Thread: 350 horsepower tips

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i still havent got an answer about the exhaust h-pipe or x pipe or just straight pipes which creates more power?and what exactly does the msd ignition box do should i get one?

Originally posted by mrbee
i still havent got an answer about the exhaust h-pipe or x pipe or just straight pipes which creates more power?and what exactly does the msd ignition box do should i get one?

the x pipe will be a better choice over the H pipe, the x will flow better. the idea of a crossover pipe is to equalise the 2 exhaust sides. I think I remember reading that it was proven to increase hp over just running without.

an MSD ignition box, can do lots of things it depends on which you choose. im not going to recomend any, because it's basicaly how much you want to spend and what features you want.

go to www.msdignition.com spend some time there and read. you will learn a lot more about what is best for you.

I hope this has answered your question. good luck.

Unless u have 10 grand in your engine ,u will not know the differance in exaust styles, ,just go with the duels!!!!The reason its soggy and boggy is that cam!U will have no bottom end with that cam

You are looking for scraps when you are hungry for steak...

Things like an MSD and a cross pipe are the LAST things you need to do. They all help you make better power but won't get you where you need to be. The cross pipe enhances the dual exhaust system by balancing the the pressure between the pipes. We tend to think of exaust as flow or a stream, it's not. It's more like separate pulses from each cylinder firing at as much as 8000 times a minute. Think of this as if you are in the shower with a shower massage head. Put it on the pulse setting... It's violent and shakes the head and physically vibrates,
this vibration, as well as the back pressure it creates it is robbing you of power. The cross pipe reduces this.

MSD or Multiple Spark Discharge is a capacitor based (electronic) ignition which fires a very high energy spark over a longer duration (time and distance) of crank rotation, up to 20 degrees. The result is a better, smoother more powerfully running engine than a points based or in your case OEM electronic ignition. An MSD in your case would be somewhat better than your OEM electric unit, being more stable at HIGH (over 5000 rpm) RPM. You have a good electronic system in your car now. It could be better, but it is a small improvement in your case. Your car will run a little better with an MSD but again you are looking at scraps when what you need is a steak.

The SBC is perhaps the most produced and refined V-8 in the world with over 50 years of continuous production... Anyone can build a 500 hp 350 with in stock parts from either summit or jegs. Find a 4 bolt main block at pick and pull, get it freshened with the best rods and pistons you can afford (9.5:1 enless you want to run on premium all the time) Bolt on a set of edelbrock heads and a RPM Performer intake and go tear it up.

Don't waste your time trying to improve what you have enless you just crave the exercise, and there is nothing wrong with that.

this is my first engine build. the guy that built my engine says that the cam is a 292 but iI wonder if it is a performance cam at all because the car still doesnt have a real choppy idle like i think it should have, or want it to have anyway. Do you guys think that maybe he didn't put a performance cam in it at all and just charged me for it or could it be another reason why my car doesn't have that choppy idle to it? could this be just some tunining needed to be done to the carburater or something like this? Also could someone explain a little more on the cranking pressure test that someone suggested. Thanks for all the help guys!

Originally posted by mrbee
this is my first engine build. the guy that built my engine says that the cam is a 292 but iI wonder if it is a performance cam at all because the car still doesnt have a real choppy idle like i think it should have, or want it to have anyway. Do you guys think that maybe he didn't put a performance cam in it at all and just charged me for it or could it be another reason why my car doesn't have that choppy idle to it? could this be just some tunining needed to be done to the carburater or something like this? Also could someone explain a little more on the cranking pressure test that someone suggested. Thanks for all the help guys!

A 292 has a rough idle. If you had a 292, you wouldn't question it as for as performance sound. It hits so hard that it sounds like popcorn popping.

