boosting ?'s

[c3sam]

i'm afraid i'm going to get blasted for this here. i've brought this topic up before, but that was a while ago and the circumstances have changed

this week i am performing another engine swap. i'm replacing my troubled smallblock with a race-built 350 producing almost 450 hp @ the flywheeel and 60 miles on it. it's ported, has a Comp cam, solid lifters, a compression ratio near 10:1 and i'm not quite sure of the specs on the heads, but i pick up all the paperwork on it today. it's well balanced and well assembled and i trust it to take more beating than i will give it.
now 450 horses is plenty for me for now. but its in my american blood not to stop there. i'm sure many of you will say chaange the heads. and if you say that, you'll most likely recommend making them vortech heads and going with the vortech intake. but if i did that it would cost about a $1k and i would pick up 50-60 hp if i'm lucky and that could be a waste of the work the engine has had (like porting).
i've recently been studying superchargers again. i found this Procharger supercharger models and this Procharger Carbureted options
the Procharger P-1SC is what i have my eye on. it is moderate, simple, self-contained and from what i understand it is a safe solution. i'm only looking for a 30% gain in power and this looks like an option that should be taken serioulsy since here Procharger actually claims an average 62% power gain on a smallblock with a 9:1 compression ratio (not much less than mine), and the model i've picked out P-1SC runs about $2k plus some change. that puts me at over 600 hp for a $2k bolt-on.
of course i'm not talking about doing that right away. i wouldn't honestly do that sort of mod until i have spent some serious time strengthening the frame and transmission. (i have a wonderful transmission expert who helps me with all of my projects)
i would really appreciate some feedback from everyone, especially those with some experience supercharging carburetors.

please give me any honest help you can. i'm not crazy. i'm looking at all my options. crate engines and big blocks, etc. i also need some help finding a raised hood for my c3, one with some style.

thanks for all of the help

sam

 

[c3sam]

i know that vortech also offers supercharging solutions for carbureted smallblocks. please let me know of any other options if you have any ideas.

thanks again

sam

 

[c3sam]

does anyone know of any good aftermarket c3 hoods?
i've seen a handful of them that run between $500 and $600. just wondering if anyone else knows of some good choices

 

[MaineShark]

Forced induction generally works better on low-compression engines. Your 10:1 compression ratio means that you would only be able to run a tiny amount of boost without detonation, and it really wouldn't be worth the trouble. To get the best benefit from a turbocharger or supercharger, your engine really needs to be designed for boost from the start.

Hoods... I bought a "Stinger" hood from Vanacor. There are some pictures in this thread. It gives and inch and three-quarters more clearance than stock.

Joe

 

[c3sam]

well one of the things i noted was that the Procharger P-1SC is a light supercharger but can create boosts up to 30 PSI. If i have a compression ratio of 9.7:1 (best estimate) and i use 6 PSI of boost (relatively small and safe amount) is it not possible to safely get about 35% more power?
is 6 PSI too much for a 9.7:1 compression ratio?

if atmospheric pressure is just over 14 PSI, 6 PSI would be more than enough for 35% power increase..... is that not true?

as for the hood. i have a red '77 and i wonder what it would look like with the Stinger. anyone seen pics of something like that?

 

[Copdogcorvettes]

Superchargers by way of boost raise the pressures inside the motor. I wouldn't use one on anything with 9.0:1 or more myself expect in an all out drag motor that I don't care if it last more than a few pass down the strip. On a street motor that you want to last about 8.0:1 or less depending on the amount of boost you plan to run. 9.0:1 at the most with a low boost (5-7lbs) Is the high limit.

Gary