i acquaried a 68 coupe shell, only needs a paint job and the trim pieces.

my doubts are about the set up, i want at least 600whp, i need help! i really want boost, but im afraid it will be out of my budget and that nitrous will be cheapper. the car came with a 302 motor (carburated),a c4 trans and a 8.8 rear end.

i want a solid power plant, 5k is the budget for the engine and drive train, what i need prety much is a shopping list of parts, everything from ignition, fuel system, engine internals to cooling, vendors pm me.

 

5k is a REALLY tight budget for the kind of power you want

In all reality you could probably get a 351w from a junk yard, spend a couple hundred getting it rebuilt, and then do a DIY Twin Turbo build. that would be fairly cheap, and iof done right, be about where you want it for a little less than the budget. The problem that comes into play is that you then need a transmission, which, if you want a manual, the only one i think that can come anywhere close to holding that power is a T56, or a TKO 600, both of which are rated at 600 foot pounds, and both of which, cost about 2500 dollars. Then your gonna need a 9 inch, because anything else will simply destroy itself on a hard launch, which may or may not run you another grand or more. So at this point, without the engine, your at 3500-4000 for the tranny, driveshaft and rear end alone

doesnt leave much room for the engine, or vice versa


Now if there was no budget, to EASILY reach your goal, you could get a 351 block and a 408 stroker kit, along with the other essentials (Cam, heads and intake) which, if paired and done right should get you near the 500 mark. Then, a centri s/c or a single turbo could easily get you your 600 mark. But going that route could EASILY double that budget in the engine alone

theres a fine line between what you need and what you want, and your gonna have to settle with the need first

 

Agreeing with FDR on this one, $5k isnt near enough for 600whp, you need to be pushing near 700 at the crank to achieve that. Getting that to be anywhere near useful and reliable in a 68 is going to be expensive too. Scrounging around for parts, and using junkyard engines will drop the price some, but dont expect it to live long.

That much power would be vastly easier to get with a larger engine, like a 460, but the packaging to make it fit with turbos would be a headache. If you arent up to fabricating parts yourself, and doing 90% of the work, you wont make that much power cheap. I built a 700hp pump gas 467 ci Pontiac on a budget and it still cost me $7500, and I already had quite a few of the parts, and everything needed to live behind it. Mind you the way I do things doesnt cost me much cash, because I do everything but machine work on the engine.

You might think a Ford is cheaper than a Pontiac, but when you get into buying high quality aftermarket internal parts, the prices really even out. It costs me around $2500 to make 500hp with one, but that added 100-200hp is a huge jump in cost. It would cost quite a bit more to make 500hp with a 351W, even with a budget turbo setup made from junkyard diesel parts. A like amount spent on a 351, C or W, will net you around 350-400hp at best. Half of that would be the heads alone on a W.

Then you still havent addressed the issue of getting it to hook, using a trans that will live (a C6 is your best bet), and a rear end that wont spew its guts the first time the loud pedal is mashed. Add in cooling it and fueling it, and you wont make it under $5k. A fuel system that will feed 600hp will run you at least $1000, and a cooling system will be a like amount.

Even a 500hp ride that doesnt hook on the street or track is way too much. I cant drive mine without some sort of drag tire on it or its like cruising around on ice or wet grass. A lightweight 68 with tiny wheel wells will be even tougher. Pulling away from a stoplight is asking for a ticket with plain old radials on it, at least it spins them too hard to make them squeal.

If you really want that much power, and only have that much cash, you better start researching turbos and finding out which ones will work on a 302. Then get a decent set of heads, rebuild the bottom end with forged pistons and light weight rods, balance it, and O-ring the block and heads. Keep in mind that a stock 302 block wont take 600hp for very long, they tend to crack right down the middle when you abuse them too much.

 

i'll tell you guys something about me, i have a 500whp neon srt4, it took me 5k to make that power on the little neon, you mean to tell me that with the mighty 8cyl, having 4 more cylis i will need twice the money to make the same power?

 

but you are looking at twice the car. you cant just buy 1 high flowing aluminum head. your transmission is newer than a 68. your srt4 started with many things from the factory than what you have described. I am suprised nobody has said anything about stopping 600 horses. brakes are a serious concern, so is suspension, last i checked a neon wasnt stocked with leaf springs on the drive wheels. if you build a motor that will wind up like a 4cylinder than thats a different story but getting big blocks to hold high rpm is a big deal. im also guessing your srt is computer controlled. just operating the computer properly frees up horses. there are way too many variables between a neon and a classic mustang. does your neon have vvt-i? that will give it a broader power range.

 

Yeah, $5k isn't a realistic budget for what you're trying to do. I spent $5k when I did my stroker upgrade, and it's a whopping 320hp. Not all of that was engine, but most of it was, and there are always extra costs when doing anything like that.

If you're aiming for 600hp, you're going to need a lot more than $5k. On that budget, I'd first look to see what absolutely needs to be fixed on the car. Make sure it's safe, then worry about go fast stuff.

Also, for any large project, SOP is to make a list of parts and prices, then double the price, and expect to put out slightly more than that to get the project done

 

hahahahahahahaha 500hp neon. thats so cute.


Omg thanks for the laugh.

 

waffles your meaner than the spanish jerks on internet halo who still shoot you when your on their team.


btw when you say shell normal that means no engine or interior.

you say its a shell but has motor trans and rear end and only needs trim? so it has paint and interor and everything else.



another thing is you sure it has a 8.8 or an 8" theres a difference

 

ooo bad logic my friend


builiding a 600 horse v8 is expensive because of gettting good parts to make it reliable.

your srt 4 was built from the factory to accept boost. and you can make horsepower alot easier on an engine thats already forced inducted. you turn up the boost you get more power. if you had a stock neon engine it would take you well over 5k to get a realiable 600 hp

 

Really...LOL