[SD455DJ]

Dan is rebuilding his first 301T engine out of his recently sold ’80 TA Pace Car. He was going to rebuild it whether he sold the car or not, but the new owner wants the engine rebuilt by Dan which pushed it to the front of the list (with 4 other engines in various stages of assembly). The car is going to be restored by Ric’s Restorations in SE Michigan, who has done several Firebirds for the new owner. When Dan got the TA several years ago, the PO had removed the turbo 301 and installed a complete ’70 YS 400 4-bbl engine with headers in its place and was a work in progress (it wasn’t a running driving car yet). He bought the Texas TA in the early 2000’s and traded for Dan’s Super nice ’64 Rambler 660 2-dr with a healthy 327 (AMC version), B-W automatic, and 2.87 gears. Dan is intrigued with the 301T and knowing their less than stellar performance image compared to TA’s past, he relishing the challenge of making the 301T live up to its 215 net hp rating. He’s been following Joe Rinaldi’s TTA Performance You Tube channel for a while and has spoken to him (TA Nats and phone) to gain further knowledge of what makes these engines tick (not just the lifters).

The engine is now torn down with the block, crank, heads, exhaust manifolds, and turbo housing out getting magnafluxed for any cracks. The block is still the standard 4.000” bore and will most likely need to be bored 0.030” over. We’re not sure if forged pistons and connecting rods are available, but that search is going on now. It’s going to be a mostly stock restoration as the new owner isn’t interested in ringing out every last hp, but at the same time, Dan wants to see how much he can enhance the power output without losing drivability. It should see the dyno this spring if all goes well.

Dennis

[Schurkey]

The infamous two-counterweight crankshaft.

There was a 301 turbo adapter and Q-Jet sitting on a 55-gallon drum, out in the rain, sun and wind at my second-favorite Treasure Yard for several years. It's probably still there, under a foot of snow.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Perhpas Turbo-YS400, and keep the rebuilt original Turbo block/heads as a spare.

[25stevem]

Yes, that cast 2 counter weight Crank scares the Hell out of me even with added heft of the T block to better support it !!!

I trust the Rods more when polished and then shot peened to live more then the Crank!

I would polish that Crank up such that everything that can be rounded over is and then I would shot peen it and then do my absolute best to find a race motor shop that can balance that assy out to 1/4 inch ounce.

It’s also worthy to cut that Crank .010” just to get a bigger radius transition from all the bearing journals to the cheeks for added crack resistance.

If the budget is there I would also have all 16 valves heat rejection coated.
This might allow another 2 lbs of boost to be run, but either way allow for cooler intake air getting into the cylinder, especially during full throttle!

[78w72]

Originally Posted by SD455DJ

Dan is rebuilding his first 301T engine out of his recently sold ’80 TA Pace Car. He was going to rebuild it whether he sold the car or not, but the new owner wants the engine rebuilt by Dan which pushed it to the front of the list (with 4 other engines in various stages of assembly). The car is going to be restored by Ric’s Restorations in SE Michigan, who has done several Firebirds for the new owner. When Dan got the TA several years ago, the PO had removed the turbo 301 and installed a complete ’70 YS 400 4-bbl engine with headers in its place and was a work in progress (it wasn’t a running driving car yet). He bought the Texas TA in the early 2000’s and traded for Dan’s Super nice ’64 Rambler 660 2-dr with a healthy 327 (AMC version), B-W automatic, and 2.87 gears. Dan is intrigued with the 301T and knowing their less than stellar performance image compared to TA’s past, he relishing the challenge of making the 301T live up to its 215 net hp rating. He’s been following Joe Rinaldi’s TTA Performance You Tube channel for a while and has spoken to him (TA Nats and phone) to gain further knowledge of what makes these engines tick (not just the lifters).

The engine is now torn down with the block, crank, heads, exhaust manifolds, and turbo housing out getting magnafluxed for any cracks. The block is still the standard 4.000” bore and will most likely need to be bored 0.030” over. We’re not sure if forged pistons and connecting rods are available, but that search is going on now. It’s going to be a mostly stock restoration as the new owner isn’t interested in ringing out every last hp, but at the same time, Dan wants to see how much he can enhance the power output without losing drivability. It should see the dyno this spring if all goes well.

Dennis

the 301t can definitely be made to produce more power with stock parts, TTA performance is a good place to talk with for mods depending how far the owner wants to go. but there is another guy, rick unteresh? thats been racing these 301ts in NHRA class for many years & is restricted by their rules for stock internals... so far he has run very low 12's & knocking on 11s door.

if you or the owner hasnt checked out 301garage forum yet, there is all kinds of good info on this engine & the turbo t/a's in general. when running right they are basically just as fast & have the same or more HP as the mid 70s 400 & 455 t/a's but obviously not as much torque. they got a bad rep because most people didnt know how to work on them with the beginning of computer control emission crap & many didnt have the turbo set to the factory designed 9psi. when running right they would hang right with a bigger engine t/a from a rolling punch or highway punch.

