How bad does a big block hurt handling?

[CamaroJesse]

i have a iron headed 396 but was considering either doing aluminum heads or a small block. how much does having a heavy old BB hurt handling capabilities? this is a 68 camaro by the way.

thanks
Jesse

[MrQuick]

not too bad, you just have to compensate it with spring, shock and anti-roll bar tuning.

[Bandit]

I get asked this all the time since I put the BBC in my TA. Yes it's heavier, but overall weight is not nearly as important as properly matched suspension and good weight distribution.
Suffice to say that after going from a 301 Pontiac little block to a 402 Chevy BB, and stiffer front springs, I don't even really notice the difference in handling on the street. Having over twice the power of the old engine more than made up for it! Maybe for a balls-out racecar it would make a bigger difference, but on the street it's negligible IMHO. My car with the heavy BB and Hotchkis suspension handles really decent and feels quick and responsive.

[LS6 Tommy]

An iron head BBC only weighs 150+/- lbs more than an iron head SBC. If you got aluminum heads it's almost a swap. Springs & proper suspension tuning can easily compensateeven aith the iron heads. The only real difference after that would be f/r weight ratio.

Tommy

[MonzaRacer]

140,,, less if you use aluminum intake and headers
about 80 diff if you use alu heads

[David Pozzi]

It will be a big difference at an autocross where quick transitions are needed.
On a road course it won't hurt as badly, depending on the type of turn. Getting large enough front tires will help a lot. If you have higher front end weight and smaller than average front tires, you are going to be way behind others. You need to get more rubber than other guys to make up for it.
David

[jwcarguy]

Jesse, I have a 68' with a iron head 427/ 700R4 in it. The suspension is a Hothkis TVS system, matched Bilsteins, Global West UCA's, Del-a-lum in stock LCA's, Global solid body mounts, Lee Manuf. 12.7:1 steering box, ATS tall AFX spindles, Global west subframe connectors, no rear sway bar. Tyler and Russ @ ATS set up the suspension after my installation and the car handles awesome!! I just gave a C5 a run for his money, going down the freeway @ over 140 mph!! He couldn't figure out how a 40 year car was all over his ass!! Tyler drove the car and was really impressed. Then again, I listened to all of his advice as to what to do to the car for my application, street car. David is one of the authorities when in comes to autocross. I'm sure that putting my car in a autocross, the extra weight would make a difference. I had the engine in before I just redid a car that only had 8000 miles on it from a stock resto, until I caught the Pro Touring bug and never looked back!! The engine threw the front of the car around when it was in stock trim/ suspension. Hope this helps you out and good luck!! Jeff Wheeler

[David Pozzi]

Jeff,
I think stiffer front springs really help keep the front end down on a Camaro at high speeds.

Before I switched mine, the front end floated at high speeds, but it became very stable after the increase, even with no front spoiler. Autocrossing was very hard on my front spoiler so I took it off. Too much cone mowing!

Left/right slalom type turns are the hardest for Camaros, BB weight makes it even harder. Single 90 deg turns with straight aways in between are the best type of course for pony cars. You can usually manage the simpler corners pretty well, then use your superior (to other types) power down the straight.
David