Guys i need some help! In my home town, there is a person with a 69 mustang, with a supposedly 400+ hp 351 that the local hereo engine builder built. Its supposed to be the "fastest car in town" (Ya right), and it wouldnt bother me so much that the F**D is faster but the guy who owns it, has no clue about how an engine even works, which just makes me mad as hell. So by the time of the anuall car show next year I want my chevelle to be able to take him. Im going to post the current situation of the chevelle, and some mods that i plan to make, so any questions, concerns, suggestions, or comments would be greatly appreciated. I would appreciate it also if you could answer some of the questions that i have. Keep in mind that I am on a somewhat of a tight budget. Thanks Current situation: 68 chevelle malibu, 327 bored .030 over, steel rods and crank, hyp. pistons. 461 double hump heads, 2.02/1.6 stainless steel valves w/ 3 angle valve job. 327/300 hp cam ,1.5 roller tipped rockers and z28 springs. Mid eighties GM aluminum intake with a tired 750 vac sec. Q-jet. 3000 miles on engine, as i just built it. Have headers and 2.5 inch ss exhaust running through glasspacks and turndowns.(now comes the bad part) Stock Powerglide with column shifter, bench seats, and a 10 bolt peg leg with 3.08 gears. The 10 bolt has to go though, a bearing locked up and hurt my housing, so that has to go http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif ... Now the parts that i can get at an extremely cheap rate. Torker intake, Holley 750 dp, saginaw 4 speed( and i know where i can get a shifter, i hope) 3500 stall for the glide, and ratchet shifter for it as well. My uncle also has a set of 12 bolt 4.11 gears and install kit, the only problem is that they are welded to make it a posie. Now what i planned to do...(engine) Get a one of those blazer cams or summit cams w/ lifters for around $90, put the torker intake and 750 dp on, mild work on the heads.. gasket match, short side radius work, bowl blend. Then put a single bucket in place of the bench( should lose 60lbs there??) ... here is where the questions start, should I put in a 4 speed, or build the glide up.. stall, shift kit, transbrake???? I know someone whos very good at building performance transmissions, but with only 2 gears in the glide, i just dont get the rpm i need. On the rear, if i find a 12 bolt will the "home made" posie work? or should i find one, and buy new gears and a mini spool? This has got to be a balls to the wall effort, so i need to go as fast as possible without breaking out the $$$$$ Can i take him? Can i run NO2? Thanks for the replies, sorry it was so long.

[This message has been edited by 68chevelle (edited 10-26-99).]

My reply is : Are you happy with the performance of the car now?Does it matter if you suffer driveability problems?Is this your everyday driver?If you answer "yes" to atleast 2 , I say leave it alone and drive what you have.Trying to "keep up with Jones" has put more people in financial problems than anything else.I saw that you are a college student, so I would think your money is a little tight.Why bother with it?You are the only one that has to be happy with your car.You can never win over everybody, so just be yourself,and leave your car the way it.If he is such a dork,that he doesn't know about his own car, people will figure it out after a while.If you are going to race him, go to a track, and do it right.You might be suprised.I'm guessing he doesn't know how to handle all this new found power, and he probably will go up in smoke right out of the hole.If your Chevelle is like mine,it comes out of the hole pretty good.You get a hole shot, and take him halfway down the track, or even all the way, and he will be impressed.I had a 2 bbl. on my car, and raced a guy with a built 350, 4 bbl, headers, the works.He had a glide, I had a turbo 350.Took him 5 times straight.My little stock 350-165hp 2bbl.He was one of those guys also and he couldn't beleive it.You may get some different responces, but that's what I think.And for a saginaw, it won't last long behind anything putting out the least bit of power.You go to grab a gear and it's goneand so is Mr. Mustang!Just my .02$

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' 72 Malibu project ACES # 1282 Team Member # 427
' 70 C-10 Pickup

150 powershot nitrous.

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Harley
69 461 El Camino Nitrous Model, 69 Chevelle coupe
70 El Camino,71 SS Camaro
75 L-82 Corvette,71 Gremlin X
Kerrville,Tx.

