680HPStroker

QA1 makes awesome shocks, but at the time I bought my fronts I was given bad advice(wrong pt#) and didn't get the coilovers like I should have and therefore for me to be able to adjust my compression and rebound I have disconnect the shock to be able to get at the knobs. Seeing as I don't see me doing much racing my current settings are pretty good. My intent was to recommend a non adjustable shock if just basic cruising was your only goal. If you like to tweak your suspension and/or if you are going racing you can't beat QA1 shocks.

With todays carb technology I can't see how that would be necessary if the carb was built right to begin with.

It's your money, but to spend another $800.00 on a tranny that will only hold that power for a little while IMHO would be a waste of time and money. If you have to have an overdrive(I don't blame you for street driving with tall gears) at that power level you really only have a couple choices in transmissions that will stand the test of time. Having learned the hard way it's best to pay up front one time and do it right as oppossed to try and do it on the cheap only to end up paying out even more money down the road to have your tranny rebuilt because it wasn't up to the task for the long haul. IMHO a manual shift 4L80 tranny can't be beat. You can set it up as a full auto shift, but the control module will run you some serious cash. That's why most guys just go with the manual shift version. The 4L80 tranny is basically a Turbo 400 with an overdrive so it can easily withstand 900HP in stock trim. You other option is a Turbo 400 with a Gear Vendor's overdrive attached to it. When you do the math if you are starting from scratch I think the price between the two setups aren't that much different however. The 4L80 I believe will give you a higher final drive ratio, but the Gear Vendor's add on unit allows for more gear splitting adjustment. I know it's not what you wan't to here, but even with all the new hardened parts available for both the 200R4 and the 700R4 once you get to the 600HP level you are starting to push the limit. I know most companies that sell them say they will withstand up to 700HP and torque, but my tranny builder who I trust without question says there is no way either one of those transmissions will take the abuse of drag racing for an extemded period of time. Hope this will help you make an informed tranny decision and please do your research and get the proper converter for your new setup. You can have a tranny that is as tough as nails, but if the torque converter is not right you will leave a lot of power on the table and be disappointed.

If you are going to run a Victor if I may I'd suggest the 454R(O) if you are going to do any street driving. Are you going to use a 4150 style carb with an adapter, or are you going to switch to a dominator style carb? If you are looking to possibly go the dominator route AED has an awesome carb they call their Pro-Street Dominator. Check it out. It is as deadly on the track as any 1050 carb, but is just as much at home cruising the streets. I have had one for five years and have never had one issue. AED hand builds a carb just for your application.

IMHO Hotchkis springs are the best money can buy. Most "A" body guys I run into use them and love them. Rears are the same no matter the setup and front rates only change if you have a BB with iron heads(if you run aluminum they use the same rate as a SB car). As far as shocks go unless you are planning on racing I'd stay with something like a KYB. QA1's are great, but can be a PITA to get set right with all the adjustments available(I own them and wish I didn't).

That's the spirit. Glad to see you are back in the game. No harm and no foul. Just please do it right.

Wow! I probably won't be back! [you said a naughty!]! We all gave this dude some solid BB advice and he is now going off half cocked as if he didn't realize that reliability, performance, and efficiency for a BB Chevy doesn't cost a good chunk of change. More than one converted tuner guy that made the plunge realized that even though the upfront cost is more for American V8's built right the down the road cost for maintenance is a lot lower as they can take a lot more abuse. If the dude is truely mad there is a saying that says "don't go away mad, just go away". Some folks never learn, or always have to learn the hard way instead of listening to folks who have made the mistakes and learned from them and are kind enought to impart their wisdom on others to help them out.

To ship the driveshaft you would need a heavy guage cardboard tube with the correct inside daimeter and length. If you have a tranny shop close to you they might have one lying around. You could also buy a length of PVC pipe with the correct ID and cut to length. Seal the ends with either PVC, or metal caps and presto you are ready to ship.

David is right in that you need someone from a cam manufacture who knows what's going on to spec out a cam for your application and yours only. No cookie cutter cams, or you will be disappointed.

Cruiser and that's it I'd say go for it. If you have any other performance goals for down the road I'd pass on it and save your money and buy a crate motor from a reputable dealer down the road. Everyone want's to build their own engine from the ground up, but in todays world you can't build an engine for the same price as a crate motor and you get a warranty to boot. With all the headaches I've had getting my engine the way I wanted it I wish I'd have bought a Shafiroff 598 crate motor. Awesome engine, awesome reputation, awesome warranty, and put's out more power than I have for the same money I've spent.

I've decideed to go the way of powder coating to save both time and money.

If you have done any engine mods at all be it external, or internal stock converter go by-by.

Street car 10 bolt. Street/Strip car 12 bolt with either weld on bearing housing ends(makes for a 9" Ford hybrid) that allows you to go without C-clips, or the cheap route is C-clip eliminators. I have the former rather than the later and with my setup wouldn't hesitate to send 1,000HP to the rearend.

