How much HP & Torque should I be getting?

[Anonymous]

Well, this is the first time I've posted (this is actually my dad's screen name) on here but I've been reading through these forums for a good while and I have to say some of you guys are built some nice machines.

I had a basic question for some of you all with a similar set-up to mine. I wanted to know how much horsepower and torque you all had and how much I should be getting.


I have 200cu engine that was completely rebuilt by my father and I over the past couple months.

Here is my setup:
Bored 30 thousands over
258 cam
Badger aluminum pistons
Clifford headers with port divider
Triple Grind for the valves
Offenhauser tri-Carb intake setup w/ 3 1bbl (2x 180cfm + 1 200cfm)
Swapped out old distributor for a centrifugal 68 (installed today)
Pertronix ignitor and a 50,000 coil
Basic Electronic fuel pump
Aftermarket airconditioning

I really appreciate your responses... also any suggestions for more addons or mods?

 

[addo]

There's some unquantified data in there.

What did you take the CR up to? Is the cam dialled in? What about any work on the ports or valve bowls?

You'll need to recurve the distributor slightly as many are either worn from age, or incorrectly calibrated when rebuilt.

Also, use of something like the Gunston's "Color Tune" kit may aid in setting the mechanical linkage for the triple carbs. With the exclusion of traditional elements like lead from fuel, plug reading is harder (and possibly less accurate) than the old days.

When it's all dialled in, maybe close on a true 85-90HP at the wheels. Depends a bit on the trans.

Regards, Adam.

 

[Anonymous]

There's some unquantified data in there.

What did you take the CR up to? Is the cam dialled in? What about any work on the ports or valve bowls?

You'll need to recurve the distributor slightly as many are either worn from age, or incorrectly calibrated when rebuilt.

Also, use of something like the Gunston's "Color Tune" kit may aid in setting the mechanical linkage for the triple carbs. With the exclusion of traditional elements like lead from fuel, plug reading is harder (and possibly less accurate) than the old days.

When it's all dialled in, maybe close on a true 85-90HP at the wheels. Depends a bit on the trans.

Regards, Adam.

The compression ratio is close to 10, i think 9.8. Yes the cam is dialed in, and the ports and valve bowls wereNT ground but they were polished. Also, what is this Gunston's "Color Tune" kit and where can i get one?

 

[addo]

It's a spark plug with extended insulator made of clear glass. Basically, you aim to match the flame colour in each chamber as a means of ensuring fuel is evenly distributed.

There's a little blurb about it here:

http://www.rdent.com/pages/tools.html

It was pretty common for people to use with British triple-carb cars, but as these are fading away now, knowledge of the kit is too.

 

[Anonymous]

I really appreciate it addo, I'll have to get that. Oh and only 90hp!? ugh... i was hoping for more. What's the deal with that? Any other suggestions to boost performance?

 

[addo]

From memory, even the A-code 289 wasn't overly punchy at the wheels when subjected to modern dyno tests.

I might be wrong about your motor, but I'd rather not sell you "up" - it's nicer to be pleasantly surprised than to be disappointed.

The cam is very mild. Depending on the trans type, you could have gone lumpier but I'm not going to linger on hindsight. Probably try to get maximum scavenging out your exhaust by not oversizing the pipes, and dial the carbs in best as you can. You may end up with a multi-strike ignition system, too, such as the popular MSD.

Other than that, you're back into the motor. Removing obstructions from the exhaust gas flow can include chopping down the valve guide bosses inside the bowls, and this may necessitate roller-tipped rockers to reduce side loading. After that, it's cam and compression rework time, and that's right out of where you want to be heading...

 

[ludwig]

I believe the HP number is also a function of both how and where it is calculated: output shaft vs. rear wheel and the dyno mechanism that applies the load: water column or something vs. brake horsepower. The older methods gave higher numbers; the newer ones gave more realistic numbers. Boo.

 

[Anonymous]

haha thanks addo and ludwig. On the MSD, what exactly will that do for me over the coil? Hotter spark? And how much more HP will that give me? 5 or so?

 

[addo]

A multiple strike ignition module should enable you to get better economy at part throttle operation by ensuring full combustion in minimum time. At higher speeds, the main benefit is certainty of a nice strong spark.

I wouldn't quote a number, but there will be some degree of improvement.