Late Model Engines Builds A Billet Beast For The FatMan

Late Model Engines Builds A Billet Beast For The FatMan

The old saying, “There’s no replacement for displacement” has oftentimes proven true, but there are times when placement is also just as important as displacement. Case in point is this monster motor being built by Late Model Engines that starts off with a Noonan Engineering Billet LS Race Block. Noonan Engineering offers its billet block as a solid piece or a jacketed version for those who will need the necessary cooling.

Readers will remember FatMan as the twin-turbo beast that set out to conquer the world. He’s at it again and bigger and badder than ever!

More than just a high-horsepowered piece of jewelry, this billet beauty is being built to supply enough power and torque to twist the earth’s crust on launch. That said, the folks at LME wanted to start with a foundation secure enough to prevent any tectonic shifting under the hood. This version is being assembled using the solid block and will run alcohol. The plan is to have an engine that will reliably churn out 3,500 horsepower from 438 cubic inches of action area. The stability of the solid block will come in quite handy as the engine spins up through the planned 9,000-plus revs.

The heart of this beast is the Noonan billet block. More than just a capable foundation for horsepower, the machining and shaving turned that hunk of aluminum into a piece of art!

What started out as a single chunk of billet aluminum has since been drilled, milled, honed and polished into a block of epic proportions, consisting of a 9.750-inch tall deck with unfinished 4.120-inch bores. Places, where the stationary parts meet the moving bits, have been upgraded to make the most power with the least amount of concern.

Lifter bores have been finished for Jesel .937-inch keyway lifters while the bearing surfaces have been upgraded as well. At these horsepower levels, keeping the crankshaft stable is a key factor and Noonan has designed their billet block to utilize the larger Cleveland engine line of bearings, which are larger than the factory LS offerings. This not only provides more support area for the crank but also allows for beefier, ½-inch fasteners for the billet steel main caps with 3/8-inch side bolts helping keep them where they belong.

FatMan's 3.0 effort engine was finish-machined and assembled by the talented folks at Late Model Engines using only the best of the best components.

Inside this silver diamond goes a Winberg 4-inch stroke, eight counterweights, billet crankshaft with 2.750-inch mains. Converting the roundy-round to up and down is a set of Bill Miller Engineering aluminum rods with custom, billet, Diamond pistons on the squeezin’ side. Located just a few inches above and at half-speed, a billet core solid-roller camshaft makes those Jesel lifters dance. Trend 9/16-inch pushrods make sure the rhythm reaches top-side with nary a misstep.

Billet aluminum, what used to be used for shiny parts on a car show field has now been re-purposed to provide for lightweight, jewel-like components for severe-duty applications.

At that point, a duo of Noonan billet, LS Edge, dry-deck heads separate the squeeze from the breeze. The heads were ordered bare so that LME could install the Victory 1 Performance one-piece, 2.250-inch, titanium intake valves and custom, Inconel exhaust valves that are designed to endure cataclysmic levels of heat and abuse. A set of stainless T&D adjustable, shaft-mounted rocker arms make the hard right-turn between the pushrods and valves while PSI Springs’ triple-sprung valve springs keep the valve lash in check.

At this point, you need to get fuel to this fire-breathing dragon. Aeromotive handles this task dutifully with its spur-gear, mechanical fuel pump. Supplying the airflow for the proper fuel/air mix is a pair of Precision XPR 94mm turbos. The billet (seeing a trend here), short-runner, Noonan intake directs consistent, and copious amounts of air at any PSI.

The Marque Of The Beast

At this point, you need a vehicle worthy to put down all the power and fury that this engine is designed to provide. Mere streetcars are hopelessly inadequate and a finely-tuned chassis with enough meat to transfer all that torque is the only way to safely make the transition from stop to WOT.

Vengeance Racing is readying this C6 Corvette for its next chapter in eye-shattering performance. Our readers will perhaps recognize this white rocket as the FatMan. Vengeance Racing has been building upon this snow-white, 2007 Z06 Corvette platform for several years and its latest reincarnation has been termed FatMan 3.0.

Those new turbos have moved rearward but FatMan still uses its TH400 transmission for constant acceleration. The JSC Racing chassis still looks and works as good as it ever did.

The car has a history of speed and the JSC Racing and Carbon Fiber chassis has undergone various stages of tuning as the horsepower count increases. According to Vengeance Racing owner Ron Mowen, FatMan was the first Corvette in the world to crack 200 mph in the 1/2-mile. Then it held the manual-transmission Corvette record at 204.6 for several years. FatMan ultimately ended up running 217 mph with the car with an automatic transmission before sending it to the chassis shop. “After the amazing job JSC Racing did on our chassis,” says Ron. “We knew we had to have an engine equally impressive that could support our goals as well as showcase our talents with the LS platform.” Now, that chassis will have even more work trying to control all that power. Thankfully, it has the help of those massive Mickey Thompsons out back to share some of the heavy lifting.

According to Vengeance Racing, the goal of FatMan 3.0 is to make it one of the absolute BADDEST C6 Corvettes in the world. You’d have to agree that FatMan has been pretty impressive in all his previous stages, but in this instance, Vengeance Racing has apparently scribbled the number eleven on the dial. You can follow along on the build of this “Baddest of the Bad” effort by simply subscribing to FatMan 3.0’s Facebook page where Ron and the folks at Vengeance Racing will be sharing updates as the car undergoes some final tweaking to get the car ready for its next attempt at taking over the world.

Article Sources

About the author

Andy Bolig

Andy has been intrigued by mechanical things all of his life and enjoys tinkering with cars of all makes and ages. Finding value in style points, he can appreciate cars of all power and performance levels. Andy is an avid railfan and gets his “high” by flying radio-controlled model airplanes when time permits. He keeps his feet firmly grounded by working on his two street rods and his supercharged C4 Corvette. Whether planes, trains, motorcycles, or automobiles, Andy has immersed himself in a world driven by internal combustion.
Read My Articles

Drag Racing in your Inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Dragzine, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
Dragzine NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Dragzine - Drag Racing Magazine

We'll send you the most interesting Dragzine articles, news, car features, and videos every week.

Dragzine - Drag Racing Magazine

Dragzine NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Dragzine - Drag Racing Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


Street Muscle Magazine
Hot Rods & Muscle Cars
Diesel Army
Diesel Army
Engine Labs
Engine Tech

Dragzine - Drag Racing Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • Streetmuscle Hot Rods & Muscle Cars
  • Diesel Army Diesel Army
  • Engine Labs Engine Tech

Dragzine - Drag Racing Magazine

Dragzine

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Dragzine - Drag Racing Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading