Put a 350 ho crate motor in my rod project and got it running this spring,have about 750 miles on it so far. Had the 600 vacuum Holley on it, but did'nt like how it worked. Tried the adjustable vacuum kit also. Put a 750 mechanical on it last week works great. Gained a lot of mid and upper range. But the problem is out of the hole. Can't get her to lite em up at all. Same with the 600. Hooks up excellent, but hard to get it to break loose when wanted. It's a 40 Plymouth, with me in it ready to go it weighs 3500 lbs. 3.73 posi , FTI 2600 converter, built 200/4R, line lock, fender well headers, 11" x 28" Nitto radials on back. Motor sounds good, runs great but out of the hole kind of a pig. Timing is set at 10 degrees @600 rpm, 32 degrees @ 3000. Going to experiment with timing next. Any ideas? Besides a stroker which will probably be next years project.
Bump it to 14 initial reduce the mechanical so your total is still in that 32-34 range. What kind of distributor is it ?
I would see how it likes 34-36 degrees all in with vacuum advance disconnected.. Have a friend blip it up to 4000 and see what you have,then check @600, you should have about 22 degrees movement. I like to put a lighter spring kit in and have it all in A.S.A.P. If that don't do it check out the accelerator pump, it should give a squirt with out much movement.
So it is just a stock flat top motor, no cam ? what kind of intake ? Jaracer hit it ! more gear would be the cheapest and easiest .
Has the HEI distributor, Performer RPM intake, motor stock .435/.460 cam, will try timing ideas, but I think the gear change is best idea. Don't really expect that much out of a 350 hp motor, but do love that tire smoke. Thats why we do it! Thanks to all of ya.
This thread is hilarious. Guys out here begging for better traction and this dude is like, "nah... I'm good"
A combo ofswade 41 & Tickety Boo... Light springs......your gonna need a graduated balancer or timing tape Total advance (36-38*)....All in 12-15 hundred RPM.... Limit total to 36*-38* Let the initial "fall-were-it-may" If that don't do it... 1. get smaller tarz 2. start off in water 3. hook up windshield washer hose to dump bleach on rear tarz 4. Put a SBF mow-der in it! We're talking approx. 330 HP in a 2850lb. car......right?! Do the light springs trick (like everybody is suggesting) and if that don't make a change...well something else may be worng!?! 6sally6
Believe me ,I'd rather have a traction problem,but 600 HP is a lot of dough for a Beer and Burger use toy. I don't race it, just use it.
playing with timing is cheap....if you set up the distributor so it starts with 16-18 initial, then advances to 34-36 by 2500 rpm, you should notice an improvement. Bumping the timing on my Chevy II can turn it from a 10 second car to a 9 second car.
The 11" rear tires may have more grip than you realize. Maybe try bring the pressure up a couple pounds at a time and see how it behaves. The vacuum secondary 600 carb sounds like a good choice with the automatic trans. Did you try adjusting the secondary air valve to open sooner or later? As mentioned already, a little more initial timing can make noticeable improvement in off idle response. Just be sure to keep an eye on total timing as well. How much manifold vacuum do you currently pull at idle?
im running 19 degrees initial and i cant hook up for anything. granted its a built 355 in a t bucket...
Agree with comments above, needs more timing, learning to tune with curve kit can uncover a lot of power. Jump back to your carb after that. 600 vacuum should be enough for that engine, and give crisp low speed throttle response. No objection to a 750 mech. Really depends how you want to drive it.
Line Lock is your friend. Lock the fronts, bring the backs up to a boil, release Line Lock ... impress your neighborhood cops
O.P. said he had a 200-R 4, that low 1st gear with 373 should light em up easy, like Squirrl said try to get the timing all in before your converters 2600 rpm stall.
What’s the chances your cam is retarded in that crate engine? 50/50 chance or more. The low gears in the 200r4 at 2.74 with 3.73 rear gear should give you plenty of ummph out of the hole.
I helped a friend that had one of those in a 40--a real slug no matter what we tried. Ran ok and a nice cruiser but a dog. Finally put another cam in it-a Crane as I recall--woke it right up!!
I'm wondering if you're not spinning the tires. I have Nitto 315s and a posi in my hotrod and if I wasn't paying attention I wouldn't know if I were spinning or not. Nittos just don't make the slightest sound. My car tracks straight and true and only under sketchy conditions will the rear step out.
Is there anything tricky about properly adjusting the T/V cable on a 200-4R transmission? Something that might cause the trans to start out in 2nd gear, or have a 1-2 upshift that's way too early?
I’m with Vicky , Dog engine usually means a retarded cam . A 350 hp crate engine should run pretty good ,,,,,with 3.73 gears as is . The distributor could be at fault,,,,but my first guess was cam timing . Tommy
Vacuum is not hooked up according to manual..Runs way better with 750 compared to 600. Doesnt seem to be over carburated .Really think it could be timing or cam degree off. TV cable is set really good,shifts great. The guy who built played with it till it shifted good. Play with timing and i'll see what happens.
My son and I put the same combination in a 55 1st series GMC pickup with a 9” with 3.70 gears. It was kind of dog too as we were expecting more. Bought one of those cam button kits popped off the nose with out hurting the pan gasket and and installed a 6* advance button. It was a brand new truck. I only drove it once but my son loved it. Kit was cheap along with a timing cover gasket and water pump gaskets.
You sure that converter will stall? Have you tried to flash it in hi gear to see if it will go to 2600? Could be a turd of a converter. Never heard of FTI.
hopefully a couple of degrees help, if not, ill just have to put a wheel on it and see where it's at. Thanks
Ummm, no. What I meant is what is the reading that you see on a vacuum gauge connected to a source of full manifold vacuum on your engine while idling. It can be an indicator of things like where ignition and cam timing are set.
I was doing the paint work on a C3 Corvette back around 05, the guy that owned the car asked if I was interested in putting the drivetrain in the car and i said sure, just makes me more money. He comes in with his small block in the bed of his truck on a dolly. It's a 383 stroker he says, then shows me the dyno sheet. I was impressed to say the least. Anyhow, i finished the car up. Sounded like a stock sbc to me, took it for a shakedown and couldn't help but laugh, that car wouldn't spin a tire in the rain, on a hill, with the front tires chocked!! I called and told him it was done and he needed to check it out. He began to tell me that i had done something wrong lol. He took the car to the local go fast genius, only to find out that his sbc purchase was nothing more than a 350 smog engine. Bout 165 whopping, fire breathing horsepower that he got shafted on. But on a side note, if you're running an HEI in it, pull the cap, grab the rotor button and turn it, if it doesn't turn, or it's hard to turn and won't come back to "neutral", take it off and lubricate the pivot points of the weights
Op , There some thing Wrong with yr set up/ tune , In 1991 ,wrenched on Dads 40 PLY coupe all steel Stock front end , 2,500 converter 750 vac Torquer intake , hei 18 deg ,(Initial) 3:73 12 bolt posi on 275 /60/15s BFG, 400 trans 327 with 10:1 .488 lift cam in 8th 7:82 @ 91 mph On a 125 spray 7:18 @ 101 . More was there with more tunning , but switched to A different combo with Roots .... Point is it all in how you tune
Convertor is too tight, need at least a 3500 stall or even a 3800. Will be fine on the street or highway.
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