Help For The New Guy

[Mickie_6TH_GeaR]

Hey guys whats a crakin? Im the new guy here and i need some advise/help. I just picked up a 68' Fastback w/ the 289 in it. It needs a BUNCH of work but i got the time and the money(thanks to dad). I want this thing to be a FRIKIN BEAST but the idea is to try to not overload it to the point where id have to weld the frame rails togather to keep the frame from twistng. SO i been playn round with some ideas, were doin exaust for sure, i was gonna go with some JBA shorty headers (if you have any other recomandations please share) also a new manifold, eldebrock, i was toying with the idea of running dual carbs buT like i said this thing cant have too much power, so if u think i should stay with one then tell me. Were also looking into performance cam and any recomendations are welcome. It all bottels down to i dont want to have my frame twisting because of too much power, but i wanna go fast. If any of yall think its worth just welding the rails together then please give me your imput. any other good mods PLEASE SHARE!!! thanks

 

[crushnut]

am i the only one that finds this funny?

 

[cardude]

dont think the 289 will be twisting anything, maybe breaking a few things if it is as bad as it sounds. my suggestion is to think what you want and how much you want to spend and do some research on this board to try and figure this out.

we have all been there in some respect but as you go and burn up a lot of money on things you dont really need for the desired result (as I did being a nooby) you will learn to listen to some of the masters here on the boards and take your time.

if you want to go fast really quickly and dont want to do a lot of work, get a big shot of NOS... but be prepared to replace parts after you do!!

 

[302 coupe]

the chassis should be strengthened regardless of power level. It will make for a tighter and overall sturdier car. Get a good performance braking system, strong chassis, and go through the suspension to get it up to spec. Do the engine last.

Lay off the Fast and Furious while you're at it....you sound like that Dom guy talking about the charger. Not cool.

 

[RajunCajun]

With those mods you stated i doubt youll be "twisting frames" (long as u dont go saying you want to do a off frame restoration youll be fine) I noticed you stated a lot of engine mods although not huge changes in power enough to eventually effect the rest of the driveline so you might also consider if not already strengthing the trans and rear end along with braking for saftey reason among many others.


just my 2 cents

 

[68GEETEE]

add a set of subframe connectors.

 

[68_stanger]

Like these other guys said, I'd start with building a good suspention/brakeing setup, as what good is horsepower if you can't bring it back down safely?
I would reccomend adding a set of subframes anyways to help the chasis out as we are talking about a car thats been around for almost 40 years. However, I would also be changing exhaust about first thing (its gotta sound good afterall). If you do a search on this board you can find out just about anything as its all be discussed before. Its helped me out alot in my project.

 

[D.Hearne]

That's funny, I never twisted anything with my old 2-4bbl 427 in my 67 Fastback.

 

[mfp4073]

To get "twisting power" out of your 289 (which in 68 was a 2bbl version) you will have to do a lot of work. I am at just under 300hp/tq and have no worries about twisting anything. It takes some money and work to get there with a smallblock. Honestly, I would stay far away from the funny gas. You will pay for your power...either up front with a real motor or in the back side with a new motor. There are lots of good upgrades you can do. Suspension (sway bars, shelby drop, springs, etc), brakes (2 or 4 wheel disk, power, etc), and such that will get you a lot closer to an exotic power machine that it sounds like you want to build. Dual 4s are great, but to strap them on a stock internal 289 is a waste and honestly will cost you as much as a good set of heads.

 

[my66coupe]

Well like the other guys said, your not going to get any twisting out of a 289 with those mods. Before the power comes, you need to check out how healthy your engine is. Do a compression check, leak down test, whatever your method is and see how good your rings are holding up.... Do you know how many miles are on the engine? If you have a 2bbl motor, then you probably have dished pistons, and are looking at low compression. If it were me, i would start by, figuring out your current engine. You never know, you might just have flat tops. Call the PO and get some info. I was informed that shorty headers arent the best bottem end power adder. I would go for a nice set of long tubes, Try-Y style. I like headmans personally. Your rear end is probably geared real high, soo find out what gearing you have...there should be a tag on the center-section. What tranny are you running? For the intake it all depends on where you want your power. In the mean time you can upgrade your ignition, get rid of the points and get a petronix electronic igntion, a new petronix coil to match and new wires. Get your current set up (the base/foundation) healthy. Calm down and take a breather, you need to understand that with power, comes unsafe conditions. Your braking, suspention and the crusty 40 year old wiring around it also need to be considered. Where in AZ are you located?

Mike

 

[LMan]