freebird72

I have a 72 cutlass supreme with a 350. I have read that it only has about 180hp. I would love to have it up to 300hp. Are there any bolt on parts that I can buy to get it up to that? Or would i have to bore it out? I am just learning about cars, so I do not know much about motors but anything will help. It already has a duel set of glassbacks, so just tell me what i should do. Thank you, Nathaniel.

72 cutlass455

Has it got a 2 barrel carb on it ? Engine mods should be planned out. With out changing the cam most mods such as aftermarket intakes and larger carbs will look good but won't perform as expected.

freebird72

no its a 4brl

freebird72

no one else has any information

derek nesdoly

Patience "grasshopper"...some of the Olds Masters aren't even home from work yet! It may take a day or more to get some action/answers to your post,but they will be correct and helpful when they come.Provide more info on your car:mileage,transmission,budget,timeline etc. p.s. we love pictures!....Derek

freebird72

ok so its a 72 supreme all stock except for glassbacks. it has an 350 and a auto trans 350. and as far as money im getting a job so it will be a step by step thing. and for time well i have all the time in the world. i dont have a camara son pics for a while. i just wanted to know if i could get it around 300 with some bolt ons exp...headers, carb. ext... thanks for help

tclaemont

Do you want it to be a reliable daily driver, or a weekend racer?

It is easy to get 300 hp, but wil the trans hold up to it? What kind of shape is it in? Is the rear end adequate? Is the bottom end of the engine up to the task? Does it burn oil?

A lot of people have a misconception that horsepower is more important than things like reliability, safety, torque, maintainability, etc. You have to determine what your priorities are, especially with a budget.

With all of that being said, step one is to drive the car for a while and make note of what condition things are in right now. If some parts of the car are weak, that is going to be exaccerbated when you add more power to tne engine. If the tranny and rear end are in poor condition with the current hp, what do you think it going to happen when you double it?

My years of experience suggests that you focus on things like brakes and suspension before you double the engine output.

When the time comes, you are probably looking at a camshaft change, along with better flowing heads and eventually an intake and perhaps headers. Of course, all of this will be a waste of time if your piston rings are shot or the crank bearings are really old, etc.

88 coupe

Use "all that time" to save your money until you have enough cash to do it right.

While you are saving, learn all you can about what it actually takes to make power, by searching all of the engine and tech forums for relevant information. Then ask questions about anything you do not fully understand.

Norm

freebird72

well its gona be my daily driver. its just that when i drive it it feels like it could use a little more power. i have been driving my moms 04 malibu and maybe i am wrong because i have not realy punched the cutlass yet but its feels as if the malibu has more pick up and go. hope i am wrong tho.

72 cutlass455

Very hard to compare old cars to new. You would beat me to 30 then i would shoot past you haha. If i floored it all i would do is smoke my one shoe on my 72.

72 cutlass455

Just a thought check out your vacuum lines and make sure the vacuum modulator on the tranny is has a hose going to it. Also in sure the vacuum line is coming off the intake and not the carb. If this part is not working right will make the transmission function badly or not at all. When i changed out my intake manifold the supposed mechanic forgot to hook it back up I was running 3500 rpms at 30 mph.

Lady72nRob71

From what I have read, the 72 350 4BBL with single exh is 180 hp. I had read from somewhere fairly accurate that the dual exh addition brought it up to 200 (if properly done of course).

Some good advice has been said so far. Make sure your engine & trans are up to current specs before going further. Getting whipped by an 04 malibu says something is wrong.

What rear axle does your car have? If less than 2.73, i would consider an increase to maybe 3.23 or somewhere around there.

Is your carb's secondaries opening? Listen for the musical howl at WOT! Mine do not open and still have not figured out why... She still hauls though even with 153K's...

GoodOldsGuyDougie

add the following: Hei Ign, New Hi performance Cam, Headers, New Manifold and Carb. That should get you close to 300.Have fun passing the Jap Cars.

78cutlass

Add 3.42 - 3.73 gears, along with the stuff GoodOldsGuyDougie suggested. Also, have Greg & Bill Demmer, of Sparky's Carb Service, work their magic on your factory Q-jet. They'll rebuild it RIGHT! You'll be surprised what that alone will do...