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351 Cleveland Power.

S

southern_boy

Member
I don't know where I should post this exactly because it has to do with two different components, I want to know what I could do to my 1973 4V 351 Cleveland to get enough horsepower and torque to be sure that I can probably beat almost any car in my town or in a few counties in a race. But I also want to still have a smooth, great handling vehicle. So this is where it gets tricky on where to post it.

1:What can I do to my engine to have enough horsepower and torque to where I can be confident that I can most likely beat any car in my town or the next few counties? Example: Headers, Heads, Ignition, Exhaust etc.

2: What can I do to be sure that my car will still be a comfortable ride?

Im gonna post this in the Suspension/brakes thread, just to be sure.
 
No matter how you build it, there will always be one faster.

You kinda need to know what you are up against. I saw a WRX last night that was super fast...........

I suggest to build it where you like it and have fun. Read up on different setups from engine builders and learn what you can. Then start building.
 
"AzPete" said:
No matter how you build it, there will always be one faster.

You kinda need to know what you are up against. I saw a WRX last night that was super fast...........

I suggest to build it where you like it and have fun. Read up on different setups from engine builders and learn what you can. Then start building.
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I realize the fact that there will always be a bigger and badder something out there. But I want to be able to be fairly confident that mine will be able to take almost anything in a few counties. lol. I don't know if I should opt for some different heads or keep the original 4V heads. I'm pretty sure I will put headers on it, but what else could I do?
 
Old school would be a heavy cam, aluminum heads, headers, intake, pistons, carb...........rear end gears and a good tranny.

New school could be NOX,

In between school could be turbo, supercharger or even a modern engine.

Fast costs money. How much horsepower you want will be determined by how much money you put into it.
 
"AzPete" said:
Fast costs money. How much horsepower you want will be determined by how much money you put into it.
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And whether or not you venture into Fort Bend County :craz
 
Good advice already in this thread. Building the fastest car in multiple counties is going to cost you a bundle, so I hope you're independently wealthy. I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but that's just a goal that's going to be near impossible to meet.

Figure out how fast you want it to go, then build that. You'll be much happier meeting a realistic goal, and a lot better off, financially, in the end.

My goal with my '69 was to build a 12 second car that was streetable enough for my wife to drive. Best run to date was 13.061 @ 113.061 mph (no, that's not a typo ... the ET and MPH matched to the hundredths) on BF Goodrich Radial T/A's. I have since done some tuning and have a new carb. Now all I need is some form of traction and I meet the 12 second goal (I have zero traction on these tires). The car has 354.3 HP at the rear wheels, with 416.13 ft. lbs. of torque. You simply cannot use that much power on the streets without killing yourself and everyone around you.
 
Read up on turbos and build a bulletproof bottom end. Increase the boost as needed but you'll find that you will have to tub out the rear of the car and use slicks to get any kind of traction that is usable on the street.
 
351C 4V heads are GTG as is. They'll flow just as well as most aftermarket heads.

Headers, a 650DP Holley, a 3.50 TracLok rearend, a good tune-up and sticky tires and you should be able to keep up with most of the cars you'll come across.
 
My dentist has a Ford GT that is putting almost 1000hp to the ground. There are cars in Houston that can put the spank to him.

Take John's advice and set some more realistic goals.
 
Even better. Buy last months issue of muscle car review. It has a step by step build of a 351C that will give you a 460hp engine for less than 3K. Of course its what was mentioned above about aluminum heads etc. BTW I already told you this. First thing is get a steady job to help you pay for your dreams. And as I told you, no girlfriends until you are finished, they cost too much.
 
"Fordication" said:
Even better. Buy last months issue of muscle car review. It has a step by step build of a 351C that will give you a 460hp engine for less than 3K. Of course its what was mentioned above about aluminum heads etc. BTW I already told you this. First thing is get a steady job to help you pay for your dreams. And as I told you, no girlfriends until you are finished, they cost too much.
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Yes I remember what you told me lol.
 
"Fordication" said:
And as I told you, no girlfriends until you are finished, they cost too much.
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And they don't ever get less expensive :craz

Pick one fume at a time - gas fumes or perfume.
 
"southern_boy" said:
1:What can I do to my engine to have enough horsepower and torque to where I can be confident that I can most likely beat any car in my town or the next few counties? Example: Headers, Heads, Ignition, Exhaust etc.

2: What can I do to be sure that my car will still be a comfortable ride?
Click to expand...

To #1, NOTHING!... You can have over 600 hp and still get spanked by a 4cyl. :lol
Learning to pick your matches is the best thing you can do.

#2... Use Rollers mounts in the front end with good springs and shocks on all 4 corners.
 
Yep. I have not gotten there with him yet. He first has to do the basics and then he can go to the next step. I told him to fix his engine starting problem and get the car out of the pasture first.
 
"Fordication" said:
Yep. I have not gotten there with him yet. He first has to do the basics and then he can go to the next step. I told him to fix his engine starting problem and get the car out of the pasture first.
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Its not in the pasture, it just looks like one. Its next to my house.
 
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