hey all, Ive recently been adding up the future costs for my VL project and there is a **** load of money going into paint + panel and interior ect. All money that could be spent on performance as i think a car that goes fast will be more fun than one that looks good. (for now anyway) My question is, what sort of power(ball park figure, i know cars are different) does it take to crack a 9 second quarter in a VL? Im assuming most people use the old RB30 or variants of this, but if i ever tried this build, id like to try and stick with the trusty 304 Holden V8 i have sitting here. So is it possible to be done with a 355 stroker? Also note being in QLD i cannot legally boost the V8 so it has to remain an n/a 355. This is just thoughts 'up in the air' at the moment im not saying im attempting anything just curious about it is all. So anyone who feels the need to be a smartass and flame me ect, please keep that in mind.

It's possible to do it with a 355 n/a in a VL, but it won't be cheap. Probably around 380+rwkw and capable of a 140mph pass. Mate, that adds up to well set up car that has had some serious money spent on it. No one just goes to the track and reels off a nine without a lot of time,money and effort.

Yeah i understand it not just something any old car can rock up and do all day long. Would a 355 built to make that power even be very reliable? I dont want to spend thousands on getting one to that level, and then rebuild it in 12 months time because its been pushed too far to make that power. shouldve mentioned supporting mods would include things like built fully manualised T400, VLT diff with KAAZ LSD and 31 spline axles, widest wheels possible with semi-slicks ect.

Mate, I don't know enough about 355's to answer your question correctly. Guessing your talking about a $10-20,000k motor with nos. Have a look a someone like COME racing to get an idea of the sorta motor your talking about. You would definitely be pushing it and with nitrous it could say bye,bye at any time. That's racing, sh*t happens Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

what does it take to crack a 9? A motor vehicle Possibly semi slicks wont be the answer to your traction problems.

What does it take to crack an eight ? Twins Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

U wont need 140mph to run a 9 in a NA 355 stroker, have a look at trick and manswettos engines website, you'll need around 17k for something that will run your 9 on unleaded just for the engine alone, which ocmpared to an RB30 build up to run a 9 is pretty damn good - and the v8 will do it on pump, the vl wont for that kinda money imo. You wont need nitrous - and those engines will make around 650hp at the fly.

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgz U wont need 140mph to run a 9 in a NA 355 stroker, have a look at trick and manswettos engines website, you'll need around 17k for something that will run your 9 on unleaded just for the engine alone, which ocmpared to an RB30 build up to run a 9 is pretty damn good - and the v8 will do it on pump, the vl wont for that kinda money imo. You wont need nitrous - and those engines will make around 650hp at the fly. Thats what i wanted to hear lol. $17K is very reasonable if it will do 9s. have you got a link to the website? Quote: Originally Posted by scaryride What does it take to crack an eight ? Twins i dont need eights, id just like to see single digits a.k.a 9's Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

sure. http://www.trickandmanswetoracing.com.au/ you can see on the front page too 640hp 2850lb 9.6 at 140mph. They will also run your engine in and it will have a engine dyno power print out, they can also give you info on the convertor and gearing to use to run the engine and get the most out of it.. plus they are top blokes to deal with and get information from.

Have you dealt with them personally? Or know someone who has? just i dont want to be rebuilding something every 12-18 months, would like something rock solid. (although it will be 50% street driven).

yeah i have actually dealt through them for a bottom end in my stroker. Your kinda asking for two different things, you want a 9 second engine that drives like a streeter (now these are well behaved engines but you cant expect it to be as good as a stock engine), and secondly you will need to refresh the bearings and such sooner than you would something that isnt making as much power.. but that goes for any engine u buy that makes more power than it was intended to. My current street engine (RB30DET) will probably only go 20-30,000kms before the bottom end is due for a inspection and new bearings and the like. I would call trick and manswetto and ask them personally how many kms they would expect to see from a 9 second engine, but bare in mind it will depend on how often its raced and how well you look after it.

Yes ill get in contact with them asap. I may have overlooked it, but do you know if thats a 355 or 383 package? i couldnt see any mention.

They do both, however due to the bottom end clearances I believe they recommend the 355 holdens over the 383s however if you dont mind having a chev engine (010 block i think) then the 383 stroker is fine. Having said that I have sene plenty of Holden V8s done with the 383 stroke and its been fine.. but each shop has their own preference and since they're the ones that race and build em I recon they know best lol.

Yeah i would prefer the 355 anyway, so i hope thats what they recommend. Also i spose getting a freshen up every 30,000 Ks isnt too bad, id be surprised if it will see that many in two years.

well yeha just racing and some weekend cruising it'll take a while to clock up kms, but at the end of the day you would build something like this because you enjoy it and dont mind the maintenance and stuff like that it incurs along the way.. all part of owning a street weapon I spose. But I recon with an NA V8 and some street slicks with 650hp not much will catch it on the street lol.

I was told by a mate added cost would include built T400($5K) diff (3.5K) roll cage and harnesses($5K). Would i need to get it tubbed? Im hoping i can just get the widest stocko's under there with slicks ect.

well blokes run a good 160mph with 10" slicks with untubbed vl turbos and as quick as an high 8 second pass, so no minitubbing is really required unless u want to. Yeah u would need a fair bit still, probably a fuel system, radiator, might need ignition amp and such, exhaust, gearbox and convertor, diff, brakes.. Its not a cheap excerise even tho the engine itself is good value for money.. but thats why not everyone owns a 9 second capable car i guess.

Yea i knew about diff and box ect just things like tubbing and welded in cage ect will = no more street legal. so i was hoping i didnt 'need' things like that.

A 9 second N/A 355 isn't going to be very nice on the streets. I suggest you either build a drag car or a street car because what you’re talking about won't do both. Think $20k for the engine, plus trans, diff, body work and big sticky rubber, it's not a cheap exercise EDIT: Just read what Morgz posted, he's pretty much said it all

What exactly makes something like that a handful to drive on the streets? Im not saying you're wrong, but im new to the world of big HP cars so i cant honestly say i know what you mean. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.