Originally published in the August 1978 issue of Hot Rod magazine
I have a '69 Vette with the 350 engine equipped with angle-plug heads. I decided to dress up the engine compartment by adding a set of aftermarket aluminum valve covers. The valve covers had a knock-out plug for installing the PCV valve, and a small splash shield was included to be installed below the knock-out to prevent oil siphoning. I installed all of the pieces as outlined in the instructions, but now the engine pulls oil through the PCV valve into the intake manifold.
I'm relatively new to hot rodding, and as a result, I have quite a few questions. My question to you is: What is the difference in performance between two engines, built exactly alike except that one is larger than the other? Take for example two identically prepared small-block Chevrolet engines, the 327 and the 400. It would seem to me that the larger displacement engine, in this case the 400-cubic-incher, would consistently produce more horsepower and torque.
Another limiting factor with larger displacement engines is that the additional cubic inches are often achieved with a longer stroke. The longer the stroke of the engine, the more torque it will produce, but at a substantially lower rpm. So again, the subject of rpm comes up. Additionally, a longer stroke increases piston speed for any given rpm, which also lowers the physical rpm limit of the engine.
As for placement off the turbocharger in relation to the carburetor, blowing through the carb is simpler in terms of installation, but ideally the turbocharger should draw through the carburetor to avoid upsetting fuel metering with air density changes. Additionally, It is the draw-through arrangement that usually produces mileage gains—not the blow-through setup.I have heard many people claim that they are running 12.
Another possibility is that those people who do have truly high-compression engines are retarding the ignition advance excessively to prevent pinging, which results in poor performance and increased operating temperatures. And of course, a lot of rodders talk a better engine than they actually drive, just as they imagine quarter-mile times that are 1 or 2 seconds faster than what the car will actually do.
Small-Block-Chevy 302-Engine Chevrolet 289-Engine Big-Block-Chevy 351-Windsor Ford
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