Free HP/Cheap tricks (Anybody have any?)

Old 03-15-2008, 12:31 AM
  #11  
cepx111
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Proper oil control doesn't make HP but it does free some up.
Anytime you can control windage you will benefit by gaining the HP that you were losing in the first place because of the windage.
A well managed oil control system would include a crank scraper, windage tray, trap door baffling etc.
JMO
Charles
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Old 03-15-2008, 01:16 AM
  #12  
edvancedengines
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No one has yet answered my question.

While all of you are mostly giving good answers in response the fact still remains we don't know diddly about what he has or is wanting to do. That will depend on what will work better for him.

Ed
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Old 03-15-2008, 07:41 AM
  #13  
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When I say don't look for hp in the oiling system I'm talking about super thin oils, old ss tricks of running low oil levels. But I'm also looking at it from a bracket racer perspective. If you are racing heads up then it is a different story. Oil control as stated by Charles is a good idea to free up hp and protect the engine from losing pressure. Sorry I wasn't more specific. Like Ed stated we don't really know what the intended use is. I wish people would check back more often when they ask for info. The plus is that I learn alot from people experiences that they share.

Curtis
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Old 03-15-2008, 02:15 PM
  #14  
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(No one has yet answered my question.

While all of you are mostly giving good answers in response the fact still remains we don't know diddly about what he has or is wanting to do. That will depend on what will work better for him.

Ed.)

Like Ed said we know nothing about your engine. You could have many different sbc's and freeing up HP could be different in each one of them. A street engine compared to an all out drag engine could be different. An engine combination could have different variables. We would need to know everything about the engine,from carb to pan,to give a calculated answer. Different carb jets,spacers,oils,rocker arm ratios,valve springs,crank scrapers,headers pipe sizes,cross over pipes,etc etc the list goes on and on. Its hard to guess,but a dyno or chassis dyno is the best way to figure things out.
Staying with one engine and knowing how to produce more HP is an awsome thing. Small cubes can surprise a lot of racers!
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Old 03-16-2008, 02:36 AM
  #15  
caprice327
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A few ways to free up some horsepower at little or no cost :idea:

Index the spark plugs-

Homemade ram air with home depot parts-

Get as much advance out out of your distributor as you can without pinging-

Port/gasket match the heads to the intake-

Make the secondaries on your carb open faster-

Lighten up the vehicle-

Hollow out the catylytic converter(s)-

Unplug the AC compressor clutch-

Air up the tires-

Use full synthetic oil if your cam allows it-

Remove that rubber seal under the hood so all the heat will flow out over your windshield-

Then if you save up a few pennies you could swap out the stock clutch fan for a flex fan and get a set of under drive pullys if it applies to you
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Old 03-17-2008, 08:34 PM
  #16  
rlgodbold
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Default Oil

"When I say don't look for hp in the oiling system I'm talking about super thin oils, old ss tricks of running low oil levels"

I wouldn't run super low levels, though you certaintly don't need to run it full most of the time. But if you switch all of your fluids over to Synthetic then it has been shown to give around 5 extra HP. Not a whole lot but it could make a difference in the outcome of a race. I'm actually an AMSOIL dealer and if you are interested in Synthetic oils you can visit www.lubedealer/com/lgoil or just pm me. As for the windage tray. Your primary reason for getting large oil pan and windage tray should be to protect your engine. It keeps the oil down in the pickup for the pump. Horsepower gain should be an added benefit, though you might gain another 3 or 4 HP depending on the engine. The best oil system improvement you can make is obviously going to a dry sump system, though then we are getting out of the price range that began this post.
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Old 03-18-2008, 03:53 AM
  #17  
curtisreed
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Default Re: Oil

Originally Posted by rlgodbold
"When I say don't look for hp in the oiling system I'm talking about super thin oils, old ss tricks of running low oil levels"

I wouldn't run super low levels, though you certaintly don't need to run it full most of the time. But if you switch all of your fluids over to Synthetic then it has been shown to give around 5 extra HP. Not a whole lot but it could make a difference in the outcome of a race. I'm actually an AMSOIL dealer and if you are interested in Synthetic oils you can visit www.lubedealer/com/lgoil or just pm me. As for the windage tray. Your primary reason for getting large oil pan and windage tray should be to protect your engine. It keeps the oil down in the pickup for the pump. Horsepower gain should be an added benefit, though you might gain another 3 or 4 HP depending on the engine. The best oil system improvement you can make is obviously going to a dry sump system, though then we are getting out of the price range that began this post.
Are you talking to me or the original poster. I already run Amsoil in my car. And I use an oil accumulator so I don't have to worry about low oil levels.

Curtis
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Old 03-18-2008, 02:07 PM
  #18  
olds48
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What are the best windage trays to use?Crank scrapers and pan baffles are pretty much cut and dried.But trays can run anywhere from $25 to $120.Not trying to hijack your post BD74ss.Figured it was on topic.
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Old 03-18-2008, 02:47 PM
  #19  
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i do not like nor trust a flex fan. go electric
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Old 03-19-2008, 04:21 AM
  #20  
BD74SS
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Default Thanks Guys

Thanks for all the advice. I posted this a few days ago and I amazed by the response. What I was looking for was little things like caprice327
listed. My mostly stock motor is already built, and I was just looking for some cheap tricks to find some h/p. The "circle track" class I run in, require the motors to be all stock. But im getting killed on the track.
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