Can you have too much power?

[Hot Rod Todd]

Occasionally I read that you only need 250-300hp to make a bucket a good performing toy.

My 468 blown big block bucket dyno'd at 627hp a few years ago and to make more power and make it drive better, I took the pair of 750 Edelbrocks off it and fitted up an old BDS electronic fuel injection system with 16 injectors.

Yeah, it looked real cool. :lol:

We couldnt get the old computer tuned right so decided to replace it with a new windows compatible one. The dyno dude had a problem with the fuel and the engine went bad. New heads and a new piston and scored bore and crank kind of bad.

Im replacing the 468 with a 548 cube blown big block with a big roller cam and we will get the injection sorted.

Our Kiwi $ has tanked against the US$ (a few months back a US$ bought NZ$1.25 and now it buys NZ$2.00) and gas is going up in price every other day, so I figured gas will never be cheaper than today so a big blown engine will never be more affordable to run.

The new engine should crack 850hp and still run on pumpgas. i dont think you can have too much power

Cheers
Hot Rod Todd

 

[RPM]

There is no such thing as too much power. It is all controlled with the foot anyways. Sounds like a good combo. Only thing I can think of is we need some pictures of this bad boy. :lol:

 

[HAceT]

Yeah, I'm with RPM....You need pictures.....:lol:

 

[Hot Rod Todd]

new engine going together at the moment. pikkys taken on my first day at dragsatrip in around 2004 are on my profile bit.

car got to 10.2 @132 last season so now I want to be able to drive it to the track, run a 9 thru the mufflers and drive home. Have shifted towns so now only 10 minutes from local track.

Cheers
todd

 

[LumenAl]

Looking good!

Check out Andy Fadsters Photo Volume... you may enjoy it!

http://www.tbucketeers.com/forum/f28/fadsters-new-photos-volume-1-a-767/

 

[Hot Rod Todd]

Andy Fadsters stuff is way cool. I think my car is too heavy to go that fast. It weighs nearly 2500 lbs before I get into it.

cheers
Todd

 

[gudgyz]

Andy Fadsters stuff is way cool. I think my car is too heavy to go that fast. It weighs nearly 2500 lbs before I get into it.

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH POWER!!!

Must be something with NZ T's, heavy and fast. My old small block T weighed 2655lbs with me in it (but i guess i added 255lbs to the equation). Used to drive it from the Mount to Meremere, about 130miles each way, run 11.0 then drive it home. Did 12.0 at 120mph like this...

BTW Todd, if you need somewhere to store the T for the few days between the Beach Hop & club champs my workshops in Papakura, 25-30 minutes to Meremere, secure & alarmed. Theres a space about 7 metres long spare, just in front of my T.

 

[PeteT]

Andy Fadsters stuff is way cool. I think my car is too heavy to go that fast. It weighs nearly 2500 lbs before I get into it.

cheers
Todd

Andy's just had his new engine dyno'd... 965hp and 950lb/ft torque (with gas) so I think there may be some more good photo's this year.

 

[speedkills502]

That is a great number should feel really similar to a yard dart. No, with a good set up you can never have to much power.

 

[Hot Rod Todd]

Im gettin' speed envy.

One of my clubmates is running 9.3 in his blown smallblock bucket, another racing croney is down to 9.2 in his bigblock one, theres a local down here in Christchurch running 9.8 with a 434 cube smallblock bucket.

Im struggling to keep up.

My car feel great at any speed, but the weight slows me down. Hence I went for more cubes to keep up. May even have to fit a 1471 on top of the engine and put the 671 out to pasture.

Car will still be street legal tho and run on pumpgas.

T buckets need to be street legal!:rofl:

 

[Ted Brown]

A 671 will pump more pressure than your engine/chassis can ever use... Better watch out, I have a friend that runs a small block, with one 4 barrel in the 8s in a T bucket, the only (street)car that ever beat me, and I built it also, darn me...

 

[Ted Brown]

PS, if you can smoke the tires like that, anytime you want, you are having a chassis (traction) problem, and that needs to be corrected, other wise you will crash, and way too soon...

 

[engine24355]

Hot Rod Todd-

You have inspired me to search for MORE POWER. Actually, I was already considering this, but your post has pumped me up even more. In fact, I have a line on a 406 locally that is supposed to be pretty nasty. I have my chief mechanic checking it out for me. If it works out, I will have a 350 for sale really soon. Thanks for encouraging me to spend more money...

