Help me add 100 hp to a magnum 5.9 on a super tight budget

rumblefish360 said
I like being a copy cat sometimes…

Stock 5.9, M1 single plane, 750 cfm carb (Holley preferred) 1-3/4 headers, Comp Cams copy cat 380/360 crate engine cam that has more lift.
Add minor head work so the valve retainers clear the head. Give it a milling for a .5 increase in compression.

Change the stall on the converter to match the 4.30 gears and go clean his clock with an extra 100 shot of N02. You’ll clear 500 hp.

Topless69 said
Yeah, except you’re talking about dropping 2-3000 dollars into it. He said he has no budget. I’d go with NO2.

If you drop a grand on everything minus the camshaft and springs you paid way to much. Start surfing the classified section and make substitute when possible. The first example would be the M1 swap for a Victor. The current headers & carb would do. I’d just run approximately 18 inches of open pipe after the header and call that good and take a dremel to the AFB and whittle down the legs and rings of the boosters. I myself can do the head work save the milling. Trust me, you can too with the right tools.
Selling the converter to roll the proceeds over into a better unit saves a lot of money. Same with gears. Sell/trade the 3.23’s for 4.10 or 4.30’s.

If he wants to look for a deal on a cam, the classifieds here sometimes have new cams for sale.