adding power

optionizerSS · May 17, 2023

Just thinking out loud. Considering adding a little power over winter. Car is bone stock 1995 GT convertible with 65,000 miles. I drag raced back in the 90's. Had a 650HP '69 Chevelle. Not interested in going that fast but maybe around 300HP. Maybe enough to run low 13's to high 12's. I would think 300HP should get in that ballpark? Car is an auto and believe it has 3.55's.
I'm not big on superchargers. I have always been an n/a guy. Want to keep the F.I.. wife will be driving the car too. Want reliability. Not having to pull valve covers every weekend, etc. I know you guys will say s/c but I like that slight lope in the idle. I know at 300HP there won't be much lope but maybe enough to tell it isn't stock. I used to build my own engines but have only ever done one Ford and that was a 302 in my dads old 1981 F150. I have not built any engines in about 25 years.
Was looking for GT40 heads but from what I saw might be wise to spend little more and get brand new aftermarket? If I went GT40 I would send them to the machine shop to have everything checked and assembled so would probably have over $1000 in them.
Dunno. Wife would kill me but I get bored easy...lol

ttocs · May 17, 2023

a trickflow top end kit will get you around those numbers. I have a stage 1 cam and it a nice lope to it.

optionizerSS · May 17, 2023

For reference my Chevelle had a .060 over 454 with a Lunati .685/.692 lift solid roller with IIRC 280 and 290* duration @.050. Pretty nasty cam...lol. Power range was 4500-8500 RPM. Had an ATI 8" convertor 4500 stall.
My '57 had a 393 SBC (destroked 406) with a Hank the Crank crank, 6" Oliver rods, 10.7:1 Ross pistons, Sommers Bros gear drive and dyno'd at 552HP @ 6500 RPM. IIRC that was a Comp Cams solid roller with around .650 lift and AFR aluminum heads.
My 327 I originally built for my '67 Chevy II but ended up putting in my Chevelle after I broke the 454. That one had a Crower solid roller with 1.6 intake and 1.5 exhaust rockers with a .625 lift intake and .630 lift exhaust. Never dyno'd that one but it ran 12.0's in my 3600lb Chevelle

badass98svt · May 18, 2023

Heads
Cam
Intake

And call it done.

optionizerSS · May 18, 2023

I think what it might come down to is my AF leak. If I find it will require me to pull the intake then I might as well do a head swap at least. May leave the cam alone. If I could track down a set of GT40 heads and ask my old engine shop guy how much to go over them or just buy aftermarket. Will have to play it by ear. If the AF leak is something much simpler then I might just leave the engine alone.

07GtS197 · May 18, 2023

It’s been gone over on the corral a million times. A gt40 top end will get you close but for the money you might as well spend a little more and go with a cheap aftermarket set of heads and intake.

r3dn3ck · May 18, 2023

Drop a 100 shot on it and you'll probably see 12's and not have to muck with too much else.

tinnocker · May 18, 2023

You can go the GT40 or cheap aluminum head route, but you will always wonder what you would have had if you had spent a little or a lot more and got AFR or Trick Flow heads. You would have a good set of heads and a good set of valve springs if you decide to go more. Don't know what ratio rear you have but 3.73 will surprise you without adding anything else.

optionizerSS · May 18, 2023

Pretty sure it has 3.55's but haven't confirmed that. And yeah if I do anything it would probably be new heads. I would never just buy used heads and put them on so I would likely have at least $500-700 in GT40's.
And no nitrous. Never ran it and never will...lol. Just not my thing. I have always been a n/a guy. I always built my own engines back in the 90's when I drag raced and took too much pride in my abilities to make power. Not to sound like I'm putting anyone down for running NOS or any other type of induction but I just enjoyed building n/a engines then beating my buddies with NOS and blowers. I'm not looking for any specific number but just feel low 13's or high 12's would give me a good seat of the pants feel with good reliability.

Wmac · May 18, 2023

Will also need a decent converter and big gear with an aode vert.

optionizerSS · May 18, 2023

Wmac said:
Will also need a decent converter and big gear with an aode vert.

Yeah I don't want to go that far. Want to keep the power down to a point I can make power down lower. We want to keep it a nice cruiser that we can take on trips. Figured 300 hp at the flywheel should do the trick?

r3dn3ck · May 18, 2023

Assuming you swap in drag radials for strip nights, 300bhp should let you just nudge into the 13's. 300 to the tires will make it a pretty low sweat deal to barge into 13's. Street tires don't belong on race tracks.

Wood's 5.0 · May 23, 2023

HCI, injectors, MAF, and call it a day. An "E" or Steeda #19 cam will play well with the SN95 computer, give you a nice little lope, and give good power up to about 6,000 rpm. I like the real old-school SVO GT-40 stuff. Below is the real deal GT-40 upper intake. An explorer intake is NOT real GT-40 equipment. Those are more kin to what came on the Cobras with the staggered port cast intake, etc. The lower intakes are interchangeable but ,IIRC, have different part #s than the GT-40 stuff. You'll need an intake elbow but they are available thick on flea-Bay. A couple of year Explorers in the mid-late 90s did come with real GT-40 heads although, IIRC as it has been a really long time ago, they had smog provisions (which are easily plugged). That will put you really close to 300 reliable and drivable rwhp. However, IMO, above are all correct. A Trick Flow or AFR top end kit will give you a little more. At the 300 rwhp level though, IMO, that really wouldn't matter all that much as when you pull up beside a new EcoBoost Mustang for the stoplight Grand Prix, you may can hold your own but it won't be an easy win. It will really wake up what you have, though. Good luck.

Randall Garner · May 23, 2023

Since the 95 is a roller block. It makes it easy to stay with hydraulic roller cam. Comp makes a great follower that sits right where needed, uses the stock spider and keepers. AFR. Has a nice as cast head called the enforcer series. Under 1500 . Ready to bolt in. Uses the same springs as their higher end heads. I sure some one has built similar set ups. Here's thousands of ways to build ford 302/5.0 engines. Do the math crunch numbers. It'll take headers better injectors, decent heads and a good cam, ported or a good intake system, to make the extra 100-150 you desire

optionizerSS · May 23, 2023

i don't even need 100-150. What is stock? 215 RWHP? 250 at the wheels would be fine. just want a little more than it has now. not really looking for specific numbers