Well if ya want to i say GO FOR IT!! maybe not do as much as you listed, keep the auto just get a th350 or 400, the 350 has better first gear but they end with a 1.00 so u decide. I don't think the transbrake is good idea on a th, heard they really wear it down faster than if ya had a pg. put in a floor shifter, i did it on my 66 wasn't hard. but remember don't sink all your money in it because to win it isn't only money (most is but) it takes brains to drive it there. He might not know much so when ya run as Doug said he will light up the sky. Keep us posted on what ya done..

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OWNER OF 66 CHEVELLE MALIBU
Check out page dedicated to resto of my chevelle. still being made.
www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Shop/9801/ (http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Shop/9801/)
Team Chevelle # 424
Canadian Classics Chevelles and Beaumonts #393
Fav Quote: Second place is the first loser...

I would start with the drivetrain.Turbo 350 with a 2500 stall.get some gears for the rear end,3.73 or better. for the engine go with a dual plane intake like a performer rpm instead of a single plane,you need all the low end torque you can get with that short stroke 327.Stay away from a double pumper, a vac.sec will also help low end.More torque will get you out of the hole alot quicker, you dont want your engine to fall flat on its face as soon as you nail the gas.Besides If he sees you whoop him on the starting he is more likely to do something stupid trying to catch you like miss a shift,over rev or something. By the way ,keep the 327,theres nothing more humiliating to a arrogant a##hole like him than to get beat by a smaller engine.Best of luck,Dave

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team chevelle#196
69 turbocharged 350
texas

I think a cam change is a good idea. The rearend needs an upgrade at least to a posi, and gears help a lot. I would get a TH350 to replace the PG. Forget the TH400, it robs extra power. Go with a 600cfm carb, that is plenty big for even a potent 327. I don't know why vac. sec. would give you more torque. Maybe at part throttle, but who races at part throttle. And why is mileage a concearn on a Chevelle. The torker II isn't bad, good rpm range. But I would rather use a dual plane intake. Right there you have a good combo. Quick and streetable at the same time.

If you still want to go faster then get a NOS Powershot 125hp kit. And upgrade the ignition some.

On the NOS page they have a sample car, I think a 68 Chevelle with a 327. Runs 14.5 on the motor, 12.7 with the Powershot kit.

Re: the welded gears you described... don't use them on the street! you'll just tear up another rearend. The mini-spool is the same as the welded gears, don't use it either. Since the welding that was done was actually done to the spider gears inside the diff, you should be able to use the 4.11's if you want. you just need a posi carrier for a 4-series gear. Good luck, and whup on that Ford!! Bryan

Needs more gear in the rear - the welded one will probably break when you turn corners with it. A little more tire, the 750 holley on the torker with the cam you have now. Throw the Powerslide in the dumpster and put in a 3 speed (TH400) or 350. Then put about 150 worth of nitrous, and hang on!

I've got a fresh 350 crate engine, ZZ2 design , it'll bolt right in. It's putting out @ 370hp, had a few mods done to it.All std. insides, for $1900. It's on the engine stand, ready to fire it up.Aluminum heads & intake, roller cam, it's all there.

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' 72 Malibu project ACES # 1282 Team Member # 427
' 70 C-10 Pickup

Doug as for your first reply, you are probably right. But this has gone on to long! th350 will probably be the tranny of choice. Do i buy a new TCI or other one complete or have one from a junkyard rebuilt? My next question is that if i get the th350 and a posie in the rear w/ some gears, will i be spinning enough rpm's to use the single plane intake, i know i should concentrate on getting as much tourque as i can, early on, but i could probably score the single plane intake and carb for absolutely no $$$. On the rear i have found a couple of ford 9" rear ends, but how much work would be required to get one of these to fit under my chevelle....sounds to me like it would be more trouble than it is worth. But i cant find a 12 bolt anywhere near where i live. I believe my plan will also include the new sniper nitrous system, so do i chose the new Comp nitrous cams or go w/ the blazer.... seems to me the blazer has enough split in intake/ exhaust lift and duration that it should work alright...??? any thoughts on that? One more question, What do you think my car will run as of right now? any body with a similiar car, or had one similair? Thanks for all your replys, i really appreciate it.....as will my chevelle when it kicks that fords a** next spring http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif

Wow, you must live in a small town. I live in Southern California and there's no way to compete for the fastest car in town unless you've got a Sonny Leonard blown 700-inch aluminum big block - there are some unbelievable cars around here. It must be nice to think you could step up to bat with a 327.

