An87442

I am looking to build a 355 sbc that will run 10.50NA and maybe hit a high 9 with a 100-150 shot. I will hopefully be starting with a newly acquired low mile 78 Z/28. I have an old sbc sitting in the garage waiting for a good donor body. The current build was set up as a little street brawler to run 12's at the track. I never took it to the track after being built. That project got abandoned as I bought a house and a Grand National 8 years ago. Sold the 77 Camaro body and kept the motor for a future project. That future project may be now. I have been running the GN in the 11's for 3 years now but won't take it much further due to not putting a cage in it. I want the new build to go 9's & 10's. I would love to keep it a 4 spd car but my Muncie M21 can't continually take that kind of power so I plan to go with a TH350 properly built with a 3500-4000 stall with 4.11 gears and 33 spline mosers and Eaton posi.
The current motor has:
1970 010 4 Bolt Main Block bored 0.030
194cc heads with a lot of work done
Comp Cams 280Hyd Cam .480 lift 110lobe sep.
Stock Rods resized and conditioned/balanced
9.7 Compression with TRW forged pistons
750 Holley Vac/2nd & Edlebrock Performormer Intake

Intention is to throw a good forged crank in it w/ billet main caps. Go with some AFR210 heads and use my Harland Sharp Roller Rockers. Put a Victor or World Products single plane intake and MSD 6AL box. Maybe go with a Quick Fuel or Demon Carb. Throw a 100-150 shot plate on it. And an electric water pump.

Questions:
Is the 280 cam enough and nitrous friendly?(Never used NO2, turbos have been my great equilizer)
Will stock rods hold up to the abuse (everything is ARP wave loc bolts)?
Is the compression too low (w/1.94 heads) to get me there?
Will it be durable and streetable?

Any parts suggestion and experience are welcome and appreciated. Suspension mods and brakes will also be upgraded appropriately. I have been so into the Buicks for the last 8 years that I almost forgot the bore and stroke of the tried and true SBC.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

What you want will require a few things.

1 A really light car, 2500 lbs would be great

2 Deep gear and suspension

3 A solid roller with 13 to 1 compression with HUGE heads and all the expensive forged equipment to support the RPM

4 A really solid bad *** ignition to keep up

There is just not enough cubic inches to make it happen easier.

An87442

Really? A sbc is that difficult to get a sub 10.50 time slip? I can change my turbo and upgrade the tranny in my GN and go 10.50 all day the way it sits.

In reference to your comments that are appreciated.
Car weight will be roughly not be cut. So ~3300lbs. This is not a tube chasis build. It is a slightly modified 78 Z/28

How deep of a gear? 4.56 or steeper?

Solid Roller cam above 13:1? Steetability declines quickly for pump gas driving. No problem going solid or roller cam set up though. AFR210 aren't good enough? Suspension will be addressed.

What ignition system are you sugeesting?

Should I go a stroker motor for cubes?
Thanks
Barry

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

650 HP would be required to go 10.50 in the 1/4, so all the above i mentioned is required to get it there.

Your turbo car is working on a power adder VS N/A, so it is a straight advantage. The torque numbers are thru the roof too.

If you can do a stroker, you will need less RPM to make the power, then you can sacrifice things as such high compression. A 383 can make 550 HP on 93 octane, but the extra 100 H will need more cubes or once again, high compression losing the ability to run pump gas.

STOCK12SECZ

iTrader: (42)

Ya its no cake walk to get a NA SBC under 400 cubes to run 10s in a 3500 car. My 383 has a fairly good size solid roller, AFR non ported 210 heads and only 10.1 compression. It runs in the 10.8 to 10.9 range NA in my 3600 Lb 91Z28 with only 3.73 gears and a 4500 stall. It could be quicker with 410s and lightened up for sure. But its a great driver. This is a street driven set up on pump gas. I think you need atleast a 383 to help get you there. Or a very light car.

