I am looking for information on the torque and HP recommendations for the Crown and Kelmark conversions. What is the reasonable limit while still maintaining reliability. I know there are a lot of factors. What I am looking for is some information from folks with real world experience. I have the important pieces of both kits and will probably build them both eventually. I know that torque and HP are not the only factors, gearing, cam, aluminum flywheel, driving style, etc can have an affect. I know that just about anything can be broken. As a young person I have broken spyder gears and clutches with a basically stock 140. I don't expect to be able to dump the clutch when launching, but I don't want a combo that will bust the trans on hard acceleration or wear out the ring gear in a few thousand miles. So help me out with your experiences with different combinations so that I don't try to reinvent the wheel. I would like to get a car together for the nationals this year and need information to help me decide where to start. I have a 4.3 v6 (and some vortec heads) and a 4 cam Olds LX5 3.5 on hand, however both seem a little weak in their stock form. I have seen some reasonable prices on new crate engines and am not opposed to going new. All opinions, from my perspective, are welcome and will be treated with respect. My engine budget is not unlimited so exotic stuff is probably out of scope.
Thanks
Dan