Im not sayin that the BB is crap. Yeah it makes tons of torque! and thats what launches the car but if its more than a drag car your going to have to turn at some point! and lots of nose weight is NOT the way to get a car to turn!!! And even if it is just a drag car the weight in the nose is just going to hurt traction and with all that BB torque traction is going to be in short supply anyway!!!!!
I've done them both ways. Big block in a truck (514..D0VE-C heads, etc) and it ran well, mid 10's 1000' on a budget. Could have had more with a head swap and converter...and something other than 2.47 rear gears, but again it was on a serious budget. Also done small blocks that would run just as well, though not quite as torquey, but definetly lighter. Doesn't matter if it's a Mopar, Ford, Chevy, or any other brand....figure a 100lb weight difference between a big & small block engine. That's always a good place to start. Cubic inches does not matter anymore. 2000 HP can be had out of 400" nowdays with not a whole lot of effort, and still be fairly lightweight. Back to the ORIGINAL topic (and away from the pissing contest), the M2 swap is definetly possible. Easy, no. Do a search for "backhalf pic's" posted originally by Old Guy when I did the M2 swap in my Maverick. Not easy, takes lots of time but definetly worth it in the long run as there is enough room to put any engine you want in there. I stayed with a smallblock myself, as I already had a 357w built & ready to go. Probably will stay with the smallblock....generally speaking, they're cheaper to build compared to their canted-valve elephant-sized cousins. No doubt there is potential for 4 figure HP from a 385 series engine, but that potential is also there for the little brother with the right parts. It's all about the combination. Just dropping a 460 into one of these things isn't going to get you anywhere...a bone stock 460 is a TRUCK engine, made for torque to get a heavy load moving. They respond quite well to basic mods (headers, intake, big carbs, cams, etc) but so does a 302 or 351w. Oh, and making a front-heavy big block car hook on the strip isn't really a challenge if you know how anything about chassis tuning. Use of the torque can make it hook as good or better than a car that has a 50/50 weight distro. In fact, it seems that the old adage of trying to get that perfect 50/50 distro is now "old"....if you look at chassis design and how the rear end & tires react to having more weight on the nose, we find that with tuning, a great launch can be had without excessive wheelstands. With more nose weight (to an extent) you can tune the rear suspension to move the car forward rather than wasting the energy in raising the front wheels. Look at a rear engine dragster...I can almost gurantee that they're not 50/50...and they can get them to hook on gravel most times.
Hummm, 2.3 liter 4 banger....nitro.....turbo......... That would really upset the old folks////// It is only money
Derek 5oComet - I agree - there is no substitution for cubic inches. This is my old truck with a stock 429 with a mild cam and headers. Ran 12's all day and could drive it anywhere.
Hey, guys & gals, MadDoctor here. I didn't intend to have this turn into a BB vs SB issue. My main idea was to put a more durable front end in a Maverick / Comet. On both of mine, a 1970 & a 1976, the front suspension needed constant attention or it would rattle like a can full of rocks every time I went over a bump. The polyurethane (sp?) bushings were not available when I owned the cars (I traded the '70 for the '76 and the '76 lasted until 1985 & 97000 miles) and I would be more interested in making a Maverick handle like a sports car if I was building one today.
''Hey, guys & gals, MadDoctor here. I didn't intend to have this turn into a BB vs SB issue'' Sorry like i said before,i didn't mean to start a thread jacking contest. Btw cool '79 getem. Derek
Big block weight didn't seem to hurt the Shelby Daytona coupes through the twisties at LeMans.....you know, the ones that ate the competition, including Ferarris, Jags and all sorts of other "handleing" cars....or all the 427 Cobras that smoked Porsches and all other competition in road races. Or Big Red, the all-time reigning champ of the Silver State Classic road race.....a nasty beast of a 69 Camaro with over 500 inches of BIG BLOCK, flying through curves at a buck-eighty and change. Gig block cars can handle fine.....small block cars can drag race with the best of 'em.....like anything else, you just have to build what you got to do what you want and need...small block or big block.
LOL I didnt think that I would piss eveyone off. All Im sayin is that I wouldnt put a BB in a comet. And what is the wheel base of the shelbys? and how far back dose the motor sit in the frame? What is the weight front to rear on the shelby? Its not the same as in a comet ! Im just not a BB guy. I like my 302's Thay make good power and there light thay rev high and rev quick! I just think its a better motor but bb ar fine if thats what you like
Won't upset me (yes, I'm old). Take a look at this: www.turbojoe.com It makes 980 rwhp. The last time I saw it run it ran 8.6x and blew up the C-4 when it shifted into third.
