i have a completely stock 350 from 71 in my 84 z28. i want it to be pushing 500hp what would be the cheapest way to do this. all advise is greatly appreciated.

 

first off, a lot of money. is it a 2 or 4 bolt main? if its 2, dont even bother pushing more than 350 or it will scatter. if it is a 4 bolt block, or if you want to get it machined to turn it into one, the list would consist of high compression pistons (10.5:1) or greater, a good set of brodix or afr aluminum heads, a bumpstick with duration near 245 and lift over .550", 1 3/4" long tube headers, single plan air gap manifold, and a holley 750 double pumper carb. that might get you close. dont expect it to run well below 2k rpms or get more than 8mpg

 

what do you think would be ideal for the street build wise? I would like 500hp and street driven every so often, so would 400 or maybe 350 be more ideal???

 

yea, thats more manageable. that wont require nearly as much work to reach and wont break the bank. i wanted a 400 hp car that was going to be built on a budget and have good street manners, good highway cruise and a/c. so far im at $6k for the engine and related parts, but i also stayed fuel injected

 

To DD 500hp, you need a big block, or forced induction LSX. A gen 1 SBC with a big cam isn't streetable in the least.

Plus, you would need a well built TH350 or 400 (700R4 won't be compatible with an aggressive cam), you would need to scrap the factory 10 bolt for a 9", 12 bolt, or D60, and do a lot of suspension work (sub frame connectors and all new springs, steering components, ball joints, bushings, etc.). Don't want to be pushing 500hp on 27 year old suspension components.

Then you have the braking system to deal with... Gotta be able to stop and 3rd gens have a hard enough time doing that stock.

400hp at the CRANK is about the limit for a daily driven 3rd gen. You will still need to build up the transmission, get some subframe connectors, and you still want to replace all the suspension components. You need to make sure the cam you choose will run down low for OD (whether you have a manual or 700R4). You will also need to do some bottom end work to make a solid 400hp. You can make good power with a nice set of heads and a decent cam with the stock aluminum dished pistons, but it's a struggle to reach 400hp.

 

man 350hp sounds a little more enjoyable. Just curious if anyone has around 350ish and what you run at the track in the 1/4??? sorry for thread jacking "stupidricers"

 

I won't try and talk you out of it because you sound like a kid that knows that he needs 500HP. You said nothing about drivability on the street.

First, I'll assume that money is no object because you need 500HP.

You can do it with your block. First, get the block converted to 4 bolt or at a bare minimum splayed. You will need a new rotating assembly. Also, don't go looking for vortech heads, you'll need aftermarket heads. I'd suggest .030 over and changing the stroke so she's at least a 383. Do you want to remain normally aspirated or can you spray or go forced induction to get there? I assume that since you know about needing 500HP that you know it will be reached at higher rpm's.

If you do increase the volume, you will be increasing the torque in the lower end as well. As for those who say you will need to improve your drivetrain and stiffen the chassis, that's not true. You only need to do that if you want to utilize that 500HP that you need. Just having an engine that can make 500HP at high rpm's does not mean that you'll be punching the throttle. If you baby it up to 50-60mph and then get on it you might be ok.

So, the questions you must answer about the needed 500HP is

A: do you want the engine to remain normally aspirated? If so, then you understand that drivability is out the window because you are building for top end, not drivability

B: do you need this 500HP only on occasion? If so, forge the engine, get new heads and spray it.

C: Do you need drivability and the 500HP all the time? If so, forge the engine, change the heads and go forced induction.


Either way, you could do this on a tight budget using craigslist, swap meets etc and spend $4,000 maybe $5,000.

If you don't have the time to go bargain hunting and need that 500HP ASAP then toss a few more $thousand at the budget and you can get it done.

Remember, you want to use your existing engine and need 500HP so you can do it.

 

sounds like menopause is really kicking your *** "torque is good". this kid sounds like he doesnt know what hes doing, maybe instead of trying to boost your ego tell him that 500s out of the question. i dont know about anyone else but i dont remember reading anything about him needing 500hp. stupidricers theres no need to have 500 horses in a street car i know it may sound cool to brag about it but you might want to aim lower. kid cars really only have two functions sounding nice and having a little bit of guts to them.