John Burns

Make the power through the pipes! Diddling with cut-outs is a hassle in my book. I recommend a bigger pipe to the muffler (the hot gas needs more pipe there but not as much down stream). My Camaro is well into the 10s with 3" pipes to 3" mufflers (20" case) and 2.5" tails- I used torque techs reducer to neck down to 2.5 after the muffs.

There are bunch of Holley videos on youtube- I didn't quite understand the "adjust the pump override spring to obtain .015" clearance between the pump arm and lever" because it is spring loaded- this vid gives a nice visual of how to do the adjustment:

Solid.. God no. Poly?? Just put some stocker rubber mounts in. Anything you can do to isolate the vibration of the motor is a plus, especially in your intended use. I run stocker mounts in my 11-something Monte and my 10-something Camaro. Chicks don't dig loud, rattling, smelly cars. (just ask my wife!)

I used the nylon shims and they leaked badly. I ended up stacking the gaskets. Maybe a steel shim would be better- not sure where to get one. Also - make sure you don't over-shim! It can pull the distributor out of the oil pump shaft... no oil pressure... boom.

I've heard that too about the MSD... crazy. Unfortunately, the distributor is not a ready-to-run. Does anyone have a light (brand) they use with a MSD ignition? Thanks!

Hey guys- looking for suggestions... when I'm setting my total the timing is jumping around. For the most part it appears to stay at 36°, but then it'll jump all over the place. I have a MSD 6A, MSD distributor (no vac) and I'm using a Craftsman timing light with a dial. I'm chasing a pinging at the top of 2nd and 3rd and I'm wondering if this is related.

it isn't a plug wire arcing is it? look at it in the dark.

it isn't a plug wire arcing is it? look at it in the dark.

Fix or replace your power brake booster and save ~$600.

A converter isn't that hard to change- try the one you have! I have no idea what your performance goals are, but I have an oval port iron head 454 with a smaller cam but the same gear you have. I have a 2400 B&M Nitrous converter (no, I'm not running juice) that is really, really fun to drive and still nips the 11s. (I have the same converter in my very heavy 10-second 540 Camaro- can't break it no matter how hard I try!). Many guys here hate B&M- I've never had an issue. But try the converter you have first- I'd guess it is in the park you want to play in.

The 15 X 7 rally (w/4.25 back spacing) works perfectly with the 275x60x15 M/T drag radial. And it should be enough tire for that 402!

I have a 502 (ok a 502 plus 38) in my Camaro with an 850. Very smart move going with the MSD setup. You need a rock-solid ignition to go fast. The 850 works very well on my 540- I can't complain about the performance, although I think it would pick up some with a bigger carb, I can't justify the expense. As far as jetting, you have to figure out what works best for your combo. I mean, unless you find someone with the exact combo: same converter, trans, gears, exhaust, etc- you are only comparing apples to oranges. The way the 850 is jetted from the factory is probably pretty close to what you need. Unless you are doing back-to-back dyno or drag-testing, playing with the jets is only shooting in the dark. Unless you have a really good butt-in-the-seat-o-meter! But that is the fun of this hobby- figuring out what makes it faster.

680HP- Coan has plenty of "off the shelf" converters. No way they custom build each one of these: http://www.coanracing.com/Catalog.asp?CatClass=02CO I'm thinking our friend here got one of these: #0948 Diameter: 11 Transmission: TH MP: STD Stall: 2600-2800 11" TURBO STREET PERFORMANCE "BLEM" ( COSMETICALLY IMPERFECT) CONVERTER $195 http://www.coanracing.com/Catalog.asp?ProductLine=REFURB And, yes I am hardly an expert. But in my experience with B&M converters, I have never had one fail. Thousands of street miles- I don't even run a cooler other than through the radiator. Plus hundreds of 1/4-mile passes (with slicks)- many on the bottle. My very heavy Camaro (3800lb with me in it) goes 10's with a home-grown 540- and with the B&M 2400, I don't think I'm leaving much on the table in the way of hp. Yes, I'm sure all those places make good converters. Maybe I am wrong, but I think our friend is asking about our experiences- not a sales pitch for these places. Peace

I'm not sure what the B&M Nitrous is rated at, but my Monte is probably in the 500lbft neighborhood and my Camaro must have much, much more than that- and I beat the hell out of them. At ~$300, it is hard to argue against them.

