1991 Dodge Daytona Drag Race Car Engine Build - Brodix BSs Are No BS

When buttoning up our lower end, we noticed our swap-meet windage tray had a couple of broken welds. This was easy to repair with our welder, but we can't stress enough to inspect used parts for this type of damage prior to installation.

ARP head studs and Fel-Pro composition gaskets were used to secure our Brodix B-1 heads to the block. ARP head studs and quality head gaskets are probably one of the most economical upgrades to ensure long cylinder seal and consistent power.

Our initial check of our Crane rockers indicated we had a problem. The rocker body was contacting the valvespring retainer before the roller tip contacted the valve stem. If left uncorrected, this could cause retainer failure and dropped valves. We fixed it by ordering a rocker shim kit from Mancini Racing and installing the shims between the head and rocker shafts.

With our rocker/retainer interference corrected, we set our lash at .021 cold. The cam card recommended .026 hot, and our experience has taught us that subtracting .005-inch from that will get us in the ball park. Later, we'll experiment with slightly looser and tighter valve lash to optimize power from this engine.

We initially tested this engine using Indy Cylinder Head's massive single-plane intake with a Dominator-size carburetor flange. Later, we'll experiment with other intakes, such as the Mopar Performance M-1, to see how they affect the combination.

This engine uses a crank trigger to tell the ignition box when to fire each cylinder. This is a great upgrade to improve ignition accuracy and also allows us to set the ignition timing while the engine is on the stand. we double-checked the timing with a light once the engine was installed and running.

To perform our initial tuning and test passes, we went to the Lakeland Drag Strip. Ignition timing was set at a conservative 36-degrees total advance, and we jetted our 1050 Dominator with 95 jets all the way around. Initial plug readings showed our mixture to be slightly lean, so we stepped up to 98 jets and gained almost 2 mph in the eighth.

Our initial track testing yielded a wheelstanding, somewhat out of control, best pass of 5.71 seconds in the eighth-mile with 60-foot times consistently in the 1.24-second range tripping the beams with the rear tires. Chassis adjustments and fine tuning should put us solidly in the low 5.60s when we're finished. Mph in the eighth was over 122, indicating we're making between 750 and 775 hp. This is a solid high-8-second bracket car and is a ball to drive. While we do appreciate the engine dyno as a tuning tool, we must admit it's more fun to make passes at the track!

Chassis cars are great. It took us less than a half hour to mate the engine to the trans, install them, and fire it up. It takes longer than that to get the headers bolted up on our big-block A-body!