How much HP is too much?

[Martin]

Can a T bucket really use all the power in a blown big block? Short of an all out drag racing set up, how much power can a 2000# street car transmit to the pavement. They sure look cool, and if all that power can really be hooked up it would have to make for one hell of a ride, but is there a point at which you really are just spinning your tires.

 

[Coupefreak]

but is there a point at which you really are just spinning your tires.

I thought that was the whole idea behind a blower motor :rofl:

Vance

 

[RPM]

I got a blown small block, with 20" wide tires on the back. It has a drag race 4 link. It won't hook up. It sure is fun to drive though.

 

[GT63]

You can never have too much. I love it when one those little foreign made skateboards pull up next to me and see the engine, then wave and make a quick right turn.

 

[TRoadster]

I feel the same as Coupefreak. There is no such thing as too much... that in mind, it depends on many variables like rearend gearing, rear tire size, rear suspension set up, rear weight, etc. Power to weight ratio is a good start perhaps. An 800hp engine in a 2000lb car is 2.5 to 1. Thats better than all but one or two supercars. But in a bucket it would be difficult to get that to hook up and if you did you better have wheelie bars to keep from flipping over. I've read guys with high HP engines on the NTBA say how hard it can be to drive their car because of the power. My track t will be running a big block with lots of low torque but I'm using a 3 to 1 gear and 295R50/15's in the back that are not as wide as what most t buckets are running. If you want the look of a BBC with a blower go ahead but drop the compression in the block and run lower boost. That will make less HP and make the car a little more road friendly. Otherwise, build to the max and hold on for dear life.

Personally, I think 400hp is a good range to be in. That would put you in the same area as Vettes and Vipers.

 

[old round fart]

Horsepower is easy to control. The long skinny pedal on the rignt controls it. Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use all of it all the time...... but you usually do. That's why we build these things!

 

[bill4u6]

its not the horse power its how strong is your hart ha ha

 

[coloradotbucket]

The way I figure it, you only need to build half the horsepower - I am a believer in smallblocks simply because of front heavyness. If you really want to find out what something similar to a huge horse T bucket that search for Wally Boortz' Winged Express or look on youtube for Nanook videos.
I think the winged express had about 2000 hp, ran 6 something in the quarter in the late 60s, but it had wings on the roof, and was a hazard at that. There is one Nanook video on there where it totally comes off the ground...
Would you want to try to stop a T Bucket that ran 9s ? I think so many T buckets are just for showing and cruisin so its hard to know some of these cars actually would run. I have entered all the weight into a quartermile similulation program, and its pretty wild to figure out. I know I have only a 302 with a cam and an intake, and I could give most muscle cars a pretty good run, gave some Mopars headaches, but got awfully windy at higher speeds.

 

[Luggy]

Martin......just where are you located in NE Wisconsin? I know a couple guys up in that area. As far as power from a big block...I dunno, seems to me a small block would do as much damage. Big blocks are fine and have bragging rights, but yeah, alot of them just set there and spin the tires.....rock'n roll Mr. Duck

 

[tfeverfred]

Here is a link to a road test/comparison that Kit Car Magazine did a while back. The T Bucket they used had 241HP at the rear wheels and it ran in the low twelves. On street tires.

Kit Car Track Testing | Kit Car Magazine Article at Automotive.com

All that considered, do you need a lot of engine and HP to be quick in one of these? No, but for the visual impact, NOTHING beats or sounds like a ton of power in a car you can barely see.

 

[Brucer]

a decently built smallblock is fine.. but a blown smallblock or bigblock sure is cool..

i drove a blown 383 bucket and it was fun, but you had to be on your toes..the same guy built a T with a 250hp crate engine and it was just as fun to drive and said it was actually alot less work to maintain it..
i had a 4:71 blower for a smallblock i had bought, but i got rid of it, just dont need it and that money went a little farther elsewhere, basicly building my whole engine and a set of nice guages and a tunnel ram with 2 450's with that money i sold the blower for..

was thinking of a simple crate motor, but its still cheaper to build an engine yourself if you have good parts to start with and alot of machine work isnt needed..and you simply know what you have when you build it yourself..