i have a 1981 301t pace car that is 99% stock & with very little effort was able to shave almost 2 full seconds off the fastest published times for these cars of ~16.5et, my best is 14.7 & all i did was remove the EGR, gut the smog pump but still in place, bypassed the coolant to the carb plenum (returned it for cold weather street driving) for a little cooler intake charge & turned up the boost to ~10psi. everything else is original stock in the engine, exhaust & driveline. & this was taking it easy & not max rpm/WOT since i had a little detonation at wide open throttle, the car is a lower mile #s matching so i wasnt going for max times, just a test & tune day to see what it would do. old hard BFG tires too.
my car drives like its 100% stock with zero drivability or reliability issues. as long as you stay under ~5000-5500 rpm & ~10psi boost, with good machine work the engine will have no issues. & its been proven that stock head gaskets can support a least 14psi. there should be a lot of potential for the owner of this car without too much effort. please post the specs & dyno results when available.

there are other 301ts out there that have had quite a few of the TTA performance bolt on mods done, until just recently joes car with big downpipe & exhaust, meth injection, higher boost via aftermarket boost controller & even a bigger comp 252 cam i think that was still running in the mid 14s, just recently with some more added mods & even fuel injection, i think it broke into the mid 13's. so depsite what the naysayers out there say these engines can run very well & even beat a mild 400/455 to an extent.

[ponjohn]

There is a 383 stroker build on FB. It is based on a 301 t block.

[78w72]

the stroker 301 builds are getting a little more common, pretty sure a member here, "tom s" did one awhile back with impressive numbers. someone has even made a better intake & trying to incorporate traditional pontiac heads to the 301 since their biggest restriction is the heads. i bet if someone sent a set of 301 heads to SD or other porters the stock heads could make a lot more power & open up even more potential for these engines.

[SD455DJ]

Originally Posted by 25stevem

Yes, that cast 2 counter weight Crank scares the Hell out of me even with added heft of the T block to better support it !!!

I trust the Rods more when polished and then shot peened to live more then the Crank!

I would polish that Crank up such that everything that can be rounded over is and then I would shot peen it and then do my absolute best to find a race motor shop that can balance that assy out to 1/4 inch ounce.

It’s also worthy to cut that Crank .010” just to get a bigger radius transition from all the bearing journals to the cheeks for added crack resistance.

If the budget is there I would also have all 16 valves heat rejection coated.
This might allow another 2 lbs of boost to be run, but either way allow for cooler intake air getting into the cylinder, especially during full throttle!

Thanks 25stevem! Those are great suggestions for the build. I'm hoping there are forged rods and pistons that can be found, but we never looked into building a 301T before.

Dennis

[SD455DJ]

Originally Posted by 78w72

the 301t can definitely be made to produce more power with stock parts, TTA performance is a good place to talk with for mods depending how far the owner wants to go. but there is another guy, rick unteresh? thats been racing these 301ts in NHRA class for many years & is restricted by their rules for stock internals... so far he has run very low 12's & knocking on 11s door.

if you or the owner hasnt checked out 301garage forum yet, there is all kinds of good info on this engine & the turbo t/a's in general. when running right they are basically just as fast & have the same or more HP as the mid 70s 400 & 455 t/a's but obviously not as much torque. they got a bad rep because most people didnt know how to work on them with the beginning of computer control emission crap & many didnt have the turbo set to the factory designed 9psi. when running right they would hang right with a bigger engine t/a from a rolling punch or highway punch.

i have a 1981 301t pace car that is 99% stock & with very little effort was able to shave almost 2 full seconds off the fastest published times for these cars of ~16.5et, my best is 14.7 & all i did was remove the EGR, gut the smog pump but still in place, bypassed the coolant to the carb plenum (returned it for cold weather street driving) for a little cooler intake charge & turned up the boost to ~10psi. everything else is original stock in the engine, exhaust & driveline. & this was taking it easy & not max rpm/WOT since i had a little detonation at wide open throttle, the car is a lower mile #s matching so i wasnt going for max times, just a test & tune day to see what it would do. old hard BFG tires too.
my car drives like its 100% stock with zero drivability or reliability issues. as long as you stay under ~5000-5500 rpm & ~10psi boost, with good machine work the engine will have no issues. & its been proven that stock head gaskets can support a least 14psi. there should be a lot of potential for the owner of this car without too much effort. please post the specs & dyno results when available.

there are other 301ts out there that have had quite a few of the TTA performance bolt on mods done, until just recently joes car with big downpipe & exhaust, meth injection, higher boost via aftermarket boost controller & even a bigger comp 252 cam i think that was still running in the mid 14s, just recently with some more added mods & even fuel injection, i think it broke into the mid 13's. so despite what the naysayers out there say these engines can run very well & even beat a mild 400/455 to an extent.

78w72 - Yes, seen the posts in the Race forums by Rick U. and his NHRA stocker...very cool and he probably can share a few tricks and insight for making more power with 'stock' 301T's. I'd welcome your experiences the further we get along in the build. You've done well with yours to run 14's with the 3.08 gear. Joe at TTA Performance has gotten 12.80's out of his TA recently with more gear, higher stall convertor and all the engine mods you mention. I do like his YouTube channel.