 

[Hot Rod Todd]

good onya. Im going to help the economy by spending some money at this time as everyone speaks of doom and gloom.

Ted, Im happy with my 671 but the "experts" are saying it wont cope with the extra cubes. I had figured that people ran them overdriven on blown 392 Hemis 40 years ago so they should work at my level of boost despite the extra inches.

Gudgyz, I wont get to BH09, but I will be up for the Club Champs and the Nostalgias. Thanks for the offer to store the car.

Cheers
Todd

 

[Nas T]

YOU GUYS ARE NUTS, having all that power. Do you want to die??? I can't believe that someone with a 1895lb car would put that much power under there butt. 1350hp pumped gas @ 5800rpm 985ftlb torque @5800. at 5800 the car spun on the dyno going back next month just got new knurled rolllers for the dyno. Now back to the to much power i am here to tell you yes you can but like ya said it is controlled by your right foot. But it is about 900hp to much for having fun, when i fired it up for the first time i was 1to1 with 4lbs boost @ idle, I am now 8%under and still not fun way to much you can't even step on the gas peddle. Thinking real seriously taking one off and leave one on and go driving, but the car is set up for two and it would really be a lot of work to go to one, but cars are not selling right now. I took one guy for a ride that had more money then sense but i think he came to his senses after the ride, He told me why in the world would anybody want that much power, I was going down a local road here approx. 50mph and just blipped the gas and just roasted the tires and speedo went to 110 and the 5500 pill was slapping every other cyls. in a heartbeat, well that is what made him change his mind so i will not do that again. So all you guys that want a hole bunch of HP my advice is stay with 300 or less and have fun and be SAFE.

 

[Hot Rod Todd]

Im not too keen on dying. But I guess I will lose that race eventually.

With the old blown 468 engine, I ran 31 inch tall tyres on my bucket and on the street they dont turn to smoke, even with the 4.56 gears. But I drive pretty conservatively.

on the track, the car hooks up great, again with minimal smoke so the chassis is doing its work.

I would rather have 700hp in a good chassis, than 300hp in a junk one that has bumpsteer

 

[Todd]

Im not too keen on dying. But I guess I will lose that race eventually.

Ain't any point in getting better odds.

 

[Ted Brown]

Im not too keen on dying. But I guess I will lose that race eventually.

With the old blown 468 engine, I ran 31 inch tall tyres on my bucket and on the street they dont turn to smoke, even with the 4.56 gears. But I drive pretty conservatively.
on the track, the car hooks up great, again with minimal smoke so the chassis is doing its work.
I would rather have 700hp in a good chassis, than

300hp in a junk one that has bumpsteer

Who said anything about bump steer?? You can keep your high horsepower, as that is what I love to race, big bad blown street cars.. You will get nervous because I will be out front, you will fry your tires right off the car or slide yourself off the road, or change lanes, or get sideways, or up in the air,,, as that is exactly what happens every time while racing any high horsepower rod or bike. As I can flat foot it out of the gate and not spin a tire. That Works for me...

 

[T4TWO]

My son would say "theres never enough power". But the more power you have and if you run it down the track. Means that you'll have to continue to add more items for safety. These nothing wrong with added safety related items.

 

[gudgyz]

Im gettin' speed envy.

One of my clubmates is running 9.3 in his blown smallblock bucket, another racing croney is down to 9.2 in his bigblock one, theres a local down here in Christchurch running 9.8 with a 434 cube smallblock bucket.

Im struggling to keep up.

T buckets need to be street legal!

Hot street legal buckets rock! and NZ has had a lot of them.
Going way back there was Roger Murray, seem to remember BB ford? and 3 foot high wheel stands at will and 9's on the 1/4.
Then there was Euan Mark from Levin? Blown BB Chev 8.6's in the late 80's on slicks, this car is still around.
Reece Harrison from Wellington was running 9.5 back in late 80's with SB chev & Nos, then built the big bucket in 90's with 510 chev & Nos, fitted slicks 8.60's at 165, could probably run the same on modern "street" rubber.
There are a number of T's down here running 9's and still real life street driven, got to love it!!