going fast help

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DusterBoy15

THE WISE(guy) MEMBER
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how do you decide how much power you want or how fast you wanna go?

like should i choose a class and build my car to that specs or just build as best as i can?
 
There is a direct relationship between how fast you want to/can go, and how much money you have. Is it a daily driver. Race car. Little both......

sure are posting the HECK out of these forums lately, eh? lol (sorry, someone had to say it. lol)
 
Everything has to work this way: First, a goal. Make it something you can achieve. (like no, you'll more than likely never have a fuel burning Hemi street car) Second, determine what factors limit the process of achiving that goal. (as in, $$ you currrently have..never plan to make up the rest as you build...and car's usage, and what you have for stuff, and how long you have to do it, and how much you can do yourself) Last, spend, get, and do, until that goal is achieved.

Now, as I see it, your situation is something like this (I'm going off what you've posted). #1- Goal: reliable, low maintenance performance street car. #2- money/time: limited fundage (guess up to $1200 on hand), several stock 318s, stock trans and rear, but driveable A body. Fairly good amount of time, not much knowledge and limited skills. #3- take a V-8, and bolt it in the car. Use the 318 that looks the best, and the trans that runs. Add cheap headers, and a good dual exhaust system for performance, and more important, noise/attitude. Replace the belts, hoses, clamps, fluids, and rebuild the stock carburetor. Replace the ignition with MP electronic kit and read instructions on how to tune and set it up. Then, drive the car.

I can gaurantee you will never complete the car if two things happen:you bite off more than you can chew, and you try to keep up with goals that currently are not achievable for you. Use the stock stuff to learn what things do, and how. And use the time to save more $$. Going full tilt leads to a lot of expense on stuff you think you need, and then breaking the stuff you didnt realize you needed after you've exhausted the cash flow. You should have heard these by now at least 4 times: "You can always have two of these, never three together..fast...good... and cheap." and "speed costs money son. How fast do you want to go?"
 
i want to be fast enough to put some mustangs to shame and some chevys so i would say....13sec lower so i guess ill just keep going with the build in stated in my RESTORATION mini blog
 
i want to go fast(who doesnt) but sometimes im tempted to just do a stock rebuild but im prolley going to do a rebuild to get close to 400hp 330 at the wheels with head work and so on
 
moper said:
I recall another fellow doing that too at one point....
Click to expand...

You know, now that you mention it, me 2. I remember a few young bucks posting like tomorrow was there last day on earth. ROFLMAO :toothy1:
 
OK, lets start this from a smart view. Not smart ***.

How fast is a stock stang and Camaro? Is this the goal to beat?

If not, what are there mods, claimed times and speed?

In the past, MoPar had a "Tip" section. This section was loaded with there parts complied into groups. These groups were listed in decending order. Like this;
14
13.5
13
12.5
12
11.5
11

It gave you a list of parts to use. Some lee-way has to be given in parts not listed, like pistons and build technices like block building.

Since there given in times, these parts are more oreinet for track.
A 12 second part listed read there single plane intake and a 292 purple cam with part number XXXXX stall converter.and 4.10's etc..........

Cheap, easy, not exactly the best anymore these days since it has not been updated or upgraded. But it will still work. Just alittle hard to do on the street. Radical idle and temperment and all.
 
If this is your first project, I would stay on the conservative side of things. No big cams, intake manifolds, or carbs. Spend some good money on the short block, that way you can add other items after you get your feet wet. Get used to tuning it. You can always install better performace items as you gather better skills. Oh yea, money helps alot!
 
I adjusted my goals, myself. I want a whole package, last time I had the ugliest coronet in san jose, but it was fast! This time I want a clean build, from bumper to kick panel, and a reliable, quick driver. It is nice when your car stops as well as it go's!! And turns. And looks good getting there! When I have more money and time to invest then I'd like to build a more application specific race oriented street bomber, but for now I work within my means, and with patience, I get what I want. You swapped me some headers, the same day I got an edelbrock torker for 20, it is all out there, take your time and try to look at the big picture. By the way, 240 horses from a 360 is a poor power per cubic inch ratio, you will do way better with some really simple upgrades.
 
yes this is my first build im getting kb pistons and i have a xe274 cam and a holey 750 vac carb



RUMBLE: they CLAIM to be 13 secs or faster
 
No big deal.
Do whats suggested above. Spend money and time on a excellent short block. Worry about the rest later.
 
