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Third Gen Article
Time was when cars with 300 horsepower was common. Fuel was good stuff and not this mule urine we call gas today. Low compression was 9 to 1, and cars were wild accelerating street demons. This point in time was called the sixties. Sure long hair and grungy clothes were quite common, and the times were a little weird. But it was all worth it to find rough idling GTOs, and sinister looking ram air Trans Ams. Right about the time these rides were getting refined, gas went up and emissions laws got stricter. As time went on horsepower numbers got smaller, and weight numbers got bigger. Since the beginning of hot-rodding people have been buying all of the cheap used cars and souping them up. The days of finding a straight and good running sixty-nine firebird for less than a thousand dollars are long gone. All of the classic cars from the 60s and early 70s are all either taken, ruined or very high priced. So in turn this leaves this generation of hot-rodders with the more affordable rides. The most affordable of the firebirds are the 80s-early 90s models. These f-bodies that were made between the years of 82 and 92 are called third generation or 3rd gen f-bodies.

The new third generation firebird was completely redesigned. It still had good looks like its older brothers. It also now weighed about 500 lbs more its oldest 67-69 brothers. This new firebird had a pathetically weak drive train. But it had good corner carving skills. Even with the new handling advantages it had over the old firebird, it now has different issues with its complicated computers and emissions controls. But worst of all, performance still had to take a backseat to economy and clean air. Still suffering from the power loss hangover from the mid 70s, the once proud firebird was now only equipped to compete in the Mustang battle with little more than 150 horsepower. Performance didn't return until the late 80s when 220 horsepower was supposed to be a lot. To some, 220 horsepower may not seem like a lot but it was still enough to turn the tires into plumes of white smoke. Although the firebird was a bit scrawny, it still stayed ahead of the Mustang. Even though the firebird had gained more power towards the end of the 80s, it was no comparison to the drag-strip demons of the 60s and early 70s.

Fortunately it was equipped with the inexpensive small block Chevy. Unfortunately the early 3rd generation firebird only had a petite 305 small block. The 305 was made when performance was almost a dirty word. Even if the 305 didn't have the reputation of bigger inch engines it could still be made to perform. Albeit the 305 couldn't perform as well as the bigger cubic inch engines the 305 had its advantages over the bigger cube engines, for example better fuel mileage. The small block Chevy is also about the cheapest and easiest engine to modify. Most people HATE the 305 and that is somewhat understandable. But once you think about it the 305 has an undeserved bad wrap. The 305 was made when performance was not the goal. It made its debut in 1976 (I believe) that was not what most consider the performance years. It was put in the 2nd Camaro and the firebird, some of these cars weighed nearly 4000lbs. And most of these heavy weights had high (like 2.41:1) gears. Combine the immense weight with high gears and a lowly 150 horsepower; this would disgust any acceleration fanatic, and place the blame on the motor. But the 305 can be a fine powerhouse with the right components.

Faster, faster, yah mule!

Ok, lets do some figuring. Yeah I hate math too, but we'll have to wade through some of it. Lets say an 85 firebird weighs 3600 lbs, how much power will it take to get this car into the 12s? Here is the formula for our car to do a 12.5 second e.t. Hp required= weight (3600 lbs) divided by 12.5/5.835 to the third power. So this means, 3600 divided by (12.5 divided by 5.835) to the third power (12.5 divided by 5.835=2.142245, 2.142245 must be multiplied by itself 3 times (the third power), it equals 9.8312198). So basically you divide 3600 by 9.8312198.The numbers in parentheses are to be divided first then you use these numbers in the rest of the equation.

12.5 is the desired ¼ mile time. And the 5.835 is a fixed figure (you must use that same number in every problem) don't change it or use another number or the equation will be flawed. What does this equal? 366 horsepower, but keep in mind that tire slippage is not accounted for. While John Force style burnouts are pretty cool, they aren't very good for getting down the strip in minimal time. So depending on skill, traction and gears you can get into the 12s on little more than 360 horsepower. And with a little "beefing up" the crappy ten bolt can handle this. So it is possible to get into the 14s with little drive train protest. These estimates are just a ballpark guess, however there are many variables. If you weigh 350 lbs, and your car has a power-glide, 2.41:1 gears, restricted exhaust and your motor has a short stroke (302/327/283), your time will differ.
Getting a little head

Heads are not the high point of any small block Chevy so these will need to be changed. Vortech heads are an inexpensive alternative and they can make some good power. Vortech heads also require special self-aligning rocker arms or pushrod guide plates; in the long run you will spend about as much money to install the guide plates, as you will on the rocker arms. There are also some performance aluminum heads available for the 305, if you plan on spending that kind of cash you might as well spend a little more and just get a 350 (you know the old adage, there's no replacement for displacement) the power will be easier to come by.

