? for 650-750rwhp owners

1.How is the drivability on the street at that range?
2.Are you happy with that hp level your making?
3.Do you want more?
4.How does it feel when you hit that pedal (street or strip) :D or :eek:

The reason I'm asking all this questions is that I'm looking for a hp range to shoot for as my goal. I'm planning on a engine build (FI 383). And I just want to do this right. A hp level that I'm going to be happy with. And that I won't ever want to spend more money upgrading and getting rid of more parts already spent in the pass. And at the same time I also don't want a car that's going to be very uncontrollable on the street. Because there's way to much hp. But I also want to stay ahead of the game too. I mean look at all the new cars coming out. 400-500 fwhp is becoming common on a stock car these days. Z06,mustangs,GTO's to name a few? You know what I mean! ;)
Anyways my car will be a 70% street and 30% strip. My goal on the strip is to accomplish mid to high 10's. Thanks people :bow:

There is no reason for a forced induction small block in that hp range not to drive perfectly fine, if enough time and $$$ are expended getting it right. However, you will need to adjust your driving style, the throttle is no longer going to be a "on-off switch". Even with a good set of tires you will not be using WOT in the lower gears on the street. A certain amount of "fun" is lost as it takes a lot more thought and restraint to drive the car safely and you may find it a little frustrating in that respect.

The thing that surprises the uninitiated is the cost. When all of the ancillary stuff besides the motor is considered, you should plan on spending 1.5-2.5X or even more than you originally guesstimated, depending on where you are starting and how much you can do yourself. And no matter how you build it, there will be a certain "finicky" factor. Even though the major parts should be reasonably reliable (if they are selected and installed properly), you shouldn't plan on a car like this being something that will operate without a fair amount of TLC. Even if you drive it gently, it is not going to be as reliable and maintainence free as a stocker. After all, you are creating a fairly complex system without the advantages in terms of testing and expertise that an OEM has. And if you look at production cars with anywhere near the performance you are contemplating, you may note that they are three, four, or more times as expensive as what a project like this costs. Now admittedly, a lot of that cost is profit or related to irrelevant content like interior materials, meeting emissions and other legal standards, etc. But a lot of it has to with the testing and verification process and the content. The OEM's spend a lot of time on reliability testing.

Just curious, but have you made a realistic budget? If so, why not post it - I'd love to shoot holes in it in a helpful and constructive tone, of course. Having seen a lot of such plans, I can tell you in advance they typically leave out a few major things, as well as some "minor" items. And the minor items add up real fast. A few hundred here, five hundred there, and soon you are talking thousands. And the price of each item is often understimated and/or the fact that someone has to install and test all of that stuff is forgotten in the enthusiasm of the moment. I've been at this a while and I bought a ready to go race car last fall. I literally bought it the day after it ran sucessfully at the track, but before it's ready to go in the spring I will have an additional $5-6,000 in it, and that's with doing a fair amount myself and having friends do some of the work by "bartering" some of my own skills on their projects. And most of that cost is stuff I really didn't anticipate in the excitement of the moment. "Little" things ranging from $1,000 worth of tires to a $150 chassis inspection, $400 in protective gear, and so on and on it goes. And I have been at this stuff "a while" - as in ~40 years!!!

Rich

Hey,
I can emphasis the "do it right" enough. I have had 3 other prodject i took shortcuts on and all of them never went over 1000 miles or worked very well.

I finally "did it right" with my current setup and couldn't be happier. Although yes it was $$$...

As for you questions
1. Near stock. I have mild cam, the car sound alil meaner at idle, but is actully smooth as stock. my previous cams shook the car, wouldn't idle, surged alot. with the blower, it doesn't help to have extreme cams, and so im very please with that. Drawbacks include the initial cost, and work(turbo or blower) and very very high maintinance, tuning, and i guess the fact you cant mash on the gas anywhere including the freeway like stock car and expect the tires to stick :)
2.and 3. im kinda on the low side of your quiery, limited to 7 psi(41,000 blower rpm) due to maxed out 42# injectors. I will be pulling it up to the blowers redline on 62,000 rpm when i get some 75# ers. I expect 12-16psi lots more power and absolutly no change in driveabilty. but it reality, mid to uper 500 feel great for now.

4. like a rocket.

ditto Rkrause

Last year on the few passes I made I had some belt slippage, but in spite of that the acceleration is a blast on the track.

