FAZ442

Ok guys, so im trying to get some extra power in my car.

I do not know too much about the engine since it was handed down a long time ago but here is what i know.

400 engine bored .030
th 400 transmission
373 gears posi rearend
torker intake
hei ignition distributor from summit
4150 holley carb mechanical secondaries... not sure the cfms but it is double pumper
Stock manifolds and 2.25 pipes with flowmaster 40s exhaust

I would like to get my car to run mid to low 13s.... is this possible with my setup?

what would i need to get there?
I have been considering headers and a stall... which would be better or what else could I do to get more power.

I have never taken it to the track but believe it should be in the 14 range

69350rocket

I think 13's should be achievable, although it is kinda hard to guess without knowing compression. I would add headers and a mild stall converter, then go to the track and see how close you are to your goal. If you still need a little more power after that, then your best bet would be a cam swap or some mild head porting. But again, compression is gonna play a big role in how much power you make.

FAZ442

What would be a good stall on this car? It will mainly be a weekend driver and gas mileage is not an issue since i dont drive this car for its economy...... But i dont want to kill my transmission too much

Mr65Cutlass

The size of the tire will help or hinder times too. I ran a 28in tall slick and ran a 14, and then ran my stock 24.5 tall tire?wheel combo and ran a 13.3. That was max rpm through the finish line!

70Wcars

Faz

The 3.73 are a big help for what you want to do. I would say 2500-2800 stall.. Also If it were me I would swap the Torker for a Performer Intake...Used ones can be had at a good price or you may find someone willing to swap.

Good luck and keep us posted. Let me know if you would like to baseline the car before any changes...that's always fun!!! I'll meet you at the track

Danny

Eddie Hansen

you should do a couple of things first... this is just some unprofessional advice, but check the condition of the motor first, do a compression test etc, make sure it is in good condition before beating on it at the track.

if it is in good condition, then a good tune up, check advance etc..play with timing etc

you haven't been to the track yet? so what about traction? is the fuel flow enough, is it bogging anywhere? why not check to see how it goes first so you have a baseline...

it may be you are nearly there already, traction will be an issue with a torque monster engine and 3.73 rear ( are you sure it is a 3.73? that is usually a chevy 12 bolt gear 3:55's or 3.90's are more oldsmobile

Eddie Hansen

Like 70 W cars said get a baseline... then think about making changes.. and change one thing at a time....

then there are shift kits, carb jets, traction aids, spring and shock set ups.. all kinds of stuff to get as good as it gets with what you have... then add goodies... just my opinion..

FAZ442

Yeah danny I think a baseline would probably be the best idea. Do you know what days and times I can take my car to the track?

FAZ442

Mr65 I am running normal bf goodrich radial t/a 15 inche wheels not sure the height

70Wcars

Our track has Test-N-Tune on Wed. and Fri. nights. I prefer Fri. as there seem to be so many street cars on Wed the starting line is nothing to brag about...but that's my choice because of my Slicks. Let me know which you decide on and I'll plan to meet you there. Gates open at 6:00 both nights and run til around 11:00

Danny

FAZ442

do you know what the price is and if I need a helmet ?

droptopron

The biggest gain will be from heads and a cam but everything has to work together and be in good shape. What heads do you have?

FAZ442

c heads... not sure if that answers ur question but thats all i know about them

70Wcars

No helmet ...yet...but we will get you to that point..

I think $20.00 to run all night

FAZ442

Well I have a real bad itch now and dont think I can wait till friday.... Weather permitting how does tomorrow around 7 30 sound?

70Wcars

weather allows and I'm there. Look forward to it

Danny

boese1978

Sorry to derail the thread.......is there a track like this in the Minneapolis area? one that folks like us can hit?

FAZ442

Could you take a timing light danny if you have one.... I know I can get a couple of extra degrees on my distributor but dont have a light.

Ive heard of people getting very significant gaines by just a couple of added degrees

ah64pilot

I'm so jealous...Danny, you gotta come to Houston to help me tune mine too lol! Good luck FAZ! I'm sure it'll run better than you think

FAZ442

thanks pilot... I will keep you guys posted on how the car does... hopefully I can get some video.

70Wcars

boese1978

I bought my new race car just last year from a gentleman in Anoka. I will call him and ask where in your area they offer Test-N-Tune time...he was an avid Drag Racer.

Danny

FAZ442

Just to update guys,

The cars best time was a miserable 15.4 @ 90mph but it sure ran better than I expected. I had quite a bit of traction problems and could not get those bf radial T/A's to grip. Hopefully next time we can try better tires.


Thanks for meeting me out there danny, louis, and sickafoose, had a great time and nice to meet people that know what a 442 is for a change.

Mr65Cutlass

Awesome starting point! May sound weird, but how much gas did you have in your tank? Could help with weight transfer for the street tires. I noticed with mine that I needed a half tank or more or it would just spin. As stated above, I think the performer will work a little better unless your cam is geared to work with the higher rpm of the torquer. Just my .02! Hope you had fun!

FAZ442

My fuel gauge is not working but if I had to guess, it was less than half full..... I will definitely fill her up next time... I wasnt sure if I wanted the extra weight at first but after spinning out everytime I regretted not filling up b4 the strip

FAZ442

heres a pic of the 442 at track... I will try to post a video soon

Eddie Hansen

I think for a first run it went well, how was it through the run? Any flat spots? Did it feel that you were starving for fuel? Or was it pull in like a freight train? Did you shift it manually? What rpm? Did you play with the air pressure in the tires...

I think the next time out with a little tweaking you,ll be mid 14s great looking car btw

70Wcars

Faz has SWEET 442...Bench seats and a Post Coupe!!!