A cranking pressure test is a fancy way of saying do a compression test on the engine. Get a compression tester, pull the spark plugs, wire the carb wide open, screw the compression tester hose into the plug hole., snap the gauge on and turn the engine over till the gauge quits climbing. Read the compression, write it down, release the pressure and repeat for every other cylinder. When done, compare readings. A good engine will not vary 5 lbs. between highest and lowest reading.

Cranking pressure will tell a lot about your engine. If your using a stock HEI ignition and stock HEI components, you can upgrade your existing distrubutor with out pulling it. You need to change the module and coil. Go with Accel, they're cheapest and they work.
For exhaust crossovers to be most effective, you need to run a H-pipe as close to the collectors as possible. I set mine up to bolt on the collector with a tee on each side. The pipe bolts to the other side of the tee. I got my kit from Jeg's and it came with a straight tube and a curved tube to go under the trans. It works great. It was pretty cheap also. You have to buy extra flanges though. Ray

I am thinking of changing to a 700r4 tranny. anyone can tell me if these are better or stronger trannys?? Maybe the guy that built my engine lied to me about the cam being a 292 because someone said i would automatically notice the idle. From a cold start it has that rough idle but when it warms up its not that rough. I wish I had the tools to take the engine apart and get the knowledge of doing some of the work myself because i want to learn. These engine builders think they are slick I wonder if all my internal parts are new like they are suppose to be.If i went up to a 400 crank on my 350 what would that do for my engine when i get some new heads??just wondering!thanks for all the help. Techinspector i would like to get some feedback from him he seems to know his stuff. Anyone know i i can get in touch with him to respond to my thread?

mrbee, I've been following along on this thread and you've gotten good advice here. You installed the long cam in hopes that the motor would idle choppily in order to impress other people who don't know any better. That's the bottom line. Little did you realize that it just isn't that simple. You now have a turd of a motor on your hands because the cam doesn't compliment the compression ratio of the motor.

The most important point on a cam lobe is the intake closing point. This point MUST be coordinated with the static compression ratio of the motor. What you have done, in your attempt to impress other people, is to install a cam with an intake closing point which is much too late for the c.r. of your motor. The motor simply is not capturing enough fuel/air charge to make sufficient cylinder pressure to make a strong motor.

In order to do properly what you wanted to do, have a lumpy idle to impress the geeks but still have a strong motor, it would have been necessary to match the static compression ratio to the longer cam and use a looser converter to get the motor into the rpm range where the cam starts to make power. A set of stiffer gears will also help performance.

Here's a link to a thread where the same thing was taking place. I got a little hot under the collar when answering this initially, because I don't care for posers who don't have a clue what they're doing.

I think it's unfortunate that some people, like you, who don't necessarily have enough experience to know the difference in cams and the way they work, are counseled to install a lumpy cam with a low compression ratio.

Whoever bought the parts for you should have been a stand-up guy and explained to you that your motor was going to be a turd. And the guys who suggested that you should install a lumpy cam with a low c.r. should be tied to a pole and caned.

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/t22019-15&pagenumber=1

if you had read the last statement i said that i dont even think that this is even a 292 cam because it really doesn't have a lumpy idle as I thought it would. when back when i had this guy to build my engine i didn't know the difference and i told him to put in a 292 cam and he said that this is whats in their. but it doesn't sound like it. it really doesn't sound like he put a performance cam in it at all, but it does sound pretty good just not like a 292. Knowing what i have learned now i wouldn't have told him to put that big cam in it anyway. Like i said i wish i had the tools to take the engine apart myself and see exactly what internal parts he put in and see if they are even new parts like they are supposed to be. thats the bad part when you dont have anyone to teach you how to do the work yourself these engine guys can tell you anything. My car is a little slow at the take off and when it get into 2nd gear it has pretty good power then when it changes into third it seems like it doesn't have anymore power for a while and then it finally starts to pick up some more speed. Tis is with the pedal almost to the floor. I wonder could this have anything to the accelerator pump or something like that. I have a 350 tranny with 2200 stall.I still haven't did anything to the rearend so its stock but im gonna find someone to do that next week.I'm still learning things and i dont think nothings wrong with that Techinspect. I wasn't nessicarily trying to impress anyone just wanted a good sound and good power but I 'm still learning from you and other people glad to find people to teach me im 22 and ill be glad when i get all the toll and the knowledge to do a lot of my work myself then i will know for sure what all i have. tell me what you think about my power loss in third gear.

