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As everyone knows, KB was a master engine builder and innovator in the ’60s and ’70s, especially with top fuel motors. He led the way in developing race-only alloy Hemi blocks and billet crankshafts. But he also was instrumental in helping IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula 5000 and boat-racing teams put advanced technology on the track.
The “Research” page is particularly interesting as it shows KB’s Heenan Froude dyno. Back then, there was no software to record and analyze the data, and the torque reading came across a big grocery-store scale.
“We had to have five or six guys in the dyno room,” remembers Ken Black, who assumed control of the company when his father passed away in 1991. “They were all manual gauges, so everyone picked a set of dials to watch when they made a run. They’d have to remember and write it all down.”
Also on Page 7 is a picture of research equipment set up by Chrysler engineer Bob Tarozzi to study sine waves, which could have been part of the development of the Chrysler IndyCar engine seen at the lower part of the page. Elsewhere in the catalog, there’s also a pic of the company’s flow bench — which was obtained from Enderle — and used to test fuel-injection and oil-pump equipment.
Too bad the prices aren’t listed, but those numbers might bring far too many tears. A race-ready magnesium blower was $595. A 426 street Hemi crankshaft cost $175, and you could get a Hemi Super Stock cylinder block for $385.
Other pages show a variety of the parts offered by Keith Black Racing, and finally there’s a page devoted to apparel. For those interested, the company just reintroduced the iconic Keith Black Racing Engines t-shirt. It’s been redesigned slightly with a small logo on the front and the large circular image on the back. Be sure to check out the website for more details.
