I need some suggestions on the combo I'm building for my 69 SS 4sp 3.31gears. My goals are: POWER-400+HP, 400+ft. lbs. Torque 2k-5k rpm range. DURABILITY-100K+ miles ECONOMY- 15-20 MPG
My combo ideas so far: 4blt main 69 or 70 block (010) Eagle steel crank, Eagle 5.7 rods, SRP forged or KB hypereutectic flat top pistons? plasma moly rings, Vortec or Pro topline aluminum 180cc heads?, edelbrock performer or? manifold, ? carb, 1 5/8 headers, ? exhaust, cam is Comp XE268 hydraulic(224/230 @ .050. 447I 488E, 110 LSA), ? ignition.

This is what I've come up with so far. I'm just getting the block to clean uo so I can change any of this. The "?" areas are up for discussion. I'm open for suggestions- ie. any help you can offer. Am I on the right track? Thanks in advance
John

I'm guessing that this is for a 350 buildup?
I've only built one motor with the Pro Action heads, and it's awaiting hydraulic roller lifters to be completed. I can't comment on the power production, as of yet, but the port shapes seem very nice. Even though I haven't PROVEN that these heads produce decent power, I wil still reccommend them. There are others on this site that utilize them in their combos and praise their performance.
I think that you have a decent idea on what you're after. The only suggestions I'll add at this point are a performer rpm-style intake(high rise dual plane), and a 650 double pumper. For the ignition, as long as it provides adequate spark and a good curve, ANY ignition will be fine.
What type of usage will this motor see on a regular basis? Street, strip, cruising, etc??? If choosing the KB pistons, be sure that you are TRUE to your needs as ring gap is CRITICAL for these pistons.
Honestly, that's a real good combo. I'd think about using the 270 magnum with the 3.31 gears. Not a whole lot of difference from your cam, but should provide a touch more low and mid-range torque.

Thanks Bravewink, yes it's for a 350 and it will be street driven only-with some "hot rodding" of course. Why do you think a double pumper is necessary? Just curious.
Thanks,
John

you mind lashing valves???? If you dont add a 282S in there with about 10-1 compression and you got your self a combo. Otherwise, clean the vortecs up, aka the exhaust, add in a 280H or what ever the crane grind is with 228 at .05 and .480 lift. Add the correct valve springs, check valve guild to retainer clearence and give it a go. There is a man over at team chevelle with an early chevelle with vortecs and comp 280H I think with a 4 speed and 3.73 and the car goes 12.5 in his last update. The name it is under is TH, i think the fella I talked to was named Tom. Very nice guys and will share there ideas. It my last letter he said the biggest et gain was in his bro's driving technique. just do a search under TH over at team chevelle, use "vortecs" as keyword or "new bests".

One thing you might consider is stepping up to a hydraulic roller cam. I was messing around with desktop dyno and found that using the pro topline aluminum 180 runners, dual plane intake, 650 dp, 10:1 compression pistons, and the Doug Herbert hydraulic roller cam (part number: CC6PJ) it appeared to produce as much torque and horsepower as a 383 with a comp cam XE284 (426 HP @ 5500 RPM and 452 ft-lbs @ 4000 RPM). Now I'm sure that the desktop dyno is not 100% accurate but that sure sounded good to me. Of course you'll have to spend around $600 for the cam ($179.95) and cam accessory kit ($449.99). I'm not sure what all is involved with converting to the hydraulic roller set up, but I do have a friend with a 1971 Camaro, alcohol burning 355, AFR heads, Doug Herbert roller cam, slicks and ford 9 in rear end, and can run some 10.80's all day long and he swears by the Doug Herbert stuff.

Anyway, just thought I would pass this on to you. Here's the link to the Doug Herbert hydraulic roller cams.

http://www.herbertperformance.com/ Catalog/Camshafts_and_kits/Herbert_Cams/HydraulicRollerLifterCamshafts/hydraulicrollerliftercamshafts.html (http://www.herbertperformance.com/Catalog/Camshafts_and_kits/Herbert_Cams/HydraulicRollerLifterCamshafts/hydraulicrollerliftercamshafts.html)

I'm interested in hearing what others have to say about it. There's another Doug Herbert hydraulic roller(part number: CC6J that made 448 HP @ 6000 RPM and 436 ft-lbs @ 4500 RPM, so it may be better for you, but the other cam certainly made the 350 a torque monster.

I'm considering building up a 355 as well and am still having difficulty deciding which one would be the best for me. So if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears. My current setup is a 69 Z, stock DZ 302, small tube headers, 2.5" flowmasters,4.10 gear, with close ratio 4 spd with no accessories.


Thanks....

[This message has been edited by lakemg (edited 11-28-2002).]

[This message has been edited by lakemg (edited 11-28-2002).]

[This message has been edited by lakemg (edited 11-28-2002).]

I would have my doubts about a 268XE cam going 100,000 street miles.
Personally, since you want a REAL 400HP, start off with a 400ci Small block, keep in mind they're a bit more expensive to build up, but not bad.
You can use a stock 400 crank which saves you the cost of buying a crank.
so here's the combo that i'd build:

406ci SBC
cast "400" crank
GMPP "PM" rods 5.7"
Speed Pro hyper or forged pistons (aim for 9.5:1)
Dart 180cc Iron Eagle Heads
Manley Race Flo 2.02/1.60 valves (undercut valves).
Must be bowl blended, valves unshrouded.
Edelbrock RPM intake manifold
Crower Hydraulic Cam #00223
110LSA
262/270 dur Adv. 214/222 dur .050" (mild, good for daily use)) .450"/.470" Lift.
Holley 750cfm Vacuum sec Carb
1-5/8" Headers
2-1/2" pipes and Dynomax ULtraflo or Super Turbo mufflers.