I agree. Everyone wants lots of horsepower, but the whole idea is to have
MANAGEABLE performance. I have owned my Solex for about two months now and I
can tell you that 150 HP is PLENTY for me. I know the guys who put V6s and
turbo the cars will disagree, but these cars also need to handle well and be
responsive. These cars are LIGHT when compared to other cars.
I got into it with a Z3 today. Although the Z3 is pretty quick, I held my
own against it. I can whip any Miata I have yet to see. Yes, a 350 powered
car will beat me on the top end, but I'll kill it in the turns. I remember
Michael Carion posting that he was only a couple seconds slower than a Viper
on one of his track runs. Now a Viper would eat us alive in a straight
quarter mile, but taking turns and banking and breaking is what makes them
fun to drive. In that aspect we hold our own.
I think if I want a dragster, I'll put a 350 into a chassis that can handle
it.
Andrew Murphy
67.5 2000 Solex (Plenty Fast)
SoCalROC http://www.netcom.com/~andr/socalroc.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark [mailto:captainhoek@postmark.net]
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2000 4:18 PM
Cc: datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: 1967.5 Roadster Extreme
Adam Grupe wrote:
> Can I put a short
> block Chevy 350 in with a 6 speed trany. Has anyone tried this. How much
> work would it be. Would a 350 fit. If not what is the biggest motor that
> fits.
Ah dunno if you can get a 350 in there, but if you do, what will you have?
I knew a fellow that had a 283 in a Fiat 850. It was useless. He couldn't
beat me in my 2l roadster. Why? He couldn't keep the back end on the
ground. No weight there to keep traction. And FORGET turning corners at
any kind of speed. I'm thinking a 350 in a Roadster would be about the
same, or worse. I've seen several Porsche 914s with 350s stuffed in them.
That's a different story. The engine's weight is mostly over the rear
wheels - actually between the axles, so the traction is fine, as long as you
used some serious rubber. One of them used the aluminum racing 350.
Maybe on old Buick aluminum block 215 would work, if you could find one.
Much lighter than a 350 and can be built to do some pretty impressive
horses. And there are a few V-6s out there.
On the other hand, it would be unique, and it's _your_ toy.
--
Mark van der Hoek
Houston
From bondage to spiritual faith
From spiritual faith to courage
From courage to freedom
From freedom to abundance
From abundance to selfishness
From selfishness to complacency
From complacency to apathy
From apathy to fear
From fear to dependency
From dependency to bondage
Ezra Taft Benson
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