If you choose to "hot-rod" a 305 you will need the appropriate heads. The 305 heads came with a small combustion chamber (52 cc) and small valves (for 2 reasons) 1) small valves help to make low end torque 2) big valves wouldn't fit in the small combustion chamber. If you just bolt on a set of 350 heads with stock compression pistons, (8-8.5:1 with 52 cc heads) your compression will be so low you will only make about 75 horsepower. Plus the bigger valves of the 350 heads will deplete low-end torque. So don't use 350 heads on a 305, unless you want to spend unnecessary cash to modify them and the pistons. You can however use 305 heads on a 350, this is an inexpensive way to raise compression. Bolting a set of 305 heads onto a 350 will raise compression at least 1 point. However there are many variables to this swap. 1) You must leave the pistons "as is" 2) this is also assuming that your block and or heads haven't been milled (some material removed from the deck to ensure that the surfaces are flat or "flush") 3) You must also use a head gasket that is the correct thickness (the thinner the gasket the higher the compression) Small valves help make low-end torque so you could expect a little boost in acceleration.

But this low-end torque isn't free; it's robbed from the high-end of the powerband. 305 heads are good for power up to about 5000 rpm, after that your motor will pretty much run out of breath. So if you have a cam with lobes that look like the Rocky Mountains (more duration than the Bible), and you want a boost in compression, you might as well just get different pistons or get the decks milled. Now if you have a mild cam (short duration low-end torque) that doesn't make power past 5000 rpm 305 heads on your 350 will be a godsend.

Getting the shaft

The camshaft is one of the single most important components in any engine. Too much cam and you will have many downfalls, too small of a cam and you wont make all the power that is possible. One of the most important things to consider when selecting a cam is compression. A 350 can handle a bit more cam than a 305 (this I will highlight in a minute) so you must not confuse them. One of the biggest mistakes people make when building a motor is too big of a cam. There are a million good cams for the 305 but nobody highlights them, well that's what I'm doing now. When you are looking at the specs of a cam, and you look at the power band it will read something like "1500-5400 r.p.m." This figure is estimated for a 350 cubic inch engine, if you put this cam in a 305 the power band will be higher (i.e. 2200-6000 r.p.m.).

For a 305 the most cam that should be used is no more than .481 lift, and no more than 230 degrees duration @ .050. This cam should be used with higher compression about 9.5:1, and steep rear gears. This is an awfully big cam to be used with the 305 but it can be done. This is all the compression that can be used on the street (using pump gas) any higher and you will need 1 of 2 things. 1) Octane booster 2) aluminum heads. An ideal cam for a daily driver 305 would be about .465 lift and 224 degrees duration @ .050 lift. Try to get a little more lift on the exhaust lobe to help out the smaller valves. This cam can handle a bit lower compression like 8.7:1. Too big a cam will make your motor idle like a sweaty pig, and it wont have any low end torque, and to top it all off it will use a whole lot of gas.

So when you choose a cam keep these numbers in mind, .465/. 470 lift, 224/ 228 degrees duration @ .050 lift (for a cast iron headed, daily driver that uses low buck gas) Roller lifters are also worth a few horsepower, but roller lifters require a specially made roller cam and specially made shorter pushrod. 87 and later engines were equipped with roller lifter/cam setups so a roller lifter/cam setup will be cheaper on one of these engines. No matter how you figure it, to put a roller setup in a non-roller motor setup will cost at least .

Oiling/Cooling system

The oiling system is a very important system in any engine. The small block Chevy has a very good oiling system as is, so little or no modifications will need to be done to the oil passages unless your motor will be seeing very hard use. The only thing you must do the oil passages is to make sure they are clear of all abnormal obstructions. A misconceived notion is that a high volume oil pump will increase performance; well it actually reduces performance. Unless you plan on using your f-body to tow a motor home through the mountains, a non-high volume oil pump will suffice. A bigger oil pan couldn't hurt, but it isn't obligatory. But it would be wise to use a good name oil pump, as apposed to a choice cheapie no name oil pump.

Many racers often use the stock oiling system on the small block Chevy. The cooling system on the 3rd gen f-bodies need some help if you have a monster motor slumbering between the fenders. Anything more than a stock 305 will warrant a better radiator. Many aftermarket companies offer 3 row rads for 82-92 firebirds. An oil cooler couldn't hurt things; it will just make the motor run cooler. If you bore an engine, install a bigger engine, or modify an engine to make more power, you will need to perform some adjustments to the cooling system.
If you are going to install that ominous motor you might as well bolt on a set of headers, the factory iron manifolds combined with the single exhaust flow burnt exhaust gasses about as good as a clogged artery with a kink in it. Dual exhaust is possible but it is difficult and it doesn't provide much clearance. But if you must have duals on your 82-92 'bird leave the stock pipe where it is and wrought another pipe down the driveline hump in the floor (on the opposite side of the torque arm) this should provide enough clearance. Then exit the pipe out by the gas tank (if your car already has dual outlets just wrought the pipe in the same place) but make sure it doesn't touch the tank. Remember to make sure that the pipe doesn't touch the underbody of the car either, if it does a fire in the interior carpet is inevitable.

