All too often the cooling of our street rod is left to whatever components we bolt on. Whereas we should be taking the time to make sure each component is working properly and will work well together. It’s only after we have our ride up and running that we begin to pay close attention to what the water temp gauge is telling us.

History has taught us that there is a great deal of good and not so good information out there. By out there I mean the Internet. We have all heard the expression, “I read it on the web so it must be true.” Well, no it doesn’t have to be true. While there is a great deal of good to excellent info on the web it is this that gives us a false sense of security and we take everything on face value…when we should do some additional exploring on the web and with manufactures of everything from gauges to radiators.

Another reality when it comes to building your own street rod…cooling is one fo the most misunderstood areas, right there with electrics. But it shouldn’t be given how must is out there in great product and good information. In an attempt to get you onto solid ground and the building of your street rod firmly entrenched in solid advice you will find over the next few pages is a listing of products that will help you learn what and how to keep your hot rods cool—and you while you are at it.

You have to start somewhere and typically each hot rodder begins with the single largest and typically the most costly component…the radiator. Always start with a radiator that is designed for your applications. Hot rod radiators is a large industry with a great number of applications available along with accessory equipment (coolers, fans, etc…) to make tackling the cooling chores less of a chore and more of a fun to do project.

There’re plenty of great examples in both copper/brass and aluminum but remember each has specific care practices to follow. Before you fork over upwards of $800 for a really good radiator with electric fan and shroud, note there ‘re critical factors to first decide. These would include engine (size and horsepower level), engine compartment (airflow), and accessories (A/C, electric fan, automatic trans, etc…). Keep this in mind that the cooling chore isn’t solely the responsibility of the radiator as there are trans fluid and engine oil coolers, coolants and additives, fans (electric and mechanical) and shrouds, fan controllers (fixed and temperature controlled), electric fan controllers, and water pumps.

Earlier we mentioned electric fans and shrouds. Regardless if you use a mechanical (block driven) fan or an electric fan, a proper shroud is your engine’s best friend when it comes to assisting in cooling. A good shroud should be designed and fitted to your radiator and engine compartment needs, as well as fan placement (electric attached to the front or back of the radiator) or a block driven the shroud is critical. A well-designed shroud and matched to a properly placed fan will assist in directing the air through the radiator and over the engine and out of the engine.

Cooling is critical…period. Nothing is more frustrating than going through all of the time, effort, and budget to build your latest greatest project only to find out that it won’t cool when cruising, driving down the freeway, or just idling. But, start by doing your homework and research what it is that you’re building and make sure to match components and then follow proper building techniques and should be off to a good start. If there are problems the troubleshooting is simple and easy to follow. Don’t rush and you will find the gremlin and get it taken care of and you will be off and running with not a hot head to be seen. A good place to start is the following cooling guide.

Electric cooling fans have become a mainstay when it comes to keeping any type of project vehicle’s engine cool. The F5 Dual Fan Controller is rated to control one 70-amp cooling fan. One of this controller’s many great features allows you to run your fan at 50 percent up to 100 percent, depending on your engine temperature. Included is a three-position toggle switch that gives you manual control of the cooling fans. Position one runs the fan at 100 percent on, position two is normal operation allowing the F5 to take control for you, and position three is 0 percent fan or fan off. Also included is a push-button switch that is used to set the vehicle speed at which you like the cooling fan to shut off above. Dual fan and metric sensor controllers are also available.

For over 40 years, U.S. Radiator has offered the most complete and comprehensive line of “correct appearance and fit” copper/brass radiators for American classic, muscle cars, classic truck, and street rod applications in the industry. Over the last 10 years they have expanded their line of “correct appearance and fit” radiators with their Desert Cooler Aluminum radiators. They now offer four distinctive performance core designs to handle any horsepower and hard-to-cool applications and have been the leader in innovated heat-transfer design. Couple that with their unique Triple Flow design and Low Profile Fan Shroud package and every application from mild to wild is covered.

For 40 years The Brassworks has handcrafted radiators for restored cars and classic street rods. They pack a lot of cooling in their radiator cores. Fins are made of tellurium copper because it conducts heat at twice the speed of aluminum. Their highly elliptical tube design maximizes the coolant contact area, and the punch and flaring of each fin achieves over three times the contact area found in common radiator construction. Staggering tubes tumble air laterally as it passes though the core and embossed louvers in each fin disrupt the airflow on the fin. Making cores with these features isn’t the cheapest way, so you won’t find them in the discount copper radiators or aluminum radiators but you will in a Brassworks radiator.
Our builders assemble our reproductions alongside an original radiator so they can construct a simple drop-in replacement or build from a drawing to make custom fabrications. Specializing in chops, split cores, angled headers, angled cores, reliefs for fans, tank reliefs, formed inlets, and much more, we can accommodate your specific build needs.

Engines rarely overheat on the highway due to good airflow and good coolant flow. The reality is most engines overheat in stop-and-go traffic, at stoplights, or at cruising speed when the coolant flow rate though the radiator is reduced.
FlowKooler’s newest generation of Hi Flow Water Pumps have precision-machined impellers with integrated shrouds and a military-grade anodized surface finish. With incremental vanes and tighter tolerances, FlowKooler doubles flow rates at slow speed and idle to reduce engine temperatures as much as 30 degrees. A more efficient flow helps conserve system horsepower by 2.2 percent and increase the block pressure by 22 percent, which prevents the formation of hot spots and steam pockets in the
water jacket. A full range of pumps for street rods, muscle cars, trucks, Jeeps, and rock crawlers is available through selected dealers or directly on FlowKooler’s website.

High-performance engines require coolant to transfer as much heat as possible. As cylinder head temperatures increase, so does the likelihood of detonation and power loss unless ignition timing is retarded. Under extreme conditions, this can also result in overheating and engine damage.
Hy-Per Lube Super Coolant reduces the surface tension of coolant, allowing it to more deeply penetrate metal surfaces at critical heat transfer areas inside the engine and radiator. This results in more heat being transferred away from cylinder heads and a reduction in engine operating temperatures.
Importantly, cooler cylinder head temperatures also allow the engine ECU to safely advance ignition timing, which results in more horsepower. Street applications running a 50/50 mix run 6-8 degrees F cooler, and racing applications running straight water coolant run up to 20 degrees F cooler. Actual cylinder head temperatures can be reduced by up to 50 degrees F.
Hy-Per Lube Super Coolant provides complete protection from rust, corrosion, and electrolysis. This is particularly important in straight water applications, where there is no corrosion protection being provided by the corrosion inhibitors in antifreeze. Hy-Per Lube Super Coolant is formulated specifically to protect aluminum systems and is compatible with all types of antifreeze

Perma-Cool Inc. offers this Big Tube HD Engine Oil Cooler System, PN 40189. Measuring 1-1/2 inches thick, 7 inches wide, and 21 inches long, the robust, yet lightweight all-aluminum cooler features full 5/8-inch tubes with patented turbulators for maximum efficiency and 3/8-inch FPT fittings for a secure, leakproof connection. Fully flushable and recommended for street, strip, or endurance engines up to 500 hp, the system includes an oil filter sandwich adapter, fittings, hose clamps, all necessary mounting hardware, and illustrated installation instructions. As with all of their fluid coolers, Perma-Cool designs and manufactures in their modern Riverside, California, facility and guarantees each will provide years of trouble-free service by extending their industry-exclusive lifetime warranty. Don’t just cool it … Perma-Cool it!

Griffin Thermal Products is proud to introduce the all-new ExactFit series of aluminum radiators. With 30 years of experience in the performance cooling market and one of the largest collections of OEM sample radiators, Griffin has engineered the ExactFit series. Working with a double focus on precision and performance, the ExactFit products install exactly the same as the OEM component. They offer all of the required mounting tabs, brackets, and spuds to ensure a seamless installation. Optimal performance is achieved by the use of two rows of Griffin exclusive MaxCool 1.25-inch tubing. The wider tube width used in these products creates a greater amount of surface area in the same amount of space. This allows the product to far exceed the performance of common two-row 1-inch radiators. Backed by the industry’s best two-year warranty, the new ExactFit radiators are top of the line.

Delta PAG’s brushless high-performance cooling fan uses cutting-edge, patented technologies, making them the most advanced fan on the market. Their patented technology increases reliability (lasts 10 times longer), reduces amp draw by +30%, Soft-Start eliminates power spikes, and produces over 2,800 cfm at only 2.70 inches thin.
Plug-and-play with your OEM/Aftermarket computer or use Delta PAG’s digital temp/speed controller to program on/off temp and adjust airflow to custom fit your application. One digital temp/speed controller can operate two fans simultaneously, allowing for true staggered-on operation. Included waterproof wiring harness makes an easy install, no relays or temp switches needed. Ask about fabricating a custom aluminum shroud for your application. Complete cooling packages also available; radiator, shroud, and fan(s) for any vehicle.

Old Air Products specializes in cooling system performance. They manufacture the Hurricane Series A/C, heat, and defrost systems that offer a variety of options to fit virtually any vehicle. Along with the A/C systems, they offer a complete line of electric fans, fan shrouds, and aluminum radiators to maximize the cooling capacity for your antique, classic, or custom vehicle. Old Air offers a full line of replacement parts and N.O.S., NORS parts for factory A/C and heater systems, including heater valves, blower switches, resistors, relays, receiver/dryers, cables, update kits for STV and POA valves, A/C hose assemblies, vacuum valves, and electrical switches.

SPAL “NUOVA” series sealed brushless (SBL) fans deliver unmatched performance and reliability to fit most any application on the market today.
Ranging in size from 10 to 17 inches (300- and 500-watt motors), SPAL “NUOVA” series brushless fans feature integrated power and signal electronics, “soft start” technology (eliminates electrical in-rush spike), digital control for smooth and reliable operation, temperature sensor options for full variable speed control, reduced axial dimensions, sealed motors (waterproof/dustproof), low weight, high efficiency, low noise, along with excellent resistance to vibration and harshness (NVH) levels. The brushless design also reduces the number of wear components versus standard brushed technology to deliver extremely long-lasting motor.
SPAL brushless fans achieve a remarkable 82 percent electrical efficiency. What this means is maximum airflow with minimal power draw. Sealed to IP68 and IP6K9K compliancy standards (waterproof/dustproof), SPAL SBL motors can operate in the presence of many aggressive or hazardous substances, making them ideal for most any application.

Heralded as the flagship fan of Maradyne’s brand, the M162K Champion Series 16-inch low-profile heavy-duty fan delivers more cooling per square inch than any other fan in its class. Designed with the street rod crowd in mind, this fan features an industry-low 3.25-inch height at the motor and a mere 1.1 inch at the outer rim of the shroud.
Made of all glass-filled nylon for high impact and heat resistance, this reversible fan produces over 2,000 cfm in Maradyne’s AMCA certified air test chamber. Sponsored for years on Xfinity and Cup racing teams, it can cool up to 850 hp in the pits. Whether it’s your favorite weekend rat rod or showstopping shrine to chrome and glitz, this fan will keep your powerplant cool and your ears happy with its quiet S-blade design.

Would you build your house without insulation? So why build your car without it? Installing Dynamat Xtreme and Dynaliner is the best non-mechanical way to cool down your vehicle. Without Dynamat and Dynaliner, heat from your vehicle’s engine and exhaust combine with heat from the sun to make your entire vehicle hot and miserable. When Dynaliner is installed on top of Dynamat Xtreme, the layered combination of metal and rubber act as an insulator, dissipating heat so your interior stays comfortable.
Dynamat Xtreme and Dynaliner are oil and water resistant, self-adhesive, and can be installed on any vehicle’s floor, firewall, roof, quarter-panels, doors, and even underhood. Dynamat Xtreme and Dynaliner provide an effective thermal barrier that lasts the lifespan of your vehicle. Dynaliner is available in 1/8-, 1/4-, and 1/2-inch thicknesses.

When your car runs hot, overheating and boil over can permanently damage critical engine components. The best way to maximize performance and still protect your investment is with the revolutionary Evans Waterless High Performance Coolant. Their proprietary liquid formulation has a far higher boiling point than water-based coolants. Evans doesn’t form vapor or boil over, letting your engine operate at lower, safer pressure levels. And because Evans is waterless, you’ll avoid damage caused by erosion, corrosion, and electrolysis.
Evans lasts the life of your engine and never needs to be replaced. In addition to the high-performance coolant, Evans also offers products for power sports and heavy-duty applications. So no matter what you drive, you can count on Evans to perform like no other engine coolant.

The post How To Keep Your Engine Cool appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

We hear the whiners all the time: “Everybody runs those stupid LS engines. They’re boring!” We’ll admit LS engines are less than visually inspiring; there’s a good reason these engines are popular. Show us another engine that will deliver 70 hp with a simple cam swap! Keep looking … we’ll wait. Here’s the push … we started with a $350 craigslist 5.3L iron truck motor 350. We added a mild Isky cam, valvesprings, and lifters and added 70 big ones. It was too easy.

Our dyno victim started life as a 2002 LM7 5.3L motor (325 ci) and is among the most prevalent LS engines on the planet. GM has built millions of them. Factory specs for this engine with its truck EFI is 285 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, which is pretty good for essentially a small-bore (3.78 inch), long-stroke (3.62 inch) version of the traditional Chevy 327.

Because we were crunched for time, we didn’t baseline our engine with an Edelbrock Performer RPM dual plane intake and 1-3/4-inch American Racing headers, but the guys at CLASSIS TRUCKS did with an identical 5.3L motor that made 315 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. This is representative of that configuration so we used these numbers for our baseline … a solid 30hp gain over the stock production specs.

Because the cylinder heads on these LS engines produce much better flow numbers than those stock mid-’60s small-block Chevy heads, these late-model engines respond wonderfully to even a mild camshaft upgrade. We decided to give Isky a shot at the cam specs for our little 5.3L. Isky offers a raft of LS hydraulic roller cams in the catalog so we chose one with 218/224 degrees of duration at 0.050 (see Cam Specs Chart).

