what would you build ?

[larry phillips]

i have a 73 cuda 340 4spd ive installed ss springs,pinion snubber,subframe connectors ,391 suregrip and now i gotta build the power my goal is a low 11 second street car should i go bb or sb how would you build the engine you would choose ? its just a saterday night cruiser and i may play with some laughing gas but i havent used that for 15 years im looking forward to youre input thanks larry p.s. the chevys in town are pretty tough

[Woody Blanchard]

Hi Larry! That's an area that really gets into personal preference. If you like B/RB combinations, you can build one heck of a torque monster and have a realistic engine (mainly because you're dealing with cubic inches!), but the LA engines can be plenty tough little street fighters as well, they'll just require a little more guts! Either way, best bet is to keep it simple and insure your specs (factory blueprint specs that is) are right where they're supposed to be and be very sure the valve grinding has been done by a competent machinist who understands seat angle and placement, cc'ing and proper assembling of the heads. The heads are the biggest horsepower area (gaining and/or losing), so be very careful of any cylinder head mods! Either way, have fun and pay attention to detail...you'll have a fast little ride! If I can be of assist, give me a call!...wb

[Ausydad]

The first think that popped in my mind was the fact you already have a 4-spd for a small block as well as rear end. I still like the 340 build they did in Mopar Action (I think) where they took the bore to 4.1 with a stroker crank and pulled better than 400 h.p. Quick, powerful, and a lot less conspicuous than a big block. Probably less expensive too ( to build and to feed).

[JCFcuda]

A big block would not be all that expensive to build. You could pretty much keep the stock stuff (new rod bolts) a good valve job on the heads(harden seats if possable).Mill the heads for 10.0 to 1 bump the cam up a little.
All that torque in a 4-speed oh Boy. But your in a win win deal here its not a bad choice either way.

[rumblefish360]

I,m into small blocks myself. But there is a saying about displacement. More torque to get you moving.
A 11 second small block is on the radical side. Street manors fall a bit. If you don't mind such things, you can save a few bucks in building what you allready have.

[tsteiner61]

Get the 340->416 stroker kit from Diamond or Muscle Motors and run the nitrous...With attention to detail, you will blow the doors off those sad Chevys...

[amoparguy]

I'm a fan of Big Block power but a well built small block will get the job done if it's set up right. In a recent series, Hot Rod magazine did a build up using the MP 10:1 360 cid shortblock, Edelbrock heads, isky 280 mega cam, torkerII intake and 750 edelbrock performer carb. The end result...406ft/lbs @ 4900 with 408 horsepower @ 5600 rpm. With a 100 horse nitrous shot it made 570ft/lbs @ 4900 with 517 horsepower @ 5600 rpm. The 280 cam will give the combo decent manners on the street. When I plug the numbers into a performance calculator it says it should run low 12's, here's what it said...

Horsepower Results - 1/4 Mile Method
Your cuda weighs about 3500 pounds and can complete a 1/4 mile in about 12.0 seconds. That means that you've got about 400 HP at the wheels, and about 520 HP at the flywheel.