So it's finally time to let the cat out of the bag and admit that I just bought a pair of DCOE 45's in preparation for a carb swap.
The manifold fabrication is no problem, it's already taken care of. I already intend to build out an engine for these as well, which will include (but is not limitted to..) new higher compression Wiseco Pistons, shot-peened rods (or something else in that department), A20A3 head ported and revalved, A20A3 wild-grind cam, and obviously the carbs.
...now I need to know what else I'll need to be able to contain these big bastards.
...I don't want to detonate this engine, but I want to get everything possible out of this swap, so I need to know everything else that I should replace/upgrade in order to prevent any harm.
MOTOR: Would someone suggest something other then what I mentioned above for the internals? Should I worry about a stronger timing belt? I'd like to stay with power steering, but don't know if that's the best idea, any suggestions? Should I look into a custom cam gear? If so, any suggestions on the first place to look for that?
FUEL: I've been seeing a ton of talk lately about fuel supply (pumps, lines, etc.). Should this be something I should be concerned about? What should I do?
IGNITION: Should I use an aftermarket ignition control? I've already got the larger Accel coil. What wires, plugs should I use? Would stock suffice, or are there advantages in this application to using larger wires? Should I reuse the distributor from the A1 or just keep with the stock A3 disty.?
SUPPORT: I'm already contemplating buying new OEM engine/tranny mounts, but should I look to get some custom fabricated with a smaller bushing to allow for less play?
EXHAUST: The plan is to find a set of ceramic DC headers, but should I look into something custom to allow for a little less restriction? Or will these suffice for allowing only enough backpressure as needed for optimal performance? I know it's suggested to get 2.25" exhaust for a stock 3G, but should I consider a slightly larger diameter such as 2.5" or 2.75"?
TRANNY: I have a stock 87 LX-i tranny, and will be (thanks to Steve) be getting a 2G 'lude tranny. Between the two, should I mess around with the gearing, and make a combo of the two? ...or should I just toss one of 'em in stock? If so, which one? ...or should I look to pull gearing out of another tranny such as a 'teg? The main focus for this build is auto-x, so low gearing is prefferable, however I would still like to be able to drive the car on a regular basis on freeway and back roads alike. Driveability/comfortability is not really a concern, but I just don't want to be tacking about 8grand in fifth, at 90ish.
ANYTHING ELSE: I know that there are a bunch of things, or questions that I may have left out. If there is anything else that may be helpfull to me in this little journey of mine, please feel free to post it up. I realize that this is not a quick project, and it's one that will take a ton of research and learning to make it work, but I'm committed to doing it.
What sort of gains might this project yield? Torque? HP?
PS> Suspension is already being planned to be able to keep this beast on the ground and huggin' like a go-cart w/slicks on some nice warm pavement. (Thanks to some great info provided by Jim.)
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