Good answers above. The key is to balance budget vs performance. Obviously, the faster you want to go, the more it will cost you. With XE274, 750 carb, KB pistons, the potential is there to run 13's. That's between 13-14 sec, which is a wide margin. It's possible to go faster. It may cost you more than your $1,000 budget. There's a few members that run into 12's with that combo. But they've invested time in the details as well as the package, jetting, launch technique, tire pressure, etc. It's not a simple formula. I'm still learning this myself.

The answer to your question is subjective.

For me, my Mopars are not my daily drivers. I can build without having to worry about streetability. My limitation is budget.

Like Rumble said, the Mopar engines and/or chassis books lists combinations for each bracket you want to run. Those combinations are a starting point. You sould still need to do the tuning, etc.

The simple answer is this, 1) stock, or close to stock, rebuild for now and be done with it. 2) save a little more (if you can prolong your rebuild) and do the things that the members suggest in your other threads.

But you should decide what you want and stick to it.
 
ok ... got it save money....stick with one build..... get use to that butild... tune it practice.....and be happy and run the crap out of it.....and be PATIENT
 
YEA! LOL, That's about it.

Once you have a great short block assembled, everything else is a bolt on and in deal. Thats the way I still do it. I just get the pistons I want hung on the OE rods and then balanced. Install it and set it up to wait.

Through the years, I have amassed a number of items that I can just get'er done fast. When I first started, I made a target and started collecting parts from the top down and stuck to the plan.

Once I had all the parts, I took the block to the machinest to work and final overbore, if it needed it. Then I got the pistons and did the final assembly at home. To the casual observer, it look as if I did it overnight.
Little did they know it took a year of saveing and purchasing parts to be stacked in the corner shelves.

The last thing to do is be in a rush. The second to last thing to do is change the plan. Both cost dearly if you don't pay attention to what I said. What we have been saying. Take your time, make a plan and stick to it.
 
A factory mustang might be quick. But not that quick. And MOST, are driven by people who think they can drive MUCH better than they really can. I used to beat 750cc motorcycles with a small block stick Cuda. Fairly regualrly. Not because I had tons of power. Because they could ride to save their butts. The Camaros (F bodies) make every bit + in some cases of their advertised power. I've witness 320hp on 10K mile cars on a chassis dyno. But, with low profile hard speed rated tires, and an itchy driver, they cant stick until 1/2 way thru 2nd. Happens all the time. Which is why I say put something together, and get in the game. You'll see what you really need. Not base it on internet guys and magazines. I broke that 340, swapped in a 70K mile 318, and still ran the NOS plate for 1.5 years. I didnt lose much. I learned a ton about real life...lol.
 