I'll certainly post the build experiences and dyno session when they happen.

Dennis

[SD455DJ]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

There is a 383 stroker build on FB. It is based on a 301 t block.

That would be Tom S. and I'll have to go back and re-read his work.

Dennis

[geeteeohguy]

A good friend of mine bought a brand new Turbo TA in 1980. It was a nice car that handled like a slot car in the corners but man, was it slow. Ran like it was tied to a tree. My mom's 4200 pound, 352 powered '64 Galaxie with 250 HP and a zillion miles would eat it alive. I think my '69 Suburban with a worn out 350-4bbl and 250,000 miles on the clock was faster. Good luck with the build....will be interesting to see how it turns out. When they made the Smokey and the Bandit sequel and used a Turbo TA, they had to wet down the tires to get it to do a burnout on pavement. True.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by SD455DJ

78w72 - Yes, seen the posts in the Race forums by Rick U. and his NHRA stocker...very cool and he probably can share a few tricks and insight for making more power with 'stock' 301T's. I'd welcome your experiences the further we get along in the build. You've done well with yours to run 14's with the 3.08 gear. Joe at TTA Performance has gotten 12.80's out of his TA recently with more gear, higher stall convertor and all the engine mods you mention. I do like his YouTube channel.

I'll certainly post the build experiences and dyno session when they happen.

Dennis

pretty sure there are no drop in forged rods for 301s, im sure there are others that can be made to work or custom ones made by some of the race companies out there. but depending on the power level the owner intends, the stock rods can handle quite a bit if kept to reasonable RPMS/power.... rick U is running stock rods & crank & making very good power to run in the low 12s with all stock parts. the turbo cranks are very strong for what they are & they have "fillet" radius on the rod journals to help prevent cracks. again, unless the owner is planning to make very high power (for a 301) & race it regularly, the stock rods/crank are probably fine for a street car even with a lot more power & boost.

now that you mention it i do recall joes car broke into the 12s with his most recent mods, prior to that with a lot of bolt ons & higher boost (14psi?) & bigger cam ect he was only in the low 14s, which i found a little strange being my car with almost zero mods was in the upper mid 14s & probably had a couple more 10ths in it if i pushed it harder or ran some higher octane gas. still impressive for a 301t & very impressive at 12.80.

all the "slow" or "boat anchor" comments these engines & cars get/got are kinda funny being that stock 78-79 W72 400 T/As only ran high 14s or even 15s depending on auto vs 4 speed or the magazine that tested them. & they were rated for the same 210-220hp as the 301t... the 76 455 was 180hp! LOL!. with a couple more years of technology like the grand nationals got, the 301t would have been an excellent engine & embarrassed mid-late 70s 400/455s!

[78w72]

& there is a current member at 301g that is doing a very high dollar 301t stroker with custom rods & intake etc... expecting 650+hp & even 700... looks like a slower build with covid restrictions going on but will be amazing if hits 600.

[SD455DJ]

Originally Posted by 78w72

& there is a current member at 301g that is doing a very high dollar 301t stroker with custom rods & intake etc... expecting 650+hp & even 700... looks like a slower build with covid restrictions going on but will be amazing if hits 600.

I'll have to check of that thread! I'm hoping that we can get a forged rod of fairly close dimensions to the 301's and work with custom pistons with custom pin height. I don't know what big end options we have with a 2.25" journal and shorter length, but maybe short BBC rods with the 2.20" journal??? We'll check into it and if there are no viable options, stock rods will have to be good enough. I have heard from several people that stock rods are pretty stout as long as you don't go too crazy with boost and rpm. You are so right, the 301T was ahead of its time by several years and with the technologies that went into the Buick v6 GN's, it would have been an engine for the ages.

Dennis

[tom s]

I have built 2 383 stroker 301s.Both builds on this site.Tom

[78w72]

Originally Posted by SD455DJ

I'll have to check of that thread! I'm hoping that we can get a forged rod of fairly close dimensions to the 301's and work with custom pistons with custom pin height. I don't know what big end options we have with a 2.25" journal and shorter length, but maybe short BBC rods with the 2.20" journal??? We'll check into it and if there are no viable options, stock rods will have to be good enough. I have heard from several people that stock rods are pretty stout as long as you don't go too crazy with boost and rpm. You are so right, the 301T was ahead of its time by several years and with the technologies that went into the Buick v6 GN's, it would have been an engine for the ages.

Dennis

http://www.301garage.com/forum/index.php?topic=11992.0

[tom s]

I dont know if that engine got built yet?Tom

[78w72]

no updates lately & sounded like it was a slow process of getting parts & having it all built.

[Skip Fix]

Looking at the one out of my 81 those siamesed intake ports have got to hurt it even blowing fuel in it. The intake etc off so I may need help just trying to bolt it together on the stand so less clutter or even fire it up. Guy had been running a Holley 3310 on it, and UD cam supposedly and has ARP head studs.. Whole car was missing a lot when I got it. most of interior. Got it al together with a mild 400 for my kids to drive to high school.

[25stevem]

Forgive the term I used about balancing tolerance is reversed, I should have posted 1/4 once-inch .