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* 'Mandatory' 9 year old topic update! *
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Major topic-revival from the almost forgotten basement.
9 years since this topic started.
Plenty of new stuff has come out since then so it should be easier to get to '500hp' nowadays.
To kick it off again;
I'm considering to wake up my current stock stroke and dailydriven 360ci engine in a '73 Dart a bit more.
This engine has a 11.3:1cr, polished '302' heads with 60/61cc chambers.
KB-pistons, balanced assembly. AirGap intake.
(Hydr.) CompCams XE256H, used with solid lifters and Crane 1.5 rockers.
208-210 cranking compression. Running on Propane fuel.
Doug's full length headers into a dual 2.5" exhaust system with X-pipe and Borla mufflers.
Would like to keep the shortblock/crank ass. as is (zero-deck), and considering going to a solid roller and some SideWinder heads perhaps.
Won't mind a little lopey idle, and I know this is contradictory, but fuel economy is a consideration so low/mid range torque/efficiency is King.
Like to keep it N/A.
What are today's options of getting at (around) '500hp' while keeping the engine docile enough for daily use and not be a handful to drive?
For what it might be worth you can get away with quite a mean smallblock and keep some kind of drivability and fueleconomy good enough for daily driving if you just have it tuned right and have a happy combo of parts.
15 Years ago i had a 340 with a 260+@0.050 solidroller cam in my duster and i drove that thing everyhwere all the time,sure it had less converter than optimum for racing but the thing ran excelent on the street and didnt eat endless amounts of fuel as long as i keept my foot out of it,it sure didnt fool anyone into believing it was a stock 318 when it was ratling windows already at idle and was flat out screaming when turning 7500rpm but the thing was deadreliable, and on the open roads with a soft foot fuelconcuption stayed at about 1.2Liters/10km even ran it at pretty much 1L/10Km flat in some instances running about 90km/h with no stoping or accelerations.
However this thing was probably not realy a 500Hp 340,probably more likely a 480hp 340.
