Too much horsepower?!?

[Ole Rusty]

Just wondering (and I know I'll see a few snickering remarks:) is 600+ hp too much for the roadster? My BBC is pushing some big ponies through a T56 and I don't want to twist the frame off such a beautiful car.

MjH

[efnfast]

No. My sbf makes 500rwhp.I wanted more, so my superlite should be making around 800rwhp.

[riptide motorsport]

twist the frame.............thats wishful dreaming!

[Wayne Presley]

I'm only running about 830 ish HP (dyno'd 705 at the tires) and it handles it fine other than having wheel spin at 90 mph

[DougR]

The car can handle it. The real question: Can you handle it?

[jim copland]

Wheel spin is your friend. If you get a big enough tire, and a sticky track, you will find out what the weak link is, and there will several, so, some surface quickly and some will show up after you fix the weak things first. 600hp is certainly is enough to find deficiant parts and any more power will just make it happen faster. I also like lots of HP but have had some issues with it and have learned to have some respect for it, but can still disapointed by my skill level, so have fun but be carfull.

[3kcarbon]

6oo HP is slightly above average around this "excess is good" crowd. Remimber too much is about right so you need more.

[THE ITALIAN]

Just wondering (and I know I'll see a few snickering remarks:) is 600+ hp too much for the roadster?
MjH
What will you use it for ?
Is it a "race car"?
Are you a "race car driver"?
How much faster will the car be if you have 400 HP or 600HP?
My 2 cents?....300 to 350 is a fun "drivable" car ,any more and it just sticks out the sides.
Drivable means ,the average guy can take it out and wiggle it around without getting in trouble.

[SR71]

Rusty ....600Hp sounds just about right to me.....don't spend another second thinking about this one... loads of other issues to consider - like how you want to stop her.

[Ole Rusty]

Great advice all, glad to hear that I'm not the craziest one out there. The Italian verbalized my thoughts best in that I'm not a race car driver (at least not while awake) and I don't 'need' that much power. Problem is that I've got issues and 'more power' is one of them. I'm in the process of selling my project Chevelle to afford my project FFR and I haven't gotten any bites on my 502. So I think that I'll marry the two up and quit worrying about it like SR71 said. My big fear was that the small frame/body weight wouldn't stick to the ground with that much meat up front and I'd just have a smokeshow any time I romped the go pedal. My other fear was that the BBC would upset the weight balance and put my CG up around my feet instead of at my butt.

[Mike N]

and I'd just have a smokeshow any time I romped the go pedal.

One of the tricks to being fast in one of these cars is learning how to manage a lightweight car with a bunch of power. It doesn't take 600HP to have a smoke show, not even close, being able to finesse 600HP to the ground is another thing altogether. Figure on drag radials on the rear and some well selected springs and shocks to be able to get decent traction. There are a couple of 9 second street driven FFR's around here that do that with a streetable set up so there is no reason you shouldn't be able to do the same. For an open track car though the weight of the 502 will be a real challenge.

[kpeterson]

One of the tricks to being fast in one of these cars is learning how to manage a lightweight car with a bunch of power. It doesn't take 600HP to have a smoke show, not even close, being able to finesse 600HP to the ground is another thing altogether. Figure on drag radials on the rear and some well selected springs and shocks to be able to get decent traction. There are a couple of 9 second street driven FFR's around here that do that with a streetable set up so there is no reason you shouldn't be able to do the same. For an open track car though the weight of the 502 will be a real challenge.

From a weight and balance standpoint would an FFR with a BBC be similar to an original with a BBF? Would some aluminum engine components and today's better tires make the BBC FFR a more friendly car than an original (other than the added torque)?

Kerry P

[Mike N]

Kerry my car with small block. aluminum heads, supercharger and T5 trans has about a 45/55 split front to rear, with a big block, aluminum heads and tremec you probably add 150 lbs or so but I suspect that you still wouldn't be too far off 50/50. I bet the car would do just fine in 90% of driving situations.

[kpeterson]

Mike,

That's what I was thinking. That a big block car would trade some handling to a small block car but other than autocross it would be fine. Manual steering and the big block would make autocross quite a work out for the driver. Street and road racing should be fun as long as the power is modulated. No need to tell you about how a big torque curve can bite:)

Kerry P

[Mike N]

No need to tell you about how a big torque curve can bite:)


Still makes me pucker just thinking about it. :o

[Ole Rusty]

You folks are always a wealth of information. Thanks, MjH

[wideglidejoe]

I can't remember for sure w/o looking it up, but I think a BBC is some heavier than a FE. BBC & 429/460 may be similar, since a 429/460 is about 100 lbs heavier than a FE. And, an original Cobr@ w/BBF, whether 427 or 428, was running iron heads & water pump, not sure about intake (alum or iron?). Most folks today running FE's in roadsters are running alum heads, intake and water pump, to keep the weight down. There is one local guy around here running a BBC/400 turbo, but it is in a B&B roadster, not a FFR.

[Steve St.Laurent]

Resurrecting an old thread - how about the independent rear suspension? I too am looking at around 600hp with an aluminum block 427. Plan on doing some SOLO II competition as well as some drag racing. Will the IRS hold up to dragstrip launches with slicks?

[2FAST4U]

As long as you don't run huge drag slicks you shouldn't have a problem

[mikiec]

You guys have larger Huevos than I do. My little 325 HP 302 SBF is plenty for me. Spins tires all day long and gets 24MPG.

[efnfast]

Resurrecting an old thread - how about the independent rear suspension? I too am looking at around 600hp with an aluminum block 427. Plan on doing some SOLO II competition as well as some drag racing. Will the IRS hold up to dragstrip launches with slicks?

I'd much rather have the 5link suspension than IRS or 3 or 4 link.5 link makes a huge difference. Car always feels planted.

[mrmustang]

The car can handle it. The real question: Can you handle it?

That is what I was thinking as 200hp is enough to kill you in a Cobra (real or replica), and the car is unlike anything else you have ever driven short of a Formula One car.....


Bill S.

[Jacob McCrea]

Resurrecting an old thread - how about the independent rear suspension? I too am looking at around 600hp with an aluminum block 427. Plan on doing some SOLO II competition as well as some drag racing. Will the IRS hold up to dragstrip launches with slicks?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?4257-How-much-horsepower-is-reasonabe-for-an-IRS-coupe

I have no opinion of my own, but this old thread has a lot of relevant comments, and also covers a few things you can do to make the IRS as strong as possible. Be aware that if you use the new Motorsport cover you'll see at the bottom of the thread, the easiest way to install the diff is to put it in the frame without the cover, then install the cover. If you try to install them as a complete assembly, as I did, the clearance to the frame is in the thousandths of an inch range, at least in my experience.

[willy]

like said before I have 350hp and for the street and some auto X does just fine , as for me 600hp would almost be unmanageable on the street remember a coupe is only about 2300lbs. as for the frame don't worry about it, it could problly take even more than 600hp