Isky offers much bigger cams with more lift and duration but we exercised restraint for several reasons. This is both a smaller displacement engine and is also intended for near-daily summertime street fun. We didn’t want some Pro Stock-sounding staccato idle that would ruin the driveability … especially because we intend to pair this engine with an overdrive automatic and a lockup converter in an early ’50s Chevy pickup. These parameters narrowed our selection to this midrange cam that offered shorter duration combined with a 113-degree lobe separation angle (LSA) compared to the stock cam’s 116-degree angle.

LSA is an often-tossed about cam spec that can be somewhat confusing so it’s worth closer inspection. The term refers to the number of cam degrees between the intake and exhaust lobe centerlines. The larger the LSA number, the more degrees between the lobes, which results in less valve overlap between exhaust valve closing and intake valve opening. All production LS cams use a very wide LSA to improve idle quality. Decreasing the overlap improves idle vacuum and contributes to a very smooth idle. If we add duration with the same LSA, this increases overlap. So our new cam does add overlap both with more duration on the intake and exhaust and also because the Isky cam’s LSA is 3 degrees tighter, 113 versus 116 degrees.

We talked with Isky’s Nolan Jamora and he suggested we also test their new line of EZ-Roll hydraulic roller lifters fitted with bushings instead of the more common needle roller bearings. Isky was one of the first cam companies to address the issue of roller lifter needle bearing failures that seemed to especially plague big-block Chevys with mechanical roller cams and high spring pressures.

Isky’s solution replaces the tiny roller bearings with a proprietary bushing material that radically increases the bearing surface area. Isky credits this lifter with what they call the Big-Foot Effect where load distribution is increased by over 350 percent compared to needle bearings. Of greater import is the notion that the bushing virtually eliminates the classic roller lifter failure that scatters dozens of tiny needle bearings inside the engine where they usually cause terminal engine damage. It’s worth noting that the preponderance of problems with roller lifter failures has been with mechanical roller lifters and less so with their hydraulic cousins. We asked Jamora about durability of the softer bushing material and he said that with proper maintenance and oil changes that the company contends the lifter can easily go 100,000 miles.

Along with the EZ-Roll hydraulic roller bushing lifters is a matching set of beehive Isky valvesprings, retainers, locks, seat inserts, and a custom set of 0.080-inch wall thickness pushrods. The pushrod length for our engine ended up being 7.500-inch long to compensate for the height of the Isky lifters. Given the net lash design of the LS engine, a different height pushrod seat in the lifter demands a change in pushrod length to retain the proper lifter preload. These pushrods were 0.100-inch longer than stock.

Swapping parts was not difficult, but because we were going to change lifters, this is one place where LS engine heads have to be removed where the small-block Chevy does not. Normally, if all we were going to do was swap the cam in this LS engine and reuse the factory lifters, this would be a snap. All you do is remove the pushrods and then roll the engine a couple of revolutions. The cam will push the lifters up into the guides and hold the lifters up off the cam so that the cam can be easily removed.

Because we were using the Isky lifters with built-in retainer bars, we removed the plastic lifter guides and once the cam was installed, the new lifters dropped right in place. We also degreed the cam and then buttoned the engine up with an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and topped it off with a Holley 750-cfm HP carburetor. With all that done, we were ready for testing.

With the engine bolted up on the SuperFlow dyno at Westech, we used a set of 1-7/8-inch American Racing headers without mufflers for this quickie test. Once we fired up our engine using the Edelbrock/MSD timing module to control the spark, we did some quick tuning on the carburetor and fiddled with the timing. All this took less than an hour to come up with a peak horsepower of 385 at 6,100 and 398 lb-ft torque at 3,900 rpm. This represents a dramatic 70hp improvement over the stock cam. Even better, the factory 5.3L motor makes peak torque at 4,400 but with the Edelbrock dual plane, headers, and a bigger cam, peak torque happened at 3,900 rpm! This broadened the rpm spread between peak torque at 3,900 and peak horsepower at 6,100 to an amazing 2,200 rpm. Most engines generate a much narrower range of around 1,500 rpm. So for the street, this is a great combination.

In the final tally, we now have a smart little 5.3L street motor making nearly 400 hp that idles at 13 inches of manifold vacuum and with a little bit of part-throttle carb tuning, our modern-day 327 could conceivably deliver decent fuel mileage; assuming you can keep your foot out the throttle! That sounds like a very successful street engine and all with a simple cam swap.

Install a cam and make 70 hp. It doesn’t get much easier than doing this on an LS engine.

Our swap involves replacing the stock valvetrain with a mild Isky hydraulic roller, new lifters, beehive valvesprings, retainers, locks, and stronger pushrods. The valvesprings increase load but are still of the factory beehive configuration.

After pulling the balancer, we also removed the front timing cover. If you do not plan on replacing timing chain and gear or the engine already has a new set (like ours), then it’s not necessary to remove the oil pump. We removed the pump to offer a better view of the zero mark on the crank gear. This eventually required removing the pan to get the pump back on.

We won’t go through the entire cam install sequence since that’s been covered before. However, since we were replacing the factory rollers with new Isky EZ-Roll lifters, we removed the heads and then the stock plastic guides and lifters and replaced them with the Isky pieces.

Once the cam and timing set were back in place, we degreed the package just to make sure it was installed correctly. We moved the cam with the Cloyes Hex-A-Just until we had the intake closing point at 0.050 exactly on the spec. Intake closing is the most important of all the cam timing specs.

If you remove the oil pump, we learned this install trick from Kenny Duttweiler. Lightly bolt the pump in place and turn the engine over by hand roughly four to six cycles. The pump rotor will seek the proper clearance and then you can torque the outer four bolts. It’s that easy.

We also added a new Fel-Pro MLS head gasket to ensure a solid seal. We used ARP head studs but they aren’t essential for a typical street engine.

While the heads were removed, we yanked the stock original springs and replaced them with a set of Isky beehive springs with much more seat and open pressure.

Induction bolt-ons consisted of an Edelbrock Performer RPM carbureted dual plane intake, ARP intake fasteners and a Holley 750-cfm HP carburetor. We were now ready for the dyno.

After adding the Holley pan, we also upgraded to AMSOIL INC. Extended Life 5W-30 synthetic oil and a new AMSOIL INC. oil filter.

We slapped our 5.3-liter on Westech’s dyno, Steve Brule’ pulled the handle, and after a few minor tuning tweaks, we made 385 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque – a solid 70hp gain!

Chart 01
Cam Specs

Power Curve

Chart 02
Parts List

The post 70hp 5.3L LS Isky Cam Swap appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

My Brother’s Cooler

Q
My brother has a 5.0 small-block Ford in his 1949 Ford. The engine came from a police car and it was equipped with an oil cooler. We both live in Arizona and even on the hottest days his car never boils over.

I’m about to install a similar engine in my 1954 Ford. Both cars have the biggest radiators that will fit and dual electric fans. Should I consider adding an oil cooler as well?
Bill Goodwin
Via the Internet

A
The simple answer is, in our opinion “it can’t hurt.” But to get a more informed response we’ll pass on what Troy Wood of Perma-Cool had to say on the subject: “ An oil cooler can add years to an engine as well as extend the service life of lubricating. Maintaining proper oil temperature not only allows oil to lubricate the rotating mass as designed, it also reduces ‘hot spots’ in certain areas of an engine, keeping more consistent operating temperature throughout while also lessening the burden placed on the coolant system. They can and do lower radiator coolant and top-end temperatures, sometimes dramatically.”

Design of an Oil Cooler
Engine oil coolers come in many types and sizes. Choosing the proper cooler for your project requires considering a few basic factors:
• Total oil capacity in the lubricating system.
• The power output of the engine and how the vehicle will be used.
• The amount of airflow needed and available mounting area available.
• Radiator size
• Inlet/outlet Size
• Budget

Each factor plays a role in deciding which cooler best fits your requirements. A basic rule of thumb is to add as big of an oil cooler as can fit in the available space that receives good airflow, and then add a thermostat so that the oil can be kept in the proper temperature range. A remote engine oil cooler is a great option when available space is at a premium, as they can be mounted wherever space is available due to having built-in airflow provided by an electric fan that is included in the assembly. They are typically thermostatically controlled to engage as temperatures rise to a pre-determined setting.

Oil coolers are available in two basic types, the tried-and-true tube and fin style, and a plate and fin (or stack plate) type that works primarily the same but using slightly different architecture. Tube and fin coolers are typically referred to by the number of passes the fluid/oil makes through the length of the cooler before returning to the engine. A two-pass cooler is a design that allows the oil to run through the cooler length two times. The more passes a cooler offers, the better the heat-exchanging capabilities, all other things being equal.

Another important consideration is inlet and outlet size. Be sure to choose a size that will not be too small and restrictive, as this will result in oil pressure drop that could damage an engine. Most engines will use an -8 AN or -10 AN size fitting though high-capacity/high-flow engines can also go to -12 AN port sizes on occasion.

Installation of an Oil Cooler
The best placement for static, ram-air engine oil cooler (non-electric fan-equipped style) is in a location exposed to a maximum amount of airflow, allowing the cooler to operate as efficiently as possible. The downside is that air conditioning condensers, transmission coolers, and other front-mounted apparatus contribute to blocking airflow that is crucial for the radiator and cooling system. Also take into consideration coolers are not friendly with road debris! A wheelwell might seem to be a perfect location but tires can send shrapnel directly at the cooler if it is not protected.

On the plumbing side, running the lines to the cooler from the motor also requires a bit of forethought. The best place to tap into the oil supply system is at the oil filter. This is because the filter is just after the oil pump so the oil supply will have adequate pressure to move through the lines and cooler efficiently. Also, this gives the oil cooler the opportunity to cool the oil before it is used by the engine, thereby making sure every part of the motor receives cooled oil at the proper temperature. Be sure to try and minimize length and number of bends in the oil lines.

Two of the best methods to add and plumb an oil cooler to an engine is one, a sandwich adapter, where a spacer plate is positioned between the filter landing and the factory filter; or two, a spin-on adapter that uses a filter relocation kit and moves the filter mount to a more advantageous position on the vehicle. A round two-port O-ringed metal “puck” replaces the factory filter and then plumbs the oil lines to the new filter mount location. Keep in mind a sandwich adapter moves the oil filter closer to the ground or whatever other obstacles that might exist in the area by the thickness of the sandwich adapter, so between 1 and almost 2 inches closer to whatever exists on the vehicle directly below or next to the filter.

An engine is happiest when it has good, clean oil running through it. Typical petroleum-based oil lubricates and maintains viscosity between 180-210 degrees F. If the oil gets too hot it breaks down and separates, causing the oil to thin out while oil pressure drops. Having oil that is too cold can be damaging as well since oil not up to temperature cannot lubricate efficiently as it is and not at the proper viscosity level. When an engine is started, a fluid control thermostat will allow only enough oil to pass through the cooler to keep it flowing and avoid cold oil shock. Typically a fluid control thermostat allows about 10 percent of the oil through to the cooler while the remaining oil recirculates through the engine to allow faster warm-ups. As engine temperatures rise, the fluid control thermostat continues to open until full flow is achieved, usually around 180 degrees F.

For many people who have either replaced their engine or have modified it in the search of additional horsepower, one of the first things considered is the addition of an electric fan, a bigger radiator, and all of the cooling-related components to help keep the under hood temperatures on the left side of 200 degrees F. We have had customers reduce coolant temperatures 10-15 degrees F with the simple addition of an oil cooler for a reasonable cost—who otherwise were ready and prepared to start over with expensive fans, shrouds, and radiators. All of these additions are still good choices and staples in the cooling business for a reason. However, an engine oil cooler is reasonably priced and regardless of any other temperature control devices considered, a very good long-term investment for just about anyone who plans on keeping their vehicle.

The post Tips On Installing An Engine Oil Cooler appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Hot rods and carburetors, there was a time you simply couldn’t have one without the other. Of course today fuel delivery choices are varied with modern fuel injection options, but when we walk around a major event it appears the carburetor is still the fuel delivery apparatus of choice for a majority of traditional hot rodders. There are many reasons for this. First, if properly selected and adjusted, the carburetor is a fairly simple device that will perform for a long period of time with basic maintenance. Second, for many people it is simply a comfort level, we grew up with carburetors and there seems to be little reason to change. Finally, the carburetor is still more affordable than electronic fuel injection and on certain vintage vehicles “the period-correct look” demands carburetors.

That’s all well and good and while we have had carburetors on cars that ran for years with nothing more than air and fuel filter changes, we have also had some pretty cantankerous carbs that never seemed to run quite right, due mostly to inappropriate sizing by the owner. There is an old saying that is practically an axiom for many hot rodders and it goes like this, “If some is good, more is better, and too much is just enough.” I have been guilty of following this thought process and can tell you with authority over carbureting an engine will lead to all types of problems from fouled plugs to monstrous throttle lag and more. (Editor’s note: We have also noticed that a true hot rodder can tune a car until it stops!) I still have less than fond memories of trying to feed a basically stock 326 Pontiac motor with a big, bad 780 double pumper. This thing had a “flat spot” the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats, but once it hit 3,500 rpm, hang on! Of course I was young at the time and had very little real knowledge or skill for carburetor tuning so I basically took it out of the box and bolted it on, turned a couple screws, and learned to live with it; trust me, there is more to carburetor selection than opening the box. Had I known and used the proper calculations I would have understood that a 500-cfm carburetor would have been a better choice.

So how does one begin the selection process to arrive at the correct carburetor for your specific engine? Happily there are several great fuel delivery companies in the hot rod industry today and they employ a knowledgeable staff trained to assist you with the selection. A call to a company such as Quick Fuel Technology will put you in touch with an expert who can assist you in ordering a carburetor tailored to your specific engine. The more information you provide about the engine the better the carburetor will be designed for your specific needs. Today a truly custom-tailored carburetor is available. Of course, you can do a good job of carb selection with just a little knowledge and by simply talking to fellow hot rodders who have similar motors.

