Muscular Cars....

that valient was also one of the most dangerous car it handled pretty badly, i think it got alot to do with the slant-6 (straight6 but leant over on an angle) which made /transmitted so much torque on a weak frame/body that it nearly twist...as the back end of the car would get VERY light and bouncy....scary!! have a friend who had one he told me about it. but yup the E49 was quick it never won races probably because the late Peter Brock never drove it also the Toranas was more compact thus better handling.
 
In my first marriage, we had 92 Camaro T-Top with a 305 EFI engine, we were divorcing and I gave up the car because of GMAC in the city were ripping some of us off since they did not have the proper system to keep track of all payments and people stealing the money. Plus I did not want to be reminded of that insane woman I married by mistake. I regret it later that I shouldn't have given that car up because I liked the way it managed the curvy road at 80 mph...I would have paid it off and put in a 406 small block, upgrade the rest in it. Other then that, I had a 79 Oldsmobile Cutlass with 77 camaro 350 engine and transmission. I bought it for 1,000 bucks and tuned the engine to run right. It has no rust, no dent or anything but it looked like a nice grandma car so I switched the wheels on it to make it look like it is my car. LOL. Clocked it in 14s not bad as a high school car. Drove it at top speed of 145 mph from Kansas City to Omaha, Neb. almost all the way with 5 friends riding. Fun car. Wrecked it in heavy rain storm going 80 mph, saved the engine and parts for the 79 Malibu. Bought the Malibu for 900 bucks, restored the body and had it for about six years. I also had 88 Chevy Beretta 3.1 MFI, upgraded cylinder heads and MFI throat. Sold it.

At this moment, I would get me the new Camaro and upgrade the engine to the maximum.


I used to like Ferraris because of their exotic style but they are slower then our american built corvettes. I have things for exotic cars. I would do anything to drive McLaren F1s, Bugatti Veymour and Lamborghinis.
 
wow, you're certainly are clued up about your chevys, im impressed. You know alot more about engines than id ever know.
curious how come you dont like 383 (stroker with bigger cranks- i think you're right there)

The camaro is my brother-in-law's 68' - soon when my sister sends me the picture id upload it here to show you :) its nice with an unusual colour - you'd see soon

LOL i liked your story of the sleeper cutlass. its good, must have been a bit of gem that one.
 
Grummer said:
wow, you're certainly are clued up about your chevys, im impressed. You know alot more about engines than id ever know.
curious how come you dont like 383 (stroker with bigger cranks- i think you're right there)

The camaro is my brother-in-law's 68' - soon when my sister sends me the picture id upload it here to show you :) its nice with an unusual colour - you'd see soon

LOL i liked your story of the sleeper cutlass. its good, must have been a bit of gem that one.
Click to expand...

I did a lot of stuff with the Oldsmobile and the Malibu. The olds I did a lot of daring stunts and events in it which carries good memories. The Malibu is car with most experiences.

The reason we dont like 383 is the crankshaft journal is different sized then the 350 and 400. The parts we like to use the most doesnt work right with the 383. We just do not like the way it runs. So we stuck with 350 and 400 blocks. Can you image you can outrun a blown 454 big block just running a 350 small block engine? It happened few times. LOL. My brother had the same experiences but in big dogs league down on the streets (midnight runs)... funny thing, is that I keep seeing shock or pissed face expressions on the guys when they dont expect something extreme out of the cars like we have. So why show off? eh.

Honest, you guys are doing just fine, you guys impressed me just enough. I know few guys around our ages that digs as deep as we all do. I know a guy that lives nearby, he drives a 97 Mustang with 351 W supercharged pumping 500+ horsepower backed up by 3 speed transmission and low ratio rearend (gears # forgotten) and other guy who does more to his down in Arkansas. There is lot guys like that with all kinds of cars like Fords, Chevys and the classics.
 
I remember those chargers, but getting less and less...

I have pictures of my cars.

The one posted was my first car.. 79 Oldsmobile Cutlass with 350 small block chevy and transmission, dual exhausts, the wheels were custom painted by me to match the car besides leaving wired caps on cheap wheels looking like a grandma car..jeez not so me. Taken in Nov 92 as part of my senior picture just about a month before I wrecked the car. The red one is 79 Chevrolet Malibu.. the paint was maroon, I painted it in name Catell Metallic.. it is more of color of rose with metallic tone in it..has 350 engine in it... three of them..the last one was 350 upgraded to H.O. and pumping 380 hp...twisted the rear frame off the line after few months on the street... parked it for two years then rusts start eating up the quarter panel.. I need to replace the frame.. no money... got kids... took it apart.. for my fathers two cars and my bros car. tsk.

Forgot to mention I almost bought a 73 Camaro z28 red with black stripes but I was one hour too late.. the guy sold it to other guy..
 
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On my next hunt, my dream to get or build from scratch will be these three.. 55 Chevrolet Belaire, 67 Chevrolet Nova (Chevy II), and 34 Chevrolet Coupe but any good chevy will do it.. these are just three of my top 10 favorites.
 
TheWhiteTiger said:
I did a lot of stuff with the Oldsmobile and the Malibu. The olds I did a lot of daring stunts and events in it which carries good memories. The Malibu is car with most experiences.

The reason we dont like 383 is the crankshaft journal is different sized then the 350 and 400. The parts we like to use the most doesnt work right with the 383. We just do not like the way it runs. So we stuck with 350 and 400 blocks. Can you image you can outrun a blown 454 big block just running a 350 small block engine? It happened few times. LOL. My brother had the same experiences but in big dogs league down on the streets (midnight runs)... funny thing, is that I keep seeing shock or pissed face expressions on the guys when they dont expect something extreme out of the cars like we have. So why show off? eh.

