LS3 gets you to your power goal pretty easily.
LS3 gets you to your power goal pretty easily.
What about a turbo 4.8 LS?
I would lie to second Robbies "don't cut holes in the hood". Two good reasons. 1) if you are gonna drive it, rain raises hell in the engine bay. 2) that vast expanse of hood is too cool , oh, and 3) you don't have to look around it all the time.
In reply to No Time :
The 4.8 LS is an oversquare, high spinning, lower torque version. Perfect for a sports car, but I’m gonna need more torque for this car.
I already have a 4.8L. I’m gonna save that for something smaller.
In reply to TurnerX19 :
I think I will avoid openings in the hood, but would not be opposed to a subtle cowl induction scoop.
4.2 Atlas i6 plus turbueño
In reply to AngryCorvair :
I am not familiar with that motor. What’s it from?
Edit: Did some Googling. Interesting choice.
In reply to SVreX :
Putting a 454 in my '60 was the best thing I've done to it. Looks right under the hood too.
In reply to Racingsnake :
In your ‘60 WHAT?
Yes....I know you po pooed the diesel option....but an LB7 with a ZF six speed (man trans) = 330hp with 550lb/ft tq @ 1800 rpm.....stock no power adders.....just thinkin' out loud .....carry on
In reply to 759NRNG :
I’ve owned diesel trucks for 20 years. I’ve had a hot rod for 25.
There is absolutely nothing about a Diesel engine that is suitable for a hot rod in my opinion.
No thanks.
I think I would start with deciding on a transmission. A modern 6-8 speed auto that can have multiple shift maps is magic. You can program it to shift low and slow and cruise around and get ice cream, or, at the push of a button it will hold gears and never let the motor drop below 4k while you wail on it. If you run a transmission like that then you can run a fairly high strung motor that makes power up top but is docile around town, like a 450ci Honda would be if Honda did that sort of thing. If you're using an older four speed auto, then build for a mountain of torque down low/in the middle and don't worry about the top end because you'll basically never be there. A manual let's you build whatever you want, but in that case I'd still be tempted to build something that really spins. Big V8's above 8K are glorious.
I'll sound like an old man (which I am) but I wouldn't do anything to it that can't be reversed...those first gen El Caminos are worth some coin these days. Sure, put a big Chevy engine in it and upgrade brakes, etc. but back off from the sawzall. 
In reply to stuart in mn :
This car is not a restoration candidate. That’s why restomod.
We will get to talking about the body later.
Budget? Sure it's great to bench race build a 500 HP 500 lb ft engine but then you need the whole drivetrain that can handle it. And then consider what mods will be needed to make the old X frame and rear coil suspension live. I had a rust free X frame car with 327 & only 26,000 miles and the thing was a big wet noodle.
Everyone's so quick to say "LS it!" nowadays' and has a buddy who did it for $50.00 or some such nonsense but there's a LOT of additional expenses that go along with it to do it right, which is why there's so many unfinished projects sitting in garages. Spend the time to really plan out what you think it will take then multiply the cost X 3 and time X2. Then you'll be close. It's not a challenge car you're gonna roll off a trailer and hope it makes it through one day.
In reply to NOT A TA :
Budget is a nearly unanswerable question. Budget for the engine? Or for the whole car? Stainless trim restoration alone on this car can run $5000. I know people who would pay that. I won’t.
There’s a pretty simple answer. It’s gonna cost a lot more than a Challenge car. I’m gonna do it right, but even that has an enormous variety.
I can build this over time. I’m gonna build what I want. If I run out of money, I’ll save more.
Am I gonna put a $20K engine in it? Probably not. But I can build a 500 hp engine for $2500, or a 500 hp engine for $15,000.
People swear I can’t build $2000 race cars. But I’ve been doing it for 14 years, and NONE of mine were built to last only a day. All of them have had healthy lives after the Challenge.
For now, I’m leaving the budget out of the conversation. I don’t want to limit creativity with an arbitrary number. I can get a lot of bang for my buck. Or if I want something bad enough, I can save more.
In reply to SVreX :
'60 El Camino
In reply to Racingsnake :
Nice!
I'd go with the big block option for torque and just awesomeness. There's something cool about a healthy big block in almost anything from that era. I'd avoid the W engines because it's more money to make the same power as the 454. 500/500 should be a pretty easy goal with good aluminum heads.
In reply to dropstep :
I think you may be right.
Waiting to hear from Patrick...
K I S S.
W engine's while being The Top Rung In That Car, Have a very Short stroke like your 327, A Stock 454 May not have 500hp but does have the Torque you want for Motor- vation, And Over Time You Can dress up the Outside, and being a little Heavy Use an O D Trans 200/700 r4
I'm going to go against the grain, I like odd engine swaps and brand swapping as well, so in the interest of unusual how about this:
Should be easy to meet HP and TQ goals
When you get to the subject of the bodywork, can we talk about moving the rear axle back so the car does not look so close-coupled?
And if you are open to a 2jz, then I think you should also give a thought to a Coyote out of a pickup. Regardless of ultimate power, they sure look a lot better than the LSx when you pop the hood.
Pete
That's a nice car!
https://www.powerperformancenews.com/tech/the-500-question-budget-boosted-big-block/
These guys took a stock truck L29 454 that they got for $500, threw a mild cam, intake and carburetor on it and made 428 hp at 5,400 rpm/504 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm. Which seems to be bang-on for what you are looking for.
Then they strapped a pair of turbos to it and made 733 hp and 764 lb-ft of torque at 9psi of boost on stock pistons, rods and crank. I've seen that the rods, cranks, blocks and main bearing caps are good past 800hp. I'm sure you could use less pricey turbos (CXRacing specials or some such) than what they used too, and get close in power.
And the good news is, that with the rise of the cheap turbo 4.8L/5.3L and 6.0Ls, nobody seems to want the 454s anymore, so they go for a pittance.
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