Quick Fuel Technology offers three basic types of carburetors: street legal, high-performance street, and race carburetors. Obviously, you need to recognize the primary use of the car before deciding on which carburetor is right for you. The street-legal carburetor contains all relevant emission provisions and hookups for an emission-legal installation. These carburetors have been engineered for “bolt-on” installation with stock factory manifolds to replace existing Holley, Rochester, or Carter OE carburetors. The street-legal carburetor is the only choice if you live in a state that has mandatory emission inspection, as these units have the appropriate CARB certification and emission ID label.

The street/strip carburetor is designed for off-road use and will not carry the required emissions labels. We will not be discussing race carburetors in this story but they are generally reserved for cars operating in a high-rpm power band under race conditions only.

The first bit of information involves the base mount to your intake manifold. There are two basic mounting patterns for common 4-bbl carburetors, square and spread bore. A square-bore carb has equally spaced and sized throttle bores. The spread-bore carburetor consists of two smaller primary bores and two larger secondary bores. There are adapters that permit the use of a square-bore carburetor on a spread-bore intake manifold. Generally these adapters are less than an inch tall, but remember to consider hood clearance in your decision.

Cubic Feet per Minute
Choosing the right size carburetor begins with calculating how much flow is required going into the engine. There’s a simple formula that will help you determine the cfm required for your application. Remember my earlier example of purchasing a carb too large for the motor? Well, it is not possible to jet a carb from a 750 to an 850, or from 850 to 750, as cfm sizing is determined by the airflow through the venturi and baseplate, jets simply add the fuel to the volume of air flowing through the carburetor.

Engine size (ci) x maximum rpm ÷ 3,456 = cfm at 100 percent volumetric efficiency (VE)

Using that formula, a typical mild 350 engine would work out something like this:

Example: 350 cid x 6,000 rpm = 2,100,000 ÷ 3,456 = 608 cfm

Now, that calculation might have you thinking the 600-cfm carburetor is just barely large enough for the engine but you must take into consideration that the average street motor has a volume efficiency of around 80 percent, if you have a good set of ported street heads it may climb to 85 percent. Using the 80 percent figure the actual cfm requirement drops to 486 cfm so a 600-cfm carb is indeed large enough and may be slightly oversized. If you are running a mild engine or a smaller engine with displacement closer to 300 cubes a 500 or 450 cfm will work quite nicely.

The Secondary Decision
Armed with our 600-cfm decision, we need to decide about our secondary operation. A four-barrel carburetor is basically a two-stage fuel system running off the primary bores at low rpm, while the secondary bores open for the high rpm. There are two ways to activate the secondaries, vacuum or mechanical, and for most street rod applications the vacuum secondary is going to be the best choice. Here are the major considerations when choosing the proper secondary operation for your car.

Vacuum secondaries work best for cars equipped as follows:
Street gearing
Automatic transmission
Low-end torque motors
Relatively heavy vehicles
People who don’t want to adjust things

The mechanical secondary works best for:
Engines built for top-end horsepower
Low race-type gear ratios (4.11 and numerically higher)
Manual transmission
Lighter vehicles
People who enjoy tuning

The Proper Style of Choke
Unless you enjoy sitting in a car “feathering” the throttle until the engine reaches normal operating temperature, a choke is required for your carburetor. If you’re into the vintage look and feel of a choke cable and associated knob hanging under the dash, go for it, they worked for years and continue to work well. Of course you also need to remember to push the knob back in once the engine is near operating temperature.
If the mental requirements of remembering to pull and push knobs is approaching your limits (trust us, we know the feeling) or if the car has multiple drivers behind the wheel, you’re probably better to go with the thermostatically controlled electric choke. They work well; a single wire is all that’s required and you have two less things to remember.

Kick-Down
If the car is equipped with an automatic transmission you will also have to consider kick-down linkage so the transmission drops a gear when additional power is required. There are kits available from Quick Fuel to match the carburetor to your particular transmission, and companies such as Lokar make a wide assortment of great aftermarket kick-down kits.

The Proper Pressure
One of the most overlooked areas of the carbureted engine is fuel pressure. Regardless of whether you are using an electric fuel pump or the factory manual fuel pump on the engine, a fuel pressure regulator is a must for proper tuning. Generally for a street engine if you have fuel pressure around 3-4 pounds you will be in good shape. One last word of advice and again this comes from experience. Avoid cheap pressure regulators as they are inaccurate and tend to leak, two things you’re not looking for in a fuel pressure regulator. Step up to a quality regulator; you’ll be glad you did in the end.

Happy Motoring
Using all the tools available today and also working with a recognized company, such as Quick Fuel, will take the mystery out of choosing and designing a carburetor perfect for your car. Arm yourself with as much information as possible about your engine and consult the professionals before purchasing anything.
The fun part is installing the new carburetor on your engine, but don’t stop there. For best results before installing a new carburetor be certain your engine is in good tune. That includes ignition (a wise old mechanic once told me, “A whopping 80 percent of all carburetor problems are caused by ignition!”), valvetrain, vacuum leaks, exhaust, and cooling.
With the engine in tune you can bolt that brand-new carburetor onto your intake manifold. Oh, one other thing, do yourself a big favor and read the instructions. Follow up by doing the recommended tuning tips and you should have a car that performs well, gets reasonable gas mileage, and in the case of the Quick Fuel Technology carburetors look very cool in the process.

The post Selecting and Designing the Correct Carb for the Street appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

When it first hit the street in 1951, the Chrysler Fire Power Hemi helped to shift hot rodding away from the flathead era and into the post-WWII age of overhead-valve architecture. But unlike the competing 1951 OHV V-8s from Caddy, Olds, and Studebaker, the Hemi stood apart. (Note that the OHV V-8s from Buick, Pontiac, Chevy, Ford, AMC, and Packard were still a year or three away.)

With its spherical-section combustion chambers, laterally opposed valves, straight-shot ports, and double rocker shafts, the Hemi heads had to be physically larger than more conventional wedge-type heads with their more compact in-line valves and rail-straight intake and exhaust rocker arm alignment. Plain and simple, Hemi heads are huge. Toss in the exposed spark plug wires (after the factory-issued weather covers are removed), and the Hemi almost seems a living thing—an exotic, potent heart for your hot rod, as big as it is powerful.

In this story, we’ll tag along as a ’56 Chrysler Industrial 354 Hemi is rebuilt by Paul Krauss and the crew at P-K Machine in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The engine belongs to Fred Leigh, a longtime rodder from Amherst, Massachusetts, who has been a life-long friend and mentor to your author. When he said he was preparing a retro-style Hemi for a gasser-themed ’61 Jeep station wagon, we got to tag along.

The project also gave us the rare opportunity to compare the worth of a ’58-vintage Weiand WC6 Drag Star intake manifold packing six Speedway Motors 9 Super 7 two-barrels versus a thoroughly modern Hot Heads high-rise dual-plane intake mounting a 750-cfm Holley. Which will make the most power? The classic log manifold—as immortalized by Big Daddy Don Garlits’ earliest Swamp Rat dragsters—or the conventional single quad? The results are surprising. Let’s dig in.

The Drag Star and Speedway “12-pack” delivered 358.4 hp at 5,800 rpm and 375 lb-ft at 3,300 rpm. Running 93 octane Sunoco Ultra unleaded pump gas with the 10.8:1 pistons and 30 degrees of ignition timing BTDC didn’t produce pre-ignition. It proved the Hemi chamber’s added margin of tolerance for low octane fuel, though 10.8:1 is about the maximum before octane enhancements become mandatory.

Surprise! The modern induction system delivered 364.3 hp at 5,900 rpm and 402.5 lb-ft at 3,400 rpm. With a modest 5.9hp gain, it wasn’t the rout some observers predicted. But there’s no ignoring the extra 27.5 lb-ft of torque. Carb jetting was set at No. 72 primary and No. 78 secondary. There’s little doubt the Hot Heads dual-plane can ultimately outperform the antique Drag Star. But for retro points there is no comparison. Pick your position and get started on a vintage Hemi rebuild today!

Sources

Boucher’s Racing Engines: 978/948-7343: bouchersracing.com
Crane Cams: 866/388-5120: cranecams.com
Diamond Pistons: 877/552-2112: diamondracing.net
Hot Heads Research &amp: Racing: 336/352-4866: hothemiheads.com
Johnson Lifters: 734/955-6500: johnsonlifters.com
P-K Machine: 978/342-1179: pkmachinehp@comcast.net
R.A.D. Auto Machine: 413/583-4414: radautomachine.com
Smith Bros. Push Rods: 800/367-1533
Speedway Motors: 800/979-0122: speedwaymotors.com
Vintage Speed: 772/778-0809: vintagespeed.com

The post Hemi Induction Shootout: Does Retro or Modern Make More Power on a 354 Hemi? appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

LS and other EFI engine swaps have become all the rage with the still-affordable G-body platform. In the process, much attention is paid to things like the motor mounts and transmission, but there are several other supporting components that make an EFI swap possible. The fuel system, radiator, fans, and gauges are among them. The crew at the Burlington County Institute of Technology in Medford, New Jersey, is tackling these items on my G Machine project, a 1983 Buick Regal T-type with a Chevrolet Performance E-Rod LS3. This Pro Touring–style G-body was built for Ultimate Street Car Association–type events and the occasional open track day. However, these upgrades are also applicable to a street/strip setup or even a daily driver.

If you plan to drive your G-body on the street, nothing beats a full, drop-in cluster with digital gauges. Dakota Digital offers direct-fit systems for the El Camino, Monte Carlo, Malibu, Cutlass, and Regal (including the T-type and Grand National). We chose the VHX series with the Silver Alloy gauges and red LED lighting that retails for $795. The gauges are designed to fully integrate with your lighting and other factory equipment, and they come with a water temperature, oil pressure, and speed sensor. Best of all, the gauges are expandable with a host of other modules from Dakota, such as a GPS speed and compass, wideband O2 sensor, and electronic fan controller. The latter is particularly significant since you will no longer be using the factory mechanical fan.

As for the radiator and fans, there are many great aftermarket options. But in keeping with the factory parts theme on this build, we chose a fourth-gen F-body radiator (PN SGT-CU1486) and fan (PN RNB-620-634) setup from Summit Racing. All together, the cost was less than $250. This is a tried-and-true method on G-bodies and would provide adequate cooling for the LS3 E-ROD while keeping a few extra coins in the pocket. The radiator has a 1-¼ -inch-thick aluminum core that is 24.75 inches tall and 17.25 inches wide. The dual electric fans have six blades to pull plenty of air through the radiator, and the G-body’s roomy engine bay presents no interference issues.

The fuel system is perhaps the most difficult part of the entire equation. In the interest of simplicity, I chose to replace the rusted-out stock tank and use an EFI conversion kit from GBodyParts.com along with a Deatschwerks 340-lph fuel pump and Russell ProClassic II fuel lines. For just $310, GBodyParts.com sells the later Grand National–style baffled Niterne steel gas tank, stainless steel sending unit, lock ring and gasket, gas-tank straps, and new rubber isolators for the tank straps. Even if your G-body had factory fuel injection, this kit is a great upgrade over the old plastic tanks that broke apart over time and starved the pump. A wiring kit and fuel pump are optional, but I chose to get the pump directly from Deatschwerks. A 255-lph pump would be plenty for the LS3, but with future modifications in mind, we opted for the 340-lph pump that can support E85 and costs only $169. The pump uses a 3/8-inch pressure hose and a 5/16-inch return. We used a mish mash of fuel lines from Russell due to some changes in size and couplings. Russell also sent 3/8-inch fuel filter and fittings to match.

Now that instructor Dave Rushen and the crew of students at BCIT have the electrical side figured out, we can’t wait to get G Machine on the road. Unfortunately, that will have to wait for a few more mechanical upgrades and, you know, glass, seats, carpet, and so on. Thankfully, with all of the above in place, the Buick will be prepared for its New Jersey to Florida road trip at the conclusion of the build—not to mention some worry-free hot laps.

The post How to Prepare a G-Body for EFI appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

There comes a time when you realize you need to stop driving around tired, old junk that will catch on fire if you look at it wrong. While there’s no denying the appeal of classics, there are still 40- to 50-year-old braking systems, wiring, and suspension to contend with—most of which is chuckling softly—looking for the most inconvenient time to break.

After having two older vehicles fail me on the same day, I wandered through massive amounts of Advil and onto a dealer lot, where I started checking out new cars. I finally had to face up to it: I needed a daily commuter. Sure, they’re generally lame, but you can mine a diamond every once in a while. I didn’t really have much in mind for my car-to-be, other than it had to be inexpensive, reliable, fast, and sip gas rather than slurp it. Since I’m a Mopar guy via diesels, that was my first thought, although I quickly dismissed the Charger (too big, too heavy), the Challenger (gas chugger), as well as Jeep derivatives. I couldn’t bear to be seen in an import, and they’re not nice to my 6-foot, 3-inch frame, so those were out. I quickly went through the GM catalog as well, pausing at the V6 Camaro, but I had something else in mind.

The car that was really burning my noodle was the 2016 Mustang EcoBoost, which instantly satisfied all of my qualifications. A base model hovers around $26,000 (inexpensive), it’s a big-time gas sipper (32 mpg highway), and best of all, it comes with a heavily boosted, turbocharged, 310hp inline-four-cylinder that can be easily modified. While four-bangers are nothing new to the Mustang lineup (remember the SVO?), I really couldn’t find a single downside to the EcoBoost platform, so I bought one.

