....need......more......info.....please......uzzled: So, whatcha got? 2bbl or 4bbl? Single or dual exhaust? Any and all details about your current combo?
LOL sorry. Ok it is a 69 buick skylark with a 2 speed transmission. Not shure if it is a powerglide or if it is a st300. 4 barrel q-jet. all stock internals, single exhaust, 130,000 miles on it. The engine is all stock, the only thing that has been changed is the transmission, because everyone is telling me that there wasn't an option for a 2-speed in 69. The whole transmission thing is still really bothering me. But anyways. need any more info?
1969 was the last year for the ST300 2 speed. It was the base automatic with a TH350 as an option. Most had them, but a number of 2 speeds were still built. According to the 69 chassis manual, the 2 speed was even available in the Sportwagon too. So, your car is correct. Why they opted for a 4bbl motor and not the TH350, who knows. Your best bet may be to change the trans first. It will add some more go off the line and can be a fairly easy swap. Just my thoughts. Regards, Mark
Changing to a dual exhaust system will be a great improvement, with some good flowing mufflers, as will getting rid of the 2spd auto tranny. With the 350 sbb you'll be happy with a TH350 with a shift kit. TA Performance has an aluminum 350 intake for $279 which is supposed to deliver maybe an additional 20-30hp or so.
http://members.aol.com/autotran2/gmABpg26.gif see if your pan matches the st300 one on that image. i would go for headers and a dual exhaust, first. straight pipes will work, but an h or x pipe would be preferred. mufflers are in the air, most people would probably run flowmasters or walkers/dynomaxes. and TA has the most popular headers, it seems.
Hey Thanks guys. I'll go up under my car tomorrow to see what trans it is. Thanks David and Mark. To tell you the truth though. I have no real problem with my transmission right now. It works fine, a little crappy on the gas but thats why I have another car right. If both the st300 and the th350 have final ratios of 1:1 then it doesn't matter to me, I'm mean if you got anough power gothing threw then couldn't the extra shift hurt you, time wise. Granted I'll be changing out the transmission at some point, as a matter of fact I was trying to think of how to fit a RBT-6, it's a ZF transmission that PI motorsports and RBT got together and cramed another gear in, and pulled it off with it being even stronger than befor, beside imagine these gears in a skylark 1st gear: 2.86 2nd gear: 2.06 3rd gear: 1.47 4th gear: 1.18 5th gear: 0.958 6th gear: .642. Anyways that my dream and by god i'm going to save up about 15,000 and be the first one on my little block with one!!!! It's a really far off dream. But right now I just want to get the motor working good. So the vote seems to be for headers and dual exhaust. Also David you mentioned a X style crossover. Ok i've heard alot about these, like it's suppose to give you almost the same HP as open exhaust and sometimes a little more torque. Is this true? Does anyone have a X cross-over? Do you like it. Anyways so how much are we talking here? For headers, pipes , mendral bend (sp?), because I heard it's the only way to go, and mufflers? I heard someone talking about turndowns? can someone explain this to me? Also what sizes pipes 2-1/2, also heard it was the best bet for a 350. Anyways not looking for blah blah blah and blah blah cents, more like around blah blah blah depending on if you put them on or a shop, PS will be a shop. Also would this be a good time for a intake and cam? Like the TA intake and a 212 cam, i think thats the TA one everyone says works good with the 350. Oh and one more thing. Carb. whats better for a 350, a 750 or 800 Q-jet? Where is the best place to get them. Like shop wise? Everyone around my small town like holloys, some even think i'm crazy for saying the R-word, like it was the crappest carb ever, but everyone here seems to like them. Also how can you tell what sizes you want? Again thanks for your help guys. Sorry for the length and all the questions, but I was rasied in a chevy-ford world until a GSX showed the light, I'm trying to do the best I can to get everything right but all everyone around here knows is chevys and fords with the occasional dodge. But hey, my engine may need alot of work, and I may have a crappy trans by all rights, and I may have a POS car, but by my name I can burn the rubber down with the best of them!!! Hehe. Anyways I need to shut up and go to bed. Thanks all for your help.
the way it's usually told, it's best to have a crossover, and an x will flow a little better than an h pipe, as well as giving a different sound. i think most guys are using dr gas xpipes...i'm happy enough with the hpipe that came with my flowmaster kit. 200 bare or 280 w/ muffs from summit, 2.5" mandrel bent. fit well except for some slight fabrication on the head pipes...didn't line up with the headers quite right. turndown are just a short, turned down, pipe right after the muffler/before the axle. cheap, effective, and i'd assume pretty loud...on a driver, though, i'd want to put those exhaust gases back as far as possible, but honestly i'm not sure it makes a difference. if you want to go with headers instead of manifolds, TA sells them for another 280, bare. not sure if they ceramic coat or chrome them, that'll cost quite a bit more. (i havn't found a good header paint yet, maybe someone can enlighten me...)
As far as what carb is best for your engine. It depends on you max CFM of your engine, which depends on your cam, intake, exh, etc. You need to get as close as possible to your max CFM without going over. Theres a great program called dyno 2000 where you can put in all your major engine components, and it will tell you your max CFM.
Unless you're going to modify that 350 pretty 'heavy' - I'd stick with the 750cfm Q-Jet. It will serve you well - If it's set up right! There are several guys on board that rebuild Q-Jets - same goes for distributors. Once you have your fuel and ignition dialed in - you should be a happy camper! With the budget you mentioned above, I would get a TA Stage 1 350 intake, TA headers, a DRGAS X-pipe setup, TA 2.5" mandrel bent tailpipes, and some free flowing mufflers. Spin Tech, Dynomax UltraFlo, and Straightline Performance offer EXCELLENT mufflers for any vehicle. I'd also have someone on the board rebuild the Q-Jet and recurve the distributor for max performance. The 6 speed tranny sounds like a Sweet idea! But...it will eat up your entire budget, more than likely! I would look around for a 200-4r tranny out of a GN/Turbo Regal, a Monte SS or an Olds 442/Hurst Olds. This will give you a better 1st and 2nd gear for acceleration and overdrive for better economy on the highway (keeps the REV's down - easier on the engine too). You could also get a higher stall lockup converter - 2500-2800rpm. Any idea what gears are in the rear? 3.31 - 3.42 gears would be nice on the street. 3.73 - 4.10 would be better for the track, or IF you install the 200-4r. *Definitely start with a better intake and exhaust - everything else will build off of that!
