Chevy 350 Guys

[EOD AIRFORCE]

Hey hows it going fellas. I was wondering if you guys might be able to help me with getting some more HP on my 350. I actually have a '79 Z28, but I know that there are alot of similarites under the hoods. Surprisingly enough i wasn't able to get any good answers at the camaro forum. I have a Rochester Q-jet,some headers and dual exhaust but with glass packs. Any suggestions would be a real help. I heard you could swap some 69-72 heads and get a decent boost, but I need someone to verify if this is true. My budget is about a 1,200 dollars. Little stuff or big I'm open to any suggestions/tips. Thanks fellas, keep up the good work.

[amac209]

a set of vortec heads, intake to fit vortec heads, decent cam, holley carb and you should have between 300 and 400 hp. now thats great and all but what you need is torque at the rear wheels. a set of 3.42 or 3.73 gears will make your car feel like a rocket. if you have an automatic a stage 2 shift kit and torque convertor matched to your cam will give you the ability to burn the hell out of your tires. my buddy has a chevelle with a similar set up. vortec heads, 3.42 posi, 327/350hp cam , shift kit. that car will brake the tires loose when it shifts into 3rd.

[EOD AIRFORCE]

Thanks for the detailed response. Do you have any recommendations on what kind of cam I should get? I wanna be able to do my everyday driving as well. Thanks

[amac209]

i'm not an expert on cams but i would go with a comp cam. if you call them they should tell you what will work best. it's always a comprimise when picking a cam because you either loose top end or bottom end performance. if you get a big lumpy cam your engine will idle like crap because the valve overlap is increased but you'll be able to rev the hell out of your engine as long as the valves don't bounce or float and the rods and crank can handle it. i wouldn't go with more than 280 degrees duration and .470 lift. you should also replace the timing chain& sprockets with stronger aftermarket ones. it would also be good idea to go to a few engine builders and ask what combination would work best for you. i am by no means an expert at building high performance engines but if you do your homework first there will be less unwanted surprises.