What would be the best way to make 550hp out of a small block Chevy?

Answer 1

You need to start with about $4000.00 accessible to you. Lets start with the "short block" A lot of people do not know what this is, Its A motor without the heads or intake on it, It does not matter if it is a big block, small block, or A 4, 6 , or 8 cylinder. Short block: Have A very reputable machine shop to do your work on this, You need to tell them exactly what you intend to use it for, They will know what to do from there, Get A 'steel' crank, use A high quality aftermarket rod, use forged pistons (not cast), and do not get A high volume oil pump, Get A race oil pump, On the cam, You need to know exactly what you will want to use the motor for, Street? Race? Drag? pulling? ect.?I left some stuff out, but, When you start getting the stuff gathered up people will fill you in along the way. The heads: This is where you build power, You can take A 1000HP motor and bolt on stock heads and intake, You now have A motor that puts out as much power as the stock motor.For 550Hp you will want to get aluminum heads, They will flow very well and they remove heat better too. Again you want A GOOD machine shop for this unless you get heads that are ready to bolt on. Intake: most intakes will have an advertised HP rating and RPM range. Its best to buy A new intake because they can warp and the bolt holes for the parts are going to be in good shape (aluminum is easy to strip out) You want to get this after the short block and heads because you can tell the manufacturer what parts you are using on your engine, I.E.:Heads, Cam,Pistons, Valve size, Desired operating RPM. Carboretor: pretty much the same as intake, Its best to buy them together from same manufacturer, At the same time. NOTE: You will never get your money back on this investment, So build it the way you need it the first time. ,,,,,, Good luck.