Well, our 2007 AMSOIL/Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge started off a little interesting. Our first competitor; Diamondback Racing Engines had an issue during their first qualifying run, when a couple of rocker arm adjusters broke, and six of the rocker arms galled on the shaft. Unfortunately, repairs could not be made in the time allotted, and they were unable to continue.
Next up to the plate was RM Competition with his tunnel-rammed 408. After three easy qualifying pulls that consisted of a tuning practice of running the engine with and without an air cleaner, he was able to continue on to the scored portion of the competition. Again, all three pulls were made, and slightly over 500 horsepower was achieved.
When the day finally ended, Mid America's engine was bolted to the dyno, and we'll see what last year's winner can do Tuesday morning.
Now we want your help! What engine should we build for next year's challenge? We've chosen three different engines combos; a claimer engine, a budget engine, or an all out big block with no monetary limits.
Damon of Diamondback gets...
Damon of Diamondback gets ready to make their first pull.
Unfortunately, some valve...
Unfortunately, some valve train issues kept them from qualifying.
It's a shame the Diamondback...
It's a shame the Diamondback crew suffered the unfortunate luck, as their engine was headed for a serious horsepower number.
Randy Malik of RM Competition...
Randy Malik of RM Competition decided to change his spark plugs between the qualifying round and the scored portion of the competition. Better safe than sorry.
Randy's big tuning trick for...
Randy's big tuning trick for added horsepower? Put the air cleaner assembly back on. It upped his power number each time he replaced it.
Randy was running quite a...
Randy was running quite a bit of compression, so the timing couldn't be set for more tham 30-degrees, or a substantial rattle was heard.