1st gen hp limits

hey guys i just slapped in my 505 hp 355 and i was wondering what a 1st gen can handle (as far as power and racing). I have comp engineering subframe connectors that are bolted and welded in, and an S&W 8 point cage to tie everything in.... it has the stock front clip also..at what point (well just say horsepower and e.t.) will the body start to twist up and need a full frame built inside? just curious because im having skeptics on the outside tellin me my car wont handle 500 hp and a high 10 sec pass with what I have done to it now...Subframe connectors bolted and welded/S&W 8 point cage. thanks guys lol

I went mid 10's for many years with an 8 point cage and the same deal with frame connectors, and a stock front end. I now run mid 9's but with an upgraded 12pt. certified roll cage, stock floor pan and I put my own 2x3 frame ties in. When I first hit the 9's I had the old roll cage/set up and I noticed a crack in the paint on the a-pillar. I am pulling the wheels pretty high, so I am hitting the car pretty hard at take off, now I have seen cars (nova's) leave with all four wheels on the ground and spray the snot out of it and run mid to high 8's. IMO the launch is the most violent part of the whole run down the track. My old motor was estimated at 505hp the new motor dynoed at 688hp.

You should be OK. As Chuck mentioned, it really depends on how hard you launch your car. I didn't really launch my car hard with the stock front end - not so worried about body twist as I was about bump steer and other ill handling issues associated with the stock front end. If you plan on launching really hard in the future, you can see about running forward struts (tubes) from the front, through the firewall and to the A-pillar bars of your cage, which will help stabilize the front end. The first iteration of my car, with the stock front, had these tubes split and welded on each side of the shock tower bulge as they went to through the fire wall from the front frame - Super Stock style.

skeptics on the outside tellin me my car wont handle 500 hp and a high 10 sec pass with what I have done to it now.

Tell your skeptics they're full of cr*p. My buddy has basically the same set-up as yours and it's run 9.70's with no issues. Now he has a cage with too many points to count!..It's getting twin turbos so it's more streetable!

I just noticed you run a 4 spd. They are a little harder on parts because of the shock from letting the clutch fly.