KIT CAR will be looking into the various motors built for this competition, highlighting some of the more interesting ones (we think any 365 ci small-block that can produce 500-plus hp is interesting!). The first engine build-up comes from John Beck, and the results of his experiment will be in next month's issue of KIT CAR.
Serious StrategyJohn Beck Aims for the Engine Masters ChallengeJohn Beck is a lifer-someone who's always been into horsepower and always will be. He's the kind of pro engine builder who may spend the morning tweaking an ancient 394-cube Olds V-8 to make the most of it's triple carburetion in the morning, and spend the evening on the dyno tweaking the EFI fuel curve on a twin-turbo Toyota inline-six. For the last 25 years, John has been working hard to learn all he can, and working harder to transfer that knowledge into usable horsepower.
When he was 21, he left a really good paying job, choosing instead to sweep floors at an engine shop in hopes of learning the horsepower craft. Now, 25 years later, he's a polished professional with Bonneville and Blown Fuel Hydro World Records to his credit. He likes to push limits. He likes to do things a bit differently than others, and he has no fear.
The Bonneville record was in a D/Fuel roadster, urged by an injected 302-inch small-block Chevy on nitro. The only way to push a brick like a '32 Ford roadster through the air at 228 mph in this class required a serious amount of nitro. "We ran that record on an 88-percent mix. It's not easy to run that much nitro for that long, but we did it."
So, how does a self-proclaimed supporter of nonconformity approach the Engine Masters Challenge? He starts where no one else probably will.
"I'm going to run something a little weird for this deal. I want a smaller bore and a longer stroke to try and keep that curve high all the way from 2,500-6,500. That's not easy to do, but I'm running a Chevy 307 block bored to 3.935, and a SCAT crank at 3.750-inch stroke. That's 365 cubes, so it'll sneak in under your 366-inch limit."
"I've got a few other choices already made, and parts are on the way. I'll be running Royal Purple oils, all MSD ignition components, an electric water pump, a BHJ lightweight balancer, Hooker headers, and MagnaFlow mufflers. I'll also be running an Edelbrock intake and I'll top it with a 950-cfm Holley HP carb, but modify it to flow closer to 1,100 cfm."
"I feel the key to this thing is in the cylinder filling. If I can get the cylinders filled effectively, this little motor will be tough to beat. Of course, the trick in that is to match everything up right, and I've done a lot of homework on that. I've got a few different cams I'll be testing, and a maybe even a couple different sets of heads, but I've got a really good idea of what I'm after."
It's great to hear such confidence, and after you see the photos and hear more of John's words, we're confident you'll see where he's coming from. He came to play hardball, so let's look over his chosen players.