I WANT 625HP! er.. i mean 850HP!! yeah, thats it!

[RD]

I often see many members (albeit new) asking how they can obtain some outrageous HP engine build.  They usually start off with:

"I am going to build a 650hp big block!"

Without totally considering they are talking big dollars not just in the engine, but in the entire drivetrain, suspension.. HELL the whole car!

So, on that note, I would like for each member who has ever driven in a car with the HP ratings above to give a small story of their experience.  That way, when somebody comes on here, we can link them to this so they can understand exactly what in the hell they are getting themselves into.

Please include the story, the dollar amount of the build (if you know it), timeframe of the build, pictures, and any other tidbit of information you may find useful.

Call this thread, preventive maintenance so that we do not have to keep answering the same type of threads over and over again.

[RD]

500'ish HP:

1971 Dodge Charger, 440 - 11.5 to 1 pistons, 292/.509 cam, 516 heads big valves, dual quad tunnel ram, 4.56 gear 8 3/4, 12.17 1/4 mile 108mph.  3 guys, 1 1/2 years, $5,000 later.  nothing but a drag car that never found its true potential.  needed more money to get it to hook properly.  could have been in the 11's easy with a good rear suspension.

[Todd Wilson]

Is this Chevy horsepower or Mopar horsepower?



Todd

[RD]

Is this Chevy horsepower or Mopar horsepower?



Todd

i would say any vehicle.. though the prices may vary a little between makes of vehicles, i am sure huge $$ have been spent.

[Beer]

At the crank or at the wheels???   

[mauve66]

i want 800HP at the wheels from the motor plus 300 HP NOS plus twin turbos plus fuel injection plus 35 MPG plus /6 idle quality so no one knows when i'm ready to blow their dors off..........

[RD]

 

i want 800HP at the wheels from the motor plus 300 HP NOS plus twin turbos plus fuel injection plus 35 MPG plus /6 idle quality so no one knows when i'm ready to blow their dors off..........

  don't we all 

[Todd Wilson]

Is this Chevy horsepower or Mopar horsepower?



Todd

i would say any vehicle.. though the prices may vary a little between makes of vehicles, i am sure huge $$ have been spent.

Yeah but theres a lot of 800hp    350 chevys running around town here. Thats why I asked.........


Todd

[Silver R/T]

My Cobra has over 530whp, of course putting it all to the ground is another thing...

[bull]

i want 800HP at the wheels from the motor plus 300 HP NOS plus twin turbos plus fuel injection plus 35 MPG plus /6 idle quality so no one knows when i'm ready to blow their dors off..........

It's gotta haul 9 passengers too. And 35 mpg is the city rating...

[General_01]

1971 Dodge Charger Superbee. 383 stroked to a 496. 555 HP. 4-speed, 3:55 gears. Approx. $5,000 in parts and engine builder fees. No 1/4 times. Have toyed with it, but have not just hammered it until I get the torque strap in place and brand new u-joints. Hopefully I won't have a "too much HP for my driving skills" thread to post later in the year.

Build is here.  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,46587.0.html

[Cooter]

Own, drive, and race 600-700 "ish" HP Dodge Dart stroker on 200 Shot Of Nitrous. 14 years and $14K to build and it's still in primer....While it ain't nothing compared to the "You Tube" generation with their 2000 "ISH" HP, twin Turbo'd, 2JZ, RB26DDTT, DOHC, Intercooled, 75 PSI boosted, Cars, it is a real world car that does get driven on the street and WILL stand a chance of passing local State Inspection....(Safe)..

The ones looking for huge HP and Torque are still "Wet behind the ears" and haven't paid their dues yet..Give 'em time as WE ALL here did the same thing with our shop/auto mech. teachers in High School..We all wanted to be "King 'o the hill" ...We had big dreams and small wallets same as these newbies...Yes, it's none the less frustrating to see at least one post about every month, but we are the voice of reason just like the shop teacher when you wanted that 550 HP 340 back in high school so you could outrun your buddies 440 Coronet....Hell, I still get irritated at all those that seem to want 700 HP from a damn small block..I learned A long time ago, money is the determinaing factor on the street, track, life, etc...Some just have enough to make that kind of power from a small block, while the rest of the free world will have to make 700 HP the old fashioned way...Cubic inches...

[Todd Wilson]

Own, drive, and race 600-700 "ish" HP Dodge Dart stroker on 200 Shot Of Nitrous. 14 years and $14K to build and it's still in primer....While it ain't nothing compared to the "You Tube" generation with their 2000 "ISH" HP, twin Turbo'd, 2JZ, RB26DDTT, DOHC, Intercooled, 75 PSI boosted, Cars, it is a real world car that does get driven on the street and WILL stand a chance of passing local State Inspection....(Safe)..

