318 question
Well as to the rev-limiter;
If you build a nice hi-pressure engine like I did (has been to 195psi and more)
and drive it on the street, with street tires, then
it's really hard to not spin the tires.
I mean with the line-loc set, my 367 will almost idle with the tires spinning. If I then nail it, the Rs will flash to the rev limiter almost faster than I can lift. Now; my engine goes to 7200 and beyond, without pumping up the lifters or loosing rod bearings, so I installed an adjustable rev-limiter to limit the revs, cuz the limiter is faster than is my big right foot.
Plus, I use the rev-limiter, which has an adjustable shift light on it, as a cruise control, at 65mph, cuz if I get a ticket, it won't be for speeding.
In Manitoba Canada, we get "demerits" when we get tickets. The more demerits you have, the more it costs to continue your driving privileges, and your car insurance goes up. But, every year that you drive without getting a ticket, you get a merit, to a maximum of five, and a reduction in the cost of your Driver's license. Every merit is worth two demerits.
So then, Notta chance am I gonna waste my merits on speeding tickets, which, depending on the speed, costs a minimum of 1 merit, or two demerits if you don't have merits. But one wreckless-driving ticket, can cost a minimum of 2 merits to as many as 5 merits, depending on thechit you got caught doing. Since I drive thechit out of my car, I need the merit-cushion, to keep the cost of my driving privilages down. The rev-limiter is a key player.
In over 20 years of driving this car, it has never received even one speeding ticket.
Don't ask me how many wreckless-driving tickets I received behind that steering wheel; or imprudent-driving tickets; or excessive spinning of tires, etc. Since I still have a Driving License, I attribute that to being made possible by not speeding.
Sometimes I even use the rev-limiter in the city, set at 4100 which is 30mph in First gear. Well it will be when the tires stop spinning....... lol.
Now, it's true that my car has a Manual trans..... in the summer..... But there were many years in the beginning, that in winter, it had a 318 auto. The rev-limiter was instrumental in keeping it alive, as well..... cuz you know, when yur used to 7200, then 5000 with a 2800 stall, on spinning snowtires, comes up pretty quick.
The thing is, I bought a nice, standard diameter, Autometer, 270*, 8000rpm tach, that has both an adjustable rev-limiter, and a shift-light that comes on about 200 rpm before the limiter. Very nice for street-duty. I installed it on a bracket that I fabbed up, that slides left/right on the dashpad. So then, I can bring it over to my line-of-sight when I'm misbehaving, AND then, slide it back to the right, out of the way, when not.
Oh yeah, it also has an adjustable needle on it, that I set to 5200, which is near to the powerpeak of my 230* cammed 367. But other people don't know that; so when they see that modest shift rpm, they rarely fail to inform me that I shouldda built a 340 cuz everybody knows 340s were greased lightning..... and reved to the moon; which, having had five 340s since 1970, I can safely say, is just not true. All of mine, had crappy factory 114* cams, tiny carbs, and a junk valve train that started going away at 5500 or sometimes less, which was not that big a deal, cuz the factory cam was done anyway. And, in factory tune, they were just mid-14 second cars, which really is nothing to brag about.
and No, I'm not angry any more. Since the bore in my 367 is ~4.044, I just starting calling it a stroked-340, and that was the end of it.
The adjustable rev-limiter is a fine tool, and notta chance would I leave home without it. Besides, it came with the tach...... and I needed a tach to map out my ignition timings.
to Rumble;
As to spinning tires;
Does anybody build a 400 hp engine to idle around with?
There is absolutely no street engined A-body that needs to have 400hp.
A better street engine, would have the footpounds of a 400hp engine, but 300hp is already excessive. In fact; a well thought-out, hi-torque engine with just 250hp could be a satisfactory set-up.
so gimmee a break.
I built 400hp cause my car was built to effing smoke the tires in two or even three gears, which is also why it rides on the BFG/Cobras..
Had I wanted a mundane grocery-getter, I wouldda built a more appropriate engine.
Which s exactly why I made the recommendation that I did .....
and besides all that, did you even read Post #1?
Have a stock 1989 318 with 302 heads. Wanting to do a budget build and try to get to 300HP out of it. What would you guys suggest for pistons and cam? Just looking for something that's going to be a good running street motor, nothing elaborate. Thanks all
Nothing elaborate........ what could be less elaborate than leaving a Magnum practically alone, except for un-handicapping it?