Unless he has sandbags in the trunk, a 67 special isn't going to weigh in at 3800lbs. While I don't doubt the abilities of Brian, the numbers just don't add up to 500hp. I'm with Brent on this one.
Not being a cylinder head expert, could you tell me how you insure that all ports are the same to check your work? If you don't KNOW what the ports flow, how do you design (pick) the RIGHT cam? Blind s-house luck, or just an educated guess?? That just don't make sense! I don't understand why you would not port the exhaust. Are you talking about the 1-2" (if any) that's left inbetween the hand blended bowl work and the port matching work?? I don't want to throw anymore gas on this fire FOR SURE!! But maybe anymore references to selling should be in the Vendor or For Sale forums?
I think what's being discussed is really two different things. While I tend to agree that alot of porting to both the intake and exhaust is needed to reach 500 hp, I also beleive that the cars mentioned can turn the times they claim. They may not be making 500 hp on an engine dyno but if the car is set up right, it may not need that 500 hp number to run the times. Jim Weise is building my engine which will be on the dyno before too long. We are shooting for that 500hp goal and I needed the full porting work on the heads to get them to flow the numbers it will take to hit that goal. However, when I get that back in the car, if I don't get the chassis, suspension , tranny, converter, and so on right, I may not even break out of the 13's!! I guess what I am saying is that 500hp is cool to talk about, but you can still post good times on less with your car and your launch technique nailed down. Brian :beer :beer :beer
Brian, i agree that you need chassis susp. tranny etc. to get those good times with 500hp . On the otherhand, it can be done WITHOUT EXTENSIVE port work. I dynoed my engine on a chassis dyno & got 410hp at the wheels. Which would bring me 492-500 @ the flywheel. I had 2 respected V-8 board members put this combination together for me. (not Earick either) As i said earlier, my heads are average compared to most. This is with a BONE STOCK, not even gasket matched cool runner intake & at the time i was running 10.4 comp.& a q-jet too. I ran 12'0s in a air-cond. & full weight 71 weighing 3900+ with me in it. Randy
My only point was, I think it takes more work on the heads to get to the 500hp mark, more than is being admitted to anyway. I would also stick with Grant in that, you should be flow benching your heads as a tool to choose the right cam. I don't doubt for a second that the car is fast, its a Buick, right?p Brian, My engine is at Jims too:TU: I am shooting for a little less power than you but, I think he is sandbagging me, and the bugger is going to make some impressive power. I too will have heavily ported Stage 1 heads. There is a reason I chose the place I did to build an engine. It has to do with a very thorough approach to building an engine. It has to do with matching components properly. It has to do with matching chamber sizes, rotating mass wieghts, and gaskets to ports. It has to do with KNOWING what head flow numbers mean and how they apply to cam selection and ultimate power output. Go back and read one of Jims early replies to this question. I think it is all spelled out there. I'm sure Earick is a reputable shop. I still doubt that anybody can make that kind of power with virtually no head work.
He didn't say virtually no head work. He said that the exhaust ports are not ported. That doesn't mean they're not cleaned up and blended. If you think about it, the average strip port job is $1000+/-. He stated that there's $600 worth of work in these heads. That may be in the intake alone and light clean up in the exhaust. The May '98 Hot Rod did a 455 build up at 10.0:1 and got 500hp from a set of Greg Gessler Level 1 heads and a Hemi Killer. It didn't say how heavily ported either. We still don't know the whole package either. I don't think that he's referring to rear wheel hp either. Sounds like a killer street/strip cam though.
Well... We built a fully equipted 70 GSX, fully ported iron heads (270/200 cfm) 9.8 to 1, 4110 lbs, VP converter, 3.55 gears.. It runs easy 11.80's... at 115 mph.. ran 12 flat at BG in the heat, on that slippery track.. and the extent of the dragstrip prep was a little air in the airbags, and a set of 8.5" ET streets.. But... we did have to turn the AC off... :laugh: Here is the car... http://www.trishieldperf.com/1970_gsx.htm Power is all in the heads... and all of you should know that by now, since I have been preaching on that for a while.. witness our level 1AH motor.. 230* cam.. 15" of vacuum, barely can hear the lope.. But STG 1 Aluminum heads.. and way more than 500 HP.. Pulled a Level 2A-HP motor off the dyno about a month ago.. 590 HP, and all that is really different is more compression, to compliment the larger cam.. Heads are where it's at, and every set is a little different, and needs to be treated accordingly. Flow testing helps you see that. Don't expect miracles from any cam... period.. it's just one component of many.. and there are many out there that will do the job for you. For a street motor, your best off to shoot for as much HP as your cylinder head budget will allow, and focus the cam specs more for drivablity, and to compliment the heads, gears, intake, carb, and converter, and your intended usage of the car. JW
Well Jim, sometimes ya just have to turn that A/C off! But that is the beauty of these cars, we can still run A/C if we have it and so desire. Seems like I don't see working A/c on alot of other cars.... Brian :grin:
Sounds cool, Brent! Weren't you the guy who posted about engine noises a few weeks back? It was rod bearing trouble if I remember correctly. I was meaning to ask Jim if the work that was done on my heads were about the limit for iron heads flow. I am just curious since I don't really know much about head porting and cleanup. it would have been nice to have been able to swap to aluminum heads but i am happy with what I have. I cicn't have the bucks to change but maybe someday (in the next decade!)! If i do it the engine will go back to Jim W. to do the work. That way I will know it is done right! I wish I had known of Jim when I first started the 455 project 3 years ago. But not the case so I move forward with what I have now. Brian
When we put together Richard Lasseter's engine combo when we Restored OL BLUE. We used a cam with 230-245 ,made 16 in of vac. The compression Ratio 10.5:1 with ported Iron Heads a B4B and a Holley HP 1000 It Dynoed out at 504 HP and 551 Lbs The car ran 11:53 @ 116 MPH at the track. The car was run on Holley's Chassis Dyno and made 417 HP and 540 Lbs at the rear wheel only change made on the combo was a holley 950. Soon after that the rear gear was replaced with a 3:08 and tighter torque converter. The car was taken to the track again and still ran 11:50 @117 MPH. Interestingly enough the car was going through the traps at the top of second gear @ 117 MPH !! Shifting into third or leaving it in second gear had no effect on the ET/MPH it still ran 11:50/ 117 shifted in third or left in second gear !!!