Last year on the few passes I made I had some belt slippage, but in spite of that the acceleration is a blast on the track.


Case in point, these things are NOT "plug-n-play"!

Rich

There is no reason for a forced induction small block in that hp range not to drive perfectly fine, if enough time and $$$ are expended getting it right. However, you will need to adjust your driving style, the throttle is no longer going to be a "on-off switch". Even with a good set of tires you will not be using WOT in the lower gears on the street. A certain amount of "fun" is lost as it takes a lot more thought and restraint to drive the car safely and you may find it a little frustrating in that respect.

The thing that surprises the uninitiated is the cost. When all of the ancillary stuff besides the motor is considered, you should plan on spending 1.5-2.5X or even more than you originally guesstimated, depending on where you are starting and how much you can do yourself. And no matter how you build it, there will be a certain "finicky" factor. Even though the major parts should be reasonably reliable (if they are selected and installed properly), you shouldn't plan on a car like this being something that will operate without a fair amount of TLC. Even if you drive it gently, it is not going to be as reliable and maintainence free as a stocker. After all, you are creating a fairly complex system without the advantages in terms of testing and expertise that an OEM has. And if you look at production cars with anywhere near the performance you are contemplating, you may note that they are three, four, or more times as expensive as what a project like this costs. Now admittedly, a lot of that cost is profit or related to irrelevant content like interior materials, meeting emissions and other legal standards, etc. But a lot of it has to with the testing and verification process and the content. The OEM's spend a lot of time on reliability testing.

Just curious, but have you made a realistic budget? If so, why not post it - I'd love to shoot holes in it in a helpful and constructive tone, of course. Having seen a lot of such plans, I can tell you in advance they typically leave out a few major things, as well as some "minor" items. And the minor items add up real fast. A few hundred here, five hundred there, and soon you are talking thousands. And the price of each item is often understimated and/or the fact that someone has to install and test all of that stuff is forgotten in the enthusiasm of the moment. I've been at this a while and I bought a ready to go race car last fall. I literally bought it the day after it ran sucessfully at the track, but before it's ready to go in the spring I will have an additional $5-6,000 in it, and that's with doing a fair amount myself and having friends do some of the work by "bartering" some of my own skills on their projects. And most of that cost is stuff I really didn't anticipate in the excitement of the moment. "Little" things ranging from $1,000 worth of tires to a $150 chassis inspection, $400 in protective gear, and so on and on it goes. And I have been at this stuff "a while" - as in ~40 years!!!

Rich
Can't say it better than Rich above.



1. "There is no reason for a forced induction small block in that hp range not to drive perfectly fine, if enough time and $$$ are expended getting it right. However, you will need to adjust your driving style, the throttle is no longer going to be a "on-off switch". Even with a good set of tires you will not be using WOT in the lower gears on the street. A certain amount of "fun" is lost as it takes a lot more thought and restraint to drive the car safely and you may find it a little frustrating in that respect. "

In terms of drivibility on the street, what I found that may also effect this depending on the selection is the clutch and the sound of the exhaust.

2. I'm happy at that power level.

3. I don't want more (but closer to 700rwhp will be nice :) ). I'm actually at 611rwhp so not quite in the range you are asking. But from my experience at this range you will have more than you can use effectively on the street. If this is a street monster you should have more than you can use or control. If this car will be on the track much, then the motor is just half of the story in terms of time, labor, and money!

4. Remember at this power level, you can't floor it until third at 1500rpm if that. It will be :eek:
At the stop light you will probably be spinning your tires and just sitting there. At the freeway and the track it will be awesome.

Cheers

These guys have alot of wisdom in their words and experience. It can be done and it is often fun, but these cars can be very tricky on the road. My wifes blown 383 z has 500rwhp, AC and auto and it is more fun to drive then my 700+hp turbo TA. The TA is easy to drive, but you have to be very careful as things can get out of control in a hurry. And when the car breaks on the side of the road - don't leave it! You will spend money if you want it done right. So save yourself the time and money and buy mine for 26,000.00 USD - half what was put into it. With this I will buy my vette back and just enjoy driving.

