10 Must

The Chevy 350 is one of the most iconic engines ever built and here are some foolproof ways to extract even more power from it

Without a doubt, the Chevy 350 is one of the best small blocks that has ever been on the market. Starting back in 1955, the engine was the one that muscle car lovers went after because they were powerful right out of the gate. But even better, if the owner of the car that it sat, in wanted to make improvements, the 350 engine was one of the most accessible engines to find aftermarket parts for. That still stands to this day.

There are so many ways to add horsepower to a classic 350 that it has been used in everything from daily drivers to track racing machines. Of course, some people still shy away from a small block engine, living with the idea that there is no replacement for displacement. The truth is that even though the big block monsters of the past did have power and massive amounts of torque, nothing else could compete with a well-built Chevrolet small-block classic 350.

If that seems like a far stretch, go back through some of the history associated with the best American sports car ever created, the Chevy Corvette. Even if that does not hit home, the 350 is the most dependable, durable, and buildable engine American carmakers have ever produced. So let's jump right in and discover 10 must-do steps to gain horsepower from your classic Chevy 350, so the car in the garage can finally get the recognition it deserves on the streets and the strip.

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Removing the old exhaust system and installing high-flow headers directly off the block can help improve the expulsion of exhaust fumes without backing up into the system. Their primary purpose is to have more room to remove the exhaust as it comes out of the engine, which improves flow and allows the engine to push another round of exhaust out without getting congested into one little tube.

Headers can improve horsepower by up to 15%, equaling 10 to 20 horsepower. The only problem with installing headers in a small or mid-sized car may be room because they can be bigger than the average exhaust pipes that came stock, so be sure to measure things out and buy accordingly.

Since the headers are being replaced, it is a great idea to add new exhaust piping all the way out to the back of the car. If the vehicle is old enough to not have a catalytic converter, take the dual pipes all the way back and install two high-flow mufflers into the lines. If the classic muscle car has a catalytic converter, swap it out for a high-flow version that will not restrict the exhaust flow as much. This can give the 350 small block up to 15 more horsepower than the stock catalytic converter. This, combined with the best high-flow set of headers that fits under the hood when bolted onto the 350, can increase horsepower without ever having to touch the engine's inner workings.

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More often than not, the stock intake on the classic Chevy 350 will be designed for a two-barrel carburetor. This is not a bad thing if fuel economy is an issue, but in this case, more horsepower is wanted, so it will need to be thrown away. There are so many options available that can boost horsepower by 20% if the proper carb is used. The choices are endless, depending on how the engine is built inside. A basic four-barrel Holley can be bolted on for better performance, or an actual racing carburetor can be installed as long as the cam and pistons have been upgraded to match.

When changing out the intake, one of the options that should be considered is switching the entire system over to a cold air intake version. This type of intake helps feed the 350 more cool air, which helps maintain a perfect air-to-fuel ratio. This is more important than many muscle car lovers know because it will choke out if the engine gets too much air. On the other hand, if the small block 350 gets too much fuel, it will flood itself out. Both instances will cause the engine to stutter and stall out if the balance is off too much. A good cold air intake system can easily add up to 20 more horsepower.

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There is definitely such thing as having a carburetor that is too big for the stock 350. When this happens, the horsepower and torque will go down because it will make it extremely hard for the engine to adjust the air-to-fuel ratios that it needs. This often happens when the engine is not built to maximize its internal horsepower ratings. The best thing to do when changing out the carburetor, if the rest of the engine is left alone, is to match the new carburetor with the engine's horsepower rating.

Look it up online to find out what the engine under the hood is rated for, and then match the carburetor to it. For example, a Holley 600 CFM is perfect for an engine that currently can push out up to 450 horsepower. If the engine has been built up, an Edelbrock Performer will be better suited to ensure enough fuel is being delivered.

It is a common misconception that adding a turbocharger or supercharger onto an engine is a complex task better left to professional racers. That is not the case, though. If some time is put aside and tools are collected and ready to go, most people with a little bit of mechanical knowledge can do the job. They will both give instant power gains to a classic chevy 350, but they will not be able to maximize the engine's power unless the other components have been built up to match. A new turbocharger can add up to 150 horsepower, while a good quality supercharger can produce up to 100 extra horses.

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Boring out the engine cylinders is a time-consuming task that can give a couple of extra horsepower to any 350 V-8. However, the small amount of gains is not why this step is essential when building a classic muscle car. The point is not to go back to the idea of no replacement for displacement, even though boring out the cylinders will result in adding displacement.

The classic 350 needs to be bored out to get the cylinders back to new, so everything will have a tighter, more secure fit. This improves the engine's performance by giving the engine block a complete refresh, resetting the horsepower back to where it was when it was brand new, with a few extra horses added due to the increase in displacement.

Installing a new crankshaft after having the engine bored and stroked does not add much horsepower if any, but it does add some torque. On the other hand, the camshaft can be switched out for a high-performance model and can give up to 20 horsepower when combined with the proper heads. This increase happens because the upgraded camshaft creates a more efficient process of opening and closing the valves, making the car accelerate faster. If the camshaft is too big, however, the 350 may lope when idling, but for many drag racing fans, the bigger the lope, the better the quarter-mile times will be.

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Changing out the stock heads for a pair designed to maximize power can increase the horsepower of any classic 350 engine by up to 20 horsepower over the original engine. Performance heads allow a better air-to-fuel mixture by pulling more air in. This means the fuel system can pump more fuel into the engine to make it go faster without bogging or flooding. In the best scenario, the new heads would be matched to the new camshaft and crankshaft that have been added to the engine. Otherwise, the gains that could be expected from a pair of high-performance heads may not be as high as hoped.

Once the engine has been fine-tuned for top performance, the final step that needs to be done to see the maximum amount of gain is to lighten the load. Reducing the weight of the car is something that racers have done for decades because the lighter the car is, the faster it will go down the road. The easiest way to do this is to remove items that are not needed, such as the air conditioner, which not only adds weight to the engine, it takes horsepower from the 350 when it is on.

The rear seats can be taken out, as well as anything that is in the trunk, including the spare tire. Anything that is not necessary needs to be removed to improve the weight-to-power ratio. There is always the classic trick of drilling holes through the frame to lighten the car, but that may not be the best route to go when the Chevy 350 under the hood has been built for power and torque.

Chad has been a muscle car and classic truck lover since he could walk. The classic vehicles from the '60s and '70s are the best in his eyes, but he is more than willing to give the new technology a chance!