low budget stock engine build

[sk8thebluemonkey]

Hi, I'm a new member of the Chevette Racing Forum. I have done an extensive amount of research on the net about stock engine builds and have found very little. But through my research i came across this site. From what I understand yall are very knowledgeable on modified stock engines. I am the owner of a red 1986 four door Chevette auto with ac. She has approx. 54,000 miles and she runs like a beast. A matter of fact, just this weekend I pushed her all the way up to 90. Of course, it was down an overpass with the wind to my back, but still not to bad for a little Eco box. That being said she could still use a bit more power. No I'm not talking about making it a race car or some kind of street sleeper. I just want to be able to run my ac in traffic and have more hearty of the line starts. So that gets me to my question I'm looking to spend on the lesser side of 500 dollars on modifications. Have in mind this is my secondary vehicle( I drive a Ford Explorer Sport Trac) so there is no time line that this has to be completed in. Second it will be me and my brother doing the work. My brother is a Toyota/Gm mechanic and as for me I have a little skill in turning a wrench. In my research common mods I have found were: finding a h.o. chevette head porting and polishing it and puting in a high performance cam (lazer etc...), also puting on the h.o. exhaust dual outlet manifold followed by a custom set of pipes to flow out the end. Porting out the intake and installing a bigger carb, and also freeing up the engine by switching the fan to an electric one. Am I on the right track or just over my head and is it even possible to due this project for around 500 dollars? Any help would be most grateful.

[DOCTOR FIELDS]

You're on the right tract, but will be pushing your $500 budget very quickly. It sounds like the bottom end is in good shape. You should do a compression check and cylinder leak down test to determine just how good it is before any modifications.

The 1976 - 1980 head will give you the most bang for your buck. Unless you have alot of experience porting and polshing, i would not recommend attempting this. More damage than good can be done by an unexperienced porter. Have a good valve job done and milled .050" - .080" and install a mild cam. 278 dur / 430 lift should be plenty. Degree it in at 102. (see cam degree post) You can modify the 5210 Chevette carb. but the easiest would be to bolt a 32/36 Weber on it and calibrate it to your engine. A good exhaust system will also increase performance. Also buy the largest K&N filter you can get in the stock breather.

These mods should give you a very noticeable increase in power, but like i said, expect to spend a bit more than $500.

Good luck, keep us updated.
Stephen Fields

[rad15E]

these mods will pick up power output of the motor but to be honest that auto trans will kill most of it,those trans lose alot of what the little motor puts out

[sk8thebluemonkey]

Thanks for the responses, next question where would I find a cam or what company should I get it form, reason is I heard a lot of these companies are no longer are in production. Also would you have a model number on the weber carb or vehicles I should look out for that may have them?

[hydroli]

I found that lunati cams have a grind for a 278 degrees cam. it costs around 200$. I have one, I noticed near to no gain with the swirl port head. I think that changing the head is the key to see a change.

[DOCTOR FIELDS]

Search Ebay for a 32/36 Weber carb. You should be able to find both new and used.

[kjtfreyes]

Dont avoid the oil pump. Make that a priority or you will be opening it up sooner than later. Ive had a few "low budget" builds that turned out higher later on. Like thinking you are saving money by making payments instead of buying it. Just my 2. And fuel pump is just as important. Theres another two,