Driving Impressions

After peddling the car around for a few days in nearly every driving situation, I really couldn’t find anything to dislike. Even the base model had cool wheels and a back-up camera for distracted parking-lot parents with a troop of kids. I like to shift my own gears, so a manual transmission was a must, and the six-speed performed very well in every way, including when I powershifted it mercilessly. On the freeway, it slid right past the EPA’s rating with a 32.6-mpg performance. After hundreds of miles, the seats also remained comfortable, the car was quiet, and the exhaust made pleasant, turbo wooshing sounds. I also did the “Grandpa test” by putting my 72-year-old dad behind the wheel. He liked the traditional shifter (instead of those “stupid paddle things”) and loved the big knobs on the stereo to change stations. “Hmmm, needs more power, though,” he asserted. Can you tell he reads Car Craft?

Having a vehicle that can handle corners is utterly new to me, and after a few neck-bending cloverleaf onramp runs, it was clear the Mustang was in a whole new category that was separate from anything I had previously owned. Lateral G-force is listed in the 0.95g range on Pirellis, and honestly, it didn’t feel that far behind on the Goodyear Eagles that were fitted to our base model. The only downside to our lateral shenanigans (and one of the few downsides to the Mustang) was that we could only take one passenger at a time, as the back seats are more suited to adolescent dwarves than adult-sized people.

At local stoplights and cruise nights, a lot of people were interested in the little turbo-four, but most of my time was spent explaining why I didn’t buy a 5.0 model. Part of the reason is that I have an 11-second Nova, so I can just drive that if I want to go faster. But with tuned EcoBoosts on drag radials running mid-12s and tuned 5.0s running low-12s, I didn’t see much of a difference. Sure, you can bolt a blower on a 5.0 and fly, but now we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars over a base-model Eco. What I really needed was a 30-mpg car, and I was darn sure it wouldn’t be some tedious econobox.

OK, enough with the boring stuff and on to the big question: How quick is it? Well, that was a question we would soon answer on the track.

Dragstrip Testing at MM&FF‘s Summer Event
The editor of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords is a buddy of ours, so we decided to try and ruin his event by winning it. Actually, we just hoped we would get some good passes in, figure out how to launch it, and get close to Motor Trend‘s time of 14.5 at 98 mph on fancy Pirelli PZeroes. We knew we could at least get in three passes, as there were two qualifying hits before eliminations began.

First-Run Notes: 14.98 at 95 MPH
These things are hard to launch! I tried slipping the clutch at 3,000 rpm, and it didn’t work. The engine bogged and somewhere around redline came back alive. Ugh, a 2.38 60 foot. While it worked fine on the street, no-lift shifting at the track resulted in scary amounts of wheelhop. Speed on the big end was down, I wonder why?

Second-Run Notes: 14.78 at 93 MPH
I tried launching at 3,500 rpm this time wild mild success. The clutch is hard to slip, but I don’t want to burn it up. I tried to wind out Third and could feel the car nose over. The mph is still way down, and buddies keep telling me a “driver mod” is in order.

Third-Run Notes: 14.35 at 98 MPH on a 14.45 Dial-In
OK, eliminations: time to either spin or win. We tried a 4,000-rpm launch with slipping the clutch and got a good short time—finally! What about my 0.06 reaction time? Good luck, everyone else, I’m going to win this thing— oh crap! I broke out! I’m just lucky the other guy broke out, too. Performance-wise, I held First gear out to the redline and it seemed to help a lot.

Fourth-Run Notes: 14.57 at 80 MPH on a 14.45 Dial-In
Second round, and again, I pulled off a good launch with a decent 0.10 light. The Mustang went 2.17 to the 60 foot and 9.22 at 78 mph in the eighth! Then, hard on the brakes—I don’t want to break out. The timeslip said 14.57 at 80 mph off the gas; it would have been a 14.1 to 14.2 pass for sure all out.

Fifth-Run Notes: 16.36 at 66 MPH on a 14.45 Dial-In
No, I spun! It was a 2.54 60-foot time (ouch), and even with the 0.05 light, I’m a goner—unless a missed shift by the competition. He let off just after the eighth-mile.

Sixth-Run Notes: 14.80 at 80 MPH on a 14.45 Dial-In
We’re going to win this thing! We’re going all the way! We’re—hey, why is there a win light in the other lane? As it turns out, trying to cut a light in a manual can bite you back, in the form of a -0.02 red light. Whoops, well, we didn’t win, but we made it through 48 cars to the final six in the Street class, which isn’t bad.

Final Thoughts

Well, we survived the dragstrip and the little Mustang performed admirably, even when hot lapping. Its low-14-second performance was pretty good considering the heat, and after seeing some new stock 5.0s run low-13s, we felt even better. In a second test ’n’ tune at Redding Dragstrip, we duplicated our low-14s (even at factory tire pressure), so it’s safe to say that’s about what they run. In Car Craft style, though, we’re not leaving the Eco alone, as we’ll soon try aftermarket 91-, 93-, and 100-octane tunes on the little turbo-four. Why? Because, hey, stock is boring, and with 32 mpg at 75 mph, we can afford to mix in a little race gas.

The post EcoBoost Mustang vs. Dragstrip appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Regardless of what the going rate is for fuel on any given day, 15 gallons will only get you so far before you gotta pull over and fill ’er up. Now, obviously the particular means of motivation you’ve got under the hood, not to mention the size/weight of vehicle being motivated, play a big part in that consumption window—but bottom line is, the bigger the tank, the longer the haul!
So now you’re thinking a 20-gallon fuel tank is the way to go? Well, if you happen to own and subsequently drive a 1955-1957 Chevy, how’s a whopping 29 gallons sound? Yep, Classic Performance Products went to the extreme lengths—and depths—to develop and produce the largest-capacity Tri-Five fuel tank on the market … for both carbureted and EFI applications no less.
The fabricated aluminum tank, designed to install in the “absence” of the factory spare tirewell, for obvious reasons, bolts in beneath the trunk floor (passenger car models) with the addition of a forward-mount crossmember and minor filler tube modification. Included with the tank is the appropriate sending unit (varies upon gauge application) and in-tank fuel pump (different models available depending on fuel injection application). Additionally, CPP offers a complete fuel supply kit—filter with deadhead–type return, high-pressure hose, and AN fittings—which, for the price, can’t be beat.
The install was a natural for the 1955 Revive project, and we’ve documented the process here to illustrate the simple steps it takes to make your Tri-Five a “loooong-distance” hauler!

The post Installing a 29-gallon aluminum fuel tank in a 1955-1957 Chevy Bel Air appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Before we dig into this subject matter, we’d like to preface what will follow with some background comments. We’ve had hands-on experience designing intake manifolds and exhaust headers using the techniques we’ll share with you. And, as a matter of fact, there have been U.S. Patents issued on some of what will be discussed. So these will not be theoretical approaches. Rather, they have stood the test of time and proven. We just hope you’ll find them as helpful as has been our experience.

To begin, we know that both intake and exhaust systems operate with un-steady, pulsing flow. On the intake side, by comparison, this is probably more important to consider since (particularly when using carburetors) we’re dealing with the problem of keeping atomized fuel in suspension with air. Especially because of differences in mass between air and fuel and particularly during flow directional changes, the two can become separated. That’s worst case. Best case, atomized fuel particle size can change during changes in direction but still be combustible. We’ll get into the subject of burn rate and fuel droplet size at another time, but suffice to say air flow quality on the intake side is important because it is the conveyor of fuel into the combustion space. The unsteady flow conditions on the exhaust side are less critical.

We also know that an engine’s volumetric efficiency capabilities are directly linked to how much torque it can produce. Although there are other influencing factors, both the intake and exhaust systems on an engine have a material effect on v.e. As such, both systems can play a significant role in determining where in an engine’s torque range a peak will occur. In fact, peak v.e. and peak torque will or should occur at the same or approximately the same rpm. So, since v.e. is particularly influenced by flow rate, we come to the point of discussing mean flow velocities in the intake and exhaust systems.

There is substantial data supporting the notion that at peak torque (v.e.), the mean flow velocity is around 240 feet/second, wherever in the rpm range this occurs. Some will argue it’s slightly higher or lower than this, but for the purposes we’ll describe, that flow rate is sufficient.

Now, all else being equal, flow passage cross-section area determines flow rate. Stated another way, and by running an engine at a constant rpm, if we were to increase or decrease cross-section area at that rpm, the flow rate at that rpm would vary accordingly. So, since we are targeting 240 feet/second as our mean flow velocity (at peak torque, don’t forget) we can manipulate the intake manifold’s contribution to the overall torque curved by deciding on a specific cross-section area for the manifold’s runners.

This brings us to a potential point of contention. Some will say that a constant cross-section is the best approach. Others hold that intake manifold runners should exhibit a measure of taper, and there’s data in support of both. However, once again, for our purposes here, it will likely have little or no influence either way. If a runner has taper, you can compute an “average” cross-section area by adding the entry area to the exit area and dividing the results by two.

OK, let’s re-visit the paragraph just before the last one. Given the fact that runner cross-section area is a major factor in how the intake manifold influences torque, why not find a mathematical equation that allows us to quantify this influence, based on piston displacement and rpm? Well, look no more. Here it is:

torque peak (rpm) = (88,200 x cross-section area) / displacement of one cylinder

where cross-section area has units of square-inches and piston displacement has units of cubic-inches.

With just a dab of algebraic manipulation, this little equation can provide you with multiple bits of information. For example, you may already have an intake manifold and want to find out at what rpm it makes a contribution to peak torque. If this is so, just plug the numbers into the equation as shown above. Let’s say you’re switching to an engine of larger or smaller piston displacement and will be using the same manifold. If that’s the case, the equation as shown still works.

But let’s say you want a certain rpm at which the intake is making a significant contribution to torque. If that’s the case, you can algebraically re-arrange the equation to the following:

cross-section area = (displacement of one cylinder x torque peak) / 88200

If you are getting the impression that we can “tune” an intake manifold to make its contribution to the overall torque curve, you’re correct. In fact, the same approach can be taken when designing or evaluating headers. However, on the exhaust side you’re not dealing with conveying suspended fuel along with the inlet air. Plus, with the possible exception of “stepped” headers, you are working with a constant cross-section.

It may be that you’ll find this mathematical approach to building/modifying/comparing intake and exhaust systems more valuable on the exhaust side than intake, simply because of the measure of control you experience. Either way, it can be a revealing time-saver.

However, there’re some additional perspectives we can take on this tuning issue. From experience and for practical purposes, we know it’s possible that the intake and exhaust systems can materially influence where (rpm) torque boosts are provided. In fact, we also know that you can “tune” them to peak at different rpm points. For the most part, sizing the cross-section areas is the controlling feature. Taking this yet another step, it’s possible to broaden an overall torque curve by tuning the intake and exhaust systems (the rpm at which each peaks) farther apart, thus tending to broaden the net torque curve and reducing the peak. Years ago, while working with a prominent circle track engine builder, he used this technique to boost torque in the lower rpm ranges (off the corner torque) with a comparable boost at higher rpm (heading past the flag stand).

Before we button this up, there’s one final thought we’d like to share. If, as it turns out, cross-section area of intake runners and exhaust pipes have the influence on where torque occurs that they do, why not use more than one size runner or pipe on the same engine? But before we try to expand on this, here’s something else to keep in mind. Cross-section area determines the point at which the 240 feet/second mean flow velocity previously discussed occurs. That fixes the peak torque rpm. Lengthening or shortening the passage without a change in cross-section area simply rocks the curve about that rpm point. Lengthen the passage and torque is taken from above the peak and placed beneath it. Shortening the passage removes torque from below the peak and adds it above. Without a change in cross-section area (intake or exhaust), at least insofar as either of these influences peak torque, the peak will remain where these two areas determined its rpm.

Now, about different cross-sections in a given intake manifold or header set. It works, to the extent of obtaining similar results in terms of broadening an overall torque curve. In fact, it’s possible to construct an engine package with an intake manifold with two different runner section areas, a header set of two different section areas and a camshaft with different intake and exhaust valve timing…matching the two-sized intake and two-sized headers. But that’s a whole new subject to consider. That one also worked as well.

The post Torque Curve Adjustment appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Nothing “purrs” like a Hemi. Whether the metric for measuring awesomeness is horsepower per cubic inch, torque per cubic inch, or on-track beat-downs per gallon of fuel consumed, nothing can touch the Elephant. Authoritatively proving the point is Carlo Aghbashian’s 429 cubic inches of hemispherical fury. Not even a 50-year-old set of factory iron cylinder heads, a stock crankshaft, an OE block, or a hydraulic roller camshaft can hold it back. Despite its modest displacement, this welterweight beast kicks out 723 horsepower and 581 lb-ft of torque. That works out to an impressive 1.68 hp and 1.35 lb-ft per cube. Squeezing so much performance out of an engine combination based so heavily on OE hardware takes a wizard’s touch, and Carlo tapped into his deep love of Mopars to make it happen.

Going Way Back

As utilitarian devices that often take a back seat to the cars they’re bolted in, it’s highly unusual for an engine to have a cool back story. Unlike most Engine Master’s Challenge entries that are built specifically for the competition itself, Carlo and his Hemi go way back. “When I was 18, I lucked out on a deal on a six-cylinder Satellite. I then moved on to a 318-powered Satellite, a ’68 Charger, and a ’70 Road Runner,” he fondly reminisces. “I tried to blow up the 440 in that Road Runner by powershifting it, but never succeeded. It ran 11.40s, and I even drove it from California all the way to Canada with 4.10:1 gears. That got me stuck on Mopars, but I always wanted a Hemi ever since I was 16 years old.”

Having taken a keen interest in engine building at a young age, Carlo wanted any Hemi he could get his hands on, even if it didn’t come with a car. Opportunity came knocking 20 years ago, when he spotted an interesting ad in a newspaper. “I found two Hemis for sale, a ’66 and a ’69. Someone had just slapped them together, and one of them didn’t have the right pistons in it, but they still had standard-bore blocks so I had to have them,” Carlo recalls.