This topic comes up every couple of months. I'm glad to see someone else say something positive about the B&M. I love my B&M converters- I have the same one (2400 Nitrous) in my Monte and Camaro. But for less than $200, that Coan sounds like a steal. Coan is a pretty reputable name, right?

Flying debris taking out a torque converter? Are you sure you didn't hit a land mine? Seriously though, I have put thousands and thousands of miles on various cars over the years without that cover and never had an issue. I'll take the benefit of letting the heat out of the converter over any protection it might offer. (Curious how many folks actually keep that cover on?) And I just went through the same thing with my trans. You can try a new pan and gasket, but don't be surprised to find the front pump seal or converter seal leaking. Anyway, good luck with it all- leaks suck!

Big Red Monte kicking a$$- love it!

Are you 100% sure the pans are leaking? Check everything above them real carefully first- it all runs down, so it is easy to suspect the pan. Keep an eye on the fluids- the puddle under the car is your best indicator! And I wouldn't spend a dime buying the "dust cover" or inspection cover. Completely worthless- especially a chrome one that is going to look like poop in about 5 miles.

I couldn't find on the internet why my th350 was slipping in 3rd at highway speed. Thought I'd post it here if anyone ever runs in to this problem. In 3rd going down the highway at 70+, it would slip- rpms came way up- not good. I'd back it down and it would be ok. Found out the direct drive piston seals were toast, so it was only running on the forward drive clutches. This is just a junkyard th350 with a shift kit in it- and I'm not kind to it. Anyway, my buddy rebuilt it, I tossed it back in and all is well. Of course, its raining- I can't wait to hammer on it again!

I have a Detroit Truetrac in my Camaro and I love it. No posi clutches to wear out, nice and quiet on the street and living well with plenty of punishment in a heavy car with a big motor. It is in a 9", but if I had to replace my Monte's 12-bolt carrier, I'd go with the Truetrac.

I just did a similar mod to my shifter- love it! Thanks for the idea. And get this- just found this at the Parts Place: AUTOMATIC LOCKING SHIFTER DETENT PLATE YOU CAN NOW CONVERT YOUR HORSESHOE SHIFTER TO A SLAP STICK. FIRST TIME AVAILABLE, REPLACE YOUR STOCK SHIFTER DETENT PLATE IN YOUR HORSESHOE SHIFTER WITH THIS LOCKING PLATE. WILL WORK ON CARS EQUIPPED WITH HORSESHOE SHIFTERS; WORKS WITH TH350 AND TH400 TRANSMISSIONS. THIS PLATE WILL ALLOW YOU TO MANUALLY SHIFT YOUR AUTOMATIC WITHOUT ACCIDENTALLY SKIPPING A GEAR. THIS DETENT HAS A POSITIVE LOCK; IT LOCKS 1-2-DRIVE. THIS PLATE ALLOWS YOU TO USE A POWER GLIDE OR TURBO 350/400 SHIFTER AND CONVERT IT TO BE A POSITIVE LOCKING SHIFTER FOR A 3 SPEED TRANSMISSION. THIS NEW HARDENED STEEL DETENT IS A PATENTED DESIGN AND IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM US HERE AT THE PARTS PLACE. COMES COMPLETE WITH INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. 70-72 CP3313Z: AUTOMATIC LOCKING SHIFTER DETENT PLATE TURBO 350 / 400 $75

Another vote for Torque Tech. I'd go with an X-pipe or at least an H. I've definitely seen power increases. But I'm really curious- what kind of upgrades are you doing to require 3" pipes?

Does anyone sell stock-style serpentine pulleys that will directly replace v-belt pulleys? I'd like to keep all my mounting brackets stock and still use my clutch fan. I'm not interested in billet- stamped steel would be fine!

I'm running the one Greg had fail on him in both my Monte and Camaro. They do the trick- but as Greg found out, aftermarket quality. And I'm not a fan of electric pumps (I think you only really need them in the sub-10 et zone), but isn't there a way to run the plumbing on an electric pump so it won't make all that racket? Someone makes a "fuel pump manager" that slows & quiets the pump down at idle... But I feel dirty giving you those ideas- aftermarket stuff is at best a necessary evil. As my sig says:

Here I go again defending B&M... I whoop the snot out of my B&M Nitrous Holeshot converters- they drive like a dream and for $320, the price is right.