Engine Upgrade Advice...

[engine24355]

Really want upgrage my 5.7 350 SB, but not sure if what I have in mind will be worth it. Really would like to install a blower, but affraid the cost would be too great along with upgrading fuel system etc. Therefore, what about a tunnel ram? Current set up has dual edelbrock carbs with a mild cam and stock sprint style headers. What I am after is the blown look with zoomies, but have been advised that zoomies do not work well with carbs. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[joshuawcolvey]

Well we had the dual tunnerl ram set up from holley on our buggy and it just did not run right, 11 psi holly mechanical fuel pump, 2 holley 400 cfm carbs and tall airraid holley intake. looked good but hurt power.
The blowers are and can be expensive, good heads, blower cost, low compression mean new pistons. Really need forged lower in so cost goes up some.

 

[RPM]

There is a book called " how to do a blower for the street" It is a great read. You don't have to have forged pistons and a forge crank. A good lower end will work just fine.

I built my blower motor with all the big hi dollar stuff in it. This thing makes way too much power for a T Bucket on the street. The point is this car has seen wide open 10psi of boost maybe 3 times in a year and a half that I have had it. There is just not a safe place to turn loose 600-700hp in a 2000lb car.

With that all said you won't see the boost very much at all and the blower won't hurt the engine. If this was an all out drag car then yea you would need all that stuff. The biggest thing is keep it rich and watch the timing. You don't want any detonation at all.

Ya only live once build the blower car you always wanted. Driving it in traffic is a real attetion getter for sure.

 

[Lee_in_KC]

You can drop a blower on a bone-stock motor as long as you keep the boost down. The key item will be the static compression ratio of the motor. As long as it's below about 9:1, you can run 4-6 pounds of boost and really wake up your motor. I'm running 6 pounds on 8.2:1 c/r in my 355 small block. Makes way more power than I can get to the ground, like Ron said.

I think this is the book Ron is talking about... [ame="[url]http://www.amazon.com/Street-Supercharging-Install-Blowers-S/dp/1884089291/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222697893&sr=1-1[/url]"]Amazon.com: Street Supercharging: DIY Guide to Street Supercharging, How to Install and Tune Blowers (S-A Design): Pat Ganahl: Books[/ame]


I have this book and it told me virtually everything I needed to know to spec and build my blower motor.

I don't know if Arrowhead is on this forum, but he built a low-buck blower motor using an unmodified 6-71 blower he bought at a swap meet.

 

[RPM]

Yep that is the book. Buy it and read it. It says it all.

 

[joshuawcolvey]

oh no i do not want you to get the wrong idea of what i was saying, its no big deal for my shop to turn out 1 or more blower motors a month, but no you do not ahve to have the fancy stuff, hell ive got a 142 blower on my rv, lol aint no big deal.. Yes keep the psi low and no problems... But i figured when u said u wanted a blower u were talking lik 6-71 something big that really cannot go reall low on boost.... I am sorry for the miss understanding guys....

and to be honest i think i ahve that book somewere, if you like ill c if i can find it, if i can if ull pay for shipping the book is all yours man... Im here to help...

 

[RPM]

oh no i do not want you to get the wrong idea of what i was saying, its no big deal for my shop to turn out 1 or more blower motors a month, but no you do not ahve to have the fancy stuff, hell ive got a 142 blower on my rv, lol aint no big deal.. Yes keep the psi low and no problems... But i figured when u said u wanted a blower u were talking lik 6-71 something big that really cannot go reall low on boost.... I am sorry for the miss understanding guys....

and to be honest i think i ahve that book somewere, if you like ill c if i can find it, if i can if ull pay for shipping the book is all yours man... Im here to help...

Not a problem at all. You are right in what you say. If you are going to lean on this motor hard you need all the good stuff. What I was trying to point out is in a light car there won't be much need to really lean on one that hard. I was hoping he could get into a blower set up that would fit the ole pocket book and not break the motor. :welcome:

 

[engine24355]

Thanks for all of the help guys. To be honest, I am not looking to make a bunch more power, just a small bump that will not require a bunch of cost or modifications. As everyone has said, it does not take much power for a T to get moving. I would like to add a blower without having to change a bunch of stuff, but want to do it right at the same time. What is the normal list of upgrades when adding a blower?

Thanks for the offer joshuawcolvey. Let me know if you are able to locate the book.

 

[RPM]

Besides the manifold, blower and drive stuff. You do need a blower cam. Mine came frome Summit at a cost of $90.00 for cam a lifters. You will probably have to move the alternator down low and on the left of the engine. Carbs will have to be modified to run with a blower. Most guys for the street use the Edelbrock carbs. Edelbrock has a tune up for them that works great righ out of the box. You may have to change the distributor. The HEI won't fit behind the blower.

