I HAVE A DRY SUMP MOTOR GOING INTO A RACE JIM CARPENTER 308 GTO ....BUILT WITH ALL RACING BRAKES,SUPENSION..INCREDIBLE CAR... I DONT WANT TO SPEND BIG $ AND WANT TO LEAVE IT RELIABLE... I THOUGHT OF JE PISTONS,PORTING THE HEADS.... WOULD THAT DO ANY GOOD OR MAY I LEAVE IT ORIIGNAL AND USE THE 250 HP ALONE....??
If this was a Jim Carp 308 racecar you have the wrong goals for the wrong car unless you want a slow racecar. If the chassis that Jim did is very good with compromises set up for racing then IMO you need to spend the money to have the engine done right. If you can't do it yourself and do no have the tools send it to a guy like Dave at Cavallino Ramparte Boulder Colo.. See the thread under the super ferraris section the thread " F40 Engine Rebuild - Don't try this at home!" if you want to do your engine right vs. cheap. Cheap gets you cheap if cheap is what you want.
is that the black 288 bodied 308 that was for sale in canada with the motor out? either way, norwood turbo with upgraded components would make the most of the motor. you can pick the level of hp/reliability with the boost level and component quality.
I think one also needs to look at the rules of the classification you want to race in, as there are restrictions or re-classifications of modified or blown cars. For sheer horsepower, most bang for buck is with forced induction, though. Need to somewhat design to the class in which you will be competing. Can't go wrong with a call to Carobu or Norwood's. Good luck! rt
I GUESS STOCK,SOLID RELIABLE IS BEST.I AM NOT GOING TO BE A WINNER,JUST FOR FUN TRACK TIME AND ENJOY A CHEAP NICE CAR...
Steve, I suggest updating the cooling system, as well as adding trany cooler and if I recall a diff. cooler as well.
Steve When ever you start modifying the engine you are going to start spending money at a pretty good clip. I'd recommend you talk to James Patterson at Norwood or Mike at QV in London. Cams are probably biggest bang for the buck. RPM is one of the biggest determinants of reliability. Philip
Norwood Twin Turbo, no question. 288 was a turbo car, biggest bang for the buck- with great reliability and driveability if you are reasonable with the boost.
Actually, I would venture the best (as well as a way of INCREASING reliablity) bang for your buck is a modern fuel injection system. You can add around 30 hp with this.
If you are building a race 308 engine, there is no way to do it for cheap. If you are looking for reliability and keep the cost down there is no way you can increase horsepower. The twin turbo option - if done right - will probably set you back at least $35K if the engine is in good shape which is a fair chunk of change. It will probably not be the best for racing, however; if will be a blast to drive... Do you have pictures of the car? Does it have the correct GTO engine orientation? Franck
