I have a built 302 with no power steering or ac. I was wondering if i put ac or power steering will it take away from the engine power.

 

ac will but only when its on, otherwise the clutch on the ac unit free spins
powersteering will all the time but not a whole lot unless your turning

 

Anything running off the engine will cause some power loss. Just spinning a freewheeling pully at 6,000 rpm might cost as much as 5 hp. At lower RPM the loss is very little and would not be noticed. You also have the added weight of power steering and A/C. How much slower is your cars acceleration with a person in the passenger seat than when you are by yourself? Weight does matter. The other problem is that putting more weight on the front wheels can affect traction. If you are concerned about performance more than driving comfort then I would stay manual steering and no A/C.

 

67 right. I like a little cool air and power steering. On my 66 I have power arms and windows, Thats one reason I got a newer Toyota truck.

 

power steering is an extreme comfort compared to manual even if it robed 50hp, it's worth it, i hate manual steering!

 

really..some comfort things are worth the price

 

Ok, well thnx, i think from what i have been hearing, i will not get the power steering beacuse i dont want to lose the hp, -_- I want to keep it as powerful as possible

 

If you are more concerned about HP than comfort, you have made the right decision.

 

for the 5-9hp you lose you can find it somewhere else and having the comfort of 1 hand on the wheel and 1 on your hunnies ****L*