Don't go 'round thinking EMC engines are 90-minute wonders. By the time they run in competition, they've had the wee flogged out of them during testing. In fact, many of them are customer motors bound for cars.

Surprisingly few of them break once they get to the venue. Those that are questionable usually break during testing and don't even show up.

That's better for PHR readers because the glass stuff is already weeded out most of the time.  

badjuju342:
Steve , you know me from LS1tech which leads us to an area a lot of folks find interest in :the LS1 and swaps. Why not do a 3rd gen F-body LS1 swap article? The cars are cheap and plentiful , a lot of readers could afford to do a swap of this nature , it would make for a good read. Heck , I could even sweeten the deal and let you guys finish my convertible project that I can't seem to find time to do anything with.( you gotta give it back when you're done , though,) I've got just about every part for it , right down to the nuts and bolts. Interested? Hit me up!

Also, for all the hate mail you get , I really like the Pro Touring /G Machines coverage you have. Building cars the way the factory SHOULD have if they had the technology back then has a definite extreme coolness factor.Count me on the props side for that.

Hey, How ya doing?

I think third gens will only gain in popularity as the older stuff gets more and more expensive. Thanks for offering your car, will keep you in mind.

To me the whole "g-machine" is just a new name for what we use to call "street machines".. they handle good, drive nice and are happy at the drag strip, road track or just cruising. Sometimes I think the labels we slap on things just divides the hobby. Personally I like all cars if they are done right, even rat rods.

My current project is a "pro-touring" car and I hope my next one will be more of a strip car. It's all good.  

Sure there can be loft at .650 lift. They just forget all the normal stuff they have to worry about to make normal cams. Acceleration rates will be real quick.

Comp makes a series of .500 lift range cams actually designed to create .030-.050+ lift in restricted class racing.

Good point..it's what's NOT in the rulebook that matters!

JIM  

Don't get me wrong Johnny...I really enjoy the series and the ideas that the builders come up with.

Maybe "90 minute wonder" is a bit harsh, but c'mon.....we're back to what's streetable and back to your comments about the high maintenance of the 9 sec N/A cars.

The only real tricky parts of these motors are the valvetrains. They would be incredible even with normal stuff in them though. There are some that appear to be mainline style...

Hey maybe that's an idea for a followup article. After you're done with them, take one and stick a cam in it that would be reasonably be expected to live a while on the street and highway and let's see what's available if we build something along those lines.


JIM  

I'll be on the alert for any competitors who install their engines in street cars. The only problem I see with that is guys who either don't want their street cars thrashed, or who put them in cars not optimized for drag racing. I assume that's the kind of performance you meant since you have (or want) a 9-second street car.

We almost got such a story in 2003 with a Buick built by Mike Phillips. He was going to install it in the customer's car in the parking lot of COMP Cams.  

I did see a deal on the net somewhere that they had installed one of the EMC small block Fords with the Aussie heads in a Fox Mustang. They were making a few track runs and it was doing pretty decent. Seems like ET/MPh was consistent with the HP it made. So that was good to see.

But still not sure of the life expectancy of some of the parts. Seemed to be more of a race car and they weren't using pump gas anymore. Still a heck of a motor!

That would have been cool to see that 700+ HP Buick on the track. Seems like he even had a flat tappet cam in it?

Yeah I get a kick out of cars that don't look like they shoud run as fast as they do. But I fully understand the joy of trying to use a bunch of HP in a "street car". Mine has run a best of 10.04@141.26 on pump gas and no boost or bottles with 3.07 gears and a 5 speed at 3650 lbs. Working on that 60' stuff to put it deep in the 9's I hope!!


Thanks for talking to us,

JIM  

Wow, that sounds like one helluva car. Is it a true street car?  

With nearly 900 naturally aspirated horses at the crank, if it's still just a 540, it's gotta stretch the definition just a little...
:-)

Jim W  

Why don't you send us a picture of it and some info?  

Yes it's a true street car. I've had the "life in the slow lane" bad boy street racers....big converters, 2 stage N20, lots of gear etc. This time the point was to make it able to cruise anywhere anytime.

So I built it with a 540. It drives and races on 93 octane. It has made multiple drives to Bowling Green KY from Houston (2000 mile roundtrip) for events, also one trip to Colorado. Weekend night cruising is regularly a 200 mile night.

I'll drop you a few pics Johnny.


JIM  

Johnny, please let me know if you receive the the pics/email. For some reason it acts funny sending it to your e-mail address that is listed.

Thanks,

JIM  

Got it. Question: How nice is the paint and bodywork? Is the interior in good shape? This might be a good feature.  

I'll shoot you a couple of more shots of it. It's a driver...not a show car really. But it has one a few first places at indoor shows. The interior is nice too...I'll send you a couple more pics.

JIM  

What about 'how to install a fuel cell correctly' followed by 'how to figure out your fuel system' including how to determine fuel requirements.  Also, 'how to relocate your battery correctly' followed by 'how to install a cutoff switch correctly'.  Why not do an article about the different ways of converting your fox mustang to 5 lug?  What about a shock absorber comparison at the dragstrip/road course?  How about a drag radial comparison at the dragstrip? What about a pinion angle test at the dragstrip for leafspring and coil spring cars?  Why not figure out why some cars can pull the wheels up running mid 12's and some can't running high 10's?  Why not dyno a car with a manual vs. electric water pump/fan?  What about a simple article about when to use what different thread and gasket selants?  How about the proper method of removing a broken bolt and installing a thread insert?  What about a travelling series of articles about the 'fastest car in town' and what is in it. These should be enough to keep you busy for a few days at least...Let me know if you need help.

Daryl White  

As a side note, our 2006 JEMC entry is already pre-sold and will be installed in a 65 mustang fastback with a T56 and modified independant rear suspension from a late model Thunderbird SC.  The customer wants to do a little road racing but mostly just show off.