We figured 600 naturally-aspirated horsepower from a big-block Chevy would probably do the job, and to build an engine that could run the number, yet still be happy on the street, we turned to Dart Machinery. This is the story of how they put together a 509ci rat that’s just what Grandpa needs.
Formula 509 – Dart Builds a BBC for Project Grandpa
by
Paul Huizenga
on
September 3, 2010
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Carb Tuning Tips: Improving Mileage, Performance, And Drivability
by
Steve Hulett
on
August 31, 2010
Who says you have to drown the engine in fuel at part throttle, in order to satisfy the engine’s needs at full throttle? Whether you’re at idle, cruise, or wide open throttle, efficiency is what you want. We’ll dig into carburetor and ignition adjustments that will help you achieve that.
Our MaxStreet Chevy II wasn’t designed to be a real performer out on any type of track. Even dumping all the money in the world attempting to revive the stock style suspension will only get you so far. Something had to be done to help this car be able to hold it’s own.. and Chassisworks got the call!
A Load-O-Matic distributor is old technology and provided one of the first versions of a vacuum advance distributor. While this was the hot ticket when it was new, it has since been deemed archaic and troublesome. Upgrading to a DUI HEI-type distributor was going to be a simple solution to our ignition woes.
This super sleeper project (and unofficial husband of Project Grandma), Grandpa has already been modified well beyond its stock specifications, including a full Spohn Suspension to improve handling as well as a fully-built Dart 509 engine to replace the ancient 305 small block.
Depending on who you speak to, we lose 10- to 20-percent of our torque due to friction losses in the drivetrain. Naturally, no one likes losing torque after spending so much money and working so hard to create this rotating force. This is, after all, the force we use to move the car and no matter which class you run, the name of the game is to move the car. So if we’re going to be good racers, one of the many questions we must ask is, “What can I do to reduce torque loss due to friction in the drivetrain?”
Picking the right Carburetor size for your car & engine combination is paramount in being successful – whether you’re a professional racer or just want the right carburetor for you’re Saturday night special. There are 3 main parameters that correctly determine your baseline selection. John Dickey of AED Carburetors shares with us some of his secrets.
Steve Heye of Heatshield Products Shares his Insight on Insulation Products
by
Andrew Wolf
on
July 9, 2010
Steve Heye, Vice President of Heatshield Products, shares with us some great technical information about exhaust wraps and aluminum reflective products and provides his insight into the advantages of outfitting your vehicle with them.
Warp-Stopping Ahead! – Installing Aerospace Components’ Front Brakes
by
Bobby Kimbrough
on
July 6, 2010
Drag racing is all about going as fast as you can, but what some people seem to forget is that at the end of the track you need to be able to stop the car. Sounds like “day one” stuff, but I’ve seen too many cars with built motors running on stock brakes, sometimes even drums, that just want to fail. If your car won’t start, at worst you’ll lose a race. If it won’t stop, you could lose your life. With that in mind, we set out to put as much attention into Grandma’s “whoa” as we did in her “go.”
Installation of TCI 6X Six-speed transmission in project “MaxStreet” Chevy II
by
Andrew Wolf
on
July 3, 2010
If four forward gears is good, six must be better, right? That is what TCI is thinking, with the release of their 4L80E-based 6X six-speed automatic high performance transmission. For our powerTV Project MaxStreet Nova II, the 6X was right up our alley. We needed a transmission that can handle 850hp+ that will be produced from our Edelbrock/Musi 555 big block Chevy and F2 Procharger, while cruising at low RPMs on the highway as well.
Setting and adjusting the valve lash is often overlooked as a simplistic and unsophisticated task for proper engine maintenance, yet much can be gained by paying attention to valve lash. Good initial set up and keeping a close eye on the valve lash can alert you to a problem before it leads to a pernicious death of your powerplant. We checked with some of the industry’s top engine builders to find out what everyone should know about setting and adjusting valve lash.
Engine Building Tips Part 1: Oiling System, Valvetrain Stabilizers, and Geometry
by
Paul Huizenga
on
June 24, 2010
You might not be building a Pro Stock motor in your own garage, but the lessons Maskin and his crew have learned from hard experience in NHRA and on the dyno can make your project more successful. In this first series of tech videos and how-tos, we had a chance to pick Dart’s brain to come up with engine-building advice that anyone can use.
The words “EFI Conversion” to classic, carbureted muscle car owners might as well be spoken in a foreign language – most don’t understand how you do it or think it’s too much work. On the other hand, they might suffer from carburetor problems, including bad gas mileage, and do nothing about it. What if there was an easy solution that allowed you to convert your classic muscle car over to fuel injection in a weekend and never have to worry about tuning it…ever? Well there is an answer, and it’s called the FAST EZ EFI. We installed one on a ’68 Camaro to answer the question – is this idea of self-tuning really possible?
Picking up Big Power by Swapping Shorties to Hooker Darkside Long Tube Headers
by
Mark Gearhart
on
May 21, 2010
While shorties are great for those that are emissions-minded, Hooker’s Darkside long tube headers have once again proven their worth in waking up our Camaro’s V8. Our “before” horsepower reading of 172 HP and 238 ft/lb of torque gave way to 198 HP and 286 ft/lb of torque – all through a simple header change.
FAST’s EZ EFI system is an extremely versatile system for virtually for anyone that is looking to switch from traditional carburetor, or even as a controller for currently fuel injected cars. All you need to do is answer a few basic questions and the EZ EFI does the rest. No more laptop or expensive tuning sessions are required – everything you need is right there inside, waiting to learn.
Sound Comparison: Five of Flowmaster’s Popular Series of Performance Mufflers
by
Dragzine
on
May 17, 2010
We recently tested five of Flowmaster’s latest and most popular performance mufflers for a sound comparison on a classic 1972 Chevrolet El Camino with a Pat Musi Performance 509 cubic inch engine under the hood. Producing over 600 tire-roasting horses, this El Camino is the perfect test bed for this collection of mufflers.
The camshaft is used to control the timing of valve events – it’s like the part of the human brain that controls heartbeat and respiration. Understanding the basics of camshaft terminology is the first step to selecting the right cam for your application.
When you spend the time and money putting a nitrous system into your vehicle, you expect it to work at peak efficiency. This can only be done if you get your bottle pressure to the right spot. A temperature- or pressure-controlled bottle heater is the safest, most convenient way to accomplish that goal, and ZEX has a heater for any nitrous racer…
When RHS says that there’s 1,000 horsepower potential from their Pro Elite heads for the BBC, we believe them – our best result was an amazing 883 horsepower and 758 foot-pounds of torque, on pump gas no less, and with no need for exotic valvetrain components to let the engine spin to the moon.
Our objective for this upgrade to our Project No Bucks third-gen Camaro was to increase traction and handling for both street driving and dragstrip duty. We wanted to put together a complete package from one supplier to make sure everything would work together, and that’s exactly what we found from Spohn Performance.