I happen to be thinking of selling my motor to switch to a LSX setup. Which may be exactly what your looking for. Pm if your interested I can shoot you all the details. Good luck with your set up!

topend

no its not difficult to make a sbc go 10.50 in a decent weight car .Your just talking to the wrong ppl (aka LSx is the only way crowd). Look into 18/15/12 and some 23 degree(all pro, brodix ,dart) cylinderheads. i would suggest talking to local speed/machine shops.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

Unfortunately i dont own anything with a LSx in it, never have.

Asking allot of 350 cubes, takes allot and it is not cheap.

More cubes will help ALLOT.

87silverbullet

iTrader: (11)

On pump gas, with 355 cubes you can't make 3300 lbs go 10.50 on motor. Even with those heads you mentioned.

Light car, with those heads, and putting it on the ragged edge on pump gas compression (11.5-12:1) it might be doable.

cambirdracing

iTrader: (4)

You can do it with cast iron heads and about 12 to 1 and solid flat tappet cam in a 3000 lbs car. You just have to have the suspension set up properly in it. My little bro did it for years in his 72 Nova with ladder bars and 13/31's. Until he blew it up.

Rogue86

iTrader: (14)

Have a custom cam ground for it. Shelf stuff sucks in my opinion.

My junk goes 7.50 on motor, but 6.1 on a 150 shot. 3000lb car.

377, untouched 215cc Iron Eagles, 13:1, Super Victor, Pro Systems 4150 carb, 1-3/4 headers.

Paul Huryk

A 1979 Z28 is going to be a 3700 to 3800lb car; way too heavy to push into the 10's with a 350 that isn't going to be reved to 8,000rpm. If the car weighed 3,200 and you stuck in a 550hp 406, then you would be in the ballpark.

BTW, the parts you mention are not even going to crack 400hp in a 350.

Rogue86

iTrader: (14)

210cc AFR's can't make 400 hp? I beg to differ. And I doubt an aluminum headed sbc camaro is going to weigh 3700 lbs.

To the OP, go check out the forums on yellowbullet.com. You'll find much better info on sbc stuff than you will on an lsx dominated site.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

Yea, bull ****, you can get 425 HP from stock vortec heads, so you know those AFRs will make way more.

An87442

Well I will find out Monday of I am getting the car. For the moment, I am just going to add a 150 shot to the my 355 and put a forged crank in it. I will also do the rear suspension, tie the frame and take care of disc brakes in the rear. In the meantime I think I will look for a 454 to build up. I will just run the SBC while the build is being done. The car will be street driven and raced so durability is important. I know I can get the small block in the 10's NA given I have 2 buddies that have achieved it (1 goes 9.90NA w/23` heads)

Rogue86

iTrader: (14)

If you're only spraying 150, you probably don't need to spend the money on a forged crank. Something else will let go long before the crank does.

An87442

You are probably right but the cast crank in it now was turned 10/10 but at the upper limits of the specs. When the crank wore in after break in, it was out and I began losing oil pressure when I revved the motor. I would rather go forged now for the fact that I like a stout bottom end. Better rods at a later time if more power is in the sbc future.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

I do forged pistons and rods before i upgrade the crank.

An87442

Pistons are already forged, just not the rods.

AutoRoc

Goodluck, nice to hear you have a plan for the SBC and better future plans.

I've seen stock rods/crank go FAR beyond what GM intended them for. Well into the single digits in heavy heavy cars. I've also seen stock rods bend with head/cam LT1 engines with 150+ shots.. What makes them live? I dont know!! If you get a steal of a deal on a crank, some Scat I-beams with 7/16" bolts are a nice investment and a cheap compliment to a forged crank.

You have to take this forum as any... with a big grain of salt.

Zone... 2500lbs? 13:1? Why not 15:1? WTF is a solid bad *** ignition? Are these the tricks that got you in the 10's??

An87442

Car has been purchased. Let the building process begin