cant make the tires smoke. need help

[Dustin 84]

ive got an 84 with the 305. completely stock except cat back exhaust. the truck will squal the tires goin around a turn and going up a slight hill from a dead stop but wont on flat ground or wont power break. what can i do to make it so when i stomp it, it will spin?  

[87swb]

i have a an '87 Silverado 2wd short box with a TBI 305 bored 0.060 over with headers and dual exhaust, 400 Turbo and a 10 bolt 3:08. it won't spin tires either on a flat surface and sure as heck won't white smoke 'em. it used to bother me a lot but it don't anymore because it's still a fast truck. if you want it to smoke 'em first thing i would do is put shorter tires on it, lower geared rear-end such as 3:73 or a 4:10 gear set, modify the motor or even get a bigger motor like a 350. but everyone says to me that a 305 is weak and won't do all that, but i beg to differ because you can make them powerful. go to Google and type "Hot Rod magazine builds 400 Horsepower 305".

[Dustin 84]

i guess i just dont understand why it wont if you have some modifications done such as a cam, carb, intake, and heads or somethin like that. my moms stock 3.8 mustang will do it but a V-8 truck wont. oh well, guess some things werent ment to be done.

[87swb]

you can make it white smoke tires, it just depends on how much money you wanna put into it. a friend of mine has a '98 GMC Sierra ext. cab with a 305 Vortec and it won't smoke 'em from a dead stop but when he powerjacks it, man there is white smoke everywhere. another example, anaother friend has a '89 5.0 Mustang Convertible with headers and a 3:73 rear and it won't smoke tires from a dead stop, no lie, but do you think it is slow, it's actually very fast. if you have all that stuff such as an aftermarket cam, carb, intake, headers, distributor, etc., and built right, it probably would smoke them. i just wouldn't look for it if it was stock. just because it don't smoke them doesn't mean it's not fast. but it can be done.  

[OLDRED]

I have just the opposite problem. I wish mine would hook up better. Its a 73 long bed with 295/15/50s on the back, and it actually dose better if I ease in to it. I plan on a posi some time that should help and a short bed would be excellent. You could pump the tires up hard but thats not gonna make it any faster.

Edited by: OLDRED at: 4/5/05 2:53 pm

[Blazin]

I think you are not beating it hard enough!!!

[Leadfoot]

Pull the 305 and drop a .060 over 454 in it,works for me
Smokin tire is not a problem...

[VileZambonie]

Better gear reduction and any engine you can put in it will light the tires. your stock gear reduction and tire size is your problem. Or maybe you should soap up the tires real good and chock the front wheels.

[lotopp79]

motor wont do it alone a lower gear is what you want I had the same problem with my 79 and I plan on changing ht egears in my new truck if it wont smoke um but its got a granny low tranny so i might be able to turn them and still keep a good highway gear

[Blazin]

Motor alone will do it if its got nut. My 74 Malibu had limited slip rear with 2.73 gears a mild 454 with a built TH350 it would chirp all three gears and destroy the tires from a dead stop..  

[Lt.Del]

I am glad we all agree as to what it takes to smok'em.  Well, i guess the conclusion is a compromise.  You don't need a 454 if you lower your gear...you don't need a 4:11 if you increase the cid.  
So, get atleast a 350, or even a 383 stroker or a 400 and lower the gears a little, say 3:50 or 3:73.  Increase the air pressure about, say, 10 psi over recommendations.  Then, FLOOR it.
I think that about sums it up.

Sgt. Del
383 stroker, 308 rear, won't spin em.  I keep too much camping stuff in the back under my camper shell i guess.

[87swb]

that 383 in your truck won't spin the tires . take the shell off then and get rid of the campin' stuff and see if it does, naw, i'm only kiddin' but still i would take the shell off to see how it looks when you're not camping.

[ChevyGuy]

Sounds like someone isnt giving it enough gas or nuts behind it. My old truck back when it had a 267 could smoke the tires through all 4 gears course it had a granny 4 speed. Now the truck has a .060 over 350 and a TH400 and I can burn 31's on it if I want.

[87swb]

hey i've heard of the 267 didn't they put them in the '81 Camaros? are they powerful? i don't know much about them.

[85HeavyChevy]

my 85 305 with 2.73 rear powerbrakes like crazy, but it wont spin from stomping on it.