$1000 to put into a 430, what should I spend it on?

Cam and port work on the heads, a good bowl blend and valve job will do wonders for the motor.

 

Azeem,

Here's my thoughts based on what I think you want to use the car for -

You are building a low budget street pounder and don't plan to run it at the track much if at all. You want the most fun per dollar, and you're thinking in terms of "mods" you can afford. You want to keep iron exhaust and the 2-1/2" pipes you have.

I think that 430 with it's stock high compression is going to surprise you if you can keep it healthy. Best bang for the buck in my book would be a cam (with the right lifters, '69 430 oils the top end through the heads and uses different lifters) and converter, along with bottom end maintenance (bearings, crank polish or cut, and oil pump checking). Check for cracks in the heads, but remember what you're doing and don't tear into anything that might work as is. Ditch the stock converter, the 3.08 posi rear will work really nice with a 2200-2400 stall converter. You'll be able to fry the tires at will, and it really makes the car much more driveable with a lumpy cam.

I would stay away from any modifications that you can avoid, like "improvements" to the oiling system and/or re-ringing the engine. These are good insurance if you invest a lot of money in a motor, but you are going to cause more problems than you are prepared to pay for if you mess with stuff that is still working. You really need to tear the short block down totally and hot tank it with new cam bearings if you do the oil mods. The costs would outweigh the benefits in your case.

Remember, you are re-using a 30+ year old motor without the money for a total rebuild. The benefit is that it still has good parts and it runs, has at least uniform compression, and it's relatively cheap.

If you stab in a cam, put in a good converter, and take care of "overhaul" issues you should be able to have a decent street terror for under your $1k limit. You'll only be risking an old engine and a new cam if you totally destroy it, not all the cost of time and money you would spend on high performance mods that aren't all that important for a street bomber.

Nothing wrong with points ingnition and a Q-Jet if you take the time to sort them out. Keep with the theme, use good, cheap stock parts as much as you can - more fun/$.

 

Hey Bruce;

Not yet. The engine in the pictures is my ole 350. The 430 is getting some attention this winter and going in next spring.

 

Finally someone who is singing my tune! This isnt my dream build or anything, i just want to know that i have a BBB under the hood when i mash the throttle. The engine was dirt cheap, and seem to run good, id just like to keep it that way without getting carried away for the cost of a full rebuild.

Im counting on this!

Exactly...

You get me John.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I think i have what i need from this thread. I shall tear into the engine in the near future and maybe start a new thread with the progress.

Itll be alot less hypothetical at that point. Hopefully i can invest most of the $1k into upgrades and not repairs.

Thanks again. :TU:

 

Just for everyone's info, Im runnin the 2" primary long tubes from TA, and with the full hotchkis suspension, I dont bottom out or scrape. The suspension is very stiff (the boat feeling is gone), it rides like my friends' sports cars (87 mootang lx, 99 cobra, 02 TA), but never scrapes anything. I remember back when I had the hooker headers on my 350 with the boat suspension it'd scrape all the time :ball: , even over slight dips that you wouldnt expect. After going with the hotchkis, I have no fear of dips or bumps, and Ive got bigger headers and a 1" drop now (thanks to the springs). So if you're upgrading the springs to racing ones, and have good shocks, you shouldn't discount headers.

As for if what you should get to play around with... Personally, if you still have enough money after doing the oiling mods, Id go for an intake and cam if it was in the budget, something mild, like maybe the edelbrock and one of the cams that isnt quite at the 413, but has more than stock.

 

Kris, what springs are you using?

 

I believe theyre eibach, it's whatever comes with the 1800 dollar full hotchkis suspension.

maybe they were konigs, Ill look...


scratch all of that, according to hotchkis' website they're from hotchkis... i coulda sworn they were eibachs.......

http://www.hotchkis.net/tvs_system_w_extreme_sway_bars_6870_gm_abody_big_block_.html

 

Thanks! Does the kit lower the whole car or just the front?

 

Im very familiar with the Hotchkis TVS kit for our cars.

It lowers the whole car about 1.5"

 

1.3" front 1" rear, all the info is in the link above, it's the one thing that isnt giving me problems, aside from feeling every bump in the road, it rides like a dream.

 

Thanks for the help, Kris... And sorry about the hijack! :TU:

 

Hmmmm. Just $1000?

T/A 212 cam and top notch tune on your carburetor. By the the time all the dust settles with peripherals, that ought to take care of your $1000.

Next up would be a posi and a 3.08 to 3.42 rear gear depending on how much highway driving.

That is where I would likely spend the grand if no maintenance items took priority.

 

Step 1:

Test fire the engine, and compression test. SHE LIVES! This is the first try trying to make it fire since i picked up the engine from Bruce. A lil gas down its throat, and power to the coil, and this is how it ran. A compression test showed about 10points lower than what i reported earlier, but the engine being cold, and the gauge not being the highest quality can attribute to that i suppose. They were all between 150 and 160 which is what i was looking for. :TU:

Needless to say im happy with the result. I start tearing into it in a couple weeks and seeing what i find. :beers2: Ill start a new thread with my progress, im sure ill have plenty of questions.

 

I was a little scared watching that video of your test run on that engine stand. I thought the first time you blipped the throttle, she was going to flop over on the floor. It stayed far more stable than I expected.

 

Azeem, did I see this car for sale on kijiji?

 

That engine stand is very sturdy. I wouldnt attempt it on the cheaper T shaped ones though.

We test fired an SBC on it first a few years back, then did a full break in, and tune up on a far more potent 468, so i wasnt worried about it.

 

yes you did. I dont want to keep this car forever, but thats not gonna stop me from having fun with it.

Will be taken down soon cuz i cant show the car while its stored for winter.

 

Hi Azeem
Wow you have more cojones than I do:laugh:
That looks like a $60 Princess Auto engine stand. I know how much mine flexes with just the weight of a 430.

Bruce

 

Actually its the $99 princess auto stand 1250lbs rating.

The $60 one is the T shaped base. This is a U shaped base.