New here and looking for advice with my setup.
I want to make it a fun, reliable , hot street car.
until you put some serious tires on her, any money you spend on the engine, will just buy you more tirespin.
For fun driving, you are looking at less than 50 mph, because, after that anything can happen, and on skinny street tires, that anything, usually leads to sad faces and broken cars.
So then the headers and a good tune have already put you over 300hp; just learn to drive it, and make yur own fun.
More Power in a 340 will come at a higher rpm. The cam in that engine is already set up for a 5500 rpm shift. From the factory, the most likely rear gear is 3.55s. So then 5500 will be 64mph in Second gear. Already a swell, if not perfect, combo.
Making more power at a higher rpm will take a longer period cam, with a later closing intake valve, which will sacrifice cylinder pressure, and kill some low-speed power.
My advice is to not fall for the allure of 400 horsepower. You will end up spending a lotta lotta money, and end up turning her into a point and shoot kindof car, which mostly takes all the fun out of it.
While 400 hp is a nice number, with that car of yours, it is a recipe for destroying it.
My advice is to just drive it.
Learn to keep it in your lane, and pointed in the right direction; with lots of run-off road ahead of you. That alone will start off as a serious challenge, but eventually, could become, big fun.
Lest you think I'm blowing smoke;
I started out driving a '70 Swinger340 /4speed/3.55s back in 1970, and have had A-bodys ever since. The long wheelbase skinny-tired ones are the trickiest of all to learn to master. Until you can control one at 300hp, I wouldn't put a nickle into speed-parts.
Instead, put yur money into tires, suspension, brakes and steering. Cuz at 400hp, if you didn't, you'll be wishing you had, perhaps as early as the first time out.
I've been driving the snot out of A's on the street, for 50plus years, trust me, lol.............. in the early years, it did not end well for some of them.
Those cars, as they left the factory, are evil handling sobs that are just waiting to surprise you when you least expect it.
My nickname all thru high-school was "ditcher"; need I say more?
BTW,
it was never my fault.
