82resto

Hey guys.. I wanted to throw some info out, and get a flurry of responses.... Ok, so if someone wanted to make a TPI system that made about 460 - 500 HP or so, how would you go about it? Say you had about $4000 to spend....
This would be assuming an l98 block with stock crank. Probably.. unless a forged crank would be required.
I was thinking some AFR heads (what flow do you guys think?)
- Big roller cam (suggestions?)
- Forged pistons for a total compression of 9.5:1
- Holley Stealth Ram or LT1 intake/miniram
- 24 lb injectors
- and so on..

I want a flurry of opinions because I'm sure there are many different ways to get there. Oh, to top it off.. this car would be street-driven daily. And by daily driver, I mean everywhere every time the car needs to be driven. Out here we have 93 octane gas.

Jon

The reason I'm wondering all this is because i found a good deal on a good condition l98 block, and was thinking about ditching my turbo project temporarily in order to build a bigger motor....

TBurke

A big blue bottle.

Ed Maher

Well your demands aren't necessarily unreasonable, but they do need some tweaking.

At the minimum you need some great heads. Some nicely ported AFR 195s would be the minimum.

Your valvetrain will have to rule, great springs, titanium retainers, etc. The easiest and cheapest way to go would be solid roller. If you want to do it with a hydraulic roller budget in extra money for some comp R lifters and a rev kit.

You'll need way more than 9.5:1 compression to make anywhere near 500hp, try 11.5:1 or more. The huge cam you'll be running will keep detonation in check . Seriously, i'm not at liberty to discuss specifics, but traxion is running more timing than i ever even heard of on any engine during part throttle with his shaved AFR heads (i think he's just over 10:1 IIRC) and big cam. he could pick up gobs of power if he just had compression, and if you talk to him he will tell you as much.

You'll need more than 24lbs injectors, 30-36 would be a much better comfort zone.

You'll also be running on the ragged edge of what he bottom end will hold and will take a chance of throwing a piston through your $2500+ heads and valvetrain everytime you get on it so running the stock bottom end is an expensive gamble.

Also factor in you'll need some nice headers like the hooker supercomp LTs, as well as a good exhaust behind it (single 4" or dual 2.5")

And don't forget a solid rear and a th400 (you'll eat 700s like candy at that power level unless you never drive it), and without a nice race converter you're just wasting power as well.

If I wanted to build a bad *** engine like this, i would defer to my engine building friends on bottom end selection, AFR 220s with some mild clean-up work if needed, a solid roller cam in the 240' or so intake duration range, 4500 or so stall 9" race converter, and i'd gear it to match the height slick i was shooting for. I also would probably give up on the stock computer and run a speed-pro with wide band O2 option.

In other words, a 500hp 350 is not an 'in the meantime' project.

If you're just trying to build your turbo motor before you actually get to the whole 'turbo' part then obviously you should make choices with that final goal in mind. Just straight up build a beefy bottom end with appropriate compression. The only part you would 'need' to change with the turbo would be the cam, might as well run a NA style grind since your turbos are obviously well off the horizon. But at least getting the bottom end and driveline in order first will get that out of the way for you.

82resto

Wow, that's a good response. Now here's why I brought that up.... I just got the new car craft, and they built that 540 horse carbed small block for $4800. Now, it has some costs excluded form a former buildup, but it has stock rebuilt rods, and a cast 383 crank. AFR heads, a huge solid cam, and an unmentioned compression ratio... i was just thinking that maybe it wouldn't be that difficult to transfer that over to fuel injection. Heh, suppose I was wrong. Well, you live you learn, right?

Jon

I'll just be going directly to the forced induction page, save an engine buildup for later on, after the 305 blows its lid.

Ions91Z28

I'd recommend a 400, afr 220s, 10:1+ compression with a roller or solid lift cam around .570-.590 lift with 240 or so duration and figure out an intake for it. Miniram or stealth ram maybe.

Not cheap... you might make a 500hp engine with 5000$, but it'll take you almost another 3-5 thousand to make the car handle that 500hp engine.

Russ-So Cal

I think the problem with so many magazine build ups is that the engine only has to live through a few dyno pulls. Put that engine in a car making 540 hp, and drive it daily and tell me how it holds up after 50,000 miles. If you want that kind of power in a road car, I think I would start with a Motown 415 ci crate motor. At least that way you have plenty of cubic inches and you know you have good strong internal parts. Regardless of what you build, to get that kind of power out of it, you'll need a super ram,mini ram, or large base and runners with a ported plenum. A stock tpi doesn't flow enough air for a stock 350.

TBurke

I would say if you can make that kind of power, you would need to spend at least that to the drivetrain to have any sort of reliabilty and safety. Anyone that has built of a 3rd gen knows that the stock drivetrain is living on borrowed time once you start getting up over 300 horse. I have killed a couple of trannys and a rear with a motor in the 325-330 horse range. I am gunning for around 450 horse(I just added a blower and switched to a miniram. I wish I could have only spent 4 g's! Once I get this combo worked out I'll be in need of a stronger drivetrain again. It won't be cheap.

I would think that the cheapest would be nitrous with a controller that gradually adds the juice so as not to be as hard on parts. This in a 406 with forged pistons with a 5500 redline would probably get you there. Without the juice you could run a fairly mild street engine with great drivability.