I am going to build up a Q-jet for him and loan him my M/T Sportsman Pros for the next time out. He did have SIGNIFICANT tire spin, but decent MPH.

Great weather last night and great time at the track...I think his best times were when he left the car in drive as well, so maybe an adjustable Vac modulator to tweak the shift points a bit...sounds like Stock Cam so a move away from the Torker should benefit too.

Danny

FAZ442

Thanks Danny,
Cant wait for the next run.

@Eddie... I had my best run in drive
I tried shifting manually but ended up spinning the first 2 gears. Would probably spin all the way to drive if I didnt let off the pedal so hopefully with dannys M/T sportsman pros I can get a run with the manual shift. Car felt great all the way from the start just to finish just the traction problem.

Also my timing is at about 8 degrees so hopefully with dannys tires, carb, and a little more timing we can bring her down to reasonable 14s soon.

Eddie Hansen

Very Cool.. I think your are absolutely going about this the right way.... and you haven't begun to arbitrarily throw parts and money at something... because another dude is using this or that and his car goes like stink LOL.... I truly believe that every car is different, even the same make and model, all have their own personalities.

seems traction is the first thing to accomplish, and more tuning... just a thought what about finding a guy to "dynotune" on a chasis dyno? I see you got good buds building you a new carb, but there will be the whole jet and metering rod selection etc.. it is very exciting to watch.... I like the idea of the adjustable modulator, maybe a shift kit after that? slowly slowly you'll get there... will be reading this thread with interest!!

FAZ442

Yes Eddie I completely agree with your comment that every car is very different. specially after 40 plus years.

And yes I have considered the dyno test and tune but the track was a lot more fun and doesnt lie.

I am only trying to break into the 13s so I am hoping that it will not take me too much money to get there. And it seems like Danny REALLY knows olds and am confident he will get the quad running good.

I also look forward to keeping you guys posted on my road to a 13 second quarter.

455man

Sticky tires will make huge gains for you. I'd expect you to drop a second with the tires alone.

ah64pilot

FAZ, was the tire spin unmanageable? Back in the day before I could afford slicks I had a BFG Radial TA car that went 13.001 consistently. I used to drive the hell out of it to get it rolling before I could open it up.

I was just wondering if you could get away with feathering the throttle through the 60' and then lay into it. I'm interested to know what it runs with Danny's slicks, that'll give you an absolute time, then you can try it on street tires and see how close you can get.

Good job though, I'm glad you made it out there...and also a little jealous lol!

FAZ442

what gears did you have in that car pilot?

When I manually shifted the car would spin quite a bit but next time I will try to baby it off the line and see what I get...

I am really excited to see what it will do with slicks because I am expecting big gains without all of the spinning and being able to open it up from start to finish

Eddie Hansen

We used to lower the air pressure in the rear tires, and over inflate the fronts some... remember this was just after we converted from the wooden spoked wheels on our chariots and went from one horse to two LOL.... well maybe not that long ago, but I am talking NY national speedway old LOL...

I fully agree that driving technique will be huge, and you will get the feel for it, it seems us( OK, me!!) old timers live vicariously through the "young turks" here racing and using their cars what they were originally made for.. makes the following of your progress a great read !! Thank you for sharing...I know we are ALL rooting for you man...

70Wcars

Faz and I both forgot to mention the big find of the night!!! Seems his car once had Headers installed and when they converted back to Exh. Manifolds, they installed 350 SINGLE exhaust type with the hole for the crossover pipe plugged!!! He has a nice set of Duals on the car, but you can imagine the restriction caused by the improper style manifolds on the engine now.

We talked quite abit last night about Headers Vs a pair of W-30 Cast Iron manifolds. I like the manifolds to retain the stock look and know of plenty of cars running 13.00's with manifolds. It's Faz's car, so the decision is his, but either way there is more HP to be found. I really enjoyed working with a stocker again...lookin' forward to the next trip.

Danny

Eddie Hansen

Faz is lucky to have a knowledgeable friend!!! the best friends I ever made had cars or speed as a common denominator and that is what makes this hobby great there are no strangers just friends I haven't met yet

The manifolds are a huge find, the restriction alone as you have said wow I wonder where else a few corners were cut? I know you guys will be sorting it out

380 Racer

Holy cow! That exhaust has to be killing it. Also the Torquer isn't helping either. Good luck guys sounds like an interesting project.

Nick

FAZ442

Yes guys the exh manifold was an excellent discovery. I have always felt that the exhaust was a problem for this car.

I am considering the w30 exh manifolds and would like to know if anyone on here has some experience with them.

Are they just as good as headers or pretty close?

How is the sound on them?

And yes guys I am very blessed to have met some great people on this forum that share the same passion. I look forward to the great times to come.

oldsmoboogie

I enjoy reading this thread and im curious myself as to what its gonna take to make yor goal. Please list specs on the q-jet as its built and how it performs. I have a spare set of manifolds id sell cheap if your interested pm me. I also have a performer intake i would conider selling. good luck with your goals. It would also be great if you could post your timing settings and any gains or losses im interested in what works for some and a place to start from as im trying to hit 11s this summer i currently run 12.50s so i have a little work to do. Thanks and enjoy

FAZ442

I believe the initial timing was at 8 degrees and we couldnt play with it. For some reason when my engine gets hot it clamps the distributor and doesnt let it move.

Good luck boogie on your road to 11s. I have a feeling that once I hit my 13 goal your 12.5 will be next. I hope I can contain myself at 13s.

I will definitely keep you guys posted on any adjustments or modifications I do to the car. This thread has definitely turned out better than I expected. Its amazing how a small thread has lead to finally taking my car out to the strip and meeting some great guys.