butterball
Banned
I have an 11:1 500 stroker motor I built for a now-abandoned project; (1969 Chrysler 300 C-body) but I think I'm going to sell it (short block anyway) because it'll probably be more motor than I want in the '69 Cuda Fastback I'm picking up.
The car has Schumacher big block mounts, torque limiter, and step headers; 3.91 SG 8-3/4 with Mosers, a 727 with a Cheetah RM valve body, MSD 6 AL, MSD pro-billet distributor, Mancini SS springs. The guy had a stock 383 in it, but never raced it. The motor went sour, he pulled it and never fixed it.
According to Hughes, my combo is good for about 580 HP. I'll probably be building a B-block for the Cuda instead, it's already set up for a 383. Here's the plan I'm thinking of right now:
Sell the 500 short block assembly, as it's overkill for what I want the Cuda to do. I'll keep the Hughes-prepped Edelbrock heads, the 1.6:1 Harland Sharp rollers, sell the 383 parts, find a 400 block and use a '71 440 steel crank that I have laying around to build a milder 451.
I figure I can go with less compression than 11:1; maybe 10.5:1; and a relatively mild hydraulic cam compared to the 246/250 duration piece I have for the 500, which would've been 6.14 lift with the 1.6:1 rockers.
As an aside, the Schumaker step headers only have 1-5/8 primaries. Anyone have any experience with these? I would think they'd hurt performance, but maybe not with the step-up. Are tti's a good setup in the A-bodies? Any advice appreciated.
As far as induction goes, it'll depend on how much cash I end up with after selling what I don't need and buying what I do need. Best case scenario for my desired street/strip application IMO would be an Edelbrock EFI setup. If funds don't allow I'll probably need a smaller carb than the new 950HP I have sitting in the box for the 500. It wouldn't have good throttle response in a lower HP application.
Another question: How bad would a 3.23 hurt performance VS. the 3.91 that is in the car? I know a gear change like that would kill me in the Chrysler 300, but it weighs 4200 lbs!
I guess what I'm looking for is a dependable, relatively low-maintenance, hydraulic cam, pump gas, highway drivable combination that will go 11.60 to 11.70's in the Cuda. Quicker than most street cars, but not too fast to go without a roll cage.
I figure you guys would know better than anyone what I need to accomplish that goal.
Thanks!! Butterball
The car has Schumacher big block mounts, torque limiter, and step headers; 3.91 SG 8-3/4 with Mosers, a 727 with a Cheetah RM valve body, MSD 6 AL, MSD pro-billet distributor, Mancini SS springs. The guy had a stock 383 in it, but never raced it. The motor went sour, he pulled it and never fixed it.
According to Hughes, my combo is good for about 580 HP. I'll probably be building a B-block for the Cuda instead, it's already set up for a 383. Here's the plan I'm thinking of right now:
Sell the 500 short block assembly, as it's overkill for what I want the Cuda to do. I'll keep the Hughes-prepped Edelbrock heads, the 1.6:1 Harland Sharp rollers, sell the 383 parts, find a 400 block and use a '71 440 steel crank that I have laying around to build a milder 451.
I figure I can go with less compression than 11:1; maybe 10.5:1; and a relatively mild hydraulic cam compared to the 246/250 duration piece I have for the 500, which would've been 6.14 lift with the 1.6:1 rockers.
As an aside, the Schumaker step headers only have 1-5/8 primaries. Anyone have any experience with these? I would think they'd hurt performance, but maybe not with the step-up. Are tti's a good setup in the A-bodies? Any advice appreciated.
As far as induction goes, it'll depend on how much cash I end up with after selling what I don't need and buying what I do need. Best case scenario for my desired street/strip application IMO would be an Edelbrock EFI setup. If funds don't allow I'll probably need a smaller carb than the new 950HP I have sitting in the box for the 500. It wouldn't have good throttle response in a lower HP application.
Another question: How bad would a 3.23 hurt performance VS. the 3.91 that is in the car? I know a gear change like that would kill me in the Chrysler 300, but it weighs 4200 lbs!
I guess what I'm looking for is a dependable, relatively low-maintenance, hydraulic cam, pump gas, highway drivable combination that will go 11.60 to 11.70's in the Cuda. Quicker than most street cars, but not too fast to go without a roll cage.
I figure you guys would know better than anyone what I need to accomplish that goal.
Thanks!! Butterball
