I have a 1981 Camaro, I just built a 350 for it and the car doesn't feel as powerful as I thought it would. I think I may not have the parts matched too good. The car is stock weight, I may do a fiberglass hood and trunk later, but no weight reduction done yet. It has a saginaw 4 speed, which is about to be replaced with a muncie M20. The rear is a 10 bolt posi with 4.11 gears. It's a street car, but I want it more for the track and drive it on the street once in a while. Here's the rundown on the motor.

Goodwrench 350 4-bolt main block and crank.
Honed the cylinders, polished the crank, and balanced rotating assembly.
Rods are scat forged I-beam w/ arp bolt (floating pins)
Pistons are Speed Pro H618CP hypereutectic .125" dome 10.7-1 w/ 64 cc
Heads are double humps with 2.02 1.60 valves with no port work.
Intake is a Weiand X-CELerator 7547-1
Carb is a holley 3310-3 750 vacuum secondary
cam is a comp magnum cam 292h 0.501 int./0.501 exh. lift
1.6 harland sharp roller rockers
Ignition is MSD 6AL, mallory billet HEI distributor, and msd 8.5mm wires.

If there is anything else you need to know, just tell me.
I want the car in the mid to low 12's with around 400-450hp.
I plan on getting aluminum heads and switching to a dual plane intake, I have an edelbrock performer RPM in my garage I may use. I am not really sure what to use though and I hope someone can steer me in the right direction.
thanks for any help,
Cory

 

The cam and heads are mismatched; right when the cam is coming on, the heads are calling it in. So you're right on track thinking new heads. Since it's going to be mostly track, gets some heads to complement the cam. Did you see the article in Hot Rod a couple of months ago on the new AFR heads? These were the street version and the flow #s were outrageous, even at "only" 195cc intake ports.

Any tuning on the carb yet? If not, get a secondary spring kit and run the lightest spring that won't bog the engine. Add a metering block conversion to the secondaries.

That big a cam will be soft on the low end. So get a spring kit for the HEI. Run as much initial timing as you can, bring in the advance as quickly as it will take, limit total to ~ 36*; all of this will help the low end without over advancing on the top end. And don't use the wrong method of giving it more timing till it pings, then backing off a little. Go by timed runs, and less so, how snappy the engine feels. I've seen guys do it by the wrong method and seriously overtime without having any ping.

The wide ratio Muncie and 4.11s will help a lot. Weight reduction and suspension work should get you to your goal, especially with the good air you guys get out on New Jersey tracks.

 

thanks for the advise, what do you think about a set of JEGS aluminum heads with 2.055/1.60 valves and 197cc runners with 64cc chambers? I did mess with a few secondary springs, I think the one I have in there is close, maybe I can go one lighter. Which brand metering bolck would you recommend? I am also not sure what size jets I should be running on the primary side and the secondary side if I get the metering block kit. I am also running the lightest springs(gold) in the distributor and the vacuum advance has a 20 stamped on it.
thanks again for the help

 

I totally agree, your heads, cam and intake are mismatched.

I think on your engines best day you might be looking at about 325 hp, which translates into about 250-270 rwhp.

If you are looking into 400-450 hp, you are going to need some really good heads, like either a set of AFR 220's or even Dart Pro-1 heads and most definitely a good solid roller cam, and a Victor Jr. manifold with either a Holly HP-750 double pumper or a Mighty Demon 750. Your ignition sounds about right, and with the above parts, I would start out at like 12 degrees initial timing and have the total advance lock out at like 38 degrees. 400-450 from a 350 is kind of pushing it to the max with the parts you have, but it is not impossible. I have a 355 in my 67 Camaro and I have a set Brodix heads, flat top forged pistons, stock profiled rods with ARP hardware, stock crank, a hydraulic roller cam and a Dart Kool Kan dual plane intake with an HP-750 carb, and my ingine dyno'd at 405 hp and a little under 420 lb/ft of tq. I am running 1 3/4 Super Comp headers and a pro-billet distributor with digital 6 ignition. My engine builder was totally shocked that the engine made 2 out of 3 400hp dyno pulls with the combo I have, as he says that other engines like mine, make no more than 360-375 hp.

 

Do you think 220cc intake runners is a bit much, I was thinking around the 190-200cc range. I don't want to switch cam and lifter if I don't have to because it's all new parts. I have a demon carb, but the car didn't run right with it and I am still learning how to tune carburetors, so I put the holley back on for now.

 

First of all,yank those heads and sell them to some sucker on Ebay who actually thinks they make power.

The jegs ones you asked about would be great and so would that Perf. RPM intake.

Also,get that POS vacuum secondary carb off there and get the Demon sorted out and put back on. Check what jets are in it and get back to us.

Getting that sled into the mid 12's is going to take some weight reduction...hood,trunk-if you want,inner fender panels,and the front and rear bumper impact "crate" looking stuff needs to come out.

Your also going to need some drag radials/slicks and traction bars...and probably a good set of shocks atleast on the rear.

Thats a start for ya,ditch the heads,intake,and carb...use the perf. RPM and that Demon. If your not hot-to-trot on carbs PM me and ill give ya some help man.