[juiced66malibu]

Got a 383 stroker in my 66' Chevelle. Running 373 gear in posi/spool 10 bolt. Have headers, 750 cfm 4150 Holley, 2000 stall, Dart Eagle Heads 200cc, 2.02"/1.60" valves, Hydraulic Comp Cam (Extreme Energy) kinda mild at .477"/.480" lift, 224 @.050 268 degrees/ 280 degrees adv. dur 110/ L/C. 10.25 compression Rod length 6.00", MSD, Forged Pistons; Turbo 350 auto trans. mated to a Gear Vendor. Oh I also have NOS 200 hp dual shot. I have x-pipes that turn down at the axles. Also running on 8" street tires.

Since I am on a budget (aren't we all) what do you racers recommend first for a streetable week-end quarter miler? I will still drive it on week-end cruises and shows. Which of the following will give me the best affortable POWER: Ported Aluminum 215cc heads, a bigger bump stick (range?) and Cam kit; higher Stall 2,800 to 3,200; 4.10, 4.56, 4.88 gears; and/or Cheater slicks?

The engine is rated at 405 hp and 454 torque. Would like to get to 500 hp or more without the NOS but I'll keep the NOS.

 

[bracketeer]

i'm confused

Dart Eagle Heads 200cc?
Ported Aluminum 215cc heads?

If your going to buy an aluminum head, a 70cc head with a flat top piston in a 383 is great. A 64cc head probably won't run on pump gas without detonation.
I don't know anything about NOS.
Rear end size dictates ET vs MPH. The taller the gear the worse the gas mileage. Drag racing is all about ET. For eg; My Vette runs 13.3 @ 112 mph with a (appx) 3.5 rear, my Lemans runs 11.86 @ 109 mph with a 4.71 gear. The vette is faster on the highway but the Lemans will hit the 1/4 in 1.5 sec quicker.

 

[johnsongrass1]

A cam in the [email protected] range.

Or keep the same cam and use 1.6 rocker on the intake with 1.7 on the exhaust. Dart heads will support up to .620 lift with the correct spring. You can't beat cubic inches cept with more gear!

 

[juiced66malibu]

Thanks for the responses. In regards to stall vs. gearing, it sounds like I should invest in the gearing. In regards to the cam in the 240 range I noticed the RPM range goes up to 2,500 - 6,500 or so. Does that mean I should foot brake to about 2,500 - 3,000 rpm for off the line acceleration?

 

[Siggy_Freud]

Well you want to launch as close to your powerband as you can get. Thats where footbraking and your stall converter come into play. A stall properly matched to your cam/engine will allow you to hold it on the line right at the powerband so you can jump right into where your engine is strong. I suppose you already knew that and I am just rambling information at this point lol.

You could change gears seeing as how you have an overdrive. Do you use the gearvendor unit while drag racing? Using it properly, it will keep you in your powerband longer so that when your gears shift, your not dropping out of your powerband. If that makes sense.

You could use a bigger cam, or like johnson said, more lift on the cam you already have. It would keep your powerband the same but give you a bit more of breathing which should help out a bit.

Id personally do the cam and or rockers first and see how you like that before spending the bigger bucks on the rear gears. I dont know that you'd really see that much of a power increase going to some different heads. The Dart 200 heads are a pretty good set.

 

[bracketeer]

my experience

My experience has proven, not to rev the car up when foot braking. With a stall convertor there is a thing called flashing. When you hit the accelerator from idle. The engine will wind up very quickly to the point the convertor grabs. This is called flashing the convertor. In my experience I get better ETs from idle than I do revving the motor up. I have tried launching at different rpms and from idle has always given me my fastest times. I have a 2800 B&M Holeshot in my street car and a 3800 in my bracket car.

 

[280zxWith305]

good posts on stall... i was wondering the very things you guys answered.. bracketeer was right on the money w/my train of thought... one other thing i was wondering.. if you have a decent sized stall.. say... 2500 on a street rod... and barely let on the throttle.. will the car stall like with a manual? the cam i want says it is best w/a 2800 stall.. i was thinking of using a 2500.. i know if you overstall the car will stall... but what if you barely give it throttle.. and have the correct stall.. will it just take a little longer to wind up to the rpm for the car to move? kind of like holding the clutch in and slowly letting off of it.... if i even make any sense at all.. lol

 

[juiced66malibu]

Wow, I received very great responses to my initial question and more education on stall.

Although I have gear vendors, I don't use the gear splitting ability because I am afraid of misshifting at the track. Might embarass myself. Anyway, I use the gear vendor (auto setting) for freeway driving.

In regards to Stall Converter (currently 2000) someone mentioned to me that my 383 stocker doesn't require a bigger stall just go to steeper gears (I have 3.73 - thinking about 4.56 or so).

I am definitely going to invest in a better cam/rocker combo.

As for the track, I'll take Brackette's advice to launch off at idle and at different RPM sets.

Can't wait until Spring racing season starts again.

 

[tresi]

I don't know if you meant that you had a posi or a spool but then again again it doesn't matter. If you have anythng decent for tires the early model ten bolt is sure to fail quickly when you start using the nitrous. It's rather iffy behind a good 383 stroker motor. Rear end gears get weaker when you go to steeper gears. The axles were never that good in the old ten bolts. More gear or anything that would give the engine more torque will just make the axles go quicker. If you're going to use the nitrous sell your 10 bolt to someone with a nice 327 chevelle and build a good 12 bolt rear end.

 

[THADD]

Sounds to me like you need to refine the cars racetrack manners 'cause the engine is probably making more power now than you can get to the pavement.

I would go for a 12bolt (or at least an 8.5 10 bolt) rear first. Next I would add some tires, some gears and some stall.
Your combo is similar to my old S-10. I had a 383 with Vortec heads, a hydraulic roller, a 700R4 and a 4.11 in a 10 bolt with posi. Mine ran 12.37 at over 110 with a really slow 60 foot. If I had kept it, I would have changed the rear end to something that would hold the power and I would have added some sticky tires.

I always figured the the street tires were a safety valve that kept me from crunching that 10 bolt.
Once you get your car to leave hard without any tire spin, then I would go with a longer camshaft. Also, if it is a street runner, don't go for a spool....been there, done that, got a broken axle.

Also, you probably have plenty of head now..changing t o an expensive set of aluminum heads might be a disappointment.

 

[inquiring_mind2]

camshaft

Hello,

If you are going to look into getting a different a camshaft checkout a website called [email protected] They are a very good with matching a cam to your motor. I have gotten one of there cams and I am very inpressed with it. They ask you some questions and then they will either email you or call you with the response. I had them call me so I could talk to him personally. The cam I have runs right around 7200 rpms in a sbc 383 stroker.

Chris

 

[bracketeer]

bracket racing

One other thing I forgot to mention. When foot braking, trying to get the car to leave at exactly 1400 rpm everytime is not easy. Missing your launch window will make your time erratic. You need consistency to win and idle is always consistent.

 

[Siggy_Freud]

True. But thats where a dual stage rev limiter comes in handy. The ability to hold at your launch RPM and have a max RPM limiter, without having to set your idle higher up.

 

[juiced66malibu]

I've going with the following upgrades for my Malibu: Roller Cam, cam kit, springs, 2800 stall and port head work on my Dart Iron Eagles. The cam will be in the 240 degrees @ .50 range. Estimate power will be in the 500 hp range.