All eight of this year's entrants...
All eight of this year's entrants in the engine challenge made the deadline and delivered their engines to our trailer at the Mopar Nationals where they stayed on display for the entire show.
While we can't say last year's challenge went off without a hitch, we can say that all the competitors were good sports about the challenge and were eager to help each other out when needed. All the Hemis made impressive power, and there were no catastrophic engine failures to ruin anybody's fun. The folks at Comp Cams were generous hosts, providing lunch each day and giving tours of their impressive Memphis facility to anyone interested.
This year's challenge is shaping up to be even more impressive than last year; engine builders have utilized an even wider variety of parts and building techniques for their entries. Remember the contest is based on a combined score of horsepower and torque, divided by the cost of the parts that went into the engine, so the builder who makes the most power won't necessarily be the winner. Last year, it took a blend of stout power combined with an economical parts list to land Lofgren Auto Specialties in the winner's circle.
The engine builders in this...
The engine builders in this year's challenge enjoyed the show and racing at the Mopar Nationals, but also made plenty of time to discuss their engines, shops, and techniques with interested spectators.
This year's dyno challenge should prove to be very interesting as we have a wide variety of parts on the wedge motors entered in the contest. Cylinder heads from Indy, Edelbrock, Bulldog, and Brodix will all be tested on Comp's Superflow engine dyno, and one competitor's engine is even sporting six-pack induction!
After the testing is complete, be sure to visit our web site where the challenge results will first be posted. Also stay tuned to future issues as we cover the challenge and also go in-depth into each engine, revealing the builder's power secrets!