My power numbers are similar for a 489 with a different setup. Personally with what you have I'd stick with an 850, but unless that carb is dialed in for your application you are leaving power and efficiency on the table. I used to run an AED 850 carb tuned just for my car back when I had a hydraulic roller cam and the same intake you have now. Currently I run an AED Pro-Street Dominator, Eddy Victor 454R intake, and a 700 lift solid roller cam. A lot of folks don't believe a setup like that can cruise the streets, but I do it all the time and have no issues at all. AED makes an awesome carb and the Pro-Street Dominator has had all the issues resolved with running a 1050 carb on the street. With my 16" K&N air cleaner no one can even see that beast of a carb setting on top of my engine. Folks who don't have clue still think it's a basic 454 crate motor. Everything is always in the right setup. There is no generic one fits all application and close just doesn't cut it.

Once again for the millionth time call the tech line for a cam manufacture, they will ask you a bunch of questions about your setup, and will either give you an off the shelf part number, or will custom grind you a cam just for your application. To do it any other way is a total waste of time, money, and effort.

Hooker Competition 2" headers painted black. Once you test fit them to determine if you need to dimple the drivers side to clear your steering shaft, send them off to be ceramic coatted, and you will be a happy camper. Don't forget to relocate your brake proportioning block to either the top of the frame rail, or buy the kit to locate it right off the master cylinder(that is the easiest way, it is a clean look, and will be exposed to the least amount of heat).

You all crack me up, but it's true about the Chinese crap. It's better than ever, but still isn't, nor will it ever be as good as American. Seeing how the finish is the only issue as the castings are nice and thick the chroming will take care of the finish problem. I start my chromer search this morning.

So much for the new valve covers going on. I was giving one of them a quick polish job with my Mothers aluminum polish to remove some marks I made when test fitting the cover and for some reason it took the luster right out of the area I tried to polish. These covers were not advertised as having some sort of sealer on them, nor did they look, or feel like they did, but they obviously hhave something on them that I have now removed from one of them. Now they really won't be going on until they are chromed. That is what i really wanted anyway, but was hoping to ride around with them this summer and then have them chromed later. Now I have start looking for a good chromer who won't rape me on the price as the local outfit here wants a pint of blood for the smallest job. Oh the joys of owning a hotrod.

No luck at Napa. Autozone and Advance were worthless. At least Napa tried. Had to order from Jeg's. Be here Tuesday. I don't feel like hooking the old covers back up so no cruising for me this weekend. No big deal as the potential for rain is in the forecast for all weekend. I'll try and sneak in a two wheel ride instead.

Thanks wallaby I'll give that stuff a try and Archie I'll be sure to take some new pictures after I get these covers installed and post some updated pics here on the club site. To all who are attending the Eastern Meet this weekened have a great time and I wish I was there, but back surgery and a sick family member prevents me from attending. Hopefully next year and hopefully at least as close as this years meet.

Good news and bad news about my covers. The good news is they clear my brake booster by about 1/2", but the bad news is I'll need to get new grommets as I thought the holes were the same size as my old covers, but turns out they are larger. So I'll need to take the covers with me to NAPA and size them up. One for the breather and on for the PCV valve. Once everything is fitted I'll need to give these things a good polish if I'm not going to chrome them right away. Any ideas on how to delay the tarnish factor when dealing with polished aluminum? I always use Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish. I'll need to invest in a large Power ball to make the polish job go faster.

The company offered me a complete stainless valve cover fastener set for letting them know that I have $480.00 of product I never paid for and they are sending me a UPS return slip to mail the breathers back to them. The guy kept thanking me. He stated he now knows his supplier is feeding him bull about having his own machine shop in CA where these covers are supposedly made and he has a problem with his shipping department not verifing what they are shipping out.

Got my valve covers. They look pretty good, but as you would know it the packing material is newspaper written in, you guessed it Chinese. That's where these came from. The oil cap has a little ding in it, but I think I can work that out. I do have a knunundrum in that they sent me eight of these polished, tall, bolt on breathers, that you find on marine engines and I didn't order a one of them and wasn't charged either. I guess tomarrow I'll have to contact them to let them know and if they wan't them back they are going to have to pay for the shipping. I checked their website and they sell these things for $60.00 a piece and I have eight of them. That's $480.00 and I bet they never opened the box to see what was inside when they got it from their supplier in China. I wonder if they will even want them back. Probably cost them less than $40.00 for all of them, but we will see. If they don't want them I sell them.

On the UPS truck out for delivery today to me. I can't wait. They will be on no latter than Friday night and will be ready for a local hang out Saturday night cruise-inn that averages at least 200 cars. There is a guy who takes relly nice pictures there. I think I might have to get some updated pics for the old girl.

I can only speak for a Dynojet chassis dyno, but 17% is about right. Sam and others are right in stating that a chassis dyno is a great tool for tuning to see how efficient your power train is, but your time slip at a drag strip tells the truth about how both you and your car are performing. Dyno sheets are used by a lot of folks to brag, but when you line em up the guy with the big numbers loses at lot of the time.