The ones looking for huge HP and Torque are still "Wet behind the ears" and haven't paid their dues yet..Give 'em time as WE ALL here did the same thing with our shop/auto mech. teachers in High School..We all wanted to be "King 'o the hill" ...We had big dreams and small wallets same as these newbies...Yes, it's none the less frustrating to see at least one post about every month, but we are the voice of reason just like the shop teacher when you wanted that 550 HP 340 back in high school so you could outrun your buddies 440 Coronet....Hell, I still get irritated at all those that seem to want 700 HP from a damn small block..I learned A long time ago, money is the determinaing factor on the street, track, life, etc...Some just have enough to make that kind of power from a small block, while the rest of the free world will have to make 700 HP the old fashioned way...Cubic inches...

I agree and you also got to decide if you are gonna drive them  or race them..................


Todd

[Belgium R/T -68]

Had a Cuda -70 back in 1989, actually it was a 440 sixpackcar according to the VIN. Had a maxprepped 440 plus Nitrous, 4.10
in the rear, cage and raceseats and seatbelts. I run 11.73 once but after a problem with the distributor I never got it to perform again.
Worst car I ever been driving on the street, no idle, the noice, build to go straight forward and the killing mpg.
I would never build for HP anymoore but lots of torque instead. For me realibility, low maintenance and driveability is the keyfactors
that makes a car like our enjoyable to own and drive and that you don't get with a 800 HP stressed engine in your streetcar.
But like cooter stated, you have to grow out of it.

Per

[Musicman]

I would never build for HP anymore, but lots of torque instead. For me realibility, low maintenance and driveability are the key factors
that make a car like ours enjoyable to own and drive.

Well said...

[Bob T]

A good friend of mine has a 71 Roadrunner with a 605 Indy Hemi in it. It can make 900hp, the tune it is in at the moment makes 681 at the rear tyres, dont dont what the ft/lb is. does an 11.3 on street tyres, but makes no traction as he expects and Yes, he does drive it alot and it is fairly reliable.
it is the fastest thing I have been in on land and handles well and looks the part too, full resto and mods but still appears stock and no minitubs etc , has been a magazine cover car before too . owes him alot, but Im not comfortable with putting his build total up on a forum suffice to say, it is probably half of a big house in a good area

[elacruze]

In my opinion, a street car with more than 400rwhp is just ego or looking for trouble. Great Fun!!

My car in current configuration was built by the book to run 11.0 quarter miles, but never got to the track or dyno. Waaaay more power than useful on the street. Fun tho.

I built a 3000lb. 572" Indy headed bracket car with my neighbor, fastest I went was 8.26@145 (IIRC) and about 1.40 60ft times.
Those were about the most fantastic 8 seconds ever! But, the stress of the pits and preparing for that 8 seconds was awful. I was a stand-in driver for his regular guy once a month, and I suck on the lights but always got the best from the car so we learned a lot on those losing weekends lol. Driving something with a motor like that on the street is silly, if you ask me. Unless you just like to set the throttle stop to 1/4 and cause an earthquake at the A&W. I gave up on 'One upping' and parking lot racing a long time ago.

My new setup at 505" is 100% about drivability and reliability. I expect ~650hp but won't be disappointed if I only end up with 550. I don't intend to keep tires on it (regularly lol) that can deliver anything like that much to the street.

[SFRT]

Well...mine dynoed last year with 494 HP....so with a 4 speed that gives me something like, what 400 or so at rear wheels.

it had 3.54 's at the time...

currently, I am running the same engine, but with 4.56's and 295/50's....

drive the  car everywhere, hard and it feels pretty slow to tell the truth. even when I hammer the shit out of it, theres no loss of control or anything.

my engine guru tells me with a bigger cam and some head porting he can get me another honest 80 or 90 HP out of the engine...which I will do when  I have the extra cash.

costs...motor .transmission and rear end costs where about 7 grand
suspension..front and rear about 1800 dollars

gear swap ran me about 500 bucks

headers and exhaust where about 1800

brakes where about 2200.00  discs all the way around

throw in a grand for crap I have forgotten

so i figure it cost me about 14 grand total for all the mechanical stuff involving power and handling. maybe a couple of thousand in outside labor for the stuff I didnt do myself.

so lets say 16 grand plus a few months of my time for a dependable 500 HP street car.

