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Nitrous on a stock 350?

munepit

munepit

3/4 ton status
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Is it stupid to think I want some kind of nitrous for my 350? It is all stock. I just put 5.13s in and want more power. Not all the time, just wheeling, like on a big hill climb or something. It has to be Calif. smog legal. I'm running 38s now, but getting something bigger soon, like 40s or 42s. Would it damage the motor after the first shot? Am I stupid for thinking about this? Thanks guys, I probably am for thinking this. I haven't done any research on this. Thanks.
 
didnt you just replace the engine? I wouldnt run it with cast pistons, you might be able to get away with small amounts but I wouldnt try it.
 
Nitrous is very hard on an engine and it isn't designed to be used as a power adder for low speed stuff. If I were you I would not do it. The engine "might" last a while but when you build an engine the pistons, rings, and cylinder wall clearances all change when you are going to add a blower, turbo, or nitrous.
 
this is all you dude, the linkages might be a bitch, getting two carbs to link up right with the trucks carb, but you'd be better off with this baby

33010010525_large.jpg
 
Alright, I was just thinking maybe. You all are right, I would wreck that brand new motor.I just want a little more, but want it cheap. I will just be happy with what I have! Thanks guys. I will focus on the front dana 60 while I am dreaming in bed!
 
Before I went on that last wheelin trip, I tested my 4 wheel drive in my driveway. I never used 4 lo before. Just 4 hi. All I did before was mud and sand, and used 4 hi. Well, in the driveway in 4 lo, I roasted all the tires. I can't wait to try it with the 5.13s. Before it was 4.11s. Rocks and trails is a different animal. I love it after only one trip out. On the big climbs, I needed more power. Hopefully the gears should help. I want to switch to a np205 though.
 
A stock motor will handle 125 shot in short burst. 1/8 mile pass 38 times. I know from experience. Put a cam headers intake and some roller rockers and call it good. Way better off than trying nitrous. If you still want more power save up then sell your still good running 350 for a big block or even Dmax or Cummings.
 
Switching to a 205 is going to cost you power, it has less of a low range than your current 208, low range for a 205 is basically 2 to 1 your 208 is 2.62 to 1

It doesn't really "cost power" but it will seem like it in low range
 
Dammit, thanks guys. I will concentrate on my 60, crossover, shackle flip, tires, cutting more front fender, rollcage, bumpers,etc. Thanks for one less thing I need to do.
 
I know for a fact that a stock 350 will handle nitrous. I helped install a system into a Camero back in college.
Holley four barrel with a fuel tube to spray gas and nitrous straight into the top of the carb.

He ran the car around town all summer, plus some trips to the track.
We took it off in the fall, never noticed any problems with the engine.

BUT, I highly do NOT recommend you do it. The systems have improved since those days, but it is still dangerous.
He never hit it until the engine was taching up pretty fast. Therefore it had enough inflow and rpms to handle the extra power.

When an engine is already turning 4K, jumping to 6K in a half second, is not the heavy load on the bearings, rods and mains that trying to go from 1500 to 6k would be.
Plus, there is just not enough air flow to support the sudden amount of extra gas at low rpm.

I realize that your engine will be turning up most of the time anyway due to the low gearing, but if your engine is already able to turn up that fast due to gearing, you will not get much more wheel speed.
And, could in fact over-rev your engine due to lack of load.

Plus, don't forget, the nitrous has to have fuel to use up the extra oxygen.
That is why you pump in more gas with the nitrous. If your fuel pump or filter should glitch, you will burn holes in the top of the pistons.

Saw that happen at the track one time. Fuel pump failed, looked like you had put an oxyacetylene torch on the top of the aluminum pistons.
 
ah, this reminds me of why I built my BB Chevelle back in the late 80's.....

so I could make all the "daddy bought me a Mustang guido's" running around with spray blow up their stock bottom ends.....

fun times...
 
A 100 shot or so probably wouldn't hurt a thing, provided you have plenty of fuel flow to support it, you pull out a few degrees of timing, you only use it at WOT, and you only use it for short bursts. So it really doesn't make sense if it's low speed wheeling, maybe a short mud race or a something.

I have used up to a 175 shot in my 388 SBC regal, but only at the dragstrip. My cousins use up to 300 -500 hp of nitrous in there dragsters at the national events. The more you use the more controlled it has to be, the more timing you have to take out, the larger your ring end gaps have to be, and the stronger your bottom end needs to be, and the shorter time you can use it for each use.
 
If it was my personal truck I would be leery of nitrous, but I also think that the horror stories are blown out of proportion. A guy in our club built a mud bog truck with his high school age son a year or so ago. It's a late-70's 3/4 ton Chevy they pulled out of the weeds with a completely stock 350 in decent shape. They slapped on nitrous (not sure the size but I think it's around 100-125) and went. Watched them hit a mud pit at a guys farm at least a dozen times within an hour last year while on the spray, and the son runs mud bog events whenever he has a chance with no problems.
 
I'm not doing it. I had a good buzz going last night and was just pondering the thought. After being sober, no friggin way I'm doing it.
 
Fordum said:
IBUT, I highly do NOT recommend you do it. The systems have improved since those days, but it is still dangerous.
He never hit it until the engine was taching up pretty fast. Therefore it had enough inflow and rpms to handle the extra power.

When an engine is already turning 4K, jumping to 6K in a half second, is not the heavy load on the bearings, rods and mains that trying to go from 1500 to 6k would be.
Plus, there is just not enough air flow to support the sudden amount of extra gas at low rpm.
Click to expand...
Don't most nitrous systems these days work with a gas pedal activated switch. You arm the nitrous and then the vehicle must be floored to activate it. Which most have some other way of injecting additional fuel. So I dont get the comment.
 
nsxxtreme said:
Don't most nitrous systems these days work with a gas pedal activated switch. You arm the nitrous and then the vehicle must be floored to activate it. Which most have some other way of injecting additional fuel. So I dont get the comment.
Click to expand...
Sure, most kits come configured that way I suppose. And if you install it according to the way it was designed, then the problem with it being activated under low RPMs is eliminated.

But, if you look around this site, you might find one or two instances of things being installed slightly differently from the way they were intended.
Non stock parts being used.
In creative ways.

So that little switch under the gas pedal finds its self on the dash, strapped to the side of the floor shifter, mounted on a dongle if its in a movie, or its a steering wheel mounted switch.
And sooner or later it gets pressed at the wrong time.

As for the gas comment, naturally the installation includes a auxiliary supply of gasoline. Usually a spray nozzle hooked to the fuel pump.
My mention was concerning what would happen if the fuel pump were to glitch or the fuel filter got stopped up.

If you are running normally, and the fuel supply bobbles for a second, the engine stumbles. Nothing fatal. You might not even notice.
If you are running nitrous, the engine detonates.

That was my point.
 
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