As the years passed, Carlo learned how to port cylinder heads and build complete engines. “I worked for Ray Barton for a while, then one thing led to another, and all of a sudden I started my own shop, Raceheads. I like all makes, but for me Mopars have always been one step above the rest,” Carlo opines. Throughout this decades-long journey from casual enthusiast to professional engine builder, Carlo always kept his two Hemis stashed away for a special occasion. When his ’70 ’Cuda was in need of a new motor, he felt that the time was right to finally bust out one of those Hemis. “This definitely wasn’t my first choice of engine to build for EMC. The Gen III Hemi I was working on wasn’t done in time. My friend (and EMC veteran) Corey Short talked me into taking my Gen II Hemi to EMC even though I was building it for my ’Cuda.”

From Street to Competition

With bragging rights, big money, and pride on the line, EMC competitors often spend tens of thousands of dollars and months of R&D work prepping their engine combos for battle. This begs the obvious question: Does an engine built for a street car on a modest budget stand any chance against motors purpose-built for EMC? You bet. “This engine wasn’t built for EMC, so I didn’t put a lot of thought into it. I swapped out the dual-plane intake for a tunnel-ram and bolted some custom headers to the motor, but the rest of the engine combination is the exact same as what I planned on running in my ’70 ’Cuda,” Carlo explains. “Ignition issues prevented us from making a clean dyno pull at EMC, but based on the dyno runs we’ve made since then, we would have scored around 2,452 points. That would have placed us Third in the Hemi Generational Challenge.”

Interestingly, adapting the street Hemi combo for EMC duty required very little work. “When you build an all-out race motor, you pay more attention to the cylinder head cross-section and the camshaft. When you build a street motor, you build what you have,” Carlo states. “The short-block and cylinder heads for this engine were already built. Finishing it was simply a matter of marrying the two together in a hurry to get it ready in time for EMC. When I originally built this motor, I went with a modest-sized cam that would be drivable on the street. Fortunately, EMC rules favor street engines over race engines because they average the horsepower and torque output between 3,000 and 7,000 rpm. You can’t go with an all-out drag race cam and still score good numbers. Large-displacement engines don’t score well, either, which also favored my 429-inch combo.”

Short-Block Preservation

Adapting a Hemi built for the street for EMC, and putting up respectable numbers, is quite an accomplishment. What makes the feat even more impressive is Carlo’s insistence on retaining well-seasoned stock components. Original Hemi hardware doesn’t exactly grow on trees, so Carlo’s desire to preserve the factory hardware is completely understandable. “A 1969 Hemi block is very hard to find, so I didn’t want to bore an original block .030-inch over if I didn’t have to. I found a set of Ford rings I could use that were .013-inch over, and I had CP make a custom set of 11.25:1 pistons for a 4.263-inch bore,” he explains.

For the rest of the short-block, Carlo maintained his practical, no nonsense approach to parts selection. He matched the custom pistons up with a set of Manley 6.900-inch steel rods and a stock 3.750-inch forged crankshaft. Managing the valve events is a custom Cam Motion 260/255-at-.050 hydraulic roller with .723/.603-inch lift. “I’ve had a lot of success running reverse-split cams on Hemi builds. With the way the intake/exhaust flow ratio turns out on the stock cylinder heads, the intake valves respond well to the additional lift and duration,” Carlo explains. “Even with a conservative camshaft, the motor turned 7,000 rpm without a problem. If you can’t buzz a Hemi to 7,000, then what can you buzz to 7,000?”

Head Master

Although Carlo designed the short-block with OE parts preservation and drivability in mind, any engine that makes over 700 hp has got to have a serious set of cylinder heads. With nearly 400 cfm of airflow on tap, the ported factory iron cylinder heads on Carlo’s Hemi certainly fit that description. Notwithstanding, success at EMC requires strong airflow and port velocity throughout the entire lift curve, not just at peak lift. With decades of self-taught porting experience under his belt, Carlo knew exactly how to tackle the Hemi heads. “I started porting cylinder heads in my parent’s driveway after I read a tech article in a magazine. Around that time, a buddy of mine had just ported the heads on his 340 small-block, and said that his car pulled so hard when he dumped the clutch that he almost got a nose bleed,” he recalls.

Anecdotal peer testimonials aside, what really resonated with Carlo were the numbers. “My buddy’s car ended up running high-11s at the dragstrip, and 30 years ago that was fast,” Carlo recounts. “He said I needed to learn how to port heads, and his story always stuck with me. I learned through a lot of trial and error, and talking to old time racers in the business who showed us some tricks. Sometimes, the things you think that are going to work great don’t work out well at all, and vice-versa.”

One of those tricks that has always stuck with Carlo is that moderation is often the key to success. “With cylinder heads, a little bit can go a long way when you’re porting or reshaping a port. You don’t have to go hog wild,” he states. “We didn’t have flow benches when I was first starting out, so we had to make incremental changes then test them out at the track. You definitely have to make some mistakes along the way in order to move forward. I’m still learning today. The day I stop learning is the day I’m dead.”

Considering that Hemis boast large ports straight from the factory, Carlo didn’t see the need to make them much bigger. Instead, he concentrated his efforts on optimizing the valve job, raising the exhaust ports, and boosting low- and mid-lift airflow and velocity. “A lot of things stand out on a Hemi, but the cylinder heads just look like they mean business. Everything else looks puny in comparison,” he quips.

Carlo readily admits that quality aftermarket castings from Edelbrock and Mopar Performance handily outperform the stock iron castings, but he felt that that the OE hardware was plenty sufficient for his needs. “Hemis were originally designed as nasty race engines, so the cross-section of the intake ports on these heads is simply gasket matched on this engine. There wasn’t much thinking behind it,” Carlo explains. “I spent a lot of time experimenting with five or six different valve jobs. Changing out the tulip-style valves for nailhead valves sacrificed some high-lift flow, but it made a huge difference at low and mid lift. These heads started out flowing 323 cfm at .700 lift, and I was able to bump that up to 394 cfm at .800 lift. Simply getting the valve job right was worth 25 cfm across the board.”

On the opposite side of the cylinder head, shrinkage was the name of the game. “The exhaust ports are too big on a factory Hemi cylinder head. They also turn radically downward toward the ground,” says Carlo. “I filled in the floor to straighten out the port, and significantly reduced the cross-section as well. The exhaust ports on a factory Hemi head can flow up to 290 cfm, but the flow numbers ended up at 265 cfm because I wanted to focus on accelerating the airspeed.”

Breathe In, Breathe Out

If there’s one area where Carlo’s Hemi deviates from the street formula, it’s the induction package. With no hood clearance issues to worry about, he opted for a proven Indy tunnel-ram intake manifold matched with dual 750cfm Holley Dominator carbs. With long runners that boost low- and mid-range torque, and tons of plenum volume to keep the air moving at high rpm, a tunnel-ram matched with dual-quads is about as close to optimal as you can get. Consequently, it’s hardly surprising that whenever tunnel-rams are allowed, people usually run them. Straight out the box, the Indy intake manifold is an impressive piece that required nothing more than a delicate touch to prepare it for competition. “All I had to do was gasket-match the openings, then blend them into the runners. Inside the plenum, I smoothed out and radiused all the sharp edges to even out the airflow,” says Carlo.

On the exhaust side, experimenting with several header configurations yielded huge dividends on the dyno. “The headers were custom built using SPD flanges and collectors, then we tuned the primary length to maximize engine output. We thought that adding primary length would help the low- and midrange at the expense of top-end power, but it actually picked up 50 horsepower and 60 lb-ft everywhere in the rpm band,” Carlo explains. “We added six inches, and the motor loved it. We added eight inches, and the motor loved it. Then we tried 12 inches, which didn’t make much of a difference, so we settled back on eight inches.”

Dyno Action

In the rush to compete at EMC, even the best of engine builders can overlook simple things that lead to a DNF on the dyno. Unfortunately, a minor ignition gremlin prevented Carlo’s Hemi from revving past 5,000 rpm. Disappointed but not defeated, Carlo strapped his motor to Klodus Technologies’ SuperFlow dyno after EMC concluded to see what the Hemi had in it. With the timing set to 33 degrees of advance and the dual Dominators keeping the air/fuel ratio steady at 11.8- to 12.4:1, the engine cranked out 723 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 581 lb-ft at 5,800 rpm. According to Carlo, these figures would have been good for a Third Place finish. Not too shabby for an engine based on an original Hemi block, crank, iron heads, and a mild hydraulic roller camshaft going up against engine combinations fortified with the best cylinder heads and short-block components that the aftermarket has to offer.

Engine combinations like this continue to prove that nothing purrs like a Hemi. What’s even more impressive is how such simple OE hardware can get a Hemi to per so effortlessly the first place.

On The Dyno
429ci Gen II Hemi

Fast Facts
429 Chrysler Hemi

The post Vintage ’69 Hemi Revived for the Street & Makes 723 HP! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

When properly tuned, side-exiting exhaust produces some of the sweetest music to a driving enthusiast’s ears. We imagine the sound sensation is similar to that of driving a Trans-Am race car. You feel wholly connected to everything going on with the car at all times, and side exhaust also has the side benefit of being a much simpler way to build the system. You generally don’t need a muffler shop or a tubing bender, either. All you need is a welder, a saw, handtools, and the materials. With a good set of clamps, you may not even need a welder!

Summit Racing had everything we needed to finish the exhaust system on Car Craft’s G-body G-Machine project being built by the students (and instructor Dave Rushen) at the Burlington County Institute of Technology in Medford, New Jersey. This 1983 Buick Regal T-type has an LS3 E-Rod engine, which means it already had exhaust manifolds and pipes (with cats) that go from the engine bay to just under the floorpan. The mid-pipes are 2-1/2 inches in diameter, so we planned to continue the same size all the way through. Given that this is a stock, 426hp, 6.2L V8 engine, that tubing diameter seems sufficient. If you’ve got a bigger engine or forced induction, you may want to consider a 3-inch system. It is worth noting that the pipe diameter can affect the volume of the exhaust as well as the muffler design. For performance, it is important that the exhaust opening gets larger as it nears the atmosphere. You don’t want to neck down at any point, which could cause the exhaust to stall and generate backpressure. If you have a 3-inch collector on your headers, stick with 3 inches (or larger) the rest of the way. Before purchasing the pipe, though, you should figure out which mufflers you want to use. With certain brands, you may not be able to get the exact inlet/outlet diameter and orientation you want, especially if you’re picky about the muffler’s brand and design.

For our car, we chose Flowmaster’s 50 Series Delta Flow mufflers with an offset, 2-1/2-inch inlet and center-oriented 2-1/2-inch outlet (PN FLO-942551). The 50 Series Delta Flow mufflers have a three-chambered design with Flowmaster’s Resonance Tuning Chamber technology that has, according to Flowmaster’s literature, a “moderate” exterior sound and “minimal” interior resonance. If this isn’t loud enough for you, the 40 Series Delta Flow has a two-chamber design, an “aggressive” exterior sound, and “noticeable” interior resonance. The 23-inch length and offset inlet/center outlet arrangement was a perfect fit for the G-body, which we complemented with 4 feet of Summit’s 2.5-inch, 16-gauge, aluminized steel tubing (PN SUM-640025-1) as well as two 45-degree bends (PN SUM-670175). That’s just $50 worth of tubing! For good measure, we also had Summit send a couple 12-inch U-bends, but that turned out to be unnecessary. It’s a good idea to keep one of these handy in case you need it. You can always cut pieces out of it to change the angle. Kooks had some of the nicest stainless-steel band clamps, so we picked up six of them (PN KOK-RK-TAS250), which ran another $80 from Summit.

Aside from the mufflers, the most expensive parts of the whole setup were the ones people actually see: the exhaust tips. A lot of the exhaust tips you’d use on a rear-exit application simply didn’t look right. Thankfully, Summit had a set of rectangular matte-black tips from Gibson Performance Exhaust (PN GIB-500366-B) that were made of T-304 stainless steel and bolted right on to the 2.5-inch pipes.
In all, we dropped about $500 on the entire setup. We feel that was worth it, and it produced a system that was unique and totally custom. Check out how we put it together.

The post How to Make Your Own Side-Exit Exhaust on a G-Body appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Ever see an LS engine with an air cleaner strapped directly onto the throttle body? Looks simple enough, right? Simple, yes—but not quite so practical. Since you’ve already gone the length of choosing an “efficient” engine, do your best to stick with that theme and equip it with as efficient an air indication system as possible.

Optimally, you want to pull as much cold (i.e. fresh) air as possible, and as such, taking the steps to place your initial intake point (air filter) isolated from the engine compartment’s hot air is ideal … but not always feasible. With the Chevrolet Performance Connect & Cruise LS3 in project 1955 Revive, there were a few obstacles that prevented this, and as such, limitations dictated that a “basic” intake system be used.

In a near-perfect situation, housing the air cleaner in a sealed containment device (box) within the engine bay and pulling air directly from the outside—just as the OEs do—is what we’d like to achieve. However, that’s not always easily done, as previously mentioned, and when you have a bay full of components, you may be forced to pull air from within. With that said, you still have a couple parameters in which to follow.

Because your efficient engine is dictated by computer electronics, your mass airflow (MAF) sensor must be placed strategically: a minimum of 10 inches from the throttle body within a minimum of 6 inches of straight 4-inch tubing … and it must be oriented horizontally (or at any angle between 3 and 12 o’clock, up to fully upright, but not in any downward position).

Sure, your LS engine will run with a throttle body mounted right onto the throttle body—you’ll find companies that offer them as such—but for better efficiency, go that extra step and either build yourself a custom cold-air intake setup or assemble an abovementioned parameter-meeting intake. (Coincidentally, after this was completed, we discovered that Chevrolet Performance now offers an LS Universal Air Induction Kit, available direct from the manufacturer or Chevrolet Performance authorized dealer.)

The post Making a Simple Air Intake for your Tri-Five LS Transplant appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

When Ford introduced the 5.0L Ti-VCT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing) V-8, better known as the Coyote, it was an immediate success with Mustang fans, and when Ford Performance introduced them as a crate engine they were a hit with hot rodders as well. Dean Livermore at Hot Rods by Dean has been involved in a number of Coyote conversions and he and his crew managed to shoehorn one into our ARP/STREET RODDER Road Tour 1966 Ford Fairlane.

