easily go 12's with a stock stroke 350...i'd spend the money on a set of heads and cam, or gears/converter before i'd stroke the motor.

 

well if i did decide to stroke it,it would be a pakage deal.stroke,heads,cam,carb.and even to throw a $800-1200 set of heads and new cam at it,woudln't make since to not tear it down and freshen up,that would be the ideal time to do it.

 

Ok, I am confused, the motor you have described is not the 550hp motor? Which motor do you plan on using in the thirdgen? What are you going to do with the 550hp motor?I am sorry if I have not been paying enough attention.
By the way, it does help me, and I assume just about everyone else,to read things when there are paragraphs.

 

the 550 hp motor is chilling on the side,i bought that last year.the 3rd gen trans am was originally going to get that motor.then i got a 79 z28 and decided to put the 550 hp motor in the z28.so the motor that's in the camaro as of now is the one described.
i'll be pulling the motor out of the camaro,installing it in the trans am.then the 550hp motor is going in the camaro.the motor in the trans am(305)going in the trash in favor of the 350 from the camaro,350 from 79 z28,
into 88 trans am,550hp motor,going into the 79 z28.follow

 

Yep, I've gone lower 12's with an aluminum headed 350 that has a small cam.