Posts by Mmusicman
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"Lighter and more room" have never been an issue for me.
Underpowered certainly has.
But you might be proud to open hood and show off a silly little MG 4 cylinder.
I'm sure the #1 question will be "why didn't you put a V8 in it?"..lol
Sorry.. just expressing my view...
It's a neat motor for a tiny car.
But hey it's YOUR van.. knock yourself out
Underpowered certainly has.
But you might be proud to open hood and show off a silly little MG 4 cylinder.
I'm sure the #1 question will be "why didn't you put a V8 in it?"..lol
Sorry.. just expressing my view...
It's a neat motor for a tiny car.
But hey it's YOUR van.. knock yourself out
Those HP number are not realistic.. even BIG blocks had exceptionally low numbers (in those days), but could burn rubber forever. The torque from any 350 (even dog motor) could easily still be 300 ft/lbs torque stock
EXACTLY! And the SAME MODS to any stock V8 will have the SAME DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS! (livening it up even MORE...blowing away the same equipped 4-cylinder) Let's be sure to compare apples to apples. Mild performance mods will wake ANY Chevy V8 engine up at a fraction of the cost.
Even a mild V8 will make effortless BIG torque that a similarly equipped 4 cylinder can't touch. And torque is what moves vans... not some rubber-band wound out to impractical rpms.
Let me just be clear...
I'm ALL for souping up a V6! It's a good and well proven engine.
Like you said.. you ALREADY have it.. so go for it.
I'm NOT in favor of a "performance 4 cylinder" for a large vehicle.
You won't be happy with the weak torque for regular use
I'm ALL for souping up a V6! It's a good and well proven engine.
Like you said.. you ALREADY have it.. so go for it.
I'm NOT in favor of a "performance 4 cylinder" for a large vehicle.
You won't be happy with the weak torque for regular use
Here is an excellent read on Torque and HP:
ayankinkiwiland.blogspot.com
"Using some common variations of a small-block Chevy, let's first examine a typical stock bore and stroke 350cid (4.00" x 3.48"), very similar in power specifications to the ZZ4 crate motor available from Chevrolet."
"The first thing you should notice is the relatively flat torque curve with the "meat" of the power over 350 lbs./ft. "under the curve" from 2000 - 5000 RPM. This engine build is relatively easy to obtain using pump gas and "off the shelf" parts. There is nothing exotic involved here, and this engine would make a great "daily driver" for most any vehicle from a street rod to a pick-up, with lots of punch available throughout the RPM range making gear selection less critical."
The next graph represents a stroked small-block of 383cid (VERY POPULAR).
Personal comment: What I find interesting to note is insane amount of torque gains with only a mild HP gain. This would be considered a mild "torque engine" with peak hp at only 5000rpms, that runs on regular fuel.
"You'll notice a nice, fat torque curve down low in the RPM range, offering over 400 lbs/ft. throughout the entire operating range and over 450 lbs./ft. under the curve from just over 2000-4000 RPM. This would make for not only another daily driver but also a great engine for a tow vehicle or any application where heavy weight/high load is involved. You should see a trend developing by now, namely that emphasizing low-end power results in a trade-off sacrificing some top-end power (even though this engine makes more power and torque, that is mostly due to increased displacement. The idea is to look at the shape and slope of the torque curve and where peak torque and HP occur)."
Taken from:
ayankinkiwiland.blogspot.com
The examples provided above are modern but considered mild engines.
Any engine from 70's -90's can be equipped with mild torque cam that will yield similar results.
The biggest importance is focused on real-world torque, not mathematical hp numbers, although they are there too.
A Yank In Kiwi Land: Engine Tech I: Torque and Horsepower - What's the Difference?
"Using some common variations of a small-block Chevy, let's first examine a typical stock bore and stroke 350cid (4.00" x 3.48"), very similar in power specifications to the ZZ4 crate motor available from Chevrolet."
"The first thing you should notice is the relatively flat torque curve with the "meat" of the power over 350 lbs./ft. "under the curve" from 2000 - 5000 RPM. This engine build is relatively easy to obtain using pump gas and "off the shelf" parts. There is nothing exotic involved here, and this engine would make a great "daily driver" for most any vehicle from a street rod to a pick-up, with lots of punch available throughout the RPM range making gear selection less critical."
The next graph represents a stroked small-block of 383cid (VERY POPULAR).
Personal comment: What I find interesting to note is insane amount of torque gains with only a mild HP gain. This would be considered a mild "torque engine" with peak hp at only 5000rpms, that runs on regular fuel.
"You'll notice a nice, fat torque curve down low in the RPM range, offering over 400 lbs/ft. throughout the entire operating range and over 450 lbs./ft. under the curve from just over 2000-4000 RPM. This would make for not only another daily driver but also a great engine for a tow vehicle or any application where heavy weight/high load is involved. You should see a trend developing by now, namely that emphasizing low-end power results in a trade-off sacrificing some top-end power (even though this engine makes more power and torque, that is mostly due to increased displacement. The idea is to look at the shape and slope of the torque curve and where peak torque and HP occur)."
Taken from:
A Yank In Kiwi Land: Engine Tech I: Torque and Horsepower - What's the Difference?
The examples provided above are modern but considered mild engines.
Any engine from 70's -90's can be equipped with mild torque cam that will yield similar results.
The biggest importance is focused on real-world torque, not mathematical hp numbers, although they are there too.
I get that while rumbling at every intersection...
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