Luck of the draw meant the HiTech Motorsport entry would be the first on the dyno. Engine builder Bart Wells set a high standard by making more than 738 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque from his Edelbrock-headed wedge.
HiTech Motorsport, Ramsey, Mn
HiTech Motorsport was founded by Bart Wells in 1999 with the single philosophy of providing quality, high-performance machine work with a personal touch. HiTech Motorsport builds performance engines for both street and race applications and specializes in building custom turbocharged, supercharged, and nitrous oxide motors. In addition to building engines, HiTech's eight employees are also adept at chassis setup and have a chassis dyno in-house. Working on American iron exclusively, the crew at HiTech affectionately call their shop "the land of the misfit toys" as many high-performance cars end up at their shop after failed attempts by owners or other shops to make them run properly. HiTech recently moved into a new 22,000 square-foot shop where they can better accommodate their growing customer base.
Using a stock 440 block, the crew from HiTech combined budget-friendly parts and expert machining to place third in this year's engine challenge.
The Bottom End
Since the contest rules factor not only the horsepower and torque of each engine but also the price of the parts that went inside, engine builder Bart Wells knew it would take a combination of power and economy to place well in our challenge. To keep costs down, he utilized a factory block that was machined in-house to his specifications. Pro-Gram Engineering cross-bolted main caps were utilized to stiffen things up, and an Eagle 4.150-inch crankshaft spins the Eagle 7.100-inch connecting rods. Knowing that compression makes power, the HiTech entry used Ross flat-top pistons combined with Total Seal piston rings to achieve a compression ratio of 11.6:1. To ensure proper engine lubrication, HiTech used a Melling high-pressure oil pump with a Moroso pan that was modified by welding in oil control baffles and making provisions for an external pickup. This is not so important on the dyno, but at the track or on the street these baffles really help keep oil at the pickup during acceleration, cornering, and braking. A windage tray was also utilized to keep power-robbing oil off the rotating assembly. Camshaft selection is key to making power, so Bart chose a Comp Cams custom solid-roller unit for this build. Duration at .050-inch lift numbers for this camshaft is 273-degrees intake and 288 exhaust. Lift is an aggressive .775-inch intake and .755-inch exhaust with a lobe separation of 112 degrees.
For the cost, it's hard to beat Eagle's crank-and-rod combinations. HiTech used their forged, 4.150-inch crankshaft and H-beam connecting rods for this build. Stiffening the bottom end is a set of Pro-Gram Engineering billet, cross-bolted main caps. | 
Each engine underwent a tech inspection after its dyno pulls to ensure compliance with the rules. The HiTech entry measured a just-legal 499 ci. | 
Ross flat-top pistons were set .040-inch down in the hole to achieve a compression ratio of 11.6:1. |
The Top End
This year our top three engines were topped with Edelbrock's new Victor series cylinder heads. HiTech stated that for the price, these heads make great power and respond well to porting, making them a logical choice for their engine challenge build. Head porting was performed in-house before filling the Victors with REV (Racing Engine Valves) valves and Comp's valvesprings (PN 919-16). Since the Victor heads require rockers with an offset on the intake side, Harland Sharp roller units featuring a .650-inch intake offset were chosen for this build. Rocker-arm ratios of 1.7 on the intake and 1.6 on the exhaust were used to gain a little extra lift from the Comp roller camshaft. A Pro-Systems-prepped Holley Dominator handled the mixing duties for this engine, and an Edelbrock Victor intake delivered the fuel/air charge to the cylinders. To light the fires, HiTech chose Accel's electronic distributor (PN 59300).
When it came to the top end for their engine, the HiTech crew chose Edelbrock's new Victor series cylinder heads. These heads were a popular choice this year as they make great power at an economical price. | 
HiTech used a Pro-Systems-prepped Holley Dominator and an Edelbrock Victor single-plane intake to handle induction duties on their engine. | 
Having consulted with last year's winner-Lofgren Auto Specialties-the guys at HiTech chose to run an air cleaner during most of their dyno pulls. Slight gains were again seen, probably due to the turbulent air in the dyno cell. |