Well if I had one of these tanks (I still do)lol, and I wanted a bit more get up and go....
Ok first you gotta stop thinking horsepower. Horsepower is a function of rpm,so the more rpm you spin it the more potential for horsepower. But these cars,stuck with 2.2s, seldom see more than what 3500? And probably only in first gear cuz second is good for 65+2735 plus TC slip. Even first only hits around4900 at 65mph.So it wouldn't help you to have 400hp , cuz your rpm will never get to where the horsepower lives.
No, you have to think torque.
And to get lots of it you need a big engine.
Or in this application you can do it with torque multiplication/gears.
This is not to negate anything said above, but there is no good reason to put 5000 rpm parts into a 3500 rpm engine. None.
If you only need first gear torque, you put a bigger engine into it, or you lighten the load for the current engine making it feel bigger than it is.
Ok so 2.2s are great for NVH and fuel mileage. But they turn what could be a lion into a kitty cat. Getting rid of those 2.2s is step one.
So to continue;
If I had one of these tanks, I would put 78% more gear into it and bolt a GearVendor onto the back, which would pull the 78% back out. That's all;period. This calls for 2.94s. My teener would be so blazingly quick that I would not be able to stop giggling.OK so maybe not that quick. But it will feel 2.94/2.2=plus 34% bigger or like it just gained over 100 cubes!There is no other bolt-on mod that I can do to achieve this,short of supercharging it. None!
And when I hit the highway I would just stuff her into o/d and be back to 2.94x.78=2.29s
With 2.94s I will hit 3500 in a hurry, and that will get me 35mph. Second and 3500 hits 62. And here in Canada, I am done.
Now here is the neat thing about the GV; you can use it as a gear-splitter, between each gear. The A999 has ratios of 2.74-1.54-1.00 for splits of 56% and 65%. When you split with the GV,the ratios look like 2.74-2.14-1.54-1.20-1.00-.78od. And the splits are .78-.72-.78-.78-.78. Are you seeing this? 6 usable gears! You can buzz your engine up to where the torque is and keep it there!Of course this will make it even quicker.
But if you just gotta have more, just bolt in a 360, a stocker, and look out! Now you got gears and cubes;a double whammy.
And the starter gear is 2.94x2.74=8.06 none too great. But you know what's coming right? How about sacrificing a little gear up top for a little off-the-line? Ok so Ima thinking 3.55s. This gets a real nice starter of 3.55x2.74=9.73. This is now 60% more than those wiener 2.2s. 60%! Your teener just grew a pair!. And the hiway gear is now .78x3.55=2.77,so cruising at 65 is now about 2236. There is nothing wrong with 2236.......for a cruiser gear in Canada.
Let's go back to the 60%
This will make your current teener feel like it just grew that same %. So lets say your teener can muster 120 ftlbs at stall speed. Then 1.6x 120=192ftlbs. This is a huge improvement, almost like the maximum that current teener can now muster at peak torque!
Looking at it another way, if your tank weighs 4200lbs, Then at the current 120ftlbs, this takes off feeling like 4200/120=35 pounds per ftlb. At the new 192ftlbs, this would feel like 4200/192=21.88lbs/ftlb. I'm not gonna throw any other math at you cuz this is a HUGE improvement! HUGE!
Ok so what's it cost? The last time I checked A GV was 2400USd. and you will need to shorten your driveshaft at around $200.Plus a gear swap.
So how much were you thinking of spending on your current engine? let's see; heads intake carb headers exhaust, a new dizzy, a cam kit, and supporting works, say 2600USd. Ain't it funny how the math works out like that?
Ok but what will you get from your money into the engine? Oh probably a big fat zero. What? Well you traded away some low rpm torque to get some high rpm horsepower. And you are still stuck with the factory TC, And the factory restrictive exhaust,etc. And to top it all off, without an increase in compression ratio, your bottom end actually just got "doughy". Oh boy!
So to get un-doughy, you will need a TC. And to take advantage of the hi-rpm power, you are gonna need a new exhaust system.And of course gears are mandatory, but now you lose your sweet cruiser gears,forever. So add the cost of all that up;another quick $1000. Ok we are burning gas. Hyup there goes fuel economy, right out those fancy new pipes.So depending on your annual mileage, that fancy new engine can burn a pretty big hole in your wallet over the course of time.
Oh yeah, at time of resale, you can take your GV back out. In about a day.But they don't seem to sell very well;such a shame
Mine is still doing it's thing since 2004
Again,I'd like to reiterate, this is not to negate anything that was said prior. It is just to say what I might do.Well of course I would start with a hi-comp 360,heehee
So think torque, and how to either get more of it, or how to seem to get more of it! Happy hunting!
Ok one more thing; I just remembered the day I swapped 4.10s into my stock 71 teener Demon, pulling the 2.7s out. Can you see me grinning? Can you hear me giggling? Plus 50%.Yeah that was a gooooooood day
