Great day on the dyno

[69hugger]

I pulled the motor on the Camaro to put in a new cam and freshen the rings/ bearings/ gaskets. The old cam/ heads/ FI setup was just not a happy combo. To the point, my 534 CI was making 366 RWHP, and that was after a competent FI tuner was done.
My engine builder is my friend & neighbor, has been building race motors for over 40 years (out of his garage), and is well respected as someone who can design an engine with impressive power. He has done well in the Engine Masters several times.
The old cam was a mystery, it had some markings, but nothing we could put with a manufacturer. After measuring it, my builder figured it must be some type of nitrous cam. Way wrong for my street motor.
We also decided to ditch the Dart Pro 1 CNC heads (too big for the street), and opted for AFR 305 heads. I was able to sell the Darts' for the price of the new AFRs to boot!!
The old setup was supposed to be 10.2:1 CR, but measured out to about 9.75. With the old cam, it only cranked about 170 PSI.
New cam/ new heads/ a quick hone & fresh rings & bearings. Now it has 11.5 CR, and cranks 220-225 PSI. Big difference.
Went to the dyno on Thursday. Running with an older GM computer that was not up to supplying my big CI motor with enough fuel, it still managed 696 hp at 5900 rpm. Made over 615 TQ all the way from 3400 to 5900...the max was 686.4 @ 4600. On 92 octane. And that was running almost 14:1 A/F. Can't wait to dyno it in the car with my computer & injectors. At 12-12.5 A/F it should be something.
Should be a bit more fun to drive, I'm thinkin'.
And only another 2 months or so of winter....

Sorry if I'm boasting, but needless to say, I am pumped!

[GregWeld]

Oh hell yeah!!! What a nice improvement that is going to turn out to be! Don't hurt yourself!! LOL



I've posted about this many times before -- motors are ALL about the proper combination of parts -- they are not about just throwing the biggest baddest parts a guy can find in the catalog. You're now living proof of that!! And I'm going to bet the car is WAY more fun to drive down at low "street" speeds and RPMS.

[camcojb]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Oh hell yeah!!! What a nice improvement that is going to turn out to be! Don't hurt yourself!! LOL



I've posted about this many times before -- motors are ALL about the proper combination of parts -- they are not about just throwing the biggest baddest parts a guy can find in the catalog. You're now living proof of that!! And I'm going to bet the car is WAY more fun to drive down at low "street" speeds and RPMS.

X2.

[69hugger]

It is ALL about the combo. Parts is parts, but when they work together, it is magic.
This motor is actually pretty docile sounding. I kinda wish it had a bit more bark. At one point, it was idling below 600 rpm on the dyno.

The old motor sounded mean, but was very sluggish, and didn't like to run below about 3 grand. Wouldn't idle below 1000. Not good at all with a T-56 & 3.55 gears. 5th gear was tough, and 6th was all but useless. I was thinking of deeper gears, but now think they're perfect. We will tune it for 70 mph efficiency once in the car.
Dave (my builder) designs the cam events along with Comp Cams custom grind dept. It was $380 for the cam, but the best money I have ever spent.

But I doubt it'll MPG like an LS.....

[GregWeld]

My version is - if you're driving for MPG -- You're not driving the car correctly. LOL



My buddy Pierre had a 496 built - and I kept telling him the cam was going to be too docile -- he kept telling the builder he didn't want the car to "shake" -- I'd argue with him and tell him that every time we're somewhere and a car drives in that shakes the ground he lights up and watches the car.... You can have a cam that SOUNDS bad ass without the resulting issues with "too large of a cam" -- but he wouldn't let me help him. Got the motor built was was disappointed that it DID EXACTLY what he asked for.

Good thing he has a LS 525Hp in his '57 because he giggles like a schoolgirl when he fires it off!!

[69hugger]

The only reason I have MPG on the mind at all is because my last car...a C-6 Z06 got 27 mpg on the trip home from Chicago. It was fun to brag about.
I've always thought about the Power Tour. It starts in Wisconsin this year. I may be tempted to at least do part of it. And when I hear about the LS crowd talking mid-20's with 600+ power, I think that's pretty cool.
But this many cubes probably would be doing great to get 15 or so.

I really couldn't care less about MPG normally. Hell, at a couple thousand miles a year, who cares? That is NOT what this car is about.

[Shmoov69]

Im just scratching my head on how mis built a 534 would have to be to only pull 366!! WoW!

Congrats on the new power plant tho! It'll surely be fun!

[69hugger]

Originally Posted by Shmoov69

Im just scratching my head on how mis built a 534 would have to be to only pull 366!! WoW!

Congrats on the new power plant tho! It'll surely be fun!

Thank you much, Jimmy!!
I think it was a case of too many cooks. Not completely sure of the chain of events as I bought the car at auction, but from what I pieced together, the motor did 675 hp with a carb. The 2nd owner had the F.I. added, then several shops tuned it. Somewhere along the line, the cam was changed.
Funny thing, that cam made for such poor dynamic compression, all the power (heat) went out the pipes. The ceramic coating on the headers was completely blistered. Never seen that before. Hell, the urethane on the drivers motor mount had melted out from the header heat. It had dripped all over the frame & p.s. hoses! Never seen that for sure!



The old rings had good seal, the cylinders were perfectly straight & round, and the bearings were good. We replaced the rod bearings because they had lost crush (they fell out of the rods when we disassembled them), but we left the old mains as-is. The crank spun very freely, and the bearings looked new. The short block was basically fine. Just needed different breathing.
Cam timing is SO critical to making power. The dynamic compression went from 170 to 220+. The motor HP over doubled!
Glad we were able to wake it up.
The car was fun with 400 hp. Can't wait to unleash 700.
Of course, I'm confident without Dave, (my builder), this would not have had quite so good an outcome. The man rocks.

Bill

[69x22]

It ought to run like a scalded dog. I bet the torque will be unbelievable too..
Is that broken paint on your upper control room mount?

[69hugger]

Originally Posted by 69x22

It ought to run like a scalded dog. I bet the torque will be unbelievable too..
Is that broken paint on your upper control room mount?

The torque will be the best part. We built it for a wide, flat torque curve. I also went for an aluminum flywheel, dropping 18# of rotating weight. It should rev quickly to say the least.

No, that is a broken control arm mount. As in a collapsed front suspension. This should be it's own thread. But since you asked...
There were some cracks in the bondo that I only noticed after I got the car home from the auction. I thought (hoped) they were only cosmetic, but not so.
The first time I drove the car, the front mounts broke from the subframe.



Luckily, the mount bolts tilted into the headers and stopped the movement, saving any sheet metal/ wheel/ or tire damage.
Off to a fab shop to remove the front end, cut out the mounts, re-weld them, and make new support brackets.











Don't ask what that cost me to have repaired. But it was fixed in less than 2 weeks & is way better than new. Only 1 side let go, but both had cracks, so both were repaired the same way. It is now strong enough to jump like the General Lee.

But all is good now. I am getting this thing dialed in & with a few more upgrades, it will be done! HAAA HAAAHAHAHA. Shhh, my wife is listening. She thinks these cars have an ending. She should know. We've been married for 27 years.

Thanks for noticing!

Bill