But most people just buy an aftermarket performance single exhaust setup. This is the best way to deal with issues of ground clearance and they don't flow too bad for a single exhaust system. If your 3rd gen is lowered don't even consider the dual exhaust setup, you will rip it off going over a washboard. One other thing to consider when dealing with exhaust is emissions. If you live in an emissions controlled area (look at inductions r us) you will need a catalytic converter on each pipe. If you are going to stick with the single exhaust, you only need 1 pipe. Note that when G.M. started putting a catalytic converter on each pipe (right past the exhaust manifolds) there was an increase in power.

Inductions r us

To gain a few more under hood "ponies" you should get an aluminum intake manifold. Most of the time if a 3rd gen had a carburetor it had an aluminum intake manifold, but not always. The carburetors equipped on these rides were computer controlled, if you are a "meat and potatoes" hot rodder and you like things simple you can pretty much bolt on another carb. The carburetor most often found on these cars was the Rochester Quadra-jet. To get another carb look for most any carb from the 70s. If you switch carbs from a computer controlled to a non-computer controlled you will need to perform a few other tasks (see getting wired) to some other areas of the car. Intake manifolds are another part that must comply with emissions standards; in order to do this you must have an E.G.R (Exhaust gas Recirculation) valve. This device takes un-burnt gasses and puts them back into the motor to burn again; this is a surefire way to reduce emissions without loosing a lot of power. You will need a matching intake manifold, a non-E.G.R. manifold cannot be converted to support an E.G.R, but you can perform a "vice versa" swap.

There were also a lot of third gen f-bodies outfitted with fuel injection. The types of fuel injection are as follows. 1) Crossfire injection. This kind of injection does not work when you are trying to make more power, unless you are leaving your car "as is" it will need to be switched with another type of injection. 2) T.B.I. (Throttle Body Injection) this is a mediocre setup and is capable of supporting good power, it is not the "pick of the litter" of F.I. setups, but it can be made to perform quite well. 3) T.P.I (Tuned Port Injection) this is by far the most versatile of the fuel injections. It can support everything from a 300 cubic inch engine to a supercharged 500 cubic engine and beyond. It also has long intake runners, which promote low-end torque. If swapping from a carb to an E.F.I setup some different wiring will be needed. If you are swapping an aftermarket E.F.I., ask the manufacturer what will be needed. If your car has a fuel injection system (accept crossfire) you can pretty much leave it as is.

If you want a carb setup, there are a lot of intake manifolds to be considered. Single plenum intakes make more peak power, but not a lot of torque below about 3000 rpm. This manifold CAN be used on the street, but it is not advised. Dual plenum manifolds are good through 5000 rpm. They create a very broad torque curve, make more low-end torque and they are very streetable. Single plenum manifolds are best used with a cam that makes power after 2500 rpm, and a 2500-rpm stall converter (at least). A dual plenum can be used with a stock converter (unless you have a high rpm cam) and a low-and torque that makes peak power no later than 6000 rpm. Bottom line, single plenums are best used for racing; dual plenums are for a daily driver.
Third gens can't handle awesome amounts of power, but on the other hand they don't really need to, most of then came with 700-r4 overdrive automatics. And the third gen weighs about 500 lbs more than its bigger brother the 1st gen. The 700 has a very low 1st and 2nd gear and a very high final gear, so in turn you get coffee spilling acceleration and good fuel mileage. Some professional builders can build them to handle 450 lbs torque. But for the more budgeted builder a shift kit will suffice, good for up to 375 lbs torque (depending on application some people put them behind 400 foot lbs small blocks all the time).

There were some 700s that weren't the best choice for a hot-rodding application. If you are doing a retrofit or putting a 700 where there wasn't one, stay away from the ones made from 81-86. These gearboxes were only mediocre at best. The best pick of the litter was the 87-93 units they were upgraded with better pumps and just plain better parts throughout. While the 700 have a reputation of being a weak link, it can take more abuse than you might think. Most 700r4s (except the corvette) had a very "slushy" (soft feeling) shift; a soft shift is actually worse than a firmer shift. When the transmission takes a long time to shift from gear to gear it builds up immense heat, heat is the worst enemy of performance. The transmission takes a long time to shift because the bands are slipping, slipping makes friction, friction makes heat and so on. Anything you can do to make a shift feel harder (assuming you haven't screwed something up) will be better for the transmission.

