Thread: Ideas for some engine mods

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I have a 1981 Chevrolet full size pickup with a 350. Pretty bare bones. I plan to completely customize this truck over the years. It needs paint and everything.

But I have a few questions. One, I want it to be my daily driver, but I would like for it to have a little pep. Anybody have any suggestions for what I should do to it? I was thinkin new top end for the motor, heads, carb and intake.

I have some other questions that don't exactly belong here but thought I would ask anyway.

It has a bench seat, I would like to put in two bucket seats. Would the bucket seats out of a say, '94 silverado fit or will I have to fabricate some mounts for it?

Since it is an '81, it has a negative steering box, which as most of you know, makes it really loose on the steering. While I can drive it fine, I would like to use a steering box like I had in my stock '88. How much work would go into this?

the brackets on the buckets might work fine..... for pepping up your engine you should also consider a cam just something mild, one way you could go is buy an edelbrock performer power package, comes with cam, lifters, push rods, rockers, heads, intake, and carb.... everything is matched and easy to install..... on the steering box i'm not too sure, never delt with those on chevy trucks

Cool thanks, do you know how much one of those edelbrock performer packages run?

A27!
FIRST THING YOU SHOULD ESTABLISH IS, (WHATS REALLY IN YOUR HEART) DOES WHAT YOUR SAYING (I WANT A LITTLE PEP) MEAN YOU REALLY WANT (a little pep) OR DOES IT MEAN YOU REALLY WANT [A FIRE BREATHING T-REXX UNDER THAT HOOD THAT YOU CAN DRIVE DAILEY?] I ASK THIS BECAUSE THAT IS THE SAME THNG I SAID WHEN I FIRST STARTED HOT RODDING MY VETTE! 3 ENGINES LATER,AND ENOUGH WASTED MONEY TO BUILD A HOUSE IN SO.CA. I FINALLY CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET [SO TO SPEAK!] SO SAVE YOURSELF ALOT OF REDO MONEY AND JUST GO FOR. DONT HALF STEP BECAUSE YOU WONT BE HAPPY UNTIL YOU HAVE AT LEAST 800+ PUMPGAS HP
WE ARE A EUNIQUE BREED AND OVER 3 MILLION STRONG.DONT CONFORM TO MEDIOCRATE AS THEY(WHOEVER THAT MAYBE) TRY TO MAKE US DO. LET THE BEAST THATS IN YOU FEED BUT THEN AGAIN THATS JUST ME

800 horse in a street daily driver would be very impractical as well as very expensive.... The Performer RPM parts make a very nice streetable package that will yield great driveablity and still some decent fuel mileage.

Tell Me Dave Why Would That Be Impractical?

800 horse in a daily driver is impractical. It would require either a blower or a turbo, otherwise an engine cammed so radical that it just doesn't work on the street. I would imagine his pickup is an automatic, so there goes another few grand for a trans and converter..... The guy stated, "I want it to be my daily driver, but I would like for it to have a little pep". 325 to 400 horse would more then likely be plenty to meet his requirements. 800 Horse street cars usually measure their mileage in single digits, and normally are only seen on the streets on cruise night or when the local action dictates bringing it out.....

Originally Posted by DennyW

Is that 800 flywheel, or rear wheels ??

Hmmmm... Probably theoretical......

#1
IF! WHAT HE REALLY WANT's IS SOMTHING VERY MILD LIKE THAT COOL! BUTT! IF HES ANYTHING LIKE MYSELF, THAT's NOT REALLY WHAT's IN HIS HEART EVEN THOUGH THAT's WHAT CAME FROM HIS HEAD. I SAID & DID THE SAME THING HE SAID WHEN I STARTED MY MY BEAST.{AS I SAID IN AN EARLIER POST} FIGIURE OUT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT FIRST!I HATE REDO's DONT YOU?!and spending my moneys twice on the same thing DRIVES ME INSANE [which is a short trip anyway]
#2
DAVE!
WHY IS 800 OR EVEN A 1000HP NOT PRACTICAL? DONT YOU REMEMBER WHEN 500HP WAS NOT PRACTICAL IN A DAILEY DRIVER? NOW LOOK AT THE THE VETTS,THE VIPERS, THE BLOWN COBRAS,ITS THE TECHNOLOGY, EMBRACE IT! IT CAN BE AND WILL BE DONE SOONER OR LATER, I JUST WANT TO BE OF THE FIRST ONE's DONT YOU? ONCE SOMEBODY SAID [IF MAN WAS TO MENT TO FLY GOD WOULD HAVE PUT WINGS ON HIM.I READ THIS MORNING ON THE INTERNET ABOUT A 600HP HYBRID.IT MAY BE IMPRACTICAL TO YOU BUT ITS NOT TO ME.
ITS TRUE HP COST MONEY, WHAT WE HAVE TODAY WAS UNHEARD OF 10-20 YEARS AGO NOW ITS STOCK,BLOWERS & NITROUS WERE AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY IN THE EARLY 40's NOW ITS IN PUBLIC TRANZPORTATION.IN THE EARLY 90's THE GMC CYCLONE COULD BE ORDERED W/A TURBOed ZR-1! A FRIEND OF MINE IN TEXAS HAD ONE BUT HES DEAD NOW