 

[Martin]

Martin......just where are you located in NE Wisconsin? I know a couple guys up in that area. As far as power from a big block...I dunno, seems to me a small block would do as much damage. Big blocks are fine and have bragging rights, but yeah, alot of them just set there and spin the tires.....rock'n roll Mr. Duck

I'm in Door County, just north of Green Bay. I saw a couple T buckets at a show in GB recently, but dont see many up here, maybe i'll have the first. I guess when you are in it for the fun there really is no such thing as too much, untill you start talking about money anyway. While the look and sound of a shiny big block are hard to beat, on my budget I could probably find better places to put the money. Right now i'm loooking pretty hard at a ZZ4 crate motor and a 5 speed manual transmission. 350 HP and a little over 400lbs torque will just have to be fun enough, gotta draw a line somewhere.

 

[OldredT]

Martin, You saw my T at that show at NWTC, I have a blown big block Chevrolet, it runs real good. Does it hook up? Not really, but it sure does give you that ummmmmm I think we are out of control feeling . I have had small blocks and I will tell you put a small block in it, I love my blown big block but it is a real handful in a little car. A stock 350 or 302 would be plenty, oh and have you looked at the gas pump lately ? My 7 mpg really sucks!

 

[Martin]

Martin, You saw my T at that show at NWTC, I have a blown big block Chevrolet, it runs real good. Does it hook up? Not really, but it sure does give you that ummmmmm I think we are out of control feeling . I have had small blocks and I will tell you put a small block in it, I love my blown big block but it is a real handful in a little car. A stock 350 or 302 would be plenty, oh and have you looked at the gas pump lately ? My 7 mpg really sucks!

Got a picture? I think I might remember seeing it. I was with a friend in his 38 Chevy, I think we were right across from you, there was a flat black T right behind us although I didn't run into the owner. I doubt gas is going to come down anytime soon. A big block is sure tempting, but if I had one it would most likely end up in my plow truck, where I really could use it.
Nice to know that my T will have neighbors if I ever get it done!!

 

[coloradotbucket]

It would seem that the most Ts and T Kits and related parts are using small block chevys and small block chevy parts - everything else gets a little more tricky to engineer. If I was building a T Bucket from scratch I would probably do a 383 motor and make it up to look old. Tons and tons of power without being to expensive, front heavy or so off the wall that everything has to be fabricated. My T is quite balanced and even though I have extra motors in my stash of parts that are larger dimensionally, a smallblock is the way go in my best opinion.

 

[dustytrails]

my t has a 350 bored out 60 over,oversized valves,comp cam,tunnel ram with 2 holly 450;s,velocity stacks and k&n filters,msd ignition,holly elictric fuel pump and press,reg,2 speed powerglide and i am scared to open up the second 4 bbl,this thing is faster then a hiccup

 

[Coupefreak]

Cool, another powerglide fan
nice lookin' bucket Bro.

Vance

 

[dustytrails]

thanks.powerglide is the only way to go,,,,,they shift and get

 

[joes23t]

Horse Power can always be regulated by that thing on the floor normily the first peddle from the right. Never to much.

 

[DPI]

The way I figure it, you only need to build half the horsepower - I am a believer in smallblocks simply because of front heavyness. If you really want to find out what something similar to a huge horse T bucket that search for Wally Boortz' Winged Express or look on youtube for Nanook videos.
I think the winged express had about 2000 hp, ran 6 something in the quarter in the late 60s, but it had wings on the roof, and was a hazard at that. There is one Nanook video on there where it totally comes off the ground...
Would you want to try to stop a T Bucket that ran 9s ? I think so many T buckets are just for showing and cruisin so its hard to know some of these cars actually would run. I have entered all the weight into a quartermile similulation program, and its pretty wild to figure out. I know I have only a 302 with a cam and an intake, and I could give most muscle cars a pretty good run, gave some Mopars headaches, but got awfully windy at higher speeds.

I agree with you and I can tell you first hand that Wild Willy in the Winged Express was just about as crazy as anyone could ever get. We had a little old fuel injected 427 in our 23T altered and when it came off the line you never new if it was going to straight, head into the other lane, or shoot straight out into the stands but... that's a what made them SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!! and that was in a car that only had 1/2 the hp that Wild Willy did. Now I just have a little old 306 with about 400hp. with about 400 ft/lbs of torque. More than I need in a 1400lb car but NOT TOO MUCH. DPI.