I have no idea what It would run in a 1/4 mile, since I have yet to run it anywhere that has timing.

maybe one of you math dudes can tell me what it might do:

when it dynoed it had I think something like 480 of torque..494 hp...now with 4.56 gears at the end of a 4 speed with 295/50/15 tires.

the drivetrain is a non stroked 440 with the edelbrock performer package, a mild cam and an 850 proform double mechanical pump, MSD ignition blowproof belllhousing, stock a833 18 spline 4 speed and stock dana 60 with 4.56 gears. car has been and is ultrdependable daily driver, no issues at speed or in traffic. drivetrain cost me about 7 grand.
its got torque boxes and welded on subframe connectors with adjustable gas shocks and a split monoleaf caltracs setup.

[charger_cody]

In my opinion, a street car with more than 400rwhp is just ego or looking for trouble.

Or a ticket.

Got to ride in a neighbors 71 slowmaro. Claimed it had over 900 hp. Felt like it too. Put me in the back of my seat barely taking off.

Cody

[LeadfootBob]

631hp/700nm at the crank.
468 chevy, solid roller, RHS 320cc heads, roller valvetrain with all the goodies, heavy but bullet-proof bottom end (crank and block had gone mid-eights with close to 1400 hp thanks to twin turbo/EFI setup before I bought them), 4000-stall 9" converter/Powerglide, 3.5" exhaust, built 8.5" 10-bolt with 4.56 gearing, yada yada...
...In this.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o53/UFO2900/Monte%20Carlo%202008/Picture016.jpg?t=1276532706

Noisy, crude and yet strangely comfortable with the bench and power steering. Incinerated the tires at whim, in any gear and for as long as one could keep the damn thing in a reasonably straight line.
Built it over the course of two or three years intending to run in the local street circus.
Somewhere along the line the realization crept in that a 4000 pound tank does not make for a good street race car, not with the kind of competition we've got around here. That and the fact that OPEC sent me personalized Christmas cards, the constant fear of having a lifter/retainer/rod bolt letting go while at 6500+ and knowing that a new engine was a two year wait sort of sealed the deal.


Sold the 468/transmission for 8 grand to a local nutcase who promptly stuffed them in a '69 BMW 2002. Exit chevy, enter Mopar.
At least the cash made for a nice resto fund for the Charger.
(No, I'm NOT kidding about the BMW. He did give up on street driving it though, too much paperwork.)
What did it cost?
Off the top of my head... $16000, this with a killer price on the bottom end.
What did I learn?
Forced induction next time around... There's a guy on moparts making 450hp out of a (untouched longblock) slant six, for crying out loud!

[J-440]

  Been working on my 68 for about 12 years and have never used a credit card (would probably have been done by now if I had.)  It's 90% done, I've got about $45,000 into it and looking at $60,000 when I'm finished.  But here is where I justify all of this madness.  It's my dream car and I'll never sell it, I plan on getting 800 horses when I'm done, it'll spank (hopefully) most of the exotics out there that cost 3 times as much and look better doing it. 
  Basicly the only stock things on it are some dash pieces and the sheetmetal from the firewall to the rear.  Good Lord I have a lot of patience but it is wearing thin!! 2010 will be the year dammit!! 

[SRT-440]

I drove a '03 Cobra that was pullied and tuned (550ish HP)...made my butt pucker. LOL

My '70 RR clone has a 12.5:1 compression 383 (although wore out) it puts a smile on my face too (when it shifts..LOL)

Of course then there is my '04 SRT-4 with 300 HP to the front wheels that is scarier than both those cars..toque steer is a PITA!! 

[Wicked72]

nothing wrong with 650 hp big block! Hp cost money and the more power the more your gonna spend if you really wanna drive your car more then once or twice without destroying it then you gotta dump your wallet. In which I am doing.... I used to work for a small company called Pisarik Performance and I have built giant engines and watched many cars end up in the scrap yard because they either couldnt wait to build the car before stomping on it or they thought the car was invincible.. sad.

There are some many things to consider. yes you can build a high hp engine cheap! but its cheap hence no quality. The buddy that says well you can do this and you can do that is a tard and if sounds to good to be true, then it most likely is. Some times you can build a high quality engine and is still blows up even if its done right. Also the more power the less reliable it will be in the long run and the more up keep. Most prices the engines that I have built ranged from a 400hp for $6500 to 1400hp at $20k and everything in between. So think hard what your going to do with the car over all and do your research cuz youll find out that 650 costs more then just an engine and that really is a crap load of hp anyway. Hope is helps a lil