The water pump wizards over at Tuff Stuff Performance field a ton of questions about things like pump sizes, flow rates, belt routing, and all sorts of other cooling-related issues. They shared the questions customers most often ask them about water pumps. It’s a good read if you’re looking at replacing or upgrading your current
Q: I have a 1986 Chevy Camaro RS. I’d like to build a 350 for it that puts 400 horses on the ground, and I’d like for it to be an “all-motor” Camaro, without nitrous. My plan includes some high-compression pistons and a big cam. I was also thinking about putting 305 heads on the
Q: I’m getting ready to build a 406 small-block to put into my Camaro. My question is about the use of block filler. I’ve read that if you fill the block to the bottom of the freeze plug openings, that it will increase the cooling ability because this limits water flow to the oil pan
I did a LS2 swap in my ‘54 Belair. The engine came from an ‘05 GTO. It has a modest stereo system operating on a 10-amp fuse. It has a 16-inch cooling fan that operates on a 30-amp fuse and it will blow a 20-amp fuse if I try one. It also has Vintage Air A/C and all
Q: I have a 1970 Lotus Europa S2. It’s a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive car. With a little cutting and welding, I managed to take a Ford 302 (bored .30 over) and nestle it snugly behind the firewall. The engine runs like a charm, but now I need to find a transmission that will match the Ford
I’m asking this for a friend and I know you will have suggestions. He’s building a ’71 El Camino and has decided on an LS swap. He wants 650-700 hp with an automatic. The LS9 is 635hp to start but no auto is recommended. As a crate engine, the LS9 would cost about $21,000 plus
Q: I’m finishing a build on a 1967 Ford Galaxie convertible. Here’s what I’ve got so far: a 1971 351W, bored .030 over, flat top pistons, stock 69cc heads and bottom end, Edelbrock Performer manifold, 600 cfm Holley vacuum secondary carb, and 1969 351W header-style OEM exhaust manifolds with dual 2½” glasspacks. I benched all
I just bought a used 5.3L iron block engine out of a truck. I’ve decided to put new replacement pistons and rings because I found a set of cheap take-out pistons on eBay. The cylinder wall looks really good as do the bearings so the engine probably doesn’t have a ton of miles on it.
Q: I have a Chevy Caprice with a 350 4-bolt main, a 292 Lunati cam with .480” of lift, and a high-rise intake with a 750 Holley carb. My heads have been worked with 2.02” intake/1.50” exhaust valves, a spring set for .480” lift, ported heads, and headers. I also have a 350 transmission, fully
You did a tech answer around two years ago which was about adding a set of Vortec heads to a small-block Chevy. How much of a horsepower gain could you expect from porting these heads using the cam and everything? — R.B. Jeff Smith: We wrote about Vortec heads in 2016, and that article spawned
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