300-350hp Rebuild...

[91TurboTalonFWD]

Ok, so im tired of messing with the old engine blah blah blah and im planing on a rebuild here in the next couple of months i want to be at about 300-350 horsepower at the crank what are my options? point me in a direction somebody!

 

[oldman]

Ok well i have a 6bolt so i have the bigger rods? but shit if you say a STOCK untouched 6bolt can hold 350hp for years then why put 2g pistons? why cant i just get the 16g and supporting mods and be good to go?

Exactly, you won't even need ARP's until pushing about 24ish psi, the key is in tuning.

 

[dsm-onster]

Damn, I was going to mention that. But i forgot by the time I finished typing. That is SO VERY TRUE. I went through 5!!! head gaskets learning to tune these cars at a level that would stretch a 7-bolt block. It can be reliable AFTER you get the deal in your head. And understand what your setup can deliver and what basic tuning intales.

Was it worth it for me to get my head and block resurfaced and fork over the bones for a MLS head gasket? I don't know. How bad was my prior tunes? Could it have done more damage if the gasket held? I don't know. But, patiently and meticulously logging knock, a/f, and timing vs. rpms and tweeking in small intervals is so important w/ a stockish block. It can be fun/satisfying/affordable if you want it to be.

Just be PATIENT when tuning. Or jsut pay a dyno shop hundereds and hundreds of dollars just to put you in a conservative tune because you have a stock block.