Hey, I have a 71 Camaro with a stock turbo350 trans and gm 10 bolt rear end. I have a 350 engine I'm in the process of rebuilding and have decided to stop and evaluate my options. I'm looking to build my engine to 350 - 400 hp that will be street-able but have very good drag times. 11 to 12 seconds if possible but I'm on a limited budget of 3500 to 4000 bucks. So I need advice on the best direction to go for engine and drive train set up. Should I keep building this 350 to my horsepower goal which is starting to look more and more expensive? Or buy a built 383 or 350 online or locally which I’ve found from $1500 to $2500 for a 383. Also what will I need to upgrade or replace to handle this set up as far as transmission, rear end, brakes, cooling, etc? Finally are my goals set to high for this budget and if so what do you suggest would the best way to go with the best drag times in mind? I have a lot of questions and no one who can really answer my questions around my house.

Thanks!

 

Hey, I have a 71 Camaro with a stock turbo350 trans and gm 10 bolt rear end. I have a 350 engine I'm in the process of rebuilding and have decided to stop and evaluate my options. I'm looking to build my engine to 350 - 400 hp that will be street-able but have very good drag times. 11 to 12 seconds if possible but I'm on a limited budget of 3500 to 4000 bucks. So I need advice on the best direction to go for engine and drive train set up. Should I keep building this 350 to my horsepower goal which is starting to look more and more expensive? Or buy a built 383 or 350 online or locally which I’ve found from $1500 to $2500 for a 383. Also what will I need to upgrade or replace to handle this set up as far as transmission, rear end, brakes, cooling, etc? Finally are my goals set to high for this budget and if so what do you suggest would the best way to go with the best drag times in mind? I have a lot of questions and no one who can really answer my questions around my house.

Thanks!

 

hi if it was me on this budget and if i lived in the usa not australia were everthing costs heaps i would buy a 383 stroker kit for about $1200 us machining is cheap for block work say $500 you will need some good heads or get yours machined but you are going to need at least 400 to 450 hp for 11 or 12 sec you need a good dif 9 inch best bet change shocks on the back to gas adj so you can dial them in same on the front so you can soften them up get the weight to the rear end and just keep the 350 but get a sevice done on it with a 2500 stall converter and hope you don't brace anything thats on $4000 you will have to do all the work but just Google sites like how to build a cheap 383 you will be amazed at how much step by step info is around its going to be hard on that budget good luck David

 

Welcome to the forum! If you have the ability to assemble the block and set it up once the machine work is done, then I'd build the 350. If you don't, then you should go with an engine that's been built complete for you. I kinda doubt you'll get into the 11-12 sec. range with an engine that's 350-400 hp, unless everything is perfectly set up. You could get into the high 12's with a well set up SBC in the 400 hp range, but not into the 11-12 sec. without maybe a shot of nitrous.
The tranny needs to be rebuilt, and a good shift kit installed, plus a good converter. Sometimes it's cheaper to just exchange your's towards one already built and ready to go, much like what you've seen with engines.
Rearend will of course need to be built some too, or it wont stand a lot of hard launches. A good 10 bolt can hold it, but you'll need the right gears, and a posi or locker unit. I'd stick with 3.73 gears for a car that's used both street and strip.
Tires are important, and if it's seeing dual use I'd go with something like the BFG drag radials, or MT drag radials. Very sticky, but street legal too. You'll want some traction bars to help those tires and avoid wheel hop, plus subframe connectors too.
Doing all the engine, trans, rearend, tires, etc. to get down into the 12's wont happen on a $4,000 budget, unless you find some great deals on everything, and do all the work yourself.

 

Okay thanks a ton for the information. I'm going to do the work myself and atleast end up with a pretty nice camaro.

 

Alright thanks for the information that helps alot. Im not totally sure which route im going to go in but building my own 383 seems to be one of the best ways to go. Thats a good idea with the gas adjust shocks. Thanks again Sam.

 

i dont see you getting to 11 on 4k. your drivetrain is good to about 350 hp. may or may not hold up with more.

 

I would get the 383 and put a set or AFR heads on it with a cam that works well with what ever head you choose. Thats about 3000-3500 of your budget.

 

Ya I doubt you will reach that goal with a budget of only $4k.

 

I'm going to buy a 383 stroker then build the transmission and rear end with the money I have left over. I can sell this 350 I have to help cover it. Then go from there.