You need a lot of power to go 170 mph. Your stock 350 ain't gonna do that. I
would suggest that you go to a 4 spd overdrive transmission.
You haven't mentioned which 4 door body you are going with but you can pick
up 80s full size Chevs, Olds, Pontiacs that have a full frame and use the
sbc already. They go for dirt cheap! The best part is that suspension parts
are off the shelf items at the local parts store!
It would save you a lot of work as most came with 3:08 gears already and you
don't need a custom gas tank. The rack n pinion is nice but all the muscle
cars from the 60s and 70s came with wormgear steering and there's some
pretty nice replacement units.
The money and time you save on the frame work, steering and fabrication
could go towards a bigger better more powerful engine, tranny, mags/tires,
interior and paint. Posi rear is always nice. Don't even think of a 305 for
performance. A 350 or 400 is a good starting place. There is no
substitution for cubic inches! It takes way less work to get a 400 up in
power than a 305! The 305 has a 75% handicap in cubic inches from the
start!
The simplest way to get it running is with a carb versus EFI. A carb based
engine with HEI and one wire distributer needs the following wires to get
it running:
Battery to starter
Ignition to Starter solenoid
Ignition switch to distributer
Ground strap to battery
Alternator +12V
And she's up and running. A EFI is way more complicated all the way to the
fuel tank!
The engine is an air pump. The better the flow through the system, the more
hp, you make. You want to check out some of Hot Rod Magazine's engine
build-ups and copy the parts exactly. That's the easiest way to make
power - no guessing on your part!
If you start from scratch building your own frame, suspension, etc.. It'll
take years to finish! Trust me, I'm on my 7th year on a 2 year project!
I've learned a lot on what not to do!
If you pick up one of the GM fullsize cars, you are driving right away and
you can slowly build it up as you like. The funny thing about a car project
is that it'll change as you work on it. My original concept was to build a
Pro Street version and as the years passed, it changed to a retro theme.
Here's what it looks like now, I'm just doing the interior and the final
chrome and stainless - should be on the road this summer!
http://www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54pontiac/index.html
Good luck!
gbowne1 wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I'm thinking about designing and building this car, which I think
> would be very cool. Here are some basics on it. I have some plans in
> mind for what I would like to build. Here's a kind of list of the
> things I would like to include. Can someone reply with comments on
> what would work well with this combination?
>
> The basic car:
>
> Engine: GM 350 Small Block (maybe LT1) (originally thought about 305
> or 383)
> Transmission: TH350 Auto Trans
> Chassis: Custom Built using 2"x4"x 0.250" chassis tubing
> Rear End: 3.08:1 GM 10 bolt rear w/Posi (could also be 8 or 9" Ford 28
> or 31 spline)
> Wheels: 15x7's Front & Rear
> Tires: Michelin 195/75R15's.
> Wheelbase: 113"
> Body: 4dr Sedan
> Steering: Power Steering, Flaming River Joints, Ididit Column, Flaming
> River Rack,
> Brakes:
> Type: Front Disc / Rear Drum
> Mfg: OEM/GM or Wilwood or Raybestos (maybe Superlite or Dynalite??)
> Size: 11" up
> Exhaust: Flowmaster Delta 40 or 50 series, 2 ¼" or 2 ½" size?
> Suspension: Mustang II IFS, maybe Heidts or Fatmans
> ECM/ECU: General Motors (those made after 1987 to 1992?) sounds like
> #1227727, 7730 and 7747 all work.
> Ignition: HEI using MSD 6A or 6AL
> Gauges: VDO Cockpit Black
> Fuel: TBI or TPI? MAP or MAF? Rochester Q-Jet 4MV/M4MV/E4M (for
> carbs?)
> Fuel Tank Cap: 18 gal custom made
> Sound System: Pioneer KEH-P4020 w/ 4 or 5" Front's 6x9 Rear by
> Infiniti Kappa
> Filtration: K&N E-1650 14" filter ??
> Options: Air Cond., Power Windows, etc.
> Intake: Edelbrock Performer, i.e. #2101 or #3101
> Cooling: couldn't settle on a brand.. US Radiatior, Modine, Walker,
> Griffin, etc?
> Fan: SPAL 14 or 16"??
> Paint: an interesting Red color called "Rosso Red" (Boyd Red is too
> expensive for me!)
> Seating: Recaro? Rear Bench. Heated Ft. seats? Power Seats?
>
> Oh yeah, and I have a Saginaw 4spd Casting #3915032. The tailshaft is
> #3880042 or 3860042. The casting of the # isn't very clear. I have a
> TH350 from craigslist I got for $75. Someone had it on their '75
> Camaro project. It needs some work but could be usable.
>
> I'd like it to be able to handle 170mph, possibly up to 3200 rpm @ 60
> or 65mph. Not that I'd drive that fast.. under 85 is the norm here..
> any faster and you'd get busted. I'm not a track driver or street
> racer either. LoL.
>
> I got other ideas but these are the basics. I have plans on what I'm
> putting in whatever engine I buy. I had a text file with a list of
> oddball parts that might go in the project. Need help with sorting
> out the details.. I'm a newbie! I don't wanna come off sounding like
> a troller for information.. but I'd like to get more ideas here.
>
> Thanks in advance. Comments and suggestions welcome.
>
> Greg B.
> Seattle, WA
> moc.oohay@1enwobg (backwards!)
--
Eugene Blanchard
http://www.catsasskustoms.com
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