Ford created the Coyote from a blank sheet of paper, or maybe we should say an empty computer screen. In any case, Ford’s new engine was a truly modern all-aluminum four-valve DOHC V-8. With a bore of 3.629 inches and a stroke of 3.649, displacement is roughly 302 ci or 5.0-liters (actually 301.95 ci or 4.9-liters, but 302 and 5.0L sounded better). Weighing in at a scant 444 pounds, these new cammers churned out 412 hp at 6,500 rpm, 390 lo-fi of torque at 4,250 rpm when first installed in Mustangs. Along with impressive performance these new engines posted surprising mileage numbers—17/26-mpg city/highway with a six-speed manual, and 18/25 with the automatic, so every number they made was impressive.

Differences in the Breed
For clarification, 2011-2014 Coyotes are Gen I engines; 2015 are Gen II. According to Ford most of the improvements to 2015 Coyote (or Gen II Coyote) focus on allowing it to breathe better. Those Gen II Coyote improvements include:
• Larger intake valves
• Larger exhaust valves
• Revised intake camshafts
• Revised exhaust camshafts
• Stiffer valvesprings to ensure that the valves close completely at high rpm
• New cylinder-head casting, including revised ports that provide a straighter path to the valves for less-restrictive intake and exhaust flow and combustion chamber modifications to accommodate larger valves
•A new intake manifold features charge motion control valves to partially close off port flow at lower engine speeds. This increases the air charge tumble and swirl for improved air/fuel mixing, resulting in better fuel economy, idle stability, and lower emissions.
•On the intake side, variable camshaft timing now has mid-lock phasers allowing better control of the valve timing over a broader range of engine.

Additional changes include:
• Sinter forged connecting rods that were used on the Boss 302 engine that are more durable for high-rpm operation
• Redesigned piston tops with deeper cutouts to clear the new larger valves
• Rebalanced forged crankshaft that supports higher-rpm operation
• Gen II blocks use 11mm head bolts

Oiling System
All the improvements made in the Gen II Coyote impact performance, and there are some changes that directly impact how these engines are installed. Of critical importance in this regard are the changes in the Gen II oiling system. Gen II blocks have an added oil return and require the matching Gen II OFA (oil filter adaptor) to mount the spin-on filter. Gen II blocks can be used for builds with Gen I or II components as long as the Gen II OFA is used.

Proper Plumbing of a Remote-Mount Oil Filter
Oil filters have an internal one-way check valve so it is crucial that remote filters are plumbed correctly. If the oil lines are hooked up backward, oil flow to the engine is stopped and engine failure will result.
When using a remote oil filter adapter, the top hole delivers oil from the remote mount oil filter adapter into the engine. The bottom hole delivers oil coming out of the engine to the filter (oil port A is in, B out).
Ford also cautions that due to the high oil demands of this engine, nothing less than -10 lines and fittings are used. In addition, use only radius-type fittings if a bend is needed. A 45-degree radius bend creates less restriction than a 90-degree radius bend.

Proper Priming of the 5.0L DOHC Engine
Unlike the earlier pushrod equipped engines, the Coyote doesn’t have an oil pump driveshaft that can be spun to prime the oiling system—and these engine cannot be primed by spinning them with the starter. The only proper pre-lube procedure for a Coyote is the use of a pressurized tank.

Ford’s instructions on priming the oil system are very specific and must be followed to prevent engine damage:

When Using an Aftermarket Remote-Mount Oil Filter
“Check and note oil level on dipstick. With oil filter installed, remove lower line from block adapter oil port “B.” Using proper adapters, attach engine pre-lube tank to the oil line removed from oil port “B.” Following the engine pre-lube tank manufacturer’s instructions, prime the engine.
Remove pre-lube tank from oil line and attach oil line to block adapter. Check oil level—if engine was properly primed, the level will have risen. It may take a few minutes for the oil to drain down to the pan. Drain excess oil if necessary.”

Priming the Engine with the Oil Filter in the Stock Location
“Check and note oil level on dipstick. With oil filter installed and full of oil, remove oil pressure sending unit. Using proper adapters, attach engine pre-lube tank to the port that the sending unit was screwed into. Following the engine pre-lube tank manufacturer’s instructions, prime the engine. Check oil level—if engine was properly primed, the level will have risen. It may take a few minutes for the oil to drain down to the pan. Drain excess oil if necessary.
Remove engine pre-lube tank from filter adapter. Apply sealant to the threads of the oil pressure sending unit. Reinstall and torque to 14 Nm, then rotate an additional 180 degrees.”

Coolant Flow
How a Coyote cools is a critical issue. Ford cautions “If a heater circuit is not used then the heater supply must be connected to the heater return to allow air to be purged from the right hand cylinder head and provide sufficient coolant flow through the righthand cylinder head. Install a 5/16-inch-diameter (0.3125) restrictor in this hose.”

To ensure that coolant flows through the righthand head at all times Hot Rods by Dean can provide a heater valve that diverts coolant into the engine when the heater is in the “off” position.

Fairlane Fitment
Thanks to the Roadster Shop chassis and the redesigned engine compartment by Hot Rods by Dean the tiny Fairlane engine compartment was made big enough to accommodate the larger than most Coyote V-8.
While the engine remains stock internally, with the notable exception of lockout plates on the variable timing camshafts, the most obvious modification is the wild custom induction system. Hot Rods by Dean fabricated the intake manifold and then equipped it with Inglese eight-stack, 50mm, throttle-body injectors controlled by a FAST computer, while the engine management system is a FAST XFI Sportsman ECU. Aeromotive supplied the fuel pump, filters, pressure regulator, and lines.
To get the engine low enough in the chassis for the new induction system to clear the hood, Hot Rods by Dean fabricated the custom engine mounts and swapped the stock pan and pickup for parts from Moroso. Spent gases are removed by headers from PerTronix that were designed to fit street rod applications—the collector on the right side required minor surgery to fit the Fairlane but that’s all part of putting 10 pounds of stuff in a 2-pound bag. The remainder of the exhaust system is made up from pipes and those sweet-sounding mufflers from Flowmaster that gives our Road Tour car that unmistakable rumble.

The post Identifying Coyote Motors appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

You’ve seen the evidence. You disassemble an engine and witness the appearance of deposits—or their absence—on piston crowns and combustion chambers in the cylinder heads. You can relate the presence, absence, or variations in color (density) of these deposits to combustion efficiency. But before we dig into that aspect of making power, let’s divert for a moment to talk a bit about the combustion process itself.

At any given engine speed, there is a fixed amount of time to combust, or burn, the available fuel. The rate at which this oxidation-reduction reaction occurs is a function of fuel droplet size (among other factors). Essentially, the larger the droplet, the more time required to reduce it to heat and power during the combustion process. Therefore, by whatever means, it’s desirable to achieve the highest possible atomization efficiency. This is not particularly simple when using carburetors. Smokey Yunick once suggested to me that carburetors are little more than a controlled leak in terms of providing well-atomized fuel. And if you’ve ever peered into the mouth of a carburetor on a running engine, you could visualize his point.

The bottom-line is air/fuel mixtures containing fuel droplets of varying size, which is virtually unavoidable, tend to burn at equally varying rates. And they tending to leave some measure of unburned fuel that passes out of the engine, based on fixed time periods (depending on engine rpm) for the combustion event to take place. This condition can lead to problems when trying to optimize spark timing and the quantity of fuel delivered. But as is so often the case, we compromise to find the best levels of both.

As discussed in previous Enginology offerings, there are various ways to improve atomization efficiency, including the process of texturizing the inlet flow path from the intake manifold, up to and including, the combustion space. But despite all our efforts to optimize atomization efficiency, the combustion rate and completeness will not be total.

In an effort to produce the best combustion environment, it’s possible to read the telltale signs, such as the appearance, color, and location of the residue left behind in the burn process. You can also examine the effects of sharp edges or related areas where air and fuel are mechanically separated during the burn, plus where most of the combustion is occurring. This is hopefully more toward the exhaust valve than elsewhere. In fact, where possible, canting piston domes to favor flame travel toward the exhaust valve has long been a beneficial technique.

In some instances, depending upon specific mixture motion intentions, how the combustion flame is moving through the combustion space, and the degree of quench involved (locations where the flame is deliberately being prematurely snuffed out to create wanted turbulence), very small areas of combustion residue or even clean areas can be acceptable. If any of the combustion space areas are a bit oily, this reading of the residue is less meaningful due to how this contamination can affect combustion efficiency.

Let’s assume that we’d like the rate of burn to be uniform. To accomplish this, air/fuel ratios throughout the combustion space would, at least theoretically, be uniform. However, we’ve already concluded fuel droplet size (relative to atomization efficiency) is not consistent throughout this space, thereby, resulting in variations in air/fuel ratio and conditions of the burn.

We’ve mentioned the term flame rate several times, here’s an analogy that relates to this process. Let’s say you take a clean piece of paper and touch a burning match to one corner. For purposes of this discussion, the flame will travel across the paper at a relatively uniform rate; that is, it experiences a uniform field of air/fuel ratios. But now suppose you have another piece of paper with a couple oil and water spots on it. When we set this piece afire, the rate of flame consuming the paper will change when it encounters the oil and water spots, representing an un-uniform field of air/fuel ratios. Although the actual combustion process occurs in very brief periods of time, it is still a process and needs to be considered as such.

All this business of combustion efficiency relates directly to the amount of pressure (work) being applied to an engine’s pistons. Irregular combustion efficiency is linked to irregular pressure and the amount of net torque produced at any given rpm. In previous discussions, we have noted one convenient method of estimating the combustion efficiency of a given engine package can be performed by reviewing its brake-specific fuel-consumption data. A reduction in BSFC without an attending loss in power is an indication the engine is operating at peak combustion efficiency at that specific rpm. Additionally, we’ve suggested this typically occurs at peak torque rpm (the highest level of volumetric efficiency).

If you’re dealing with an engine that has seen some run time, even on an engine dyno, and are making changes intended to improve combustion efficiency (piston crown, combustion chamber or inlet path) based on your reading of the combustion surfaces, you will likely see corresponding changes in BSFC. If BSFC values decrease with no power loss, you’re moving in the right direction. If they increase, you’re not.

Another factor, all combustion-exposed surfaces may not display residue, particularly in areas intended to provide quench like in wedge-shaped combustion chambers. While all such surfaces may be experiencing fuel wash, and possible modifications might help promote a reunion of air and fuel prior to combustion, it’s best to make a determination of the problem before taking a one-change-solves-the-problem approach.

Any dark residue left on piston crowns is often caused downstream of sharp edges or sudden changes in the surface over which the combustion flame is traveling, which results in separated air and fuel or conditions that cause an overly rich mixture. These might be due to valve reliefs, spark plug tips protruding into the combustion space, improperly shaped piston crowns, or sharp-edged combustion chamber walls.

In addition, airflow quality can have a negative effect on air/fuel mixture homogeneity, and thus, the flame rate and uniformity. Simply providing a race engine with an increase in airflow, particularly when using carburetors does not automatically ensure a corresponding increase in net torque. Although air is a participant in the combustion process, it is also the conveyance by which fuel is delivered to the combustion space and how it participates in the burn. From experience, all cylinders in an engine do not make the same levels of power, but it is certainly a goal. Even the sequence of an engine’s firing order can play into this problem of inequality, particularly when using carburetors and single-plane intake manifolds.

Overall, reading combustion patterns is somewhat like following someone’s footprints in damp sand. One person might interpret the footprints as an indication of how much the person leaving the prints might weigh. Another could determine the direction the person was walking. Yet another might suggest the walker’s gender. Drawing meaningful conclusions from post-combustion patterns and pinpointing solutions to the problem requires experience. It also depends upon applying potential solutions and making a genuine attempt to evaluate the results from the changes made, perhaps using some of the techniques outlined in this month’s column.

To quote noted engine builder Dennis Wells of Wells Racing Engines: “When all is said and done, the quality of air/fuel mixtures in the combustion space both before and during combustion is key to maximizing power. Reading combustion patterns can be a powerful tool in determining the desirable shapes of piston crowns and combustion chambers. The patterns can tell you a lot about the operational relationship between the combustion floor (piston crowns) and roof (combustion chamber). In the final analysis, each can have an impact on overall combustion efficiency and power.”

The post Combustion Patterns appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

All too often the cooling of our street rod is left to whatever components we bolt on. Whereas we should be taking the time to make sure each component is working properly and will work well together. It’s only after we have our ride up and running that we begin to pay close attention to what the water temp gauge is telling us.

History has taught us that there is a great deal of good and not so good information out there. By out there I mean the Internet. We have all heard the expression, “I read it on the web so it must be true.” Well, no it doesn’t have to be true. While there is a great deal of good to excellent info on the web it is this that gives us a false sense of security and we take everything on face value…when we should do some additional exploring on the web and with manufactures of everything from gauges to radiators.

Another reality when it comes to building your own street rod…cooling is one fo the most misunderstood areas, right there with electrics. But it shouldn’t be given how must is out there in great product and good information. In an attempt to get you onto solid ground and the building of your street rod firmly entrenched in solid advice you will find over the next few pages is a listing of products that will help you learn what and how to keep your hot rods cool—and you while you are at it.

You have to start somewhere and typically each hot rodder begins with the single largest and typically the most costly component…the radiator. Always start with a radiator that is designed for your applications. Hot rod radiators is a large industry with a great number of applications available along with accessory equipment (coolers, fans, etc…) to make tackling the cooling chores less of a chore and more of a fun to do project.

