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Super Stock Hemi Engine Build - All The TricksWhat Makes The SS/AH Hemis Top Of Their Class From the January, 2008 issue of Mopar Muscle By Dave Young Photography by Bruce Biegler, Charlie Westcott
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Since hitting the dragstrips... Since hitting the dragstrips in 1968, Hemi-powered Barracudas and Darts have dominated Super Stock drag racing. But how? How did Mopar manage to build such a dominating engine? Follow along as we see the tricks it takes to make the power to be competitive in the fastest Super Stock class. Whether you're a Mopar enthusiast or not, the dominance of Hemi-powered A-Bodies in Super Stock drag racing is indisputable. As seemed to be the norm back in the heyday of musclecars, Chrysler set their sights on dominating the ranks of a racing class and did just that with their Hurst-built Barracudas and Darts. Fortunately, rather than banning Chrysler's winning combination like NASCAR later deemed appropriate, drag racing sanctioning bodies simply modified class rules to accommodate the quicker cars, eventually leading to the Pro Stock class. After many years of ruling the SS/AA class with no real brand-X contenders, the NHRA made a class exclusively for the Hemi-powered Super Stock A-Bodies, and SS/AH racing was born. When the Super Stock Darts and Barracudas hit the track in the late '60s, drag racing was a different world. These were not purpose-built chassis, rather they were street cars converted for race use. Racers hauled their cars on open trailers with station wagons and pickup trucks, not semis and motor coaches; chassis, engine, and tire technology were in their youth. A racer could literally purchase one of these cars from the factory, then with very few modifications race the car competitively. Elapsed times in the 10-second range were considered extremely quick, but the Hemi Darts and Barracudas clicked off 10-second passes with apparent ease. As the class evolved over the years, racing technology helped these cars get quicker and quicker, and sanctioning bodies were forced into rule changes for the safety of the sport. As the Darts and Barracudas became more powerful thanks to improving engine technology, and traction got better thanks to improving tire technology, the wheelies got higher and elapsed times kept getting lower. Ultimately, the NHRA was forced to allow wheelie bars and suspension upgrades for safety reasons, but as a side effect, the cars again got quicker. Cars running deep in the 9-second range were common during the '90s, and the 8-second barrier was quickly broken as well. Modern engine technology has again given this class a boost with engine builders getting more and more power from the factory 426 powerplant. Currently, if you plan to be competitive in the SS/AH class you'd better run in the 8s, deep in the 8s! To get a full-bodied Barracuda to run deep 8s takes power and a lot of it. Charlie Westcott Jr. and his team have been making enough power in their "War fish" Super Stockers to not only be competitive, but also to set several class records. Making this kind of power is serious business, and requires many hours of hand massaging each part for maximum performance. Though engine builders in this class are typically a very secretive bunch, Charlie Westcott Jr. and his team allowed us to look at what goes into their Super Stock Hemi engines. in case you don't think Charlie Westcott and his crew are the right guys to show us what's inside one of these things, guess again. In the last Hemi Super Stock race, seven of the twelve top qualifiers were running an engine built by Charlie and company. We'd say that qualifies him.  Though impressive in entirety,...  Though impressive in entirety, it actually takes a combination of research, good parts, accurate machining, and many labor-intensive hours to make the power necessary to be competitive in this class. Looking pretty don't make it quick.  After issues with cracked...  After issues with cracked pistons, the Westcotts worked with Bill Miller Engineering to develop the piston shown on the left. This is a lightweight, strong forging that can handle the power of the Super Stock Hemi.  The pistons get to the Westcott...  The pistons get to the Westcott shop in a "semi raw" state. The Westcotts perform final piston machining, such as cutting valve reliefs in-house.  The use of factory blocks...  The use of factory blocks used to be mandatory in Super Stock, now aftermarket blocks are allowed, and they're rough machined at Weston Machine in New Jersey. When the block arrives at the Westcotts' shop, it is ready for final machining and assembly. Take a look at the cylinder wall thickness of the aftermarket block. Big bores are required, and this block is happy to oblige.  Final decking of the block...  Final decking of the block is also performed in-house. While the Westcotts didn't disclose their final decking dimensions, we're pretty sure the piston is very close to the top of the cylinder when finished. C'mon Charlie, we won't tell anyone.  After decking, the cylinders...  After decking, the cylinders are honed to their finished size. Cylinder wall preparation is one of the keys to making power and is a continuous area of testing and development.  The cylinder heads used are...  The cylinder heads used are factory cast-iron units, but don't really resemble stock heads at all. We'd tell you more about the extensive port and combustion chamber work that goes into these heads, but that information is top secret, and Charlie ain't talkin'!  Cylinder heads are also decked...  Cylinder heads are also decked in-house. Eventually, Jackson Engine Tech will perform more cylinder-head work for the Westcotts, who are looking forward to developing cylinder heads with their own port design, which will eventually be called the "Warheads."  While we didn't get any closeup...  While we didn't get any closeup pictures of the extensive port work performed on these heads, if you look closely, you'll see the factory port has been extensively machined and then reshaped into a "double-D" by using epoxy. Exhaust ports are modified in a similar way.  Charlie Westcott spent two...  Charlie Westcott spent two years working with Dan Jesel to develop a bulletproof rocker arm system for this application. This rocker system is now used by the majority of Super Stock Hemi racers.  Final valve seat preparation...  Final valve seat preparation is performed in-house on a Serdi cylinder-head machine. Experienced engine builders know there is power to be had with a good, multi-angle valve job.  Along with the Jesel rockers,...  Along with the Jesel rockers, roller lifters and hardened pushrods help keep the valvetrain in control. Remember, this is not a standard duty street engine. If these look like exotic parts, it's because they are. The Westcotts don't stay on top of the class by putting things together using cut-rate parts.  After all parts are fully...  After all parts are fully machined, they are laid out and inspected prior to final assembly. Engine assembly, like many of the operations required to build a Super Stock Hemi, is performed in-house and is very tedious. Attention to detail is the one thing a good rebuild and one of these engines has in common. If you pay attention to them, you'll have quality results.  Super Stock racers used to...  Super Stock racers used to be limited to using factory-production intake manifolds. Recent rule changes, however, allow hand-fabricated intake manifolds to be used. This significantly improved the power output of these engines.  With the help of Pete Beauregard,...  With the help of Pete Beauregard, the Westcotts developed an oil system and pump that would keep up with their powerful Hemi engines. This oil system incorporates a dual, external pickup and two remote filters.  Since incremental horsepower...  Since incremental horsepower gains can be the difference between a win and loss, each engine spends significant time on the dyno being tuned. When the dyno stops, the result is a lot of horsepower. Charlie was a little vague in his reply, but he mentioned that it made more than 920.  On the dyno, parameters such...  On the dyno, parameters such as valve lash, ignition timing, and carburetor tuning can be optimized without the time and expense of taking the car to the track. Here, Charlie Westcott Jr. prepares a Hemi for dyno pulls.  Freshly dyno tuned, this Hemi...  Freshly dyno tuned, this Hemi is now ready to be installed, and possibly set a record in the fastest class of Super Stock racing, SS/AH.
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