How to get 18 hp?

moneypit94

Active Member
May 23, 2003
1,723
2
39
Macomb, IL
Well im REALLY wanting to hit 500 horse but dont want to spend too much to do it...

I know i could probably just through on a smaller S/C pulley but i think im pushing it with the 9.7:1 compression now, on pump gas anyway.

I have the 80mm pro-m MAF and 70mm tb. Along with ported heads.. I have LT headers and offroad h-pipe and flowmaster cats-back..

Im thinking of upgrading my headers and going to 3" exhaust... But thats quite a bit of money and i don't know if that will make the extra 18 or not?

Another thing is my cam was setup for a NA setup, I have asked Ed about this and he really didn't say much just that if i upped the boost any more i should consider a swap. With his trade in policy its only 150 to get another one. Im sorta thinking about this cause i think if i peaked a couple hundred rpms more i would have no problems.. Im peaking around 5200 now.

I would also assume there is a little left in the tuning, but i have heard rumors that the place i take my car too is going bankrupt and the closest place besides them is like 300+miles away.

Any ideas?

here is a list of parts:

Vortech s-trim
AFM Power Pipe
Systemax intake
ported trick flow track heat heads
FTI Cam
80mm MAF
70mm TB
mac lt's
mac o/r h-pipe (how much would an x pipe improve anything?)
custom superchip
msd box
 
I have talked to guys with setups just like mine, except they have a cam with around a .525 lift, and they are making 470+rwhp. These setups are very conservative with stock Edel/TFS heads and ported Cobra intakes. Your 331 with the heads and intake you have should easily make 500rwhp, unless your cam is the problem. A 5200rpm peak is pretty low for those parts. Get the right cam so your peak power is around 5600rpms and you should see a major power increase.
 
u could switch to a fox body T/B setup. they make a good 5-10 hp on a NA combo over our T/B setup. so if you have forced induction i would think that you could pick that much up. a different cam would do the job. your peaking way too low. a blower cam would do the trick, but don't forget gaskets cost money too.
 
Maybe a switch to some free flowing mufflers such as Dynomax Ultra flows, that should pick up some lost power.

More timing, and race fuel, should do it. Pulley would be the easy way to 500+, if the tune will allow for it.
 
Did you actually degree the cam in or just throw it in at 0*? If not, degree it in exact and set it to the retarded centerline. That should help up stairs power.
 
Grn92LX said:
Did you actually degree the cam in or just throw it in at 0*? If not, degree it in exact and set it to the retarded centerline. That should help up stairs power.
the cam was degreed in to the specs and not with the intake centerline methode. It is a NA cam though.. Might be a good idea to retard the cam a few degrees, to push the powerband up in rpms, and see what happens though.