Help Me Spend $1500 to Go Faster

Quote:

---

It should run 12's now.

---

Quote:

---

Heads, heads, heads, heads

---

1. 4.10 gears

2. Head Porting

3. Monos and Caltracs

Quote:

---

Any expenditure of $1500 that doesn't replace the iron heads currently on the motor is leaving ET on the table...

---

Quote:

---

Better check your math again that compression even with zero deck flat tops unless your open chamber heads usually 90+cc's have been milled to around 80cc's.
I would buy a set of Stealth's have them looked over good, and upgrade the cam...
I built a similar engine for my Cuda, stock 71 440 steel crank, KB 237's which are about .010 in the hole with my deck height, a set of OOTB Steal (82cc)thE heads worked out to be about 9.8:1 or so and the car would run high 12's with stock converter, and 3.31 gears, and a 270/.470 Comp Cam, RPM intake and bg 750 Gold Claw carb.
I know without question it would have run well into the 11's with another converter (4K) and old MP solid cam I had laying around.... but the car was a daily driver and actually got 14-15 MPG the way it was!

---

I've done online compression ratio calculators and worked out the math with scratch paper 'til I'm blue in the face and I'm pretty confident about my compression ratio, but if you can tell me how you worked the math that it isn't 9.75:1 I'm all ears.

Seems like you should have gone faster than high 12s with aluminum heads in your combo. I had a '72 Challenger with a 426 wedge and stock 906 heads, Torker intake, 750 vac sec that did 12.80s on used-up slicks spinning all the way through first gear. Maybe that makes a good argument for me saving the $1000+ dollars that aluminum heads would cost me.

Quote:

---

every one is right, it should run 12s now, he should be askin how to spend that $1500 to see 11s

---

OK, how can I get this thing in the 11s for another $1500?

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Any expenditure of $1500 that doesn't replace the iron heads currently on the motor is leaving ET on the table...

---

Iron heads have been running 10s, 11s & 12s for decades, sure he would pick up on flow but alloy heads will soften his current compression thus reducing the amount of usable cam duration unless of couse the heads get worked, but then theres your budget out the window

---

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

every one is right, it should run 12s now, he should be askin how to spend that $1500 to see 11s

---

OK, how can I get this thing in the 11s for another $1500?

---

Take the heads off and do a little home porting, buy a roller cam setup with around .650 lift, 260*@.050, and a 108 lsa, or 106 lsa if you can find one.
If you have enough left over buy a nice used Dominator carb and run mid 11's all day.

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Better check your math again that compression even with zero deck flat tops unless your open chamber heads usually 90+cc's have been milled to around 80cc's.
I would buy a set of Stealth's have them looked over good, and upgrade the cam...
I built a similar engine for my Cuda, stock 71 440 steel crank, KB 237's which are about .010 in the hole with my deck height, a set of OOTB Steal (82cc)thE heads worked out to be about 9.8:1 or so and the car would run high 12's with stock converter, and 3.31 gears, and a 270/.470 Comp Cam, RPM intake and bg 750 Gold Claw carb.
I know without question it would have run well into the 11's with another converter (4K) and old MP solid cam I had laying around.... but the car was a daily driver and actually got 14-15 MPG the way it was!

---

I've done online compression ratio calculators and worked out the math with scratch paper 'til I'm blue in the face and I'm pretty confident about my compression ratio, but if you can tell me how you worked the math that it isn't 9.75:1 I'm all ears.

Seems like you should have gone faster than high 12s with aluminum heads in your combo. I had a '72 Challenger with a 426 wedge and stock 906 heads, Torker intake, 750 vac sec that did 12.80s on used-up slicks spinning all the way through first gear. Maybe that makes a good argument for me saving the $1000+ dollars that aluminum heads would cost me.

---

If you know so much why bother to post.. No use it telling you that my car did it with street tires, and 3.31 gears too.
You come here and post about your stock iron head engine with a hyd cam car which has some good points, like converter and gear....
If you didnt want constructive criticism why post?
Your car has good potential, and should be running well right now, actually meeting your goals...
Next logic step is to ditch the stock heads and hyd flat cam, like Myself and others have suggested.. Thats how I would spend $1500, you asked so we told you
Like I said if my car had more gear and converter with some decent traction, it would run deep 11's. I went 7.20's in the 8th mile with this car... Edelbrock heads, pump gas, .557 MP cam and 3.90 gears, on 28x10 slicks... I drove the car 80 miles each way too... The car weighed 3800+ lbs with driver!
These heads were OOTB and mirror the Stealth's. Just letting you know what these can do in a half way state of tune!

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Better check your math again that compression even with zero deck flat tops unless your open chamber heads usually 90+cc's have been milled to around 80cc's.
I would buy a set of Stealth's have them looked over good, and upgrade the cam...
I built a similar engine for my Cuda, stock 71 440 steel crank, KB 237's which are about .010 in the hole with my deck height, a set of OOTB Steal (82cc)thE heads worked out to be about 9.8:1 or so and the car would run high 12's with stock converter, and 3.31 gears, and a 270/.470 Comp Cam, RPM intake and bg 750 Gold Claw carb.
I know without question it would have run well into the 11's with another converter (4K) and old MP solid cam I had laying around.... but the car was a daily driver and actually got 14-15 MPG the way it was!

---

I've done online compression ratio calculators and worked out the math with scratch paper 'til I'm blue in the face and I'm pretty confident about my compression ratio, but if you can tell me how you worked the math that it isn't 9.75:1 I'm all ears.

Seems like you should have gone faster than high 12s with aluminum heads in your combo. I had a '72 Challenger with a 426 wedge and stock 906 heads, Torker intake, 750 vac sec that did 12.80s on used-up slicks spinning all the way through first gear. Maybe that makes a good argument for me saving the $1000+ dollars that aluminum heads would cost me.

---

If you know so much why bother to post.. No use it telling you that my car did it with street tires, and 3.31 gears too.
You come here and post about your stock iron head engine with a hyd cam car which has some good points, like converter and gear....
If you didnt want constructive criticism why post?
Your car has good potential, and should be running well right now, actually meeting your goals...
Next logic step is to ditch the stock heads and hyd flat cam, like Myself and others have suggested.. Thats how I would spend $1500, you asked so we told you
Like I said if my car had more gear and converter with some decent traction, it would run deep 11's. I went 7.20's in the 8th mile with this car... Edelbrock heads, pump gas, .557 MP cam and 3.90 gears, on 28x10 slicks... I drove the car 80 miles each way too... The car weighed 3800+ lbs with driver!
These heads were OOTB and mirror the Stealth's. Just letting you know what these can do in a half way state of tune!

---

Take it easy, it wanted ideas and I've been getting them, and I do appreciate all of them. I didn't mean anything by my post, just that I don't see how you can know my compression ratio without knowing what my pistons (dome, flat, dished, valve reliefs), head gasket thickness, etc..etc...are and I sincerely meant it when I said if there is an error in the way I computed it, I wanted to know so I can learn something. But you haven't pointed out where I made the error in my calculation. Jeez.

As far as what I said about your aluminum-headed E-body going about as fast as my iron-headed E-body, I was just raising the possibility that maybe, just maybe $1000-$2000 aluminum heads aren't the be-all and end-all of meeting performance goals. Maybe there are a lot of other things that matter too. I think your combo proves that.

Again, to everyone, I obviously don't know everything or even much of anything. I'm here to learn from those who have more experience. And I'm very thankful for all the help I've gotten here over the years.

But don't get pissed off if I ask follow-up questions or make comments. Remember, it's hard to read tone in these posts.