There’re plenty of great examples in both copper/brass and aluminum but remember each has specific care practices to follow. Before you fork over upwards of $800 for a really good radiator with electric fan and shroud, note there ‘re critical factors to first decide. These would include engine (size and horsepower level), engine compartment (airflow), and accessories (A/C, electric fan, automatic trans, etc…). Keep this in mind that the cooling chore isn’t solely the responsibility of the radiator as there are trans fluid and engine oil coolers, coolants and additives, fans (electric and mechanical) and shrouds, fan controllers (fixed and temperature controlled), electric fan controllers, and water pumps.

Earlier we mentioned electric fans and shrouds. Regardless if you use a mechanical (block driven) fan or an electric fan, a proper shroud is your engine’s best friend when it comes to assisting in cooling. A good shroud should be designed and fitted to your radiator and engine compartment needs, as well as fan placement (electric attached to the front or back of the radiator) or a block driven the shroud is critical. A well-designed shroud and matched to a properly placed fan will assist in directing the air through the radiator and over the engine and out of the engine.

Cooling is critical…period. Nothing is more frustrating than going through all of the time, effort, and budget to build your latest greatest project only to find out that it won’t cool when cruising, driving down the freeway, or just idling. But, start by doing your homework and research what it is that you’re building and make sure to match components and then follow proper building techniques and should be off to a good start. If there are problems the troubleshooting is simple and easy to follow. Don’t rush and you will find the gremlin and get it taken care of and you will be off and running with not a hot head to be seen. A good place to start is the following cooling guide.

Electric cooling fans have become a mainstay when it comes to keeping any type of project vehicle’s engine cool. The F5 Dual Fan Controller is rated to control one 70-amp cooling fan. One of this controller’s many great features allows you to run your fan at 50 percent up to 100 percent, depending on your engine temperature. Included is a three-position toggle switch that gives you manual control of the cooling fans. Position one runs the fan at 100 percent on, position two is normal operation allowing the F5 to take control for you, and position three is 0 percent fan or fan off. Also included is a push-button switch that is used to set the vehicle speed at which you like the cooling fan to shut off above. Dual fan and metric sensor controllers are also available.

For over 40 years, U.S. Radiator has offered the most complete and comprehensive line of “correct appearance and fit” copper/brass radiators for American classic, muscle cars, classic truck, and street rod applications in the industry. Over the last 10 years they have expanded their line of “correct appearance and fit” radiators with their Desert Cooler Aluminum radiators. They now offer four distinctive performance core designs to handle any horsepower and hard-to-cool applications and have been the leader in innovated heat-transfer design. Couple that with their unique Triple Flow design and Low Profile Fan Shroud package and every application from mild to wild is covered.

For 40 years The Brassworks has handcrafted radiators for restored cars and classic street rods. They pack a lot of cooling in their radiator cores. Fins are made of tellurium copper because it conducts heat at twice the speed of aluminum. Their highly elliptical tube design maximizes the coolant contact area, and the punch and flaring of each fin achieves over three times the contact area found in common radiator construction. Staggering tubes tumble air laterally as it passes though the core and embossed louvers in each fin disrupt the airflow on the fin. Making cores with these features isn’t the cheapest way, so you won’t find them in the discount copper radiators or aluminum radiators but you will in a Brassworks radiator.
Our builders assemble our reproductions alongside an original radiator so they can construct a simple drop-in replacement or build from a drawing to make custom fabrications. Specializing in chops, split cores, angled headers, angled cores, reliefs for fans, tank reliefs, formed inlets, and much more, we can accommodate your specific build needs.

Engines rarely overheat on the highway due to good airflow and good coolant flow. The reality is most engines overheat in stop-and-go traffic, at stoplights, or at cruising speed when the coolant flow rate though the radiator is reduced.
FlowKooler’s newest generation of Hi Flow Water Pumps have precision-machined impellers with integrated shrouds and a military-grade anodized surface finish. With incremental vanes and tighter tolerances, FlowKooler doubles flow rates at slow speed and idle to reduce engine temperatures as much as 30 degrees. A more efficient flow helps conserve system horsepower by 2.2 percent and increase the block pressure by 22 percent, which prevents the formation of hot spots and steam pockets in the
water jacket. A full range of pumps for street rods, muscle cars, trucks, Jeeps, and rock crawlers is available through selected dealers or directly on FlowKooler’s website.

High-performance engines require coolant to transfer as much heat as possible. As cylinder head temperatures increase, so does the likelihood of detonation and power loss unless ignition timing is retarded. Under extreme conditions, this can also result in overheating and engine damage.
Hy-Per Lube Super Coolant reduces the surface tension of coolant, allowing it to more deeply penetrate metal surfaces at critical heat transfer areas inside the engine and radiator. This results in more heat being transferred away from cylinder heads and a reduction in engine operating temperatures.
Importantly, cooler cylinder head temperatures also allow the engine ECU to safely advance ignition timing, which results in more horsepower. Street applications running a 50/50 mix run 6-8 degrees F cooler, and racing applications running straight water coolant run up to 20 degrees F cooler. Actual cylinder head temperatures can be reduced by up to 50 degrees F.
Hy-Per Lube Super Coolant provides complete protection from rust, corrosion, and electrolysis. This is particularly important in straight water applications, where there is no corrosion protection being provided by the corrosion inhibitors in antifreeze. Hy-Per Lube Super Coolant is formulated specifically to protect aluminum systems and is compatible with all types of antifreeze

Perma-Cool Inc. offers this Big Tube HD Engine Oil Cooler System, PN 40189. Measuring 1-1/2 inches thick, 7 inches wide, and 21 inches long, the robust, yet lightweight all-aluminum cooler features full 5/8-inch tubes with patented turbulators for maximum efficiency and 3/8-inch FPT fittings for a secure, leakproof connection. Fully flushable and recommended for street, strip, or endurance engines up to 500 hp, the system includes an oil filter sandwich adapter, fittings, hose clamps, all necessary mounting hardware, and illustrated installation instructions. As with all of their fluid coolers, Perma-Cool designs and manufactures in their modern Riverside, California, facility and guarantees each will provide years of trouble-free service by extending their industry-exclusive lifetime warranty. Don’t just cool it … Perma-Cool it!

Griffin Thermal Products is proud to introduce the all-new ExactFit series of aluminum radiators. With 30 years of experience in the performance cooling market and one of the largest collections of OEM sample radiators, Griffin has engineered the ExactFit series. Working with a double focus on precision and performance, the ExactFit products install exactly the same as the OEM component. They offer all of the required mounting tabs, brackets, and spuds to ensure a seamless installation. Optimal performance is achieved by the use of two rows of Griffin exclusive MaxCool 1.25-inch tubing. The wider tube width used in these products creates a greater amount of surface area in the same amount of space. This allows the product to far exceed the performance of common two-row 1-inch radiators. Backed by the industry’s best two-year warranty, the new ExactFit radiators are top of the line.

Delta PAG’s brushless high-performance cooling fan uses cutting-edge, patented technologies, making them the most advanced fan on the market. Their patented technology increases reliability (lasts 10 times longer), reduces amp draw by +30%, Soft-Start eliminates power spikes, and produces over 2,800 cfm at only 2.70 inches thin.
Plug-and-play with your OEM/Aftermarket computer or use Delta PAG’s digital temp/speed controller to program on/off temp and adjust airflow to custom fit your application. One digital temp/speed controller can operate two fans simultaneously, allowing for true staggered-on operation. Included waterproof wiring harness makes an easy install, no relays or temp switches needed. Ask about fabricating a custom aluminum shroud for your application. Complete cooling packages also available; radiator, shroud, and fan(s) for any vehicle.

Old Air Products specializes in cooling system performance. They manufacture the Hurricane Series A/C, heat, and defrost systems that offer a variety of options to fit virtually any vehicle. Along with the A/C systems, they offer a complete line of electric fans, fan shrouds, and aluminum radiators to maximize the cooling capacity for your antique, classic, or custom vehicle. Old Air offers a full line of replacement parts and N.O.S., NORS parts for factory A/C and heater systems, including heater valves, blower switches, resistors, relays, receiver/dryers, cables, update kits for STV and POA valves, A/C hose assemblies, vacuum valves, and electrical switches.

SPAL “NUOVA” series sealed brushless (SBL) fans deliver unmatched performance and reliability to fit most any application on the market today.
Ranging in size from 10 to 17 inches (300- and 500-watt motors), SPAL “NUOVA” series brushless fans feature integrated power and signal electronics, “soft start” technology (eliminates electrical in-rush spike), digital control for smooth and reliable operation, temperature sensor options for full variable speed control, reduced axial dimensions, sealed motors (waterproof/dustproof), low weight, high efficiency, low noise, along with excellent resistance to vibration and harshness (NVH) levels. The brushless design also reduces the number of wear components versus standard brushed technology to deliver extremely long-lasting motor.
SPAL brushless fans achieve a remarkable 82 percent electrical efficiency. What this means is maximum airflow with minimal power draw. Sealed to IP68 and IP6K9K compliancy standards (waterproof/dustproof), SPAL SBL motors can operate in the presence of many aggressive or hazardous substances, making them ideal for most any application.

Heralded as the flagship fan of Maradyne’s brand, the M162K Champion Series 16-inch low-profile heavy-duty fan delivers more cooling per square inch than any other fan in its class. Designed with the street rod crowd in mind, this fan features an industry-low 3.25-inch height at the motor and a mere 1.1 inch at the outer rim of the shroud.
Made of all glass-filled nylon for high impact and heat resistance, this reversible fan produces over 2,000 cfm in Maradyne’s AMCA certified air test chamber. Sponsored for years on Xfinity and Cup racing teams, it can cool up to 850 hp in the pits. Whether it’s your favorite weekend rat rod or showstopping shrine to chrome and glitz, this fan will keep your powerplant cool and your ears happy with its quiet S-blade design.

Would you build your house without insulation? So why build your car without it? Installing Dynamat Xtreme and Dynaliner is the best non-mechanical way to cool down your vehicle. Without Dynamat and Dynaliner, heat from your vehicle’s engine and exhaust combine with heat from the sun to make your entire vehicle hot and miserable. When Dynaliner is installed on top of Dynamat Xtreme, the layered combination of metal and rubber act as an insulator, dissipating heat so your interior stays comfortable.
Dynamat Xtreme and Dynaliner are oil and water resistant, self-adhesive, and can be installed on any vehicle’s floor, firewall, roof, quarter-panels, doors, and even underhood. Dynamat Xtreme and Dynaliner provide an effective thermal barrier that lasts the lifespan of your vehicle. Dynaliner is available in 1/8-, 1/4-, and 1/2-inch thicknesses.

When your car runs hot, overheating and boil over can permanently damage critical engine components. The best way to maximize performance and still protect your investment is with the revolutionary Evans Waterless High Performance Coolant. Their proprietary liquid formulation has a far higher boiling point than water-based coolants. Evans doesn’t form vapor or boil over, letting your engine operate at lower, safer pressure levels. And because Evans is waterless, you’ll avoid damage caused by erosion, corrosion, and electrolysis.
Evans lasts the life of your engine and never needs to be replaced. In addition to the high-performance coolant, Evans also offers products for power sports and heavy-duty applications. So no matter what you drive, you can count on Evans to perform like no other engine coolant.

The post How To Keep Your Engine Cool appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

The Chevrolet LS series small-block motor is by far the most popular modern motor within the hot rod community. When it comes to engine swaps the venerable small-block Chevrolet package simply fits in any engine bay and it’s been that way since 1955.

The LS series of engines have proved to be perfect candidates, ranging from a T-bucket to a ’70s Chevelle and everything in between. The LS motors are compact and because of the direct port fuel injection the top plenum on the car is very low. A group of very cool-looking runners route air into the cylinders. This eliminates any problems with hood clearance. As for power, the only limitations are your desires and your wallet (not necessarily in that order).

While virtually every aspect of the engine has improved with each new generation, one thing that has fallen short is the cosmetics of modern engines. In their natural habitat (i.e., under the hood of a new car) the manufacturer relies on a plastic covers to make a presentation to the potential buyer. Of course that will never do for anyone building a hot rod.

There are any number of ways to disguise a modern LS motor from complete camouflage kits that make the LS motor look remarkably like a vintage small-block, to simple coil covers with early style valve cover flavor.

But people want to embrace the modern look of the motor but with a super clean installation. That was the approach our own Jason Scudellari took when he was cleaning up his stroked 383-inch, LS3 engine for his Chevy truck. The motor had already been modified with a FAST XFI Sportsman fuel injection system that is force fed with a TorqStorm supercharger. Obviously there will be no shortage of power with dyno numbers like 560 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. While this motor is not in a Corvette, the cosmetic improvements will work on any LS motor.

When it came time to “clean things up” Jason took a very straightforward approach. The FAST XFI Sportsman unit has a great performance vibe so he had no desire to hide that under a cover. Ditto the TorqStorm supercharger and associated plumbing. But the one thing all modern motors have a problem with is what is best described as clutter. After all, there is a lot going on with electronic controls, sensors, and wires everywhere. The problem Scudellari faced was how to make the engine look clean without losing the modern performance look.

Step one was replacing the factory coils with PerTronix Flame Thrower units. These are direct replacement pieces that employ the factory harness and connectors. The factory wiring harness puts the harness plug in the middle of the valve cover, making the wiring quite unsightly. Just above the coils you’ll find four injectors per side and yet another wiring harness. Jason figured if he could simply hide the wiring harness the rest of the pieces would have a cool, modern-performance appeal.

After studying the problem for a while he realized step one would be to relocate the factory center plug to the rear of the harness so the wiring harness would lay flat in the valley between the valve covers and the intake. That was a simply matter of cutting the factory harness, relocating the plug on the end, and then reassembling the wiring harness with solder and shrink wrap connections. When you are modifying a harness such as this it pays to label everything, mark wires, and take plenty of digital photographs so you know for sure where the wires belong. That said, it is a pretty straight-forward electrical project and as always, take your time and make perfect connections.