As I said most not all 3rd gens came with a 700r4, some of these cars came with either a 4-speed or a 5-speed manual, neither one of them will hold up to more than about 250 horsepower. And the dreaded th350-c this tranny was a dud plain and simple, anything more than a v6 will turn it into cheap impression of an atom bomb. However if your 3rd gen has a 5-speed you might be able to swap in a T56 6-speed manual without too much trouble. Unfortunately there isn't much of a way to "beef up" a manual transmission. So if you have a manual in your 3rd gen, swap it out for another tranny.

Torqued off

If you have a motor that has a power band that doesn't start until 2000 rpm, you will need a torque converter with a stall speed of at least 2000 rpm. If you have a torque converter with a stall of 1800 rpm your car will leave the line 200 rpm before it starts to make good power. With a 2000 rpm stall converter you will leave the line only when the converter is turning at 2000 rpm. This will make you leave the line when your motor is closer to its peak power. This will make your E.T.s lower, isn't that what we all strive for in the first place?

You will also need to match your gears to the power band and the torque converter. We need to make up a motor; lets say a 350. On our imaginary engine we will have a big cam, good heads and all the other speed goodies. Our motor makes 368 hp @5600 rpm, and 385 lbs torque @ 5800 rpm. The power band is between 2100 and 6100 (pretty wide) and this wicked motor is between the fenders of our imaginary 85 'bird. We also have a 700-r4 with the appropriate torque converter (2200 stall) we will need some gears that mean business. Probably 3.25:1 or better maybe even like 3.43:1 this will aid in the effort of acceleration. If say 3.08:1s were used with a stock stall converter this thing would be slower off the line than it would if it had proper gears and converter. If you have a higher rpm cam (i.e. one that has no low-end torque), the low 1st gear on the 700r4 will help you accelerate with out loosing cruse ability. If you have a hankering for new gears, ask the manufacturer what the best ratio would be with your combo of parts. I can't stress this enough, your components MUST match or it's all worthless. Your sinister fender shaking idle might impress or even intimidate some, but without the proper gears, converter and other components your little sisters 68 VW beetle could beat you into submission, so pay attention.

Nice Rear end

While the motor could be made into a monster, the rear axle was another story. All of the 3rd gen f-bodies had the disreputable 7 5/8 inch ten bolt rear axle. The motor could be made to make gobs of horsepower but the rear axle could not take the abuse of more than about 325 horsepower. The 7 5/8 ten bolt was put under this performance car, but performance or not a big block and wide tires would easily break the internals to scores of tiny pieces. To put it plainly, these axles are not well renowned for their strength. Some were even equipped with posi-traction; this is a ticking time bomb. It will never go ka-boom when it is convenient, it will break when you are as away from home as you can, be and when you don't have a penny in the world to spend.

But once a person puts some thought into this you might not need a lot of power to get you moving. In order to "beef up" the 10 bolt you will need the following; 1) straight cut ring and pinion (straight cut gears are stronger, but they will make a whining noise) 2) stronger axles, the stock axles are kinda weak. 3) A posi-track or limited slip setup (for better traction) 4) an extensive knowledge of differential building, or an extensive knowledge of differential builders. Contact a reputable differential builder for further advice on the best choice of axles, limited slip/ posi and gear ratio options. The later 3rd gens had a bit tougher rear end so if you have an early 3rd gen swap in an 87-92 unit they will tolerate a little more abuse.

If you are planning on some serious power you will need a different unit. Several companies offer G.M. 12 bolt or Ford 9inch rear end units that are specially made to fit under the 3rd gen f-body. However the added strength of these units comes with a very hefty price tag, about . The Ford 9 inch setup will often be cheaper due to the fact that more of them were made. But the 9-inch has one downside in comparison to the 12 bolt; due to the pinion angle the 9-inch "eats" more power but can handle a bit more juice. So if you have two identically built cars, one with a 9 inch and one with a 12 bolt, the 12-bolt car will have more power at the wheels.

Tired?

One of the things most car owners have a yearning for is the widest possible tire that can be wedged in the fender wells. This is something of importance when you want to have a mean street cruiser. If you are making brutal power, and still have the lame 7.5 10 bolt with conjunction of steamroller tires, you will be in trouble. Wider tires mean more traction, or to put another way your tires won't slip as much. In conjunction with the fact that the 7.5 is a very weak axle, if you abuse it with heap big power (330+ hp) it will break the "guts" of the axle.

A certain chain of events will occur when you are power-braking the car (1 foot on the breaks with the other foot giving it gas, this will stall the converter until its max stall speed. So the tires don't spin until the motor spins at the set stall speed. So you wont move until the motor spins faster than stall speed). When you finally get traction with those wide tires, something will break. But if you still choose to put massive meats on all 4s, the sizes are as follows. 1) (Front/back) The easiest approach is to install corvette 17x8-inch rims with 4.5-inch backspacing with 255/40 r17 tires. 2) (Front) 17x8 inch wheel 4.5-inch back spacing 255/40r17, (back) 17x9.5 inch wheel 5.5 inch backspacing 285/40r17 tires. 3) (Front/back) 17x9.5 inch wheel 5.5 inch backspacing 275/40r17 tires.

F-bodies have a tendency to peel the tires. This is good and bad, good because you can do wicked burnouts, bad because the tires slip too much on heavy acceleration. (But this can be good if you're making power and still using the stock axle). So you can bolt on traction adders and not get over zealous with the power, or you can keep the ho hum traction and buy a few more under hood ponies. Either way it's a trade off, your E.T.s will be similar anyway. *Note option 3 may require minor grinding of the outer tie rod ends to gain proper clearance.

Put higher compression pistons in the cylinders. Stab in a big cam, and your ready to go. Fast that is. With the right combination of components any 3rd gen can be turned into an electrifying performer. Even with a weak differential the 3rd gen still makes a perfect platform for a cool cruiser made especially to belittle its rivals. If you don't go overboard with cams and compression. Before you know it you will be out pounding defeat in to those girly man five-oh mustangs, and humiliating those butt ugly Nissans with their clear tail lights and "bat wing" spoilers. But before you get too haughty with your brumpty-brump idle, just remember never race a primer grey 4 door with a rough idle and a hood scoop, they'll get you every time; their called sleepers.

When a person builds a got rod they always have huge ideas about how the interior will be, the chrome wheels with huge by wide tires, the monster motor, the killer stereo and that's just to name a few. This is a list complied of all the most commonly asked questions about building hot rods, at least all the ones that I can answer.

Q: How do I lower my car?
A: while filling the trunk with cement would be effective, it wouldn't be practical. The best way to lower your car would be with dropped spindles or shorter springs. Now some of you might be thinking "cool!, I'll just yank the springs out from under my car and cut 'em off with my torch," this is never a good idea. If you must cut a spring, NEVER use a torch. In fact you shouldn't cut a spring in the first place, here's why. When a spring gets shorter, the rate will decrease, meaning that the spring will be "softer." The general rule is as follows. The spring rate should be increased 15 percent for every inch of drop. So if the stock springs are rated at 300 lbs/in and you shoot for a 2 inch drop the new spring rate should be 390 lbs/in. if you cut a spring you will lose spring rate, and if spring rate goes the way so does the handling, you would also have a problem with the suspension bottoming out. Fiberglass rear leaf springs are a good all round spring to use. They are durable (you wouldn't think they are, but they will last a long time), and lighter, which means they can react faster. Vette Brakes (www.vettebrakes.com, 1-800-237-9991) offers fiberglass leaf springs, along with an array of other wonderful items. Now if you opt for dropped spindles you will need to keep in mind the element of bump-steer. "What the hell is bump-steer?" you ask. When you hit a bump and the car darts to one side or another, that's bump-steer. How does it happen? It happens by changing the angle of the suspension. Normally when your wheel goes over a bump your wheel will go up, but it won't go up straight, it is at an angle. So if your wheel is standing straight up and down when normally parked, when the wheel goes up (and the car stays put) the top of the wheel goes towards the inside (or towards the motor), this is normal. When you change the angle (by lowering the car) your wheel still goes up, but when the top goes towards the inside so does some of the front, and just like that you have bump-steer. There is however a solution to this, a dropped spindle that will not effect suspension geometry. Performance suspension components (performancesuspension.com) offers this spindle. That way you can lower your car and not have to deal with this dastardly bump-steer. If you are going to drop a car more than 2 inches you should use a combo of spring and spindle. For instance, if you want to drop your ride 4 inches you should use a spring that is 2 inches shorter and a set of 2 inch drop spindles. Here's why, if your present springs are 10 inches long and you cut 4 inches off, you will only have 6 inches of spring travel. Combine that with the fact that your spring rate will be much higher, and you'll end up with a ride so rough that you'll need new kidneys after a driving for a mile.

Q: What does it mean to degree a cam, and how does it help?
A: when you degree a cam, you are making sure that the cam is indexed with the position of the crank. It just means that the valves aren't opening too soon or too late. That way you can get the most out of your cam. General rule, advancing the cams position you boost low-end power, when you retard the position you make more high-end peak power. Imagine this. The piston is coming up on its compression stroke, you obviously want both valves to be closed, then when it comes up on the exhaust stroke you want the exhaust valve to be open. See a pattern here? You don't want your intake valve to be closed on the intake stroke do you? No you want it to be opened when or maybe a little before the intake stroke starts. When you degree a cam you are just making sure that the valves are opening at the right time.


Q: What is the proper way to break in a cam?
A: if you are talking about a roller cam you don't need much break in, just make sure that the lifters and lobes are properly lubed with break in lube. I flat tappet cam however requires a little more effort for break in. the best way to break in one of these cams is as follows. First (and foremost) make sure that the lobes and lifters are liberally lubed with break in lube. You should also make sure that the lifter can move freely up and down in its bore. Some lifters need to be "soaked" in oil, this just means that you need to put the lifter in a tray of oil so that it can get sufficiently full of oil. If you don't do this, your pushrod will just sink into the lifter when the cam pushes it up. This is an important step, the only time this isn't required is if the lifter manufacturer advises you not to, or if you are using solid lifters.

Q: What is the best way I can get traction?
Lets look deeper into the definition of traction, if you're talking about straight-line traction for a drag car; the best ways are as follows. Get "softer" springs in the back of the car. How does this help? When you start moving (forwards) the front of the car goes up and the back of the car goes down. When you put softer springs on the back of the car and softer shocks on the front, this plants all of the weight and acceleration force over the axle, in essence pressing down on the axle. The downside to this setup is that your abilities to handle a corner will be next to non-existent. You would also benefit from the widest, stickiest tires you can get your hands on. So you make the call, either bad handling and good off the line traction or tight, road hugging handling, and so-so off the line traction.

Q: How can I improve the handling of my car?
A: Here again the tires will come into the equation. The widest stickiest tires you can fit in your wheel-well will always improve handling and traction. A huge sway bar will always help. When you install a front and a rear sway bar at different times, always put the front sway bar on first. If you put the rear bar on first you will have over-steer. Stiffer springs will also help. However you need to be sure that you don't get too stiff a spring, if you get springs that are too stiff your wheel will come off the ground when you hit a bump. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if the wheel comes off the ground that can't be good. Lowering the car will help handling too. How can lowering my car help handling? By lowering a car you will lower the center of gravity. That's why an f-body can handle better than a SUV, because it has a lower canter of gravity. Here are the steps to improve handling. If you aren't doing this all at the same time you will need to follow these steps, in the order that they are written. If you have plans for lowering your car, do that first (by using the aforementioned method) with lowering springs, and/or spindles. Put on the front sway bar, then the rear sway bar. The tires can come into the formula at any time.
Q: Is my cam too big?
A: This has to be the biggest mistake that people make. They get a 50,000+ mile engine, put a huge cam in it and the biggest carb that they can find. What happens? The engine won't accelerate worth crap, it's a dog throughout the whole operating range and it drinks gas to boot. When you stab in a cam with huge lobes and more duration than 1,000-page book, you need to do one thing, boost compression. More duration means that the valves will stay open longer, when this happens you get overlap. What does this have to do with compression? How can a cam lower my compression ratio? Here's how. When your piston is coming up on the compression stroke (with a low duration cam) both the intake and the exhaust valves will be closed. When you put in a bigger cam (one with more duration) your intake valve will be open a little bit when the piston starts on its way up. This lowers your compression by forcing some of the fuel-air mix back out of the cylinder. When a motor is spinning 6000 R.P.M your intake valves will open up 50 times per second, this means that the piston (in just one cylinder) goes up and down 200 times per second! I don't know about you but that's pretty quick! The longer duration helps by filling the cylinder better at higher R.P.Ms.

Q: Is my carb too big?
A: Carburetors are something that few people understand, they always think too big or too small. More often than not, they think too big. I don't know how many people I've heard talking about putting an 800 C.F.M carburetor on a 350, or something like that. If you get too small a carb, you will run too lean. Too big a carb, you'll run too rich. Neither is good. When you select a (new) carb, ask the manufacturer how big you can get. Usually they can tell you, but you will need to tell them some details. You will need to tell them how big a cam you have, what heads you have this is just to name a few of the things that you will need to know.

Q: What is the biggest wheel/ tire combo that will fit my 70-81 Firebird without using wheel tubs?
A: 305/50-15 mounted on 15x10 wheels with 5" of backspacing, can be wedged into the wheel well without any nasty rubbing. Beware of installing a steamroller tire; on a huge by wide rim, if you bolt a huge set of street meats on a stock axle, you might have a problem. Wider tires mean more traction, so if you put a torque monster motor in front of a stock rearend with wide tires, you might end up with a busted axles. The 2nd gen f-bodies (70-81 Camaro/ Firebird) were equipped with an 8.5 inch 10 bolt rearend after the early 70s. This is a tough setup, but it isn't invincible. The 8.5 inch 10 bolt usually will usually have some problems after the 400-450 horsepower mark. If you put a stock 10 bolt behind a 400 horsepower motor, it will survive for a while, but when you put those wide tires on the stock axles they will probably break. Strange engineering (847-869-7010) offers an array of super tough axles for an array of rearends, a set of these axles will bring any rearend up to the task of handling some serious juice. A good high strength ring and pinion will also help to beef things up a bit. Randy's ring and pinion (www.ring-pinion.com) also offers an assortment of differential parts.

