first muscle car

[72velle]

i just bought a 72 chevelle. its got a 350 bored .30 over. the engine and tranny are brand new. both have 500 miles on them. this is my first muscle car, this is my first car!! i have only had bikes. i just sold my harley and i built a chopper for myself. i just need a little bit of advice on what i can do with this car for a good amount of power. i am kinda lost with this. any help with a list of parts would be appreciated.

[maxcom]

big block

[Deadcarny]

Big Cubic Inch small block! The small blocks are making some huge numbers and huge displacement these days.

[Ground Rat]

Originally Posted by maxcom

big block

That's not good advice unless 72velle has a lot of money to waste. A small block will get you plenty of power for much cheaper. Can you please give more specs on the engine and trans?

[Justhavinfun]

G rat has the right idea. First of all what are the specs on your present motor? You can do a lot with a 350. A big block would make a lot of power if you have a lot of money to spend. In the meantime you can always beef up your 350 and get the biggen later.

[MrPbody]

NEVER send a boy to do a MAN'S job... The Chevelle, while a good performer with a small block, is no match for other muscle cars with larger engines. Of course, you could build a race-level small block, and THAT would compete against street big blocks. If you do that, it certainly won't be cheap. For the most bang for the buck, always use the biggest engine you can. Big-cube small blocks are nice, but hardly inexpensive. A mild 454 BBC will STOMP a mid-level 434 in the same car. Torque is more important to a street car than high-end horsepower.
Justhavinfun has the most sensible idea. Run what you have, build something serious and put it in later...

[72velle]

the motor at this time is a rebuilt 350 forged pistons 10:1 compo ratio, edelbrock carb, what else do you need to know about the engine? what can be done to the engine right now? would it be more expensive to go with big block and play with that? or beef up the 350? 396 and 454s are not for sale, if i run into one, the guy who owns it wants to keep it. i dont blame em. also 350 trans both motor and trany have about 1000 miles on them, so i just broke in the motor.

[85_IROC_STROKER]

if you really want a big block chevy motor you can buy a gm performance parts; 454 HO crate motor from summit racing but it will cost you a good bit of cash, you can get respectable torque and horsepower out of a small block chevy for less money than a big block crate motor

[97integrals]

Chevelle!

[lethal429]

It really depends on how fast you want to go...I would tune the combo you have now...I would see what gear you have in the rear..3.73-4.11 would be a good start...if you can run high to mid 13's in the 1/4 mile, then you could try a base plate nitrous kit to get the car into the high 12's...which would be a very respectable time

[wedgemotor]

If you want to go the 350 route, and it sounds like you do, go with a set of vortec heads. These are the best street heads you can buy period! They make over 400 horses, and a huge gain in torque all with using a cam that doesn't have over .480 lift The kicker is the heads cost only 500 bucks a pair!

[nova68]

wedge is right vortec heads rock make sure you have headers though. good exaust system too

[will2shower]

hey, i got a question that somewhat goes along with this... I have a 72 chevelle as well and i can't decide what to do about the rear. its open so i need something. money is an issue so what rears will fit from a yard... alright thanks

[wedgemotor]

I am assuming that you are trying to locate a limited-slip rear right? This could be difficult but not impossible. As far as applications, any GM A-body rear will fit, (cutlass, Lemans, Chevelle, Skylark) from 68-72. That is the good part. If I was you I would try to familiarize yourself with these rearends so you know what to look for. Obviously the 12-bolt rear is the jewel, but you will pay for it. 10 bolts are more plentiful, and can still handle a mild big block with an auto trans. 10 bolts are not hard at all too find in this application, just finding a limited slip one in a salvage yard is what poses the challenge. I would suggest if you have the opportunity to buy a local trader post newspaper. These type of offerings usually have a good assortment of used high performance parts at reasonable prices. I would look for any 10-bolt posi A-body rear from 68-72 as I stated, you should be able to score on for about 5 bills. Keep in mind you will spend at least that if you decide to convert your rear already with all the parts and gears. I hope this is some help to you.

[will2shower]

Yes it was a help thanks. I don't plan on pushing really high hp with my 350. i was doing a bit more research as well and it looks like some of the s-10 rears are useable but require a bit or work