Building a 304 and want big hp!!!!!

[hsv355]

G'DAY, IM BUILDING MY HSV SV ENHANCED 304 VN AND WOULD APPRECIATE ANYONES OPINIONS!!!! GOING A SCAT 355 STROKER KIT (((eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d))) SIMILAR TO THAT BUT WANT FOR FORGED CRANK AND BEEN TOLD MOLY RINGS WILL WEAR QUICKER AND COULD MELT????? NOT SURE ON CAM SIZE YET THOUGH MILDISH!!!! AND THE C.O.M.E. 600 SERIES ALLOY OUT OF BOX HEADS (((C.O.M.E. Racing Latest News))) AND A Y/T SUPERCHARGER.. ANY INFO ON SPECS OR EVEN IF IM HEADING IN THE WRIGHT DIRECTION WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!!

[ari666]

caps hurts my eyes

[yxyx64]

you either have a lot of spare cash or really love your existing shell. my heart might want to build that motor but my head says buy a newer car with a gen3 or gen4

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

You want to stroke it AND supercharge it?

If it was mine, I would build it strong for a supercharger and leave it at 304, it will rev quicker and higher, and produce about the same HP. Although the figure that really matters, the torque, will be a bit lower with a 304 than a 355.

Or sell it and buy a VX LS1 and turbo it....

[Darren_L]

you either have a lot of spare cash or really love your existing shell. my heart might want to build that motor but my head says buy a newer car with a gen3 or gen4

if we were all to go with our heads, we wouldn't bother wasting money on an old tech OHV LS engine either, we'd all have monster 2JZ's under the bonnet.
this hobby we love is very much about passion. Passion comes from the heart, not the head!

every man and his dog has a VY VZ VE with a LS engine. It's becoming incredibly boring and stale.
Might cost a lot more money to coax the same sort of power out of a Holden, but it makes for a much more interesting combo

[yxyx64]

2JZ's are indeed better but Pro Compact dragsters really don't excite me either. People are probably correct in saying that LS cars are passe but when the OP is talking about getting a one-off forged crank made at maybe $25,000 and then adding alloy heads and a top mount charger ........but then they need to seek advice on the ins and outs of moly rings and mention nothing about the two bolt bottom end..... I am thinking the best advice here is an LS engined car for this person unless they really are looking for a very expensive little used weekend bruiser (and have prior experience in running and paying for highly modified V8's)

[Darren_L]

if he bought a LS engine he'd probably want a one off forged crank and moly rings too, so what's the difference.
Just gets a little tiresome when just about every Holden V8 build up thread turns into a 'get a LS engine'
Not everybody wants a LS engine. I certainly don't. If we wanted a LS engine, we'd post in the LS section.

[flanker]

... whats your budget

[Clayton355]

N/a 355 mate sounds bloody tuff and with the right combo u can up to 400rwhp

[304runner]

Big HP and 304 should never be used in the same sentence unless you have a shit tin of money to throw at it..

And im talking above 15k, not to mention the cost of a box that would handle the power....

The 304's block is rated to only about 450 hp and then the thing needs to be girdled up and still then, things go bang....

At the end of the day you need to ask yourself if you can warrant the cost of building a high HP 304 when half the money spent on (as above) a 2JZ will produce twice as much with about 5 times the reliability.


I got half way with one and woke up to myself....

[383 hatch]

Hmm, same old arguements.

[wraith]

Or you can get a ready to go pavtek crate motor with 400 odd HP for 7k. Ready to go. 355.

[Clayton355]

I have a 355 built here vn block so far set me back $15000 still need manifold another $1200 it will push 500plus hp and has pavtek girdle 2 bolt it's all about how it is built and wot components r used

[ari666]

90 degree v8's are their own angry animal. Very distinct. Add old cast iron and you have a nostalgic engine on your hands. To some there is no substitute.

People often forget just how freakishly fast 400 horse power can actually be. They forget the pure fact that the car needs to actually be driven, on roads, with other drivers, and they start throwing figures out over 400 as if it's a reasonable ask from a road donkey?!?

Nothing wrong with a nice cast iron 90 degree v8 putting 300 hp down to the road. Nice note, nice torque, nice build.


2j's are crap. Soon people will realize and move on to the next big thing

[wraith]

I wouldn't mind a Pavtek built motor in the VS. Will be more then enough. Can't beat the old 5 litre sound.

[383 hatch]

90 degree v8's are their own angry animal. Very distinct. Add old cast iron and you have a nostalgic engine on your hands. To some there is no substitute.

People often forget just how freakishly fast 400 horse power can actually be. They forget the pure fact that the car needs to actually be driven, on roads, with other drivers, and they start throwing figures out over 400 as if it's a reasonable ask from a road donkey?!?