Q: Do I need high-octane gas?
A: That depends on compression. If you have reasonably low compression, you might not need high-octane fuel. It's a common mistake that people make, thinking that higher-octane gas will make power. Well it doesn't, if your engine doesn't knock or ping on (lame, sloth urine) 87-octane gas, you don't need the pricey stuff. It's that simple, the only time you need the good stuff is when you raise compression, even then sometimes you can work it out with timing.

Q: What do I need to do in order to swap in an overdrive trans in a car that didn't have one in the first place?
A: There are several things that need to be done in order to perform this swap. Usually the trans mount will need to be modified or replaced, unless you plan on using a 200 r-4, in which case will usually swap in with only minor modifications. Most overdrive transmissions are equipped to run in a computer-controlled vehicle. If you are swapping one of these gems into a car that was made long before the E.C.U. was even a bad idea, the converter will not lock up properly. But don't fret; there is a way to get around this problem. Jegs (www.jegs.com) offers a kit that will make this obstacle a bad memory. In order to obtain this wonderful device you will need to get in contact with Jegs. Here's how. (Website) www.jegs.com, (phone number) 1800-345-4545, the kit is under part number 890-376600, the cost is .99. If you are swapping in a 700 r-4 (or a 200 r-4), these guys can help, bowtie overdrives (www.700r4.com) can tell you exactly what will be needed to execute this swap. They can answer pretty much any overdrive related question you can throw at 'em.

Q: What is the easiest or least expensive way to boost compression?
A: There are several ways to boost compression. The easiest and sometimes least expensive way would be to change your present head gasket for a thinner one, unless you already have a thin gasket. You might not think so but changing to a shorter gasket can have a big impact on compression. Another way would be to shave the decks of the cylinder head and the block. This isn't exactly the cheapest way to do the job, but it is very effective. Besides, if your building a motor and not getting to exotic with it, a "shave" of surfaces can help boost the compression. It couldn't hurt to do this if your doing an overhaul, you will probably need to have some machining done to the heads anyway, moreover a shave of the surfaces is good insurance anyway. The most effective but not necessarily cheapest way would be adding higher compression pistons. Note that when a cylinder is bored out, and the head is used "as-is" your compression will be higher. If you are changing from cast iron to aluminum you can boost compression, a lot! It's not uncommon to find streetcars equipped with aluminum heads that have 11:1 compression. Why does this happen? Higher compression means more heat and aluminum heads dissipate more heat. If you have 11:1 compression with iron heads, there wouldn't be a pump gas on the planet that wouldn't cause pinging and knocking. But if you use aluminum heads with say 8.5:1 compression, you will not have any power at all. This happens because the added compression makes more heat; therefore you get a more powerful explosion when the spark happens. So if you are doing a swap from iron to aluminum, higher compression isn't just a luxury, its mandatory. Higher compression makes for better fuel mileage also. Higher compression has few disadvantages. The only reason that most cars and trucks came with low compression, is so they would be compatible with low octane-gas

Q: How do I select a torque converter?
A: The selection of a torque converter depends on the power-band of the motor. If your motor doesn't come to until 2000 R.P.M. then you will need a 2000 R.P.M. stall converter. This is necessary to make the drive train work well with the motor. Imagine running the long jump (you know, where you run down a strip and jump into a sandbox), first run from as far away as practical (50 feet for instance), you will fly pretty far into the sand box when you jump, now try only getting a 10 foot head start, you wont jump as far. The same physics apply to torque converters. In essence you are getting a run at your power-band, just like getting a run at the sandbox. You should note that a bigger motor that makes more torque would make the converter stall at a higher R.P.Ms (hence the word TORQUE converter). The higher in the R.P.M. range the torque curve is, the higher you need the stall speed to be. So if you have a motor with immense low-end torque, you probably wont need anything more than a stock converter. The looser (higher stall speed) the converter, the more it will slip (duh), and the more a converter slips, the more your gas mileage goes down the tubes. So think about it before you plunk down your hard earned dollars for a high stall converter.

Q: How does a longer connecting rod affect power?
A: a longer rod will affect power in many ways. We'll start with what is called stroke to rod ratio, or rod ratio for short. A longer rod will have an affect on the pistons relative position with the crank. When the crank is halfway around the piston will be farther up in the bore with a longer rod. Or to look at it another way, when the piston is halfway down in the cylinder, the crank will be farther around. Don't worry though, it will not affect the amount of stroke the crank has, it's just like getting more bang for the buck. Figuring out the rod ratio is simply a matter of dividing the rod length by the stroke of the crankshaft it will be connected to. So if you have a stroke of 3.75 inches and a 6-inch rod will result in a 1.6 ratio. The ideal ratio would be about 1.65 to 1.75 ratio for street duty. The shorter the rod the more tendencies it will have to cock on the bore, resulting in both more load on the piston skirt and increases the amount of piston drag. A longer connecting rod will make an engine rev easier and reduce the feet per minute that the pistons travel which spells prolonged engine life. A longer connecting rod has nothing but advantages, just make sure not to go overboard.