THE GMC CYCLONE COULD BE ORDERED W/A TURBOed ZR-1! A FRIEND OF MINE IN TEXAS HAD ONE BUT HES DEAD NOW

Thats why its impractical to me!!

Shawnlee28!
Thats Why Im In Front Of You, Waiting At The Finish Line,
My Friend Died Of A Heart Attack Not Crashing The Cyclone

And The Streets Are Not Any Wider Today! But The Fuel Injectors,the Ecu Programs, And The Street Tires Are Getting Wider By The Day

[QUOTE=TT572ZZILLA]#1
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#2
DAVE!
WHY IS 800 OR EVEN A 1000HP NOT PRACTICAL? DONT YOU REMEMBER WHEN 500HP WAS NOT PRACTICAL IN A DAILEY DRIVER? NOW LOOK AT THE THE VETTS,THE VIPERS, THE BLOWN COBRAS,



1 Engines engineering and modifications, to make this kind of power mechanically means a BIG cam that in turn means big valve springs.

2 High compressions that would not deam practical for the cheaper fuel you can get at the local gas station.

3 High maintenance on your engine, blowers, turbos, gearboxes, clutches and diffs.

4 You would probably have to run special blend racing fuel, it is expensive, so for a street car you would have quite a weekly fuel bill.

5 To make 800 HP the engine as mentioned before would be tuned to turn high revs, so to make this HP it is an increased consumption of air fuel mix, so I would probably figure your weekly fuel bill if driven every day as a daily driver would be in the $1000.00's that's right $1000.00's


The man wants a practical daily driver, 350 with good heads and cam,,,FINE !!! If he wants to later and I hope he takes advice off all of us, maybe just maybe he will go for a SBC cheaper stroker set up, to keep his revs down and his driveabillity up and his fuel consumption reasonable.

I'm sure it will all be done....but not with my checkbook.... The new technology is great, if you can afford it. I doubt there is a $60.000 Z06 or Viper anywhere in my future.

I mean c'mon. The dude has an '81 Chevy pickup. For a daily driver built over a period of years, I seriously doubt he will spend a gadzillion dollars on an engine, then another half a gad zillion on a chassis to hold it and hook it up. All I know is, when a guy wants to buy a cam, carb, and intake and I try to sell him a blown and injected 557 incher, I'm probably going to scare him away.... It takes a whole lot more then horsepower to make a really first rate street machine or Hot Rod....

TODAY HAS ITS OWN PROBLEMS,TOMARROW IS A BRAND NEW DAY,YOU THINK IVE BUILT MY STREETCAR AT DRIVE THROUGH RACE ENGINES? IT TOOK ME YEARS JUST TO PAY FOR MY HEADS[BIGCHIEF's]NOT TO MENTION THE REST OF IT, ALL IM SAYING IS IT ALL STARTED W/I WOULD LIKE A LITTLE MORE PEP IN MY VETTE,
I WISH I WOULD HAVE HAD SOMBODY TELL ME WHAT I REALLY WANTED WAS WHAT IVE GOT NOW INSTEAD OF TRYING TO SOAK ME FOR MY MONEY W/REDOES AND COMEBACKS, IM JUST SIMPLY SUGGESTING THAT THE MAN JUST EXAMINS HIS OWN HEART/MIND SO HE CAN SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.