Nothing wrong with a nice cast iron 90 degree v8 putting 300 hp down to the road. Nice note, nice torque, nice build.


2j's are crap. Soon people will realize and move on to the next big thing

Totally agree Ari.

[yxyx64]

this is not about toyota turbos versus V8's. It is my advice to HSV355. Reading between the lines I think he has limited experience with running big HP V8's and so is starstruck by talk of superchargers and alloy heads. If he does know motors then where do you get a forged crank for a holden V8? cast or billet yes, but a forgie?
I do run a 355, and have to raise and lower my windows with a little rotating lever, and lock the doors with a little pull up knob on the inside and a rotating key on the outside. I love it. But at 305FWHP I leave Rex's alone and just enjoy my sounds and torque. I have learnt where to spend my money - why buy a big $$$ short shifter when the same for mustangs fit for a quarter of the price for good brands like hurst? building a stroker to run on 91 octane for a daily driver to me is a no brainer when you are just rolling along with the traffic most of the time, 775 injectors are not nearly as good as the EV6 substitutes that do not get discussed but need less pulse width at lower flow rates to produce the same HP..... my advice remains to decide what you want to achieve with your money then find the smartest way to spend it.

[ari666]

my advice remains to decide what you want to achieve with your money then find the smartest way to spend it.

and thats the best advice so far in this whole thread.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Since when do people ever spend their money the smartest way?

Just this morning, in another thread, advice was given to go a certain way with a brake upgrade, but the person still decided to go the way he originally asked. Which will end up costing more than the advice given. It's human nature, people get an idea in their head and go with it regardless of the advice given.

So, having said that, if the OP wants to spend money on a 304 to try and get as much power as he can, then go him. There are smarter ways to spend money where HP is concerned, but then again, big HP doesn't always mean you will have a fast car.

[hsv355]

i appreciate what your saying! thats why i asked the question to get some understanding on what needs to be done before im standing in front of an engine builder with dollar signs in my eye's!!! i love earlier aussie muscle so the build will still go ahead once the blanks are filled...

[hsv355]

i appreciate what your saying! thats why i asked the question to get some understanding on what needs to be done before im standing in front of an engine builder with dollar signs in my eye's!!! i love earlier aussie muscle so the build will still go ahead once the blanks are filled...

I have a 355 built here vn block so far set me back $15000 still need manifold another $1200 it will push 500plus hp and has pavtek girdle 2 bolt it's all about how it is built and wot components r used

Whats pavtek girdler mate???? are they studs

[hsv355]

this is not about toyota turbos versus V8's. It is my advice to HSV355. Reading between the lines I think he has limited experience with running big HP V8's and so is starstruck by talk of superchargers and alloy heads. If he does know motors then where do you get a forged crank for a holden V8? cast or billet yes, but a forgie?
I do run a 355, and have to raise and lower my windows with a little rotating lever, and lock the doors with a little pull up knob on the inside and a rotating key on the outside. I love it. But at 305HP I leave Rex's alone and just enjoy my sounds and torque. I have learnt where to spend my money - why buy a big $$$ short shifter when the same for mustangs fit for a quarter of the price for good brands like hurst? building a stroker to run on 91 octane for a daily driver to me is a no brainer when you are just rolling along with the traffic most of the time, 775 injectors are not nearly as good as the EV4 substitutes that do not get discussed but need less pulse width at lower flow rates to produce the same HP..... my advice remains to decide what you want to achieve with your money then find the smartest way to spend it.

as it reads i am not educated in this area at all but do want to turn my ss into a beast! what would you recommed mate to make it a quick car???? mien is manual but check out this link please Supercharged 5.0l holden - YouTube

[ari666]

Whats pavtek girdler mate???? are they studs

nah man. its a plate that bolts up to all your main caps. basically a replacement for 4 bolt mains. some say they are better, some say they are worse, im indifferent. i dont fully understand how they affect the torque settings of the bolt, so personally id rather 4 bolt mains, but people say that a girdle will reduce core shift, which is pretty vital on old cast holdens.


if you have never owned a mid 350HP car then you should start there. 400HP can be totally undriveable. and yeah, the difference between 350 and 400 is pretty huge.

[Clayton355]

Bud a stud girdle stops ur caps from walking it's just insurance on ur bottom end, 4 bolt main conversion can be expensive.

[Darren_L]

So, having said that, if the OP wants to spend money on a 304 to try and get as much power as he can, then go him. There are smarter ways to spend money where HP is concerned, but then again, big HP doesn't always mean you will have a fast car.

precisely.
I'm actually surprised how my humble 275rwhp 5L 30 year old VH can lap Lakeside or QR at least as fast (quicker in some cases) as mildly modified VZ or VE 6L's with supposedly more hp. I can even keep with them down the straights. So there's more to an engine than just dyno readings.