Everyone comes to the dyno with a different purpose. Some know those elusive few horses they need are out there somewhere, and perhaps a session on the big wheel can help them tune. Others know their rides make serious power, and they come just to flex their muscles in front of those gathered to watch. Still others have never dynoed their cars before, and are just curious to know what kind of horsepower they have. Whatever their reasons, they all share one thing in common: those anxious moments at the end of the pull, waiting for the numbers to ring up.
This year at the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals, dyno services were provided by Back Street Performance of Medina, Ohio. Rich Johnson and the guys from Back Street were kind enough to let us loiter around and capture a sampling of some of the best and the rest from the weekend's dyno action.
Accept No SubstituteName: Rick SchutzLocation: St. Mary's, PennsylvaniaVehicle: '68 DartBest Pull: 482 hp; 548 ft-lbEngine Specs: Rick roared to the best pull of our group with a massive 520ci Mega block. The big-block Dart has a tunnel-ram intake, dual 750 carbs, a .670 roller cam, Brodix BS B1 heads, and 10:1 compression.
After Rick Schutz pulled 482 hp on his '68 Dart, everyone wanted to know what was under the hood. We'll give you a hint: It ain't got a Hemi.
Charging ThroughName: Jerry OberLocation: Mount Joy, PennsylvaniaVehicle: '69 ChargerBest Pull: 251 hp; 313 ft-lbEngine Specs: Jerry's 383 sports a Crane cam, Edelbrock intake and carb, and Dynomax headers. He lights the fire with an MSD/Mallory ignition system, and the exhaust flows through a Flowmaster setup.
Truck PowerName: Ronald TaylorLocation: Brownsville, PennsylvaniaVehicle: '01 Dodge DakotaBest Pull: 290 hp; 384 ft-lbEngine Specs: One of the newest entries to saddle up, Ronald's Dakota has a 3.9 Magnum V6 with a Powerdyne Supercharger. He uses JBA headers, nitrous, Accel boot ignition, K&N air filter, TransGo shift kit, and Lincoln Navigator 24 lb/hr injectors.
Raw Ragtop PowerName: Mike CiaravinoLocation: Selden, New YorkVehicle: '70 Challenger ConvertibleBest Pull: 368 hp;382 ft-lbEngine Specs: A big 440 sits in Mike's ragtop, and it made excellent power on the dyno, considering it is mostly stock. The only modification Mike noted was a set of Edelbrock aluminum heads.
Crate GreatnessName: Michael WillisLocation: Pittsfield, MassachusettsVehicle: '66 SatelliteBest Pull: 408 hp; 421 ft-lbEngine Specs: Michael's 472 Hemi crate motor showed its value by ripping off over 400 hp on all three of its pulls. He goes through the gears with a Tremec five-speed tranny unit and has upgraded the exhaust to a 3-inch TTI setup.
Geared UpName: Larry CarrLocation: Lebanon, New Hampshire Vehicle: '70 SatelliteBest Pull: 310 hp; 356 ft-lbEngine Specs: Larry runs 4.56 gears on his Dana 60 rearend, and they run from the automatic hooked up to his 440 engine. He has outfitted the 440 with Edelbrock heads, a Torker intake, a Speed Demon carb, and a Comp cam.