If you can get the intake and carb for free or real cheap take it.The torker you were talking about before is not a bad manifold at all,with the right gears and convertor it works good on the street or strip.I have one on my 69 right now,it was the easiest manifold i had to adapt to the turbocharger setup that I built for my car,but I used it for many years with holleys and carters carbs with no complains at all.On the transmission I always use my local trans shop to build up a trans for my needs. The last one a got had a b&m transkit installed and some other stuff they recommended for durability ,cost me $375. I have been using this place for years so they always treat me right.try talking to some shops in you area you might be surprised at what they can do for you for a lot better price.But stay away from the large national chains like aamco and such, go with the little independent shops they are usually more interested in doing high performance work than the big chains. Dave

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team chevelle#196
69 turbocharged 350
texas

A 68 chevelle is a pretty hefty car, so I would ditch the glide and put in a turbo 350. With the all steel internals Nitrous is just what the doctor ordered! A 150 shot should put that mustang in your rearview real fast.

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66 Big-Block Chevelle Houston, TX ACES#3321

'68,
Hard to beleive you can't get a 12-bolt for your car...won't any 12-bolt from '67& up fit? I thought it was the early(like my '65) Chevelles that were hard to get. Anyway, a 9" can be fabbed in, but it won't be cheap. Others might know better than I, but can't you build a reliable 10-bolt?
It sounds like your almost there with your motor. Like an earlier post, I'd prefer a 750 for max WOT power. Brodix makes a product for single plane manifolds(or used to) called a turtle. It glues to the floor of the plenum, reducing plenum volume, in turn helping with bottom end & throttle response. It is somewhat diamond shaped with a peak in the middle & ridges serving to divide the intake flow to the runners. I made one myself and used it in a circle track motor--it made a BIG difference on restarts! Lot's of snap, it probably gave me
close to 1000 more useable RPM on the bottom of the torque curve.
I'm not a drag racer, but don't those guys recommend quite a bit of chassis tweaking? Things like no-hop bars on your upper control arms, airbags in the rear coils, weak front springs with 90/10 shocks, and lightening the front end(battery in trunk, 'glass bumper,etc.)should help hook up your car and a loose converter(2500+stall) should let you leave the line in your motor's powerband. It doesn't take a big gun to hunt ponies, just one that shoots straight...
'luck, Bryan

Yes Kevin, i do live in a small town, middle of nowhere, but drag racing is very popular here. We did however have more muscle cars in our senior class(1999) than about 3 or 4 of the big schools had combined. As for the fastest cars in town, they dont come out mutch, they would east us for lunch if they did though. Plenty of 10 and 11 second cars... we( and i refer to my senior class) bought and worked on our cars ourselves,and with limited funs, so having a 13/14 second chevelle or camoro that looks halfway decent isnt doing to bad. Thanks for the advice on the th350 turbodave, my plans, i hope, will be to buy a junkyard th350 - $50, get a tci pro rebuild kit - $160(which includes everything - valve body change as well), have it rebuilt - $125, a "Boss Hog T-conv" from Midwest Motorsports - 1800 -2600 stall - $130, and a B&M starshifter - $110,(unless i find one at a swap meet for cheaper). As for N02, Ratpower, that will come in due time http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif Bryan, you would think will all the racing that goes around you would be able to find a decent rear end, but unfortantly thats not the case, they are few and far between here, and the ones that do have them wont get ride of them. As for suspension, I have already installed Comp. Acces. 90/10 adj. drag shocks on the front, and have an airbag system for the rear coils, which will go in this winter, and plans to box and lover the rear control arms. Hell who knows, i might just throw a fiberglass front end on the velle as well(fenders/ss hood) http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif Thanks again for all the replies, any more thoughts or speed tricks that you have are still also welcome....and dont be suprised if you see a post next spring thats says the Mustang has been whooped up on. 68chevelle

Doug, where is your crate GM for sale for 1900. I'm interested in it if it is for sale. Dennis e-mail: Strawfamly@aol.com