Honest, you guys are doing just fine, you guys impressed me just enough. I know few guys around our ages that digs as deep as we all do. I know a guy that lives nearby, he drives a 97 Mustang with 351 W supercharged pumping 500+ horsepower backed up by 3 speed transmission and low ratio rearend (gears # forgotten) and other guy who does more to his down in Arkansas. There is lot guys like that with all kinds of cars like Fords, Chevys and the classics.
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The diameter sizes of the main journals for a 400 crankshaft is 2.649" standard and 3.750" stroke, can be ground to the 350 main journals (2.449" diameter) to make a 350 block to be a 383 CID stroker and excellent low end torque. I used to ground the SBC 400 crankshafts to the 350 main journals upon customer requests. I was a crankshaft grinder expert for engine rebuilding company for years (very long time ago). The 383 stroker is not my taste. I like a 327 and 350. :cool2:
 
deafsmogtech said:
The diameter sizes of the main journals for a 400 crankshaft is 2.649" standard and 3.750" stroke, can be ground to the 350 main journals (2.449" diameter) to make a 350 block to be a 383 CID stroker and excellent low end torque. I used to ground the SBC 400 crankshafts to the 350 main journals upon customer requests. I was a crankshaft grinder expert for engine rebuilding company for years (very long time ago). The 383 stroker is not my taste. I like a 327 and 350. :cool2:
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a 400 crankshaft in 350 block is a 377. We use different thickness of bearings for the journals but some are the same, you have to be extra careful because not all 350s and the 400s block carry the same size all round including the bore. The measurements you gave out is approximately. 327s are stronger then the strokers. Those engines were very popular in the 60s and 70s. I used to have a 305 small block, it happens to allow a pair of 350 cylinder heads to fit right on without a problem with the studs. We put on stock heads with upgraded values of 2.02/1.60 and customized camshaft.. it convinced a lot of people that it was a 350 by the way it sounds. It was very weak engine but we got it clocked at 13.8... daily driven running 13 city/17 hwy until the rods broke and bent the crankshaft... u know the rest..so we put in a 350.... you sound like you have done your work with cars.. what you got on hand and experiences?
 
TheWhiteTiger said:
a 400 crankshaft in 350 block is a 377. We use different thickness of bearings for the journals but some are the same, you have to be extra careful because not all 350s and the 400s block carry the same size all round including the bore. The measurements you gave out is approximately. 327s are stronger then the strokers. Those engines were very popular in the 60s and 70s. I used to have a 305 small block, it happens to allow a pair of 350 cylinder heads to fit right on without a problem with the studs. We put on stock heads with upgraded values of 2.02/1.60 and customized camshaft.. it convinced a lot of people that it was a 350 by the way it sounds. It was very weak engine but we got it clocked at 13.8... daily driven running 13 city/17 hwy until the rods broke and bent the crankshaft... u know the rest..so we put in a 350.... you sound like you have done your work with cars.. what you got on hand and experiences?
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You are correct that the a 400 crankshaft in a 350 block is a 377 CID. It is standard 4.000" bore. The 383 CID is .030" oversized cylinders of the 350 block (4.030"), I think.
The formula for CID (Cube Inch Displacement) is:
BORE X BORE X.7854 X STROKE X numbers of CYLINDERS= CID

I worked for engine rebuilding company as an automotive machinist (most crankshaft grinder) for 13 years then changed my career to be a mechanic.
Today I work for gas station as a certified ASE master technician and licensed smog check technician for years but I first tasted to be a mechanic when I was about 8 years old cuz my uncles were mechanics.
 
deafsmogtech said:
You are correct that the a 400 crankshaft in a 350 block is a 377 CID. It is standard 4.000" bore. The 383 CID is .030" oversized cylinders of the 350 block (4.030"), I think.
The formula for CID (Cube Inch Displacement) is:
BORE X BORE X.7854 X STROKE X numbers of CYLINDERS= CID

I worked for engine rebuilding company as an automotive machinist (most crankshaft grinder) for 13 years then changed my career to be a mechanic.
Today I work for gas station as a certified ASE master technician and licensed smog check technician for years but I first tasted to be a mechanic when I was about 8 years old cuz my uncles were mechanics.
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Yes that is right, and it is good to know that you have some experience and a job in the field. I know about the math, I just avoided it so many time to prevent confusing people with it so I have the habit to talk simple about the engines and other stuff. I grew up homeschooled in mechanic and body works.. my father is professional mechanic who born to be. He taught me about everything he knows and interpreted all the sounds to vibrations and what people will say when they hear it.. etc. So I knew how to do the work and body works on the cars old fashioned. I am not using it as a job.. I use it as experience and knowledge input.. use it as hobby and skills at use. People was like how can it be for deaf people to build cars with a good engine to beat us. I was like what? are you dumb? :lol:

We do not build engines to run like stock or sound like one.. lots of people were amazed on how it sounds and wondered how and what we did with the engines. I was saying I do not know how to do it your way because I was taught to do my father's way. :shrug:
 
heres the camaro
my sister finally sent me an email

camaro.jpg
 
Grummer said:
heres the camaro
my sister finally sent me an email

camaro.jpg
Click to expand...

That looks like a 68 Camaro Z28. I always have the thing for a natural royal blue with front black stripe like that but a '67 with rally wheels that runs on a 350 small block with everything original.
 
thisw may be crazy since im only 14 and thus was born in '95 but i absolutely freakin' love the old 1949 chevy fleetlines
i also like the 89 chevy camaro rs, the 1970 chevy chevelle, the plymouth barracuda, the plymouth roadrunner, the nova.
My dad has a friend from work who is willing to sell us his 89 camaro rs, with performance upgrades that cops put on it cuz it was an undercover cop car, for $550.
 
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