Originally posted by mrbee
if you had read the last statement i said that i dont even think that this is even a 292 cam because it really doesn't have a lumpy idle as I thought it would. when back when i had this guy to build my engine i didn't know the difference and i told him to put in a 292 cam and he said that this is whats in their. but it doesn't sound like it. it really doesn't sound like he put a performance cam in it at all, but it does sound pretty good just not like a 292. Knowing what i have learned now i wouldn't have told him to put that big cam in it anyway. Like i said i wish i had the tools to take the engine apart myself and see exactly what internal parts he put in and see if they are even new parts like they are supposed to be. thats the bad part when you dont have anyone to teach you how to do the work yourself these engine guys can tell you anything. My car is a little slow at the take off and when it get into 2nd gear it has pretty good power then when it changes into third it seems like it doesn't have anymore power for a while and then it finally starts to pick up some more speed. Tis is with the pedal almost to the floor. I wonder could this have anything to the accelerator pump or something like that. I have a 350 tranny with 2200 stall.I still haven't did anything to the rearend so its stock but im gonna find someone to do that next week.I'm still learning things and i dont think nothings wrong with that Techinspect. I wasn't nessicarily trying to impress anyone just wanted a good sound and good power but I 'm still learning from you and other people glad to find people to teach me im 22 and ill be glad when i get all the toll and the knowledge to do a lot of my work myself then i will know for sure what all i have. tell me what you think about my power loss in third gear.

Can you describe your power loss in 3rd gear?

Pull all the spark plugs and wire the primary throttle blades open. Disconnect the coil. Do a compression check on all cylinders so you'll know where you are with this motor. I suspect you'll find very low cylinder pressure across the board due to the mis-match of cam and c.r.

Originally posted by mrbee
i made this post a few days ago and i want to give some of those experts out there a little more knowledege about my engine. Its a 74-75 model 350 engine in a 81 buick regal. looking to get more power out of it. Seems like it has a sort of slow take off. it has headers 1.5 comp roller rockers, edel 650 carb, air gap intake, 292 comp cam, 9 to 1 compression ratio, hooked up to a 350 tranny with 2800 stall. hadnt did anything to the rear end yet but im told this will help alot. It has regular gm heads 72cc. going to change the heads in a couple months. What is the best exhaust to put on it ?it has dual right now but they aren't flowmaster or any thing looking for a better deeper sound. it has cats on the duals right now i was told to cut them off because its to restricted for that and i have a way of getting around the emission test. please give me some help guys!!! i have $2000 in the engine right now and i dont look to spend no more than maybe another grand.Should i use the x pipe exhaust? What exactly does the MSD ignition box do and should i get one?

You state it is slow to take off.What gear do you have?You would also need a stall with at least 3,500 to make this work right.

The power loss is when the tranny shifts to 3rd it seems like it wants to slow down a little for a few seconds. but evenually it picks back up on speed.This is with the pedal to the floor. could this have anything to do with the accelerator pump or does anyone think it could be the tranny. This is a 2200 Stall converter. I'm keep telling you Techinspector that it may not even be a 292 cam because i don't think the idle is that choppy. I think the guy that built my engine may have just charged me the 100 bucks for a performance cam and didn't even put one in their i wont know for sure what it is until i try and see for myself. its a shame you can't trust these engine guys to do what you pay them for.

the car has factory gear for an 81 buick regal which is probably about 2.42 or somewhere in there. gonna replace with a bigger gear though 3.73