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Tech Question
Andrew Yeo, West Lafayette, IN, 1970 Dodge Challenger 318
Rick, I'm working on a 1970 Challenger "Western Special"
that will be set up for handling and need to choose an engine. I like big
block power and torque but I'm concerned about balance and handling. Can I
set the car up to get good handling with a "light" big block (451, aluminum
heads, aluminum radiator, battery in trunk) or do I need to drop back to a
small block? The chassis has been stiffened (frame connectors & torque
boxes by Auto Rust Technicians) and I expect to replace torsion bars and
sway bars with stiffer pieces. Your advice would be very much appreciated.
Amdrew, the short answer is : "yes". But, like many things in life, this really isn't a "yes/no" question, but a matter of degrees.
For handling, braking, accelleration, and even fuel economy and drivetrain durability -- virtually every performance parameter save terminal velocity -- mass is your enemy. Less mass means you need "less" brakes - which are lighter - reducing mass! Etcetera. For handling, removing, especially, mass at the ends of the car is very rewarding -- that ol' "polar moment of inertia" thing at work.
No question, you can remove mass from a big-block car. Beyond the engine-related things you've mentioned, there's fiberglass body panels, polycarbonate "glass", etc. With some effort and attention to detail, you could probably get a streetable big-block E-body down to 3200 pounds or so. But, you could also reduce that number by easily another 100+ pounds - all from the nose - by going small block. And, with a 408-inch smallblock and, say, Indy's aluminum W-2 style heads, you could easily make 500+ HP.
So, like so many of these personal-decision type questions, all I can do is lay out the facts as I see them -- once you have all of 'em, the final choice is yours.
Rick
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