How much Horsepower?

[inforcer958]

I swapped a 350 with a 305 in my 1985 El Camino.

When i did this i put full length headers to highflow cats to tube glasspacks.

Also Added a Edelbrock Performer Air-Gap Intake and a Edelbock 600 Performer Carb.

Removed all the smog equipment, and air pump.

Removed the already leaked AC system and compressor.

Added a High Output Accel IGN coil.

Not running a computer, and i have a vacuum adv.

Does anyone have a ball park of what kind of horsepower i am running in this Cruck (Car+Truck).

Any ideas would be helpful.

[maxwedge]

What vehicle did this come out of, what was the original hp rating? No other way to guess at this, no?

[inforcer958]

I dont know what the motor came out of... I bought the motor as a reman from a diesel company that bought out an unleaded motor company.... The motor dropped right in... bolted up to everything from the 305.... they said some of the motors were bored out, but the new company was way to lazy to find out which ones... so ya... i figured the engine is an LM1 say out of a 79 el camino... has a base HP of 170....

[maxwedge]

Your mods may have increased 20 to 30 hp.

[534BC]

The cam/heads may have the most to do with how much power it will produce. Listing them may help someone familiar with them to estimate hp more accurately.

[maxwedge]

Good luck!

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by inforcer958

I dont know what the motor came out of... I bought the motor as a reman from a diesel company that bought out an unleaded motor company.... The motor dropped right in... bolted up to everything from the 305.... they said some of the motors were bored out, but the new company was way to lazy to find out which ones... so ya... i figured the engine is an LM1 say out of a 79 el camino... has a base HP of 170....

if you get the engine manufacture date and build location you can get a better idea what you have..codes should be stamped on engine..

[inforcer958]

Is there no way to give me a general number assuming that the block is a LM1 170 hp base engine.? JW.... i see above that maxwedge put 20-30..... I mean it seems that will all that work and "performace" so to say parts that only a 30 hp gain is small? right?

[maxwedge]

Yes, with small port heads and stock cam that will be about it.

[57LAIR]

Here are a few math formula's to help you along.

HORSEPOWER
rpm x torque = horsepower
5252


ROAD SPEED (MPH)
engine rpm x tire diameter= mph
final drive ratio x 336

FINAL DRIVE RATIO
engine rpm x tire diameter = final drive ratio
mph x 336

ENGINE RPM
mph x final drive ratio ... x 336 = engine rpm
tire diameter

[Ol'Jim]

Inforcer,
As others stated, without knowing cam specs, and head info, (casting #'s, valve sizes, any port work, etc), it is nearly impossible to estimate your power output, other than using some basic assumptions (like low-perf stock heads), then making an educated guess.
The coil helps, and the headers might, (assuming they are decent ones, and not super tiny tubes, with small flange holes that cover part of the exhaust ports, etc). Glasspacks are NOT good performance mufflers, many are more restrictive than stock muffs, due to the core design. Use turbo-type mufflers, or Flowmaster/Edelbrock types.
The Performer line of carbs and intakes really stink, in terms of HP and perfromance. The Performer RPM series costs about the same $, and is a HUGE increase in performance over the standard performer stuff, which often is similar to stock. If your engine IS basically stock, (sounds like a possibility), then the standard Performer stuff will increase your bottom-end torque a bit, which makes for a better feel when driving to the grocery store, but that "snappier feel" comes at the expense of higher RPM performance, which actually gets worse with the "Non-RPM" std Performer stuff. (Next time, ask here before you buy the parts)! Here are the best 2 ways to figure out your actual HP output without yanking your engine out:
1. Chassis Dyno. Find a shop near you that has one, and pay them to put your Elky on there, and they will strap it down, run it, and give you a print-out of your power at the Rear Wheels.
2. Go to the local dragstrip on a Test-N-Tune night (sometimes called "Grudge Night," or "Street Night", pay the $10-15, and make a couple of passes down the track. It will give you a rush like you've never felt, even in a slow vehicle, and the timeslips you get will tell you your Elapsed Time (E.T.), and your Miles Per Hour as you went thru the traps at the finish line. Then you can go online and find Drag Racing Calculators that will convert your MPH into HP. They are actually fairly accurate.
You can find used bolt-on stuff like intakes, carbs, etc everywhere on Craigslist or eBay, which makes trying other stuff out farily affordable. And it gives you a place to sell your Performer stuff, if you decide to upgrade to an RPM intake and a Holley carb, etc. Then you can come back here, and get some really good info on how to tune your combination for best power, economy, etc.

