Hey guys, I have a 1968 Chevy Nova, this winter I'm putting a 350ci engine in it, attached to the old powerglide. I want to know an estimate 1/4 mile time and speed for it. Heres the specs:

Engine: 350ci 401hp @ 5800rpm 426ftlbtrq @ 6000rpm. Redline is 6000rpm

Tranny: Stock Powerglide with a shift kit on it, 1st: 1.82 2nd: 1.00

Tires: DOT Street Slicks: 10" wide, 26" tall.

Rear Gear: 4.11

Just need a guestimate.....

Thanks,

are you building this 350? to some sort of specs or is it a crate motor?

It depends on a few things. How hard it hooks and how tight the convertor is. If it weights 3000 lb mid-low 11s.

that power glide wont hold up there a guy! you would have to do more than just slap in some shift kit unless you like sprags stuck in your floorpans. lol if you want to run that fast with that combo you would need to launch that car at 4500 rpm or more gees that gives me tha willys thinking that a stock powerglide would detonate like a bomb! if you are going to get on the street with it you will hate a glide anyway with a 4.11 maybe what 60 wide open? if you are lucky. have you ever seen the inside of a glide? that thought scares me man! best bet for you would be a th 400 with low planets and moded valve body. try a trans brake red alto's and kolenesand find some stainless steels for it. that would be your ticket. no junky old shift kit! the whole thing can be built by you for around 6 or 7 hundred but that's just my thought on the matter after seing the weak parts in a stock glide. in the end it's your car do with it as you will. you obviously want a hard launching car right? to run near super stock times it will cost alot,but if it's a streetbound toy put a manual in it they are more fun;)

i agree with walt. if it is a numbers matching car it will be worth more and you can get 400 hp out of a six ya know? plus it sounds cool too. i used to work on a certain car with a six that would run in the low 10's in the 1/4 and sounded good doing it! go for the six!

I didn't think it was possible to have the torque peak RPM higher than the horsepower peak.

OK Thanks a lot guys.

Heres the problem: Right now the nova has a 250I6 attached to a Powerglide. If I just take the 6 out while leaving the powerglide in, then attaching the 350ci Engine to the powerglide, then I dont have to mess with the driveshaft, tranny mount, speedogear, and cableing to the colum shift.

What is the best thing to do? I know a Turbo 350 will fit right in place of the powerglide, but then I'll still have to do cableing, speedogear, possibly driveshaft?

Im in a jam, and I think the only thing I can do is keep the powerglide and make it strong enough to withstand the power of the 350 Engine.

Plus I'm on a budget so money is a problem....Need more advice......

Since you are doing the V8 thing I would go over to www.chevytalk.org They give info on swaps every day. Very common over there.

I would say it sounds like a 13 second car w/that combo, good luck though!!!!!

I don't think the Powerglide is the transmission
you want to use for your Nova. In defense of the
Powerglide, it is light and rugged. The planetary
is as large as the 400,the low band is very effective(very wide)and a lot less rotating mass
than a 350 or 400.
I use to build them for IMCA modifieds and stock
cars without the use of a torque converter(thats
another story)and they stood up well with 400+ hp
with minimal modifications.
The Powerglide was an option behind big blocks
even the 390 hp 427 Corvette.
I guess what I'm saying is the Powerglide is a
good trans but you need that extra gear.

My 2 cents worth.

Gordy
P.S. No sprag clutch in a Powerglide.

Just do the swap, leaving the Powerglide in tact.
If driven in a 'sane manner', it will work just fine.

Later you can always change the trans.

Good luck.

oops! after reading my post i realize i did say that powerglides have sprags! lol thanks for bringing that up gordy, guess its was the beer talkin that night.

Forgot to mention, Walt is right on the Powerglide-350 swap. The aluminium case PG thru
1966 had a shorter output shaft with a course
spline. They also had a rear and a front pump which allowed push starts.
In 1967 the rear pump was dropped and the output
shaft was splined the same as the 350 TH. The
shaft was also a little longer.
If the trans is a 1968 the swap is pretty much a bolt in except for shift linkage and kick down
cable.

Once again my 2 cents worth
Gordy