so i have a 69 camaro with a 307 in it (ughhhh... i know) now i am purchasing a 350 crate that has been in a freinds corvette for the last 45k miles. the engine has no problems and is in great condition... but i mean come on, the engine only makes 275 horses. thats so not gonna work for me.

now i already have tuned 1 and 5/8 inch long tube headers for it, i also have 2.5 inch flowmaster exhaust, HEI ignition, nad a holley 650 CFM carburator for it.... I would like ideas as to the best way to beef up the egine while still keeping it streetable for under a grand as im in college and hella poor. also this will be my daily driver so nothin to crazy. but like i said im a kid, i crave power from my engine.... all ideas are apperciated, thanks

these are the parts that have given to me as an idea... i have been told that these parts on this engine should net me between 365 -375 streetable HP, can anyone give me an idea of how accurate that is as im i dont have a strong backround in engines yet.... thanks

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...tegoryId=19715
(Vortec heads from JEG's, $249.99 (x2)
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...tegoryId=14249
(Performer RPM Vortec Intake from JEG's, P/N: 350-7116 - $169.99)
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...tegoryId=16029
(Comp Cams XE268 camshaft from JEG's, P/N: 249-12-242-2 $96.99)
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...tegoryId=57251
(JEG's Street Replacment Hydraulic Lifters, P/N: 500-20700 - $39.99)

 

The first question is do you know the history of the engine? That is, was it well cared for? (regular oil changes, not run too hard or any problems that your friend had with it.)

Since your budget is +/-$1000 here's what I would do. Don't bother with the Vortec stuff. It costs more and then you are stuck with only using Vortec parts on the top. I would bet if you called around to some machine shops, you could get those heads cleaned, re-valved with 2.02/1.60's, sealed and surfaced for less than the cost of those Vortec heads. New valve springs are a must and they need to match your cam.

Use a regular old Performer RPM SBC intake ($30 cheaper) or you can try the one that came on it and see how it performs but I would bet there's some HP in the RPM alone.

You said you wanted about 375 streetable HP which can cost in the long run. That being said, I would try a hydraulic flat tappet cam with an .050 duration in the 232-242 range. Your lift will depend on the valve springs that you have in the heads. Call any of the cam companies and they can guide you in the right direction. I always ran the ISKY Megacams in my street motors and had GREAT results with them.

Get a good quality set of anti-pump up lifters and a decent double-roller timing chain. The expensive timing chains are not needed, just a double roller.

The next step if you have any more money would be to upgrade your ignition module in your HEI distributor and get an ignition box like the ones made by MSD. Good pug wires and a Carb tune up will help as well.

You already have headers and the 1 5/8" will be a good size for the power you are trying to acheive. The Holley 650 may be a little restrictive, but you can still see some decent power with that size carb if it is tuned well.

Oh, by the way, if your car was equipped with a 307, it most likely had 2.73 or 3.08 rear gears. There will be a big difference with the mods if you went to a 3.73 gear. 4.11's if you want to cruise on the highway at 3500 rpm[:'(] That would be $300-500 extra above the $1000 mark though.

I think you can be around that $1000 price range with those things in mind, but any more power is going to need engine work, major head work and a bigger carb. That stuff will cost a lot more.

RM

 

roller cam with like around a 550-580 lift, that lift is small enough that you shouldn't have to change the valve springs (depending on what the stength of them is) but you also have to get roller lifters, total will probably be close to $700, but it will give 100-140+hp depending on the cam you have now, roller cams are where a lot of hp is made, they are definately worth the extra bucks

 

Assuming the engine is equipted with a standard gm head wouldnt he need to change the springs and possibly the valve length to achieve a lift of .570, his push rod length would also possibly change rocker arm studs ect I think he would have alot of changes with a .570 lift roller. I would look at the hydraulic flat tappet as rat motor suggests, crane cams has responed well online when you fill out their cam recommendation sheet..