Supercharger Kit
He was shooting for stock 383 hp numbers, went to a smaller pulley on the blower and popped the stock felpro head gasket. I think it made like 320ish hp when it popped. Fresh stock short block, ported head with big valves, mild-ish cam, surfaces of head and blocked were milled for more compression pretty sure. Header and offy intake, 750 carb.. Wish there was a link to post but they are a subscription service now.
I sure don't have $2800 for that setup.... but I am building a /6 that I hope to get to "stock for mid 80s" 360 truck motor rated HP, only gotta get to 155-165 to achieve that.... I'm thinking that what I am after, won't be as hard...hard to accomplish, or that hard on the engine.
and you gotta remember, the /6 with only 4 mains is stronger than many give it credit for, being as how those 4 mains are the same mains as would be in a Big block.... pretty beefy. but not "lots of 10 sec passes" beefy...for that, I agree, that more support for the crank (more main bearing journals) would help the engine stay together for longer than can be expected, with only 4.
but it brings up some of the same Qs that I asked when I built up the 318 that was in another D-series truck I used to have.... There is a point where you are getting best bang for buck with power upgrades, out of a given engine. Yeah, more power may be possible beyond that, but at what cost? and (I'll stay with a slant, for this next part) say you have a 90hp Slant that is a dog, but will stay together and run for 300-400K miles..... dependable for years. Maintenance, driving habits, weight of chassis, gear ratio, etc all being equal, can the same endurance and longevity be expected out of a 150HP slant? How bout 200hp slant?
where is the tipping point, where you have built up an engine to the most power that can be expected, before longevity suffers? (yes, I know that some of those built to the max, aren't daily drivers any more)
Is it where it won't idle at a stoplight anymore? Lower? Higher?
is there a measure that can be used to know when that point is reached, before you get major carnage? I guess that "would" be a sign that your engine is past that point....