Here is the cam I used
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SUM-K1107&autoview=sku

 

[engine24355]

Besides the manifold, blower and drive stuff. You do need a blower cam. Mine came frome Summit at a cost of $90.00 for cam a lifters. You will probably have to move the alternator down low and on the left of the engine. Carbs will have to be modified to run with a blower. Most guys for the street use the Edelbrock carbs. Edelbrock has a tune up for them that works great righ out of the box. You may have to change the distributor. The HEI won't fit behind the blower.

Here is the cam I used
Summit SUM-K1107 - Summit® Cam and Lifter Kits - summitracing.com

Thanks for the information RPM. Looks like the parts list and tab is going up pretty quick now...lol. Honesly, I am not sure if it will be worth messing with right now. Would you say it was worth it in terms of bang for the buck etc?

 

[Koob]

The blower look was what I always wanted but never made it past the tunnel ram and dual quads. I too was afraid that a stock bottom end wouldn't work so I never persued that. Now it looks like I could have gone that way (if I had the funds) with my stock 350. I never wanted the small blower either, had to be a 6-71 and then I wanted it polished so everything did get pricey looking at it. I didn't really need the additional horsepower, just wanted the looks and the sound. I would have even went with a fake blower with the carb underneath if I could have found something like that. Love that blower look and maybe someday I will have another chance. Good luck if you go that way....really cool.

 

[joshuawcolvey]

hey man to be honest you can run an 142 blower on all stock componenst and it will just bolt on, we just did one for a freind out of our shop.
we did one about a year ago on a motorhome and it runs great. The 142 is made to work with all stock stuff and stock components as a bolt on. but will run you about 1800 or so unless u can find one used...makes 5-7 pounds boost stock but can push 10..

 

[engine24355]

hey man to be honest you can run an 142 blower on all stock componenst and it will just bolt on, we just did one for a freind out of our shop.
we did one about a year ago on a motorhome and it runs great. The 142 is made to work with all stock stuff and stock components as a bolt on. but will run you about 1800 or so unless u can find one used...makes 5-7 pounds boost stock but can push 10..

I considered a smaller blower, but really want a 671 for the look. Not sure I want to tackle this right now, but we will see. Maybe I can find a second hand kit to keep costs down. It does not hav to be polished just in good shape.

 

[engine24355]

The blower look was what I always wanted but never made it past the tunnel ram and dual quads. I too was afraid that a stock bottom end wouldn't work so I never persued that. Now it looks like I could have gone that way (if I had the funds) with my stock 350. I never wanted the small blower either, had to be a 6-71 and then I wanted it polished so everything did get pricey looking at it. I didn't really need the additional horsepower, just wanted the looks and the sound. I would have even went with a fake blower with the carb underneath if I could have found something like that. Love that blower look and maybe someday I will have another chance. Good luck if you go that way....really cool.

How do you like yoru tunnel ram Koob? I am considering this too, but really do not want to loose any lower end tourque as I am not racing my T. Any thoughts?

 

[crossingts]

My first T had a tunnel ram.i loved the look and got a ton of attention.this car was more of a driver than a show car.I drove it back and forth to work about 30 miles round trip. if you punched it it would normally go but sometimes would bog.normal driving 1/4 throttle was fine. always started easy. the fuel in the tank never got old:lol:

 

[Koob]

I loved the tunnel ram. Unlike what most people say it worked great on the street. I bought two brand new Holley 390's and put them on there and they worked good. I think the carbs are most of the problem if you don't have them right with a tunnel ram but mine worked great out of the box.

 

[Geo27T]

Wow, I just got my new Speedway Motors catalog and I was looking through it for some more stuff. I came across a tunnel ram set up and now thats my next project for my car.I was not sure if I was not going to do this until I read this thread.The best thing is my wife said I can get it.:lol:

 

[engine24355]

Well, I did a little bit of experimenting this weekend and took off my slip on mufflers to check the condition of the baffles etc. Since they were off, I had to fire it up to make the neighbors mad..lol. Wow, what a difference. It is amazing what happens when you let an engine breath a little bit. Anyway, now I really want some zoomies to allow more flow, but not sure about the back pressure. Long story short, I have decided not to go with a blower right now, but maybe a tunnel ram, scoop, and zoomies. However, I am not sure the zoomies will work right without a blower. Any thoughts on this combination set up(tunnel, scoop, zoomies)?

 

[mahrbeezer]

Sure looks bad ass!!!

 

[Nas T]

I would go with the blower, you don't need two (LOL). best deal now is the blower shop's 671 run 2 500 edelbrock or holley what ever you prefer i would run the edelbrock right out of the box, scoop 100. bucks on ebay and a set of zoomies but i am afraid you won't like the zoomies except the look, they sound like crap if you baffle them with a small block and there still loud. Run the blower about 3% underdriven and you will never have to worry about anything, run it 1 to 1 and hope your bottom end is tight, if you underdrive it only 3 % will work perfect.
just my 2 cents. You will also love the tunnel ram but without the hit.