American car Virgin

[anubisjim]

Hi all (new guy)

Im just going through the process of buying a 1988 Cammy.

now the mrs whos a chevy gal is wanting me to put a 454 big block in it like she has in her 1981 cammy. hers is modded to the hill but im not to sure if thats the right engine for me. as hers is an off the lights killer with wheely bars on the back but being shes american thats normal i guess but im british and i dont want an off the lights killer i want a monster that i can really throw around hard corners and have the power to come back out sideways screaming for dear life.

now if you didnt get my question here it is... 1988 can it handle a 454 bigblock and if so how hard would it to turbo ?

i was orignaly thinking about getting a ford siera saphire (full cossy setup) and hunting down a small 289 v8 block for it as i wanted all ford but that would have started a war with me and her sadly LOLz

[MrPbody]

Looks like nobody picked this one up. Sorry.

What is a "cammy"? Would that be a Camaro? If so, no, an '88 is NOT "up to the task" of a big block without significant chassis work, most of which would hurt your handling. Nothing at all wrong with a small block if properly built. 383 is a GREAT street engine for a relatively heavy car like a Camaro. And the chassis is engineered for the small block. IROCs are known for good cornering. So are TransAms.

If you "like" the 2nd generation cars (like your wife's), I would suggest a TransAm instead of a Camaro. The Pontiac V8 offers the power level of the 454 like she has, with significantly less weight AND a chassis that's engineered specifically.

While some DO "turbo" V8s, that's more used in smaller engines. If a power "adder" is needed to reach your goals, a supercharger (belt-driven) is more appropriate for a street V8. Boost comes IMMEDIATELY, unlike a turbo. IMO, "ProCharger" is the "best of both worlds", as it is a belt-driven turbine. No lag, very little drag...

This is a good start. If you have further questoins, I'll be watching this thread.

Jim

[anubisjim]

Hi and Thank you for that Advice. its a lot of food for thought, i am wanting to keep away from turbo`d engines and go old school grunt but sadly in the uk there isnt much in the way of choice for engines and big car shells to use when you dont have deep pockets sadly. a friend surgested go the ford route and use the smaller v8 i think it was a 3** engine(i cant remember off the top of my head) in a saphie shell as it should be ok without too much strenghting, or even put in the SD1 engine in a ford. its a shame as i would like to build an off the lights car killer and not a rally car on steroids. any views on this?

[MrPbody]

We've shipped several engines to Europe and GB. One of our guys (Rick Denny) was the "Top Eliminator" at the '09 "UK MOPAR Nationals" in the "stock suspension" class. A '69 Firebird, it was "allowed" because there aren't enough MOPARs to "fill" a field. Shipping isn't cheap, but it could be less expensive "in the long run", when expertise on certain Amercian products is "lacking". Not ALL American shops are "bad guys", either. Many are straight-shooters and will provide you with the best possible combo for your money. The Fords are also quite good and rather "fun". My brother is a Mustang guy. Some of his stuff is pretty quick. Kinda need a "direction" to give good advice. I can't "pick" the car for you.Jim

[MrPbody]

Something wrong with the way these messages (last two) are formatted. Paragraphs and punctuatioin are all wrong... Any ideas?Jim