When it comes to building an engine, when is enough really enough? Well, if you ask Wes Hudgins of Goodyear, Arizona, he'll probably tell you that you can never have enough when it comes to horsepower. Wes has this car that he likes to make go really quick, and when it came time for motorvation, he contacted Best Machine in Shelby Township, Michigan. While speaking with the guys there, they came up with a game plan for a really stout combination. Now, this wasn't going to be a run-of-the-mill stock-blocked engine that could kick it on the local boulevard; this was going to be nothing but pure adrenaline for close to 8 seconds.
Building an engine that displaces horsepower of over 915 or so, and a torque reading of 731 lb-ft, means you better know what you're doing when it comes to choosing parts. Let's face it, stock rods and pistons ain't gonna cut it. The list of parts chosen was definitely top-shelf, which left the durability issues up to the assembly process. I think we can all agree, simply throwing all the parts in a pile and hoping it all goes together isn't going to happen. paying close attention to the small details is what makes a good engine great.
The base of this build is...
The base of this build is a Keith Black aluminum wedge block featuring a 9.980-inch deck height. The block comes fully machined with main caps, studs, and cam bearings installed from KB, as well as all relevant hardware. Best Machine O-ringed the block, and honed the cylinder bores with a torque plate, and clearance was added in the location of the pushrods.
The Foundation
Since this engine isn't going to be making many trips to the local Piggly Wiggly, a more race-oriented race block could be used. The Keith Black aluminum 400 Wedge low-deck block is a strong, lightweight block featuring full water jackets, removable cylinder sleeves, stronger mains, and a larger bore/stroke capability. The block comes fully machined with main caps, studs, and cam bearings installed, plus all relevant hardware. Our version came with a deck height of 9.980 inches. Building the rotating assembly began with a Callies 4.250-inch Magnum Plus crankshaft that had been gun drilled to reduce weight, and is designed with Chevy rod journals. Say what you will, connecting rods for this application are readily available in this journal size, and the smaller journal size makes the crank a little lighter. From the crankshaft, GRP connecting rods, measuring 6.58 inches, are then connected to the CP custom piston that brings the final squeeze ratio to 15.0:1-definitely not pump-gas territory. The camshaft is another custom piece by Straightline Performance. The seriously big bulges measure a healthy 280/295 degrees of duration at .050-inch valve lift, and .818/.819-inches of valve lift. The 113-inch lobe separation would help with the idle quality, as well. Idle quality, who are we kidding? Connecting the cam to the crankshaft would be a Jesel beltdrive keeping it all under control.
Making the bottom end live...
Making the bottom end live under harsh conditions is the job of quality parts like this Callies crankshaft with 4.250-inches of stroke. Best machine modified the crankshaft by removing some metal from the counterweights to lighten it and aid in the balancing process.
Once the rings were gapped,...
Once the rings were gapped, and the rods checked for tolerance, the piston assembly was put in the block. Dart Coatings coated the CP pistons with the top receiving a Pro Stock Gold treatment for a little extra protection during passes using the nitrous, and the sides got a Moly coating.
There is a serious portion...
There is a serious portion of the piston poking out the cylinder hole, and this means we better have our act together when it comes time for a camshaft install. Use the wrong cam specs, and the valves will hit the pistons.
For this build, a custom cam...
For this build, a custom cam from Straightline Performance was chosen. With .818/.819-inches of lift, and 280/290-degrees of duration at .050-inch lift, a serious idle is the result.
The B-1 heads were given the...
The B-1 heads were given the once over to make a few modifications. When the Best Machine custom cutters had finished whittling away the unnecessary aluminum, the flow bench rewarded us with some really good numbers. (See Chart 1)
Enlargement of the pushrod...
Enlargement of the pushrod holes was one modification made to the heads. With this large a camshaft and the T&D rocker arms, the stock holes had interference issues.
T&D rocker arms feature a...
T&D rocker arms feature a 1.7 ratio.
Another modification was to...
Another modification was to the oil drain back holes. Return oil flow is greatly improved with this simple modification.