Q: Where can I get parts for the "B-O-P" 10 bolt in my 67-69 firebird?
A: For starters the rearend in the 67-69 firebird is the B O P (Buick Oldsmobile Pontiac)10 bolt. The b o p rearend is very rare (in comparison to other axles), and coincidentally very difficult and expensive to find performance parts for. Jegs (www.Jegs.com) offers Richmond ring and pinion gear sets for this particular rearend. The b o p rearend is a fair unit; it can handle about 300 horsepower, but nothing too brutish. A better alternative would be to install the rearend from a 70s nova. What? A nova? Yes any nova from 68-74 will bolt in with no modifications, just bolt it in. The nova was equipped with an 8.2 inch 10 bolt from 68-72; from then on it was equipped with the 8.5 inch 10 bolt. The 8.2 isn't as stout as the 8.5 inch unit, but it can handle some mild performance. Even if it isn't the strongest axle of the bunch, the 8.2 inch unit is pretty easy to find parts for, and the prices of performance parts for this unit are very reasonable. Unless you really need one for a 100-point restoration, it would be best (for simplicities sake, and monetary purposes) to swap out the b o p unit in favor of a more plentiful and affordable nova unit. You should also note that any rearend from any 67-69 Camaro would also fit, Camaros, Novas and firebirds all share the same basic frame design.

Q: How can overdrive help my performance?
A: Overdrive can help performance and fuel mileage in quite a few ways. Usually an overdrive transmission will have a pretty low first gear. Take the 700-r4 for instance; it has a 3.06:1 first gear ratio, while the venerable th-400 has a 2.48:1 first gear ratio. So the 700-r4 can help acceleration in two ways 1) lets say you have a 3.08:1 gear ratio in the differential and a th-400 (with 2.48:1 first gear ratio) tranny, then you swap the th-400 for a 700-r4 (with a 3.06:1 first gear ratio) the gears in the diff will seem like they are a set of 3.73s (approximately, I don't know the exact formula for the gear change) with the old 400. Why? The 700-r4 has a lower first gear, lower gears help make what is called torque multiplication. What is torque multiplication? When you have a 4.10:1 gear ratio in the diff that means that the driveshaft will make 4.10 revolutions before the axles make one revolution. It's like using a bigger lever to pry with. Now lets say you have a 2.42:1 ratio; that means that the driveshaft will make 2.42 revolutions before the axle makes 1 revolution, that will be like using a shorter lever to pry with. 2) You can use a lower differential gear, and still cruise at low R.P.Ms. Why? Because of the overdrive, overdrive means that the driveshaft is spinning fewer revolutions than the engine. If you have a .70 final gear, your driveshaft will spin .70 (about 3/4 of a turn) times, while the motor will spin 1 revolution. So if you can go 60 mph and be spinning 2300 R.P.M, and you swap in a tranny with a 70 percent overdrive, you can get a 30 percent lower gear, and still spin 2300 R.P.M. Plus you will have a lower 1st gear which will make you seem like you have even lower gears yet. Overdrive transmissions are becoming more and more desired to hot rodders.

Q: What intake manifold should I use?
A: Intake manifolds are a crucial part of the power band, and overall power. Single plane intake manifolds are used for racing applications more than anything else. If you like to run at the track or the silver state challenge or something of that level, a single plane would work fine. There are some people using a single plane on the street, but they are usually a big engine (455+ cubic inches), with high stall converters (2500 R.P.M.+) and low gears (3.90:1 - 4.11:1). The mid-rise intake is used more for mid R.P.M range applications. If your power plant makes it's most power between the ranges of 1500-6000 R.P.M, then a mid-rise will work fine for that application. Mid-rise manifolds are very common on street machines and even daily drivers. Summit racing equipment (www.summitracing.com) can hook you up with an intake and cam combo that is meant to work together. For Pontiacs there are 2 basic choices. 1) The 1500-6500-range combo, which consists of an Edelbrock performer R.P.M manifold and a .470/. 470 lift, 231/240 duration (@. 050 lift) cam. Like I said this cam and intake combo has been engineered to work well with one another. 2) The off-idle 5500 R.P.M range combo which consists of an Edelbrock performer intake manifold and a 420/442 lift 204/214 duration (@. 050 lift) cam. This is just a small example of the many cam and intake combos. To see how both of these cam and intake manifold combinations worked out on a dyno simulator, check out this site www.pontiacwarriors.com. These combos (among many, many others) are available for anyone with Internet access to take a peek at. If you are a novice engine builder and you are stumped by all the go-fast goodies there are today, go to this site, it will be a tremendous aid.