Which motor do you think?

Hi guys thought I'd get some ideas regarding engine choice in a HQ coupe I will soon be rebuilding. Its a HQ LS with a six but I'm considering between the following motor replacements: Mild 350, 383 stroker and mild 454 BB. Sorry to the purists out there

I'll start by saying the car will be set up for nice sunday cruising (ok maybe saturday too

) so I don't want anything too spastic in terms of stally or streetability but having said that I dont want it to be a slouch taking off either.
I'm planning a 9 inch with 3.5's and am still considering whether the T350 or T400 is the way to go. I have no plans taking it to the strip.

I know the extra cubes will allow for easier street driving at lower rpms and the extra torque will help get the heavy body moving but is a mild 350 all that bad for normal street driving?

Obvioulsy alot of you out there have been there and done that so any info/personal opinions/thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys

My advice, keep it simple, nice 350 will do it every time, easy to build, cheap to modify and will fit with no dramas at all and the old girl will have pleany of punch when needed. Forget the stroker, too many problems, the big block also, too heavy only good in trucks.
Paul.

Thanks Paul my bro has said the same thing he reckons for what I want the stroker is overkill but he doesn't mind the BB. To be honest I haven't enquired as to the legal complications for the BB here in Vic but maybe sticking with a nice 350 is the way to go after all.

Hey Newbie,
Dont be a tosser !! A 350 will be able to give you more HP than you could need.
A BB wont give you anything unless you want to do 1/4 mile runs.
Go for a T400 as its just that better than a T350.
Be Smart- no westies allowed.

If cruising is all you want to do, then do yourself a solid favour and stick with a small block. Something like 350hp is cheap, reliable and still has a bit of poke. I'd give serious consideration to buying a crate motor from Rocket/Eagle etc, as you'll save yourself a heap of time and effort, plus a warranty is also nice to have just in case!
Go for 3.25s(for a bit of go) or higher gears(3.0 would be ideal), 3.55s will give you about 3000rpm at 100 with a turbo 400. Keep the stall at 2000 or less.
A 650 vac is the most you'd need in the fuel department. No double pumpers needed, its just a waste of fuel at $1.40 a litre.
If and when you want to go faster, the Big Block has no rival on the street.

For a single carb PULP friendly hotrod, cubic inches win every time.
Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks for the heads up guys - looks like the SBC will be the way to go. I'll talk to a couple of engine builders here in Melbourne and see what they have to say regarding what it is I'm after

. The crate engine route is tempting and does save alot of time so I'll be considering that to.

The stripping of car begins tomorrow so I'll keep you posted on how we go. I think I'll start a thread for the build as it progresses.

Cheers.

Interesting answers to a fair question.

Paul, what's wrong with a stroker 350, normally makes 383 cubes, lots of torque and whilst they don't rev as hard, in this case the guy doesn't need rpm.

In fact to save fuel a 383 stroker would be ideal, trash the T400 and go for the T350, anything under 500 HP the T350 is King, it uses a bunch less power to drive and is lighter.

A converter? you cannot just say 2000 rpm till the engine combo is sorted, the cam will dictate the converter stall.

I agree a Vac Sec Holley will be the go but a 650 is ineffecient for the 350 or bigger, you should look for a 750 Vac, normally list #3310 either -1,-2 or -3, that with a dual plane intake (performer RPM) or my favourite, a single plane Weiand #7546 will make the thing jump.

But like we always say, stick a fat block in there if you really want to go, might not make the tribe happy but it will Make your socks roll up and down.
CYA
Geoff

Thanks geoff - you do raise valid points especially with cubes and box choice. I also have been told that the extra cubes make for easier driving as a result of the extra torque and yes less petrol(lets not kid ourselves its not really the point but looks good on paper

)

But again, thanks for the input guys as thread was started to get differing opinions and thats what I've got thus far.

If I had a dollar for every overcarbed V8 on the road, then I'd never have to work again. Always remember its better to have the smaller carb working at 95-100% then a bigger carb working at 60-70%. Go to the holley web site and check out their carby calculator. Its a breeze to work out size and list number.

Hey HQUE, I think you've gotten some damn good advise from some damn fine people here mate.

I'll throw my 2c worth in simply because you asked!

i bought my Q with a 400 smallblock in it... thinking 400 cubes would be enough. Honestly... You can never beat cubes!

If i had my time again.. A mild bigblock would be in between those rails for one reason only. A Baby BBC will outperform and outdrive a SBC any day of the week.

I've built what i consider a fairly stout 400 now, but its taken me alot of time and money. A BBC with a basic head job, a mild cam and some pipes would out torque my mill any time. And the best thing is it's LAZY power.. No need to turn it to 7000Rpm to make the grunt when i lazy 5000 will make the same numbers in the fat block.

I also agree 110% with pisonbroke - Too small of a carb is a better problem to have than over carbing... I ran an 850 for a while on the HQ and it was a joke... Gained nothing but a light wallet! A well tuned 750 is ample for most street engines!
As TAFC10 said though, Horses for courses you'll need to choose your parts to suit your combo!

Regards
Tiny

Yeah thanks mate again and to all for their input regarding the dilemma. However, I have since decided to go the LS1/LS2 route - I'm just weighing up whether whats more cost effective with respect to the electrics side of things as I want to cam and tune the motor.

I'm a member on another forum and am gaining valuable info on this matter so I'll keep you posted on how I go.

Cheers.