Jbird75

Have a 75 Delta 88 Royale with a 350 rocket. Currently doesn't have a ton of power. I don't want to mess with the internals too much other than maybe a cam. Thinking slightly higher compression heads, cam, valves, intake manifold, carb etc. Would like to leave crank, pistons, rods alone.

​​​​​​I am not looking for street/strip performance, but don't want to get laughed at by Honda civics either.

Anyone have any suggestions to squeeze a little more power from these motors?

Thanks!!!

olds 307 and 403

You have 160 hp and 265 ft/lbs pushing what 4500 pounds down the road, yeah really taxing it. Start with dual exhaust, it adds 20 hp and 15 ft/lbs. A cam will only help slightly with 7.9 to 1 compression. You can find early 330 or 350 heads or wait for the new small chamber Edelbrock heads. Then a nice modern roller cam is then worth doing with 9 to 1 or better compression. A 2000+ stall will also get it moving better. A gear swap makes it feel much faster off the line but at the expense of higher rpm going down the highway. Good luck.

joe_padavano

Hey! Don't sell that engine short. The 350 4bbl has a pavement-ripping 165 HP for 1975! The base rear axle was a Bonneville-friendly 2.73:1, also not helping.

To the OP: unfortunately the mid-70s are called the Malaise Era for a reason. Ridiculously low compression with retarded timing to lower NOx and strangled with a plethora of band-aid emissions components. I'm afraid simple bolt-ons might not give you the boost you're looking for.

olds 307 and 403

My bad Joe, 165 hp it is 🤣.

69CSHC

The usual's as has been suggested will help. Nice tune, true dual exhaust, more aggressive rear gear. But as has also been pointed out. The negatives far outweigh the potential benefits.

Unfortunately, that's a tall order. 2022 Motortrend Honda Civic 0-60 MPH in 7.4 seconds and 15.7 seconds at 91.4 mph in the 1/4 mile.
https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2...t-test-review/

No factory correct non modified rear wheel drive Oldsmobile made after 1973 can compete with that. That includes big block and high performance versions, even when they weigh 1000 lbs less than your car.

On the street this Honda Civic will laugh at my 1969 high compression Cutlass... On a fast well prepped track where wheelspin will be minimized I may get lucky and be even with it.

Your 1975 Delta would need 240 HP to see that elapsed time and 280 HP to see that MPH. Both flywheel net ratings. Along with a very aggressive drivetrain set-up.

Meanwhile, you are looking at around 200 HP at best with the basic mods on your current engine if healthy ...

A healthy 455 with basic mods and above is just about your only chance to see that performance or an all out performance build on your current 350. When running at a 4700 LB test weight.

Road test example. Even though front wheel drive, a 1968 Toronado W34 which shares your cars base curb weight. Had close to 300 HP net flywheel and ran 0-60 in 7.7 seconds and 15.7 @ 89.8 MPH in the 1/4 mile. Car & Driver April 1968, test weight 4805 lb.

brownbomber77

Swap in a set of 3.42 gears first. Gonna be a hard $1,000 to swallow by the time you buy the gears, posi, and labor, but totally worth it. Make it feel like a completely different car. Next, long tube headers, then intake, then heads, cam, and roller rockers. Keep in mind when replacing the heads with a FelPro gasket, that gasket is .042" thick and the one you took off is ~.017". You're already losing .025" in deck and adding 3cc off the bat.