The TH350 three-speed automatics are great medium-performance transmissions. In a Camaro, with the output of your 327, the internal parts will hold up just fine with a quality rebuild. The springs you refer to are the Second-gear clutch-piston return springs. The number of springs controls the shift timing of the gear changes. If your trans came with 30 springs, reinstall the 30 springs. The amount of springs varied by application and separator-plate restrictions. Follow the instructions on your B&M shift kit to the letter. I have used that kit and been very happy with it and its performance behind a 400-plus-horsepower small-block in a Camaro. We would recommend going with a B&M Hole Shot 2,400-stall converter, PN 20412, for your application. The Crane camshaft, with its 228 degrees of duration, will raise the powerband and torque peak. The converter will get the engine right to its sweet spot in a hurry.
Wow, we had to blow off the air dyno for that one. (It pulls horsepower and torque numbers out of thin air!) Your 331 small-block, with the components listed above, should produce 1.15 hp and approximately 1.18 lb-ft per cubic inch. This will bring you in right at 380 hp around 6,000 rpm and 390 lb-ft of torque at around 4,000 rpm. Make sure you run a good-performance dual exhaust and 151/48-inch primary tube headers. Have fun with your little screamer and make your grandparents proud!
From The GraveQ I am caught in a bit of a dilemma as to which direction to go with my '70 Nova. I currently have it up for sale on chevytrader.com. It is set up primarily as a street/strip car with a built 406 with all good components. It has a solid-roller with quite a bit of lift, just barely running on pump gas. It looks, runs, and sounds great and is the epitome of a nasty street brawler. But it is also a beautiful car that's very well put together and has won numerous trophies at various car shows all over Southern California. I am getting a bit on in years and have some health issues preventing me from enjoying and working on it like I used to. It is a blast to drive and is fairly streetable, but it is for sure not a daily driver, so for the most part it just sits in the garage.
My problem in selling it is that it has a salvage title acquired from an accident the car suffered many years ago. I bought the car pretty much the way it currently is and liked it so much I didn't find the title to be an issue, but apparently, many do. The car has been completely rebuilt from the ground up and is probably better than new. I am willing to negotiate on the price, but if I can't sell the car, I am considering keeping it and making some mods to make it more streetable and something my wife might even enjoy riding in or driving. I was even considering pulling the 406 and dropping in a mild 350, but I don't have a lot of cash to throw around at the moment, and that would mean investing even more into the car. If I were to stay with the 406, are there any recommendations you might have to make it more of a driver? And do you feel that the title is that big of a concern with a classic musclecar that is in excellent condition versus a newer car recently bought off the lot? Any help or suggestions would be sincerely appreciated.Mike Via e-mail
A The salvage-title game is in full swing. In late-model cars with air bags, if you have any slight front-end collision that causes the bags to be deployed, the car may be totaled. This gives us a ready supply of easy-to-repair vehicles in fairly decent shape. With this, the insurance industry will set the value of a salvage-title car at half of the Kelley Blue Book value. So let's say a fourth-gen Camaro is worth $14,000 and it has a salvage title; you can only insure the car for $7,000! This is where you will want to make sure that any vehicle you purchase has a clean title, or you know what you are getting yourself into. Also, with this being said, if you're looking to buy a salvage-title car, you should base the purchase price on half of the Blue Book value.