Wingnut

My 355, turbo 400, 9" rear drives real nice (i'm in the 650-700 RWHP). But no matter when I floor it it fry's the tires even in third at 60. Fun yes, dependable yes........ so far, but not a real daily driver. Realisticly, WAY to much power for a street car. You can't keep your foot out of it so your just looking for trouble, and I'm 47.
Do i want more, Sure i'm making a new intake, bigger headers and adding a A/W intercooler to get those intake temps down when the boost goes up. I'm looking for 750-800 this year.
I run have run 10:16, 135 with a slow 1.58 60' at 3600lbs. if you hook up better than mine did you can go mid tens at 500 RWHP.
Oh like someone said, If you have a budget I would like to see it also, cause we are going to hammer it!

There is no reason for a forced induction small block in that hp range not to drive perfectly fine, if enough time and $$$ are expended getting it right. However, you will need to adjust your driving style, the throttle is no longer going to be a "on-off switch". Even with a good set of tires you will not be using WOT in the lower gears on the street. A certain amount of "fun" is lost as it takes a lot more thought and restraint to drive the car safely and you may find it a little frustrating in that respect.

The thing that surprises the uninitiated is the cost. When all of the ancillary stuff besides the motor is considered, you should plan on spending 1.5-2.5X or even more than you originally guesstimated, depending on where you are starting and how much you can do yourself. And no matter how you build it, there will be a certain "finicky" factor. Even though the major parts should be reasonably reliable (if they are selected and installed properly), you shouldn't plan on a car like this being something that will operate without a fair amount of TLC. Even if you drive it gently, it is not going to be as reliable and maintainence free as a stocker. After all, you are creating a fairly complex system without the advantages in terms of testing and expertise that an OEM has. And if you look at production cars with anywhere near the performance you are contemplating, you may note that they are three, four, or more times as expensive as what a project like this costs. Now admittedly, a lot of that cost is profit or related to irrelevant content like interior materials, meeting emissions and other legal standards, etc. But a lot of it has to with the testing and verification process and the content. The OEM's spend a lot of time on reliability testing.

Just curious, but have you made a realistic budget? If so, why not post it - I'd love to shoot holes in it in a helpful and constructive tone, of course. Having seen a lot of such plans, I can tell you in advance they typically leave out a few major things, as well as some "minor" items. And the minor items add up real fast. A few hundred here, five hundred there, and soon you are talking thousands. And the price of each item is often understimated and/or the fact that someone has to install and test all of that stuff is forgotten in the enthusiasm of the moment. I've been at this a while and I bought a ready to go race car last fall. I literally bought it the day after it ran sucessfully at the track, but before it's ready to go in the spring I will have an additional $5-6,000 in it, and that's with doing a fair amount myself and having friends do some of the work by "bartering" some of my own skills on their projects. And most of that cost is stuff I really didn't anticipate in the excitement of the moment. "Little" things ranging from $1,000 worth of tires to a $150 chassis inspection, $400 in protective gear, and so on and on it goes. And I have been at this stuff "a while" - as in ~40 years!!!

Rich I totally understand about the "time and $$$" part. That's the reason I post this subject. To get all of you "650-750rwhp" owners to say how it feels at that range. So that I can decide what hp level I want to accomplish. The way I look at it. The more hp one wants. Then the more money and time is spent. At first my goal was more on the 750rwhp. But now with all this replies I think I want to be between 625-675rwhp. With good idle and AC. I guess more then enough for a 70%street and 30% track car.
Now for the $$$ part. So far I have $18,000 to spend. $3500 of it is for the shortblock. Now as far as the top end,fuel system,ECU, and supercharger. I'm still doing some research. Especially my heads and cam combo. Thats my next research and purchase. Does anyone know who I can turn to on this part? :) Anyway thank you people!

Does the $18,000 include the cost of the F-body itself? I didn't see anything in your sig or your post about already owning one. If the $18,000 is for just modification, you are in great shape. If not, you can still pick up a good condition LT1 car for a very reasonable price.

Does the $18,000 include the cost of the F-body itself? I didn't see anything in your sig or your post about already owning one. If the $18,000 is for just modification, you are in great shape. If not, you can still pick up a good condition LT1 car for a very reasonable price.
Yes. It's only for the mods. I own a '93 Z28. Bought it brand new. My current miles on my car is 64,000 :D .

me on the other hand...im 21..going from a 13.4 @106..to hopefully low 10's...355 billet/forged and a turbo...so far my cost is around 23k..to get it done right..not including the little things...im shootin for 900whp in a car thats gonna be 90% street 10% track...good thing about boost..if it wasnt mentioned here..is(well easier for turbos) if its too much..you can always turn it down a notch or 2..or 3 or 4 :D

me on the other hand...im 21..going from a 13.4 @106..to hopefully low 10's...355 billet/forged and a turbo...so far my cost is around 23k..to get it done right..not including the little things...im shootin for 900whp in a car thats gonna be 90% street 10% track...good thing about boost..if it wasnt mentioned here..is(well easier for turbos) if its too much..you can always turn it down a notch or 2..or 3 or 4 :D

Hey dude, how is the project comming along? I drove mine to a business meeting tonight. Got alot of attention from thoes Lexus guys.

