Very cool! I can't wait to see it run. The Fords need to stage a comeback...  

lets build an engine which is financially more in reach of the budget type hot rodder.the guy who cannot afford aluminum heads, aluminum blocks roller cam, crank trigger ignition,carillo rods etc.there are far and away more readers that fit that catagory. lets build engines with a limit of 383 cu in.lets use GM over the counter parts,chrysler over the counter parts, same with ford,buick,olds,pontiac,even amc and cadallic.after all horse power does not know how big it is.  

I like the cars the average guy builds and drives. I also like the trailer quenn look a likes. For example. My buddy has a 65 mustang coupe. You would see it at a car show and think it was never driven except for the 20k miles of rock chips on the hood.Rad rods by Troy can be in other mags. I like to see and read how a guy modified his TA shaker to fit a Torker 2 and a Holley carb and did it for $20. I like the unique style of pictures PHR runs. Great magazine!  

Popular Hot Rodding Technical Article Idea

Hello,
I am a long time hot rodder who appreciates the work you are doing with the Engine Masters series. I think it has advanced the state of the art considerably by showing us what works and cutting the BS factor by having real data. My suggestion is to direct some of this technology to the current issue of high gas prices by testing a representative car and modify it for the most mileage for the least cost in performance.

Run a cam test that holds cruise SFC or vacuum constant as an indicator of mileage. You can still run sweeps of lift and duration but in this test the goal would be to get the most power for the best mileage. Maybe a figure of merit could be average BHP/cruise SFC? Maybe a cam manufacture would be interested in developing a new line of cams? Why are EFI engines running wide lobe centers but until Comp came out with the XFI cams, you never saw even a 112 for a SBC? This has a huge impact on mileage.

Test a reverse flow cooling system to allow higher compression. Its common knowledge that the LT1 reverse flow allowed a large increase in CR and now electric pumps are available that should enable many different arrangements. Compression has a strong influence on both mileage and power but it is still common to recommend very low compression ratios based on ancient technology combustion chamber design from the early 1980’s. There is also talk of “better cooling system design” in aftermarket heads but no one quantifies what this means.

Modify an older engine to use GM Displacement On Demand lifters. They only require oil pressure applied to a side port to activate. Maybe you can route lines in the valley and use the stock solenoids activated by a switch at the shifter.

Drag strip test a 4-speed car with gearing that optimizes for a 3-gear pass as well as for a 4-gear pass. My experience is that for a street tire car the ET’s will not be that much different, especially if you don’t powershift but the mileage will improve substantially.

Optimize the distributor advance for mileage. This will show the importance of vacuum advance that is so often deleted in race-type distributors and may not cost any power.

Test the more advanced venturi boosters in a Holley to improve the SFC without losing power. The EMC has shown that you can run larger carbs than thought in the past if the boosters are right.

Get some NASCAR guys to give us a few tips on aerodynamics. This could have a surprisingly large impact on mileage as well as top speed. Better still, go to that low cost wind tunnel in NC and run some tests.

Test the influence of wheel alignment on mileage. With the new, stiffer bushings and other suspension pieces available now, you can run much less toe and reduce scrubbing. This is a trend in modern cars.

Build an old style engine with new style bearing clearances and run light oil. A before and after dyno test would be great. You may be able to do this with only bearing shell changes if planned out in advance. This is another modern trend that is feasible with some research.

A common problem when talking about mods for mileage is that the power increases due to these mods is generally small. The reason small power changes are significant to mileage is because it does not take much power to cruise. Where a 2 HP change is lost in a drag strip run it may represent a 10% change in the power need to cruise.

Any mods that increase mileage without sacrificing power will allow us to drive our cars more, for less. I think this is a part of hot rodding in that I don’t have to give up driving the car I want because I can modify it to fit the new reality of higher gas prices. It’s just a little different definition of performance.

Steve  

Sounds like a bunch of good ideas Steve.  I think you are onto something there.  The fact that we focus on WOT performance but spend very little time tuning for actual driving leads many enthusiasts less than enthusiastic about their carb or distributor.  There are some great books on tuning Holley carbs but how bout an article about actually bolting a cabr on and tuning it for street driving using various accelerator pump cams and positions, squirters and jets.  Seems the only thing most people know how to change are the jets.  

I don't know where you guys say that 500" engines are the norm. Most racers I know have 350,351, or 455,460 in their street cars. I think it should be a big block competition and small-block competition. big-blocks can go up to the 509 limit and small blocks are limited at 351". That's fair, physics says that a small-block will always win given the same dispacement since gravity has less effect on engines with smaller mass. On a computer sim I built a 3.4L engine putting out 420 hp. That's around 1.63 hp/cu. The big difference was using a split plenum and EFI. It's 2007 and your still using carbs? Come on, that technophobia! Why not have a V6, and 4 cylinder engine class. v6 will be 3.8L max and 4 cylinders will be 2.6-2.8. You think they can't pack a punch? Got Hyabusa? Anyways, please allow EFI next Engine Masters Challenge!!!