3.1 HP ideas

[23TrackroadsterV6]

Thought I'd see if I can't pick a few brains on here and try and pick up some pretty cheap HP ideas. I have a 3.1 Isuzu engine and am going to use it to power a replica 1923 Ford roadster that weighs about 1500 lbs. I have a T5 backing it and a 9" Ford rear axle with 4:11 gears. I've installed a Crane 270-2H camshaft and have a set of 1.6 roller tip rockers to install. I've had the intake bores opened up to use the 4.3 TBI and will be using "lakester" style headers (I know I'll give up a little HP with this exhaust, but it attains the look I'm after). I'm wondering how much can you mill the heads before you have to mill the bottom of the intake? I had a 2.8 in an S-10 back in the early 80's and installed a Chevrolet X-11 camshaft and a set of Chevrolet X-11 heads that were milled to increase the compression and it really woke it up. I'm thinking I had the heads cut .030, but I see from the threads on here, that memory might not be correct (its been three decades!). I know that the milling makes the heads farther apart from each other. Does any manufacturer make a thicker intake gasket? I'm just planning on gasket matching the ports and a little smoothing, nothing drastic. How about the 3.4 DOHC windage tray? Is the HP gain worth the price of new main studs and the tray? Also wondering which OEM pan is the shallowest? I've currently got a Camaro pan and would like to get a little more ground clearance and would prefer to swap pans rather than modify the Camaro pan.

Any thoughts that you have would be helpful.

[geoffinbc]

Have your machinist check out the piston clearance to the deck. Have him mill the block first in order to get better quench. Doing this will improve the flame travel in the combustion chamber. If possible zero deck the pistons and then the head gasket will provide the clearance the pistons need to the cylinder head. I am not 100% sure what a safe material removal amount is but I would not exceed .020 on either the head or the block. If you took .020 of the heads and block I still don't think that you would need to machine the intake. The intake ports have lots of material to gasket match so as long as the intake does not bottom out on the block ends before you reach full bolt torque the gasket match will take care of the port alignment.

The S-10 2WD pan is a little different shape but I don't think it is shallower. All of the steel FWD pans fit the block you have so you can check them out too. One way to know would be to check what pickup tube the pumps use. If all the 2WD and FWD pickups are the same you know the pans are the same depth. The windage tray is a nice piece. You can re use the main bolts from the car you get the tray from so there is no need to purchase new bolts.

[23TrackroadsterV6]

Thanks for the reply betterthanyou. I aquired this engine from a machine shop that rebuilt it for a customer and then it was never paid for and was auctioned off.
Since it is in good condition, I don't intend to tear it down to have the block decked, has to come off the heads. Thanks for the tip on the pick up tubes.

[geoffinbc]

Well if they remember what they did to it or have records then maybe some material has already been removed.