Wingnut

its on its way....still wanna talk to you about some stuff...if you have AIM..my on there is TransAm6383

703/775 00T/A 3800# raceweight 3.23 rear
1: drives fine...anyone could drive it. Very dependable on the street...put 12000 miles on it in 4.5 months. Idle is very smooth and most folks think its basically stock with the stock catback (i have boost activated cutouts behind the turbos)

2:I am happy for once with that amount of hp. Turns the tires at 70 and I have found that my driving is a little calmer since most situations are just a tirespin show. Of course you can modulate the throttle and not spin but it's just not worth the effort after going full throttle at the track. i wait until I go to the track to have the most fun and just enjoy the car on the street. Also, funny as it seems....all the tire spin on the street lessens the drivetrain load and you dont break as much stuff on the street.

3: faster et yes...more power no..just need to apply all the power at the track

4: street it feels very powerful...roast the tires at will....when not hammering it, it feels stock. At the track...fun!!! I like the pull into the seat and it seems to never stop. With the slicks you get to really feel the power. Unbolt the slicks and then drive home......get to enjoy the priceless looks on folks faces when they see you drive off from the track in a car that sounded stock.

You forgot to ask the really good question......

"Would you do it again".....hold on let me put that to the committe.... YES :D

1 - driveability is OK, not very economical 8-16 mpg depending on how far down the little pedal on the right goes but then again I didn't build the car to be Emily post polite, neighbors love it when I fire it up to go to work (aka a C/H louder than it was before but it does sound rather raspy). Not something I care to leave in the Wal-mart parking lot if you know what I mean, traction is piss poor below 50-60 mph :)

2 - yes, the car hauls the mail, giving rides on the street usually requires a trip up to 130 ish

3 - allways

4 - kinda makes you sport a chubba at the track when it smacks you in the ass with a 1.4X sixty ft :bow: on the street it makes you yearn for the track below 60 and after sixty the speedo just starts cranking around pretty fast.

As far as your costs go, don't forget the safety equipment for track time (6 pt bar or 10 pt if below 10's, harness, SFI spec flywheel, balancer, tranny blanket if Auto)

The "would you do it again" is a tough one........on one side I can never go back but knowing what I know now I am kinda fond of the days when it ran high 11's was reliable, drove it everywhere and beat the hell out of if daily, didn't have to climb around a cage and oh yea only had one Z/28. I did what many people do bought a second Z/28 to use as a daily driver, basically stock LS-1, runs high 12's gets 20ish mpg, quiet and reliable and something I don't mind ramming my snowblower into (yes I accidently did that recently, wasn't pleased but at least it wasn't the "Tomato"). Now I have three cars, one is an 02 Cavalier Z/24 for the rain / snow duty, LS-1 for the spring/summer/fall daily driver duties, but hey like I said earlier I can't go back and the car really does haul the mail so what ya gonna do?

Just remember to be nice to you wife so she doesn't give you a backhand when you tell her you need a spare Z/28 :rolleyes:

Good luck and in the spirit of point #3 "Boost is addictive"

Uncle Marc



1.How is the drivability on the street at that range?
2.Are you happy with that hp level your making?
3.Do you want more?
4.How does it feel when you hit that pedal (street or strip) :D or :eek:

The reason I'm asking all this questions is that I'm looking for a hp range to shoot for as my goal. I'm planning on a engine build (FI 383). And I just want to do this right. A hp level that I'm going to be happy with. And that I won't ever want to spend more money upgrading and getting rid of more parts already spent in the pass. And at the same time I also don't want a car that's going to be very uncontrollable on the street. Because there's way to much hp. But I also want to stay ahead of the game too. I mean look at all the new cars coming out. 400-500 fwhp is becoming common on a stock car these days. Z06,mustangs,GTO's to name a few? You know what I mean! ;)
Anyways my car will be a 70% street and 30% strip. My goal on the strip is to accomplish mid to high 10's. Thanks people :bow: