No top end (yet)

[smokestack]

Good points firebird. As for baseline you have your stock tune. You can shut off the maf sensor and log fuel trims. Make adjustments there. Log the maf to tune it for a aftermarket filter. Play with adding timing until you get some KR " not the right way " and drop some after. There are alot of ways to make small tweaks for some extra power. But it does take alot of practice and a learning curve. And if you go crazy you can kill your motor. Not how i would do it but wanted to point out some easy quick ways you can get started. Main thing is log..log and log again. Learn to read what your engine wants. Makes it easy once you understand how things work and whats going on and why..

[SuperSSguy]

The ability to know what an engine is going to like comes from alot of tuning experience and some knowledge of how a combustable engine works. What AFR makes best all around power, how much timing a particular combustion chamber design likes for best power etc...These are generalizations without getting into too many specifics. With that knowledge you can dial in any engine pretty darn close without the dyno (although that's a big help).
The track is another good place to make tuning tweaks by watching your mph.

For instance an LS engine has a modern heart shaped combustion chamber (as most aftermarket heads now do) which doesn't require so much ignition lead. Because of this, LS engines tend to make best power with total timing under full load of about 24-28 degrees. 24 might be a safe starting point to work from. A safe AFR to command for a naturally aspirated engine under full load may be something like 12.6-12.8, and then work from there. Some stay on the safe side, others push the limits to squeak a few more HP.

With the computer you can log variables like timing and fuel, and use a wideband while logging, and know exactly what changes to make.

Thanks.. Your way of explaining it was what i was looking for Sometimes the basic explanations of things are...well...too basic and sometimes the specifics are too technical if one doesnt have the basic knowledge of the issue. While i understand what and how tuning works theres some fine details that i want to learn......lol.sometimes i feel like that lil kid that keeps asking..why why why.....with cars i guess its never ending!..Thanks.