1069423
think of it this way.... there is a reason that insurance companies charge higher rates for such horsepower. they feel that it is much more dangerous, and frankly, it is... i LOVE power, and know how to use it... but many don't... insurance companies DO NOT want you to use insurance, but they REALLY want you to buy it. if people got 300+ hp in a SWB jeep, chances are, accidents will happen with them, statistics prove it... AND... if the insurance companies have to fork out money for those accidents, it is in their favor NOT to insure high power vehicles...
PLUS....
because of the higher insurance rates on high power vehicles, manufacturers will keep their power down, or even under-rate the power of their vehicles... They want people to buy them.. and if the insurance is going to kill people, then people won't buy... its a great marketing scheme... if i was to manufacture vehicles, i would not want the customers shying away because of the insurance rates, so i'd underrate or cut the power, that way, the insurance company will be easier on the consumer, and the consumer will be happier with the vehicle... Look at GM's LS1... in the late Trams Am and Camaro (God rest their departed divinity)... they are rated at around 325 horsepower stock... but put one on a dyno.. there have been cases of stock Fbodies producing over 365 horsepower...
Another reason for the underrating of the Fbody is because of the Vette, they would not want them to rape glory away from GM's king... the basic factor in the vette's performance being better is the weight/body design/suspension... if people realized they can get something just as good, for much cheaper, they will do it... the same thing goes for other companies as well...
To conclude, the insurance companies do not CONTROL the regulation of horsepower... but they are a big factor in why manufacturers will not produce the muscle they used to.
And to answer an earlier question... if you want to swap a 4.0 head onto a 4.2, it will not take heavy modification, but will require some...
if you simply want the head for flow reasons, it should bolt up quite easily.. but the 4.0 head is a little wider, so you'd have to plug some of the coolant holes, no big deal... if you want it for fuel reasons... you'll need the computer, intake, sensors, and fuel pump as well..
as far as supercharging it... if you order a supercharger from ATI Procharger for a mustang, and then for a camaro... you'll notice the unit is EXACTLY the same... the only difference you get is the bracketry.. you only need something to push air into the intake... but depending on the engine you charge, you need to consider limiting the boost, aftercooling (intercooling) the highly compressed air, and many other guidelines for the engine's safety... not all motors can take the same boost, but they can all be boosted...
other options are availible too.... i'm not sure on the wall thickness of the 4.2... but i do know that 4.0 pistons are much wider, and if swapped, can create a great displacement advantage, but if the walls could not handle it, you didn't hear it from me...
there's always turbos... which is "old fashion supercharging"... you can take a turbo from anything and adapt it to fit.. then again... cooling, boost, etc...
an onboard air compressor can make a great supply for a holding tank for a short term oxygen boost... you can plumb a valved tank to your intake tube, and on demand, you can force a load of air into your intake, boosting your charge once again... but this would be a VERY short term temporary boost which could only be used for small periods of time... ford is doing something similar with the new SVT Lightning... they have a holding tank in which pressurized air is held and cooled by the AC unit, and the driver can pop in a shot of cooled, compressed air at any time in short cycles, and it recharges itself in less than a minute... its much like nitrous oxide, on a lower scale, but no need to refill the bottle, it fills itself...
you can get creative in many ways, just have to think outside of what the world tells you
WOW.. that is a LOOONG post... bed time now[addsig]
[addsig]