DusterBoy15, low 13s are not as simple to achieve as you think. You can read about a simple combo Hot Rod magazine put together to make their 318 turn 400 horses, but it's not that easy in real life. I've got a '74 Dart 318 with a Clevite camshaft (exact same specs as Edelbrock's Performer 383/400/440 camshaft), an Edelbrock Performer dual-plane intake and 600 cfm carburetor, and 1 5/8" headers with about 1 foot of 2 1/4" pipe and a flowmaster on each side. I'm also running a 904 trans with a Hughes 2500 stall and Hughes frictions, steels and bands. The valve body is slightly modified to give more apply pressure to the clutches and bands for firmer shifts. The rear axle i'm using is an 8 1/4" with 3.21 gears, turning BFG 235/60-15 tires. It's got MP leaf springs and Monroe shocks, as well as a set of traction bars. The car weighs 3220 lbs w/o a driver. The best time i've turned here in Phoenix, AZ at 1320 ft altitude with great traction off the line was 15.236 @ 87.84 mph. Given that's with a stock bottom end and stock heads on a 120,000 mile motor, but the motor has sufficient compression (8.3 - even across all cylinders) and runs well.
As Moper said, most people can't drive worth a damn.
I've been able to run 350Zs and new G35s down easily on the road, even a Saturn Ion Redline pushing 18 lbs of boost through the blower. Late '90s Camaro Z28s with LS1s can easily run high 13s with a good driver. Low 13s in the 1/4 is optimistic for Mopar young guns like ourselves. Once you start going to the track, you'll see. You'll go knowing your car is fast and that you've beaten 14 second cars on the street and expect at least a 14.5 and then you'll drive by the time shack excited to read the numbers only to find that you ran a 16.5. That's the way it works in real life when you're building a bolt-on street car. Now, if you're starting with a 318 block and putting race heads on and KB hypereutechtic (sp? lol) pistons and 1 7/8" headers and a .500" lift cam and an Eddy rpm air-gap intake and dominator 1050 cfm carb etc with a TCI 727 3500 stall, 4.56 gears and slicks, then sure you'll run 13s or faster if you don't crash first. But that car and reliable street driver don't mix. Especially if you have to take emissions testing and want good gas mileage. Put a modest (650 cfm) carb on, use 1.88" and 1.60" exhaust valves in 318 swirl-port heads (if you're not using stock heads), a .450" lift cam with no more than .220" duration @ .050 lift, 1 5/8" street headers, 9:1 compression, stock Mopar electronic ignition, a 904 or 727 trans with a 2500 stall max, 3.21 gears and street tires, and enjoy 14s. My car runs low 15s and is very fast for a street car. It'll do 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds. It puts you to the seat and barks the tires into 2nd half the time. The Camaros and Mustangs and 350zs etc will run their 13s and 14s with pro drivers, close-ratio manual transmissions and slicks, in ideal conditions. My automatic Dart will run a consistent low 15 whether it's 65 degrees or 105 degrees outside, whether i'm driving or my girlfriend is driving, whether the wind is against me or not, it doesn't matter. That's REAL performance and that's what you'll be happy with in a street car.
 
I like Mopodge's reply. It comes from the 'real' world. As a relative new guy (5 years) i thought i'd chip in about making cheap power.
360=30 (rebuilt stock bottom end)
cheap Hypo pistons
XE262 cam ( .462/.474 lift)
Rebuilt smog heads with mild pocket porting, valve job and spot on rocker alignment.
Dual plane intake and Holley 600 (untuned!)
340 cast manifolds
FBO ignition (34 deg @3,000rpm)
TTI 2.5 exhaust system (full)
stock convertor
open 3.23
26" tyres.
i recently raced it for the first time ever and ran consistant 14.3-14.5s again and again.
my point is that this is a cheap car to build, takes me shopping , to the beach and to work without complaint. You dont have to spend a fortune to have fun! I've just found a cheap 2800 stal convertor and who knows, maybe (just maybe!) 13s might be possible without breaking the bank8)
Oh and I recently nailed a mega buck Shelby 350 GT at a local track day without tring to hard

dodge v shelby.jpg
 
Mopodge is absolutely right...i see /hear so many guys making claims on how fast their cars are,funny thing is when they come to the track for some strange reason they're cars run 3 seconds slower then they claimed it would,which i always get a laugh out of..as for a 318 running in the low 13's not without some serious time and effort ,parts and money wise..
 
I agree with the above posts. Mopodge is dead on right. I really do not expect my Duster to run low 14's as is. (it might....LOL)
The 3.21's hold it back even with the smaller tires. Stock sized. Stock conveter, low comp. 318 with bolt ons and a cam will do nicely in the street.

The quicker you can get out of the hole, the better off you'll be. A good conveter with a set of gears, 3.90's for example and decent suspension and tires to run and hook up in the street will do more than the bol56t ons will for a light to light run. Or the track.

I look at it in this type of fashion;

The 1st to leave the line has the edge. Most races are won and lost at the light.

1st one to 100 mph has a decidedly good edge and now must be run down at the big end. So, first one to 100 mph has an edge.

The longer you can stay in it without popping the engine at red line, the better chance you'll have at the big end. Enter good valve train and stiffer springs.
 
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