> But there is very little to be gotten out of the WB engine.  It is
> inherently weak, and everything you might do to increase the HP will either
> sacrifice efficency or long term reliability.

James,
do you really think the WB is inherently weak?  why?  The WarnerBros
(speaking of which, Animaniacs is on tomorrow!) bottom end seems to be
pretty solid--i've not ripped mine apart yet (@180kmi) to check it,
mainly cause i haven't had to.  It does not consume oil and still runs
smooth.  My van, like others has been driven pretty hard while
loaded--nature of the beasty since it is underpowered.  And on road
trips, i'm usually cruising at the edge of the green rpm band.  This has
been my practice during my 120kmi of ownership.  Yes i've had the heads
done once, and may need to do it again, but there are some techniques
out there to increase the longevity of that interface.

I think the real target for these upgrades is a more freely breathing
engine so that we don't have to slow down so much going up hill.
Increasing top speed very much is unlikely due to RPM limitations unless
we start modifying the gearboxes.

Efficiency would probably be compromised when going up hill, entering
the freeway or pulling out from a stop sign, but go figure...if i my aim
is to maintain speed up hill or better acceleration, then that requires
more energy therefore more gas.

But mpg while cruising on the highways may actually be improved if the
modifications are chosen so that pwer losses due to pushing exhaust out,
sucking in air or moving mechanical components are reduced, making more
power is available for pushing the box thru the air.  This could mean a
net improvement in effieciency since most of the time of a road trip is
spent at cruise--we'll see.

The modifications for the WB should be chosen with its mission in mind.
In my case its road trips and if i can get there a little faster then my
travel radius goes up some.  I don't want a dragster, just something
that cruises better.

have a great weekend!
fred
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