351w is slow and weak...please help

ka_dawg98 · 10-05-2003, 03:09 PM

i built a 1978 351w engine from a van 5 years ago just before i went to college.(my first engine build)... and it gets beat by everybody i race and i NEED help. it was fuel injected and i thought that was the problem, so i carburated it 3 months ago. 5 years ago i put a stock replacement full rebuild kit in the lower end with hyper pistons. a stock timing chain and gear. a crane cam that is 494/512 and 218/224(numbers might be off a coupld digits but those are real close). i didn't degree the cam in, i just put it in where the wholes lined up at top dead center and bolted it down.(serious mistake?i don't know) the heads were the original van heads that i ported and polished myself(first time i ever did this too). my machine shop put 194/160 valves in them but the valves are of different lengths with my pedistal mount rockers. didn't have the money to put stud mounted/adjustable rockers in it, so i put different size rods to take up the slack

i now put a air gap intake on it, 750cfm carb(down jetted), billet distrubutor, 6a box, blaster coil. the engine sounds mean as hell now. revs up great, but is slow as all hell. can't even bearly break the tires loose unless i slip the clutch. what the hell is wrong. even if i put a stock 351w engine from a van in a little light mustang i think it should still kill the tires, but my buddy's mustang (306 w ported e7s, bigger valves, 303 cam, and stock everything else including rear gears) kills me... it just walks away from me bad. how bad did i mess things up on my engine... did i need to degree the cam... can i loose that much power from my mistakes, or is it just a simple timing problem... i 'm afraid to sink more money into it untill i can figure out why the dam car is so slow....
thanks.

10-05-2003, 03:09 PM	#1
ka_dawg98 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: merritt island, florida Posts: 3	351w is slow and weak...please help i built a 1978 351w engine from a van 5 years ago just before i went to college.(my first engine build)... and it gets beat by everybody i race and i NEED help. it was fuel injected and i thought that was the problem, so i carburated it 3 months ago. 5 years ago i put a stock replacement full rebuild kit in the lower end with hyper pistons. a stock timing chain and gear. a crane cam that is 494/512 and 218/224(numbers might be off a coupld digits but those are real close). i didn't degree the cam in, i just put it in where the wholes lined up at top dead center and bolted it down.(serious mistake?i don't know) the heads were the original van heads that i ported and polished myself(first time i ever did this too). my machine shop put 194/160 valves in them but the valves are of different lengths with my pedistal mount rockers. didn't have the money to put stud mounted/adjustable rockers in it, so i put different size rods to take up the slack i now put a air gap intake on it, 750cfm carb(down jetted), billet distrubutor, 6a box, blaster coil. the engine sounds mean as hell now. revs up great, but is slow as all hell. can't even bearly break the tires loose unless i slip the clutch. what the hell is wrong. even if i put a stock 351w engine from a van in a little light mustang i think it should still kill the tires, but my buddy's mustang (306 w ported e7s, bigger valves, 303 cam, and stock everything else including rear gears) kills me... it just walks away from me bad. how bad did i mess things up on my engine... did i need to degree the cam... can i loose that much power from my mistakes, or is it just a simple timing problem... i 'm afraid to sink more money into it untill i can figure out why the dam car is so slow.... thanks. __________________ 1978 351w block, stock heads(self ported and polished), 494/512 218/224 cam, stock timing gears and chain, edelbrock performer air gap intake, edelbrock 750 carb, msd distributor/6a box/blaster 2 coil, 1"5/8 shorty unequal headers, h-pipe, 327 gear, 16"rims.