Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve C.
As Ken Crocie stated about making 500HP, "It's like falling off a log".
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I would more or less agree with Ken on this with a few little modifications. Yes it is certainly MUCH easier to make MUCH more HP with LESS effort if your willing to change cylinder heads on our old V-8's. The heads were the choke point on most, and Pontiac's were far from the worst. I oversee a wide variety of engine builds in my class every year. My observation, rather than a HP number is HP per inch since many different platforms are used. Making less than 1 HP per cubic inch is a failure IMO, unless using stock un-touched heads and doing a restoration type rebuild. The 1 HP per inch used to be a Detroit goal, and the handful of engines that made or exceeded it were revered as "super engines". 327-375 HP, 454-450 HP 421 SD, 426 Hemi, 350-370 HP are a few examples. Almost any iron head V-8 can get there with mild head work and the right cam and a decent induction system. 1.25 HP per inch is pretty easy with a modern aluminum replacement head and little else.