'76 304 HP Help

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worm611

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Posted: May/29/2023 at 5:55pm

I would happily take that Holly Z off your hands :-)

purple72Gremlin View Drop Down

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Posted: May/29/2023 at 8:48pm

worm611 wrote:

I would happily take that Holly Z off your hands :-)

I like it better than the performer myself and I wont sell it. Its very hard to find

JGRANTAMX

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Posted: May/29/2023 at 9:08pm

A set of 517 heads with 52.2 cc chambers would bring the compression up to about 9:1 then change to the right 4BBL intake without heat riser, cam, ignition, dual exhaust, and electric fan you would have a reliable fun driving 304 that could get respectable fuel economy and go when you want it to.

Edited by JGRANTAMX - May/29/2023 at 9:10pm

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Posted: May/29/2023 at 9:17pm

JGRANTAMX wrote:

A set of 517 heads with 52.2 cc chambers would bring the compression up to about 9:1 then change to the right 4BBL intake without heat riser, cam, ignition, dual exhaust, and electric fan you would have a reliable fun driving 304 that could get respectable fuel economy and go when you want it to.

I think more compression and bigger valves will help. But I still think a 360 is more cost effective.

farna

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Posted: May/30/2023 at 6:56am

Sometimes it's just a bad combination of parts. But performance parts on a very tired engine won't help it for sure! Could be high mileage or it sat for a long time. Lifters collapse and/or the springs get weak with age, especially if the engine sat for a long time at one point. I'd do a compression check first, and if that's good stick an oil pressure gauge on it. If that's good as well the lifters probably need to be replaced.

Frank Swygert

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Posted: May/30/2023 at 7:50am

On any AMC with a V8, the first step to making it perform is to get rid of the restrictive single exhaust and run duals...minimum of 2" diameter. Even better is free-flow manifolds to begin with, and a set of low-restriction mufflers. No sense in putting more air/fuel mixture in before you build a way to get it out.

IIRC, a '76 Matty would have a Prestolite distributor. Replace it next. Even going to the Delco points distributor would be a step up, IMHO. Then you can upgrade the Delco to electronic; there are several conversion choices. Or step up to a Duraspark ('78-up V8s) and replace the Motorcraft module with a GM HEI module. Go to the big cap and the corresponding rotor [and coil] if you have room.

THEN you're about ready to check out cam and induction. Because with an adequate exhaust system and a decent ignition system, you've laid the groundwork. And if THEN you decide to step up to a 360, your work will still transfer over.

Buzzman72...void where prohibited, your mileage may vary, objects in mirror may be closer than they appear, and alcohol may intensify any side effects.

SC397

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Posted: May/31/2023 at 5:54am

1982AMCConcord wrote:

For a smaller 4 door Concord... I feel that this is mostly adequate. But for a large car like a Matador... I'd personally want a lot more Torque. Torque is what helps move a big car easier. And most people think they want a lot of horsepower but what they really want is a lot of Torque. That's the sensation they feel when driving around casually.

I agree with the more torque comment and I agree with Buzzman;s and others comments especially the add dual exhaust part. I would go a step further with the build a low end torque 304 or 360 build by converting the transmission to a automatic overdrive with a lockup converter. This will allow you to go with a 3.54 or 373 gear which will really help with low end torque and throttle response.