[inforcer958]

So i have found out that the block is out of a 1974 Chevy C-10 base hp 160?... and that it is .030 over.... The edelbrock intake and carb i actually got with the 305 when i bought the car....

I am a little dissapointed when i found out the exact engine code and model... with it being so low in hp... and i cant find the torque rating yet... i mean when you look at the hp ratings from the 60's-85 or so its like 160-290 hp... haha i was hoping to have one closer to the higher rating there HAHA.


i really appreciate all your guys help and comments. its nice to actually get some feed back from the community on here.

[Ol'Jim]

Hey Inforcer, no need to be disappointed! That production code only tells you what the engine was rated at, in completely stock form, with all smog equipment and accessories attached to it. You may well be at or above 200 HP already, and there is plenty more within reach for you! So smile, and enjoy driving your Good Ol', AMERICAN iron, with it's sound, feel, and appearance that NO Japanese Toy-Car can provide! How does it run, anyway? Decent torque and driveability? We can still get more grunt out of it with tuning, (No $!), and when you are ready to maybe step-up the cam to one with a bit more thump, or even just the intake & carb, etc. - we will be right there with ya! For now, here are a couple of useful tips for some almost-free HP!
#1: Buy a "Timing Tape" (Mr Gasket makes them, among others), make sure it is the right size for your Harmonic Balancer/Damper, it will show you the degrees of timing advance well past the standard 8 or 10* indicated on the damper/timing tab. Wipe the damper down first, with lacquer thinner, rubbing alcohol, or spray it with brake cleaner or some other solvent, so the timing tape will stick well. They don't always stay on very long, unless you spray them afterward with clear coat, so when it's on there, take a Sharpie or some bright yellow model paint, and make a little mark on the damper, right next to the tape, at 34* degrees of Advance, (Before Top Dead Center, or BTDC). Then disconnect your vacuum advance & plug the hose with a golf tee or a screw. Put a timing light on your #1 cylinder, slightly loosen the distributor hold-down clamp so you can adjust your timing, then fire it up, have a friend speed the engine up to around 2500 RPM, and adjust the dist/timing to obtain the previously marked 34* advance. This is your Total Mechanical Advance. Most cars & trucks with those engine types run best at this setting. The factory method of setting it at idle, around 6* BTDC was for the sake of efficiency in mass production, NOT best performance. ***NOTE: If you use this method, DO NOT reconnect the Vacuum Advance!!!*** Test drive it, and I think you will smile! If your combination doesn't like it, you can revert back to the factory setting, and reconnect the Vac Adv. Even if you do that, I would still try maybe 10* of advance, and see if it pings. If yes, retard it 2* at a time. If not, keep it there, and enjoy the extra kick!!
# 2: All of the above will work even better, if you first install a Distributor Recurve Kit, (very simple and inexpensive), a set of calibrated, lighter-weight mechanical advance springs you put in your Distributor, most also come with some new, better-quality bushings for the advance weights. Around $10-15, and about 30 minutes to an hour of easy, simple work. Available from Moroso, Mr. Gasket, and others. Use the lightest springs in the kit, to get all of your mechanical advance kicked-in by 1500 RPM.

These 2 tricks, especially when done together, will make a very noticeable difference in driveability & torque! For very little money, and a couple hours of relaxing driveway or garage wrenching on a Saturday afternoon. Enjoy! And come back to visit here anytime, keep us posted on your ride!
-Jim.

[inforcer958]

the car performes really well right now... i have finally gotten the rest of what i have "wanted" on the engine... which was:
new air cleaner = 14", when i bought the car it had a 6: cleaner on it....
fuel line kit for the edelbrock carb, an fuel filter, and a hardline going to the pump. with an inline fuel pressure guage.
did a complete tune up, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, ign module ( became problematic) and the dist capactitor and wireing harness, oil, filter.

i have the timing set at 12-11 deg on the timing tab when idling... its starts like a champ, barely turning key. and runs pretty good.

i was looking into the spring kit for the adv weights... nvr messed with them before and was hesitant.. i might look into it now..

included a current pic of the engine...

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by inforcer958

So i have found out that the block is out of a 1974 Chevy C-10 base hp 160?... and that it is .030 over.... The edelbrock intake and carb i actually got with the 305 when i bought the car....

I am a little dissapointed when i found out the exact engine code and model... with it being so low in hp... and i cant find the torque rating yet... i mean when you look at the hp ratings from the 60's-85 or so its like 160-290 hp... haha i was hoping to have one closer to the higher rating there HAHA.


i really appreciate all your guys help and comments. its nice to actually get some feed back from the community on here.

the 1974 350 cu had points , not electronic ignition . how did you change this ?