With the wiring done it was time to form a simple cover to hide the wires and at the same time become a nice transition piece from the FAST intake to the valve covers. As it turns out this too was a very straightforward sheetmetal project. The sheetmetal was cut and a slight radius was formed over a piece of 3-inch pipe. Then the Eastwood metal brake made a nice, larger than 90-degree bend. Four reliefs were cut in each panel to allow the wiring harness to connect to the coils. End panels were cut, fitted, and MIG welded to the top panels finishing the piece. Only one problem remained: how to attach these panels to the motor.

Scudellari’s solution was to drill and tap the lower portion of the FAST fuel rail as that area is solid aluminum. The proper drill size was employed and then tapped for 10-32 threads. Two socket head cap bolts per side would locate the panels, but here’s the cool part. A simple rubber grommet was sourced from the Harbor Freight grommet selection box and slipped over the 10-32 socket head cap bolts before threading it into the fuel rail. Then the new steel panels simply slip into the groove in the grommets holding the panels firmly in place with no vibrations transmitted from the engine. Slip them on, slip them off.

When all the fabrication was complete a couple coats of Eastwood 2K Aero-Spray Chassis black provided the perfect satin finish. The end result is a transitional panel that simply made a lot of that LS clutter disappear and the good news is this is well within the reach of any backyard mechanic with some reasonable time, skill, and tools. Follow along with the photos and we’ll show you step by step how to complete the project.

The post Covering the LS coils and wiring harness appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

If it’s one thing that’s curses Ford engines (and makes Ford owners curse), it’s accessory-drive systems. The company set precedence in the ’60s with the small-block. For a year or so short of four decades Ford put that engine in pretty much everything from the Falcon to the Explorer. And to make it fit such a diverse array of vehicles, Ford created a combination of pulleys and brackets that rival a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle of modern art. That ignores the running changes, any of which drive Ford owners to desperately clutch their wrenches and curse the sky, angry tears streaming down their cheeks. And those are from the possible combinations!

Well, if nothing else Ford is consistent. In 2011 it introduced the true heir apparent to the 302 dynasty: the Coyote. Though an entirely different design than its pushrod forebear, it’s remarkably faithful in one very important way: it’s a pain in the ass to put a power-steering pump and air conditioning compressor on it.

Yes it’s true that Ford equipped every one of these engines with compressors and pumps but it did so by mounting these components low and forward on the engine and then driving them with a second belt mounted ahead of the primary belt. That’s fine if one has the capacity to design the rest of a vehicle around an engine (like a new car) but not so if said engine has to fit in an existing package that was designed by the current engineers’ grandparents (or great- or great-great grandparents). Those components when hung off the front wreak havoc with chassis and crossmembers, not to mention radiators. And let’s be honest: Ford’s overhead-cam eights are ginormous (it’s a real word—look it up). As it is, Coyotes don’t fit most cars without serious engine-bay modifications. A secondary drive system is merely another layer of engine-swap purgatory.

As it has in the past, Vintage Air saved the day with a new Front Runner system. We know what you’re thinking: this kit doesn’t look anything like the sexy Front Runner systems that mount everything off an elaborate truss-like frame. The pushrod engines get those because most crate engines in that market don’t have any accessories whatsoever and the accessory drives designed for production cars don’t always mount the components in the correct places to fit older cars. As it happens, Ford got the alternator location right on the Coyote so there really wasn’t any need to reinvent the wheel there. Those engines just need a little love in the pump department.

The engineers designed an elegantly simple system. They flipped the power-steering pump backward so its pulley operates on the same plane as the other components’ pulleys do. That orientation let them mount the power-steering pump wherever they wanted, in this case high so the compressor can tuck up under the cylinder bank just as the alternator does on the other side of the block. Naturally running the pump backward presented a rotation issue but the engineers solved that by running its pulley off the backside of the drive belt.

Good design is more than a pretty face. Vintage Air learned a thing or two by working hand-in-hand with the OEMs for the past few decades. These mounts, for example, they’re shaped in such a way to also minimize harmonics, the dynamic that fatigues materials and cause components to loosen during use. Using locating sleeves rather than bolts to assemble the cradle and hold it to the block also maintains the most positive alignment and surface-contact area possible. And a special coating prevents the aluminum pulley from wearing prematurely. True, these things add to the production cost but they add exponentially more to the value. And there’s value in a system that comes with everything except hoses to work properly.

Ford being Ford, there are actually three variations that influence the installation of this kit. They correspond to a boss on the right-side timing cover. Ford doesn’t drill and tap the boss for certain applications, so installation requires machining. Identify the second version by the step machined around the boss. Ford drilled and tapped the boss but for an M8 fastener. Installation for that application requires a supplied sleeve and drilling and tapping the boss for an M10x1.5 thread. The third version resembles the second version but has reinforcement ribs. They require slight trimming for idler-pulley installation. We don’t cover the drilling/threading procedure here but the Vintage Air instructions explain the process. In a nutshell, the kit includes a drill guide that works with the cradle to ensure a perfectly located hole.

Sure other options exist to put a power steering and air conditioning on a Coyote engine. But so far we have yet to see one that solves as many problems as Vintage Air’s Front Runner. It’s quite possibly the ultimate blessing for a Coyote engine swap.

The post Vintage Air Front Runner for the 2016 Ford Performance Coyote appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Q: Russell Edwards Asks… Why Do the Cam Lobes Keep Failing on My 327 Chevy?

I had an engine shop rebuild my 327 small-block Chevy. Everything was brand-new, including the rods, pistons, crank, cam, and heads. After fire-up and with 100 miles on it, it washed a ring and completely wore a lobe off the cam. The shop rebuilt it again, and this time they fired it up and ran it before installing it back in the car. Again, at 100 miles, the rocker arms loosened and a lobe had worn off the cam and worn the lifter in half. The engine shop checked everything: The spring pressure was fine, the oil flow through the block is good, the hardness of the cam and lifter were OK, and there were no bent pushrods or anything else that would point to the problem. No one has been able to provide an answer to this problem. Do you have any insights into this issue?

A:

You didn’t specify what kind of cam, but I’m assuming it’s a flat-tappet — most early cam failures we see today seem to occur with them. I’ve discussed typical flat-tappet camshaft failure scenarios in these pages many times over the past few years, and the frequency of these questions makes one wonder why people still run flat-tappets in this day and age. Flat-tappets may be cheaper than a roller initially, but the reliability just isn’t there anymore. There are too many problems with inferior-quality offshore lifters contaminating the domestic supply chain.

I also can’t stress enough that with any aggressive, high-performance flat-tappet cam, use only a motor oil containing lots of ZDDP (zinc) additive. Zinc has been removed from typical auto-parts-store consumer motor oils (those with the “starburst” symbol) because it can adversely affect catalytic converters on newer cars, whose engines don’t need ZDDP because they all run roller tappets or followers. High-ZDDP oil is available through aftermarket specialty vendors such as Lucas Oil (there are many others). Another alternative is so called “big-truck” diesel oils. On initial cam run-in, also add a can of GM Engine Oil Supplement (EOS), Howard’s Cams Max ZPM additive, or equivalent.

OK, so you are using the right oil and break-in technique, yet are still having lobe failures. At this point, it’s time to examine the lifters, the lifter bores, and the oil supply. You say, “oil flow through the block is good,” so I’m assuming that’s not a problem, but consider: Are the lobe failures random or do they always occur on the same lobe? If the latter, that would be a clue there’s a problem with that lifter bore or the oil supply to the lifter bore. If the failures are random, you may need to look at the cam profile, the lifter quality, the overall oil supply from the bottom end, and the accuracy of the overall block machining.

For example, looking at lifter bore-to-lifter clearance, the lifter bore must be straight (no taper), and you want about 0.0012–0.0025-inch lifter-bore clearance on a small-block Chevy. Tighter than this risks seizing a lifter and looser risks oil-pressure problems.

Assuming the lifter bores are straight with the proper clearance, there is then the lifter-to-cam lobe interface. On a flat-tappet, the cam lobe must be ground with a slight taper. The “flat” lifter should actually have a slight crown on its face (the bottom end that contacts the lobe). The lobe taper and the lifter crown together cause the lifter to slowly rotate on the cam lobe as the cam itself rotates, preventing scuffing and helping to distribute valvespring loading over a larger area to extend the life of the lifter and lobes. In short, if the lifter doesn’t rotate, the lifter and lobe will fail.

A shadetree check is to install the cam, lifters, and pushrods in the engine. Exert downward hand pressure on the pushrod corresponding to the lifter and lobe you want to check while rotating the engine by hand at least one entire revolution. You should see the lifter rotate about 360 degrees per each complete engine revolution. If the lifter doesn’t rotate, the taper on either or both of the lifter and lobe may be incorrect.

Cam companies use sophisticated tooling and process control gauges to check taper and crown, but you can perform a reasonably accurate check with common measuring tools, as shown in the photos and illustrations on these pages, courtesy of Howard’s Cams.

Even if the lifter does seem to properly rotate on the lobe, where the actual point of contact occurs between the lifter face and lobe is also critical—it needs to be slightly offset from the center of the lobe, but not near or at the outer edges of the lobe. Force generated toward the lobe edge initially causes chipping and galling, then proceeds to completely fail the lobe. On a completely failed lobe, the once crowned lifter face will now be cupped (worn concave)—not just merely “flattened.” You would now need to examine the lobes adjacent to the failed lobes to check for telltale wear at the lobe edges. That signals excess unit loading and may indicate the cam and/or lifter faces are “soft.”

However, improper lobe-edge wear can also be a clue the lifter bore itself is at the wrong angle or location relative to the cam lobe (even if that bore had checked straight with no taper). This can be caused by machining errors or casting core shift, which, on run-of-the-mill production cylinder blocks, is not uncommon. According to Howard’s Cams’ Ben Herheim, “Lifters are rarely in the place they’re supposed to be and perpendicular to the cam’s axis of rotation.” Fixing this problem could require the machine shop to correct the cam-tunnel alignment and/or lifter-bore alignment using, respectively, BHJ’s cam tunnel alignment fixture or Lifter-Tru kit. The lifter bores may then require bushing or (in some cases) can be overbored to the next larger lifter size (such as a Ford 0.875-inch lifter size on the normally 0.0842-inch-lifter Chevy), but be sure the lifter groove and oil holes still end up in the right place. One would have to weigh the cost of such sophisticated tooling and machining versus just getting another block.

Ask Marlan A Tech Question: Pitstop@HotRod.com

Sources

BHJ Products & Dynamics
510.797.6780
BHJproducts.com

Howard’s Cams & Racing Components
920.233.5228
HowardsCams.com

Lucas Oil Products Inc.
951.270.0154
LucasOil.com

The post How To Check Flat-Tappet Lifter Crown, Lobe Taper, And Lifter Bores appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

In the electrified and automated world that is 2016, there are a few things that have stood the test of time: chocolate is still mostly sugar, hamburgers (the good ones, anyway) are still made of ground-up cow, and Holley carburetors still do a bang-up job of mixing fuel and air. While electronic fuel injection is a phenomenal addition to any old-timey engine, when it comes to keeping the bucks down and the fun up, there’s no beating a good ol’ carb—even with boost.

Naturally, to fuel the cheap turbo test mill, it made sense to keep with the DIY theme and modify a carburetor for blow-through application. We’re already bracing for the flood of emails subject-lined “Why not use EFI?” that will clog the HOT ROD mailbox for months after this story is published. Are we the crazy ones for still building carburetors in 2016?

Modifying for Boost

The internet is rife with opinions on what needs to be changed, drilled, plugged, whispered to, and otherwise tickled to make a carburetor work with boost flowing through it. The question is, do any of those tricks work?

We scoured the forums, search engines, and tech articles and cherry-picked the blow-through mods that, in our heads, made the most sense. Knowing what we know about carbs, that meant milling the choke horn, plugging any potential boost leaks (such as the choke linkage pass-through), and opening up the power valve channel restrictions.

It wasn’t hard, and when we tested our Franken-carb at Westech, the results were surprisingly, well—good! Did we get lucky? No, there’s definitely some science at work here. And, to better understand it, we consulted blow-through-carb guru Kevin Van Noy of Carburetor Solutions Unlimited (CSU).

The Review

We knew our carb worked, based on dyno data, but could it have been better—did we miss an important step? To find out, we asked Van Noy if there was more to a proper blow-through carb than the simple changes we made.

“Those are the most basic mods, kind of what everybody does,” Van Noy said. “They usually work well in the lower power ranges,” which Van Noy classifies as between 500 to 600 hp—right where our test engine lived.

Power Valves

Past that horsepower level, extra attention becomes necessary to the power valve. Unlike the main jets—which meter fuel in direct response to airflow through the venturis/boosters—a power valve, via manifold vacuum, actually responds to engine load. However, under boost, their job becomes a little muddied.

On CSU carbs, Van Noy utilizes a special “boost-referenced” power valve that—you guessed it—doesn’t open until boost hits. These can be adjusted to activate at different boost levels, tailoring the fuel curve appropriately. Also, CSU uses a screw-in restrictor for the power valve channels that makes adjusting them far easier than drilling out a stock metering block.

“Above about 15 pounds, boost pressure in the float bowls can overpower a standard power valve and cause it to close,” Van Noy said. He also stresses the use of a wideband air/fuel gauge to monitor exactly what the carb is doing.

Fuel Flow

At higher horsepower levels, flow through the carburetor is also an issue, according to Van Noy. “At about 1,200 horsepower on pump gas, a single needle can’t flow enough fuel,” he said. “On E85, it’s about 800 to 900 horsepower.” The solution is moving up to a float bowl with dual needles and seats.

Check-Ball Removal

Van Noy touched on a subject that we hadn’t yet heard of. On many—especially newer 4150-series carbs—Holley installed a check-ball that protects the power valve against backfires. “That check-ball can get pushed up by boost, which seals off the power valve feed,” Van Noy said. “Then, boost from the float bowl can work against the power valve and shut it, which leans everything out.” The remedy is to remove the power valve check-ball (photo 10). “If you’re having backfires big enough to hurt the power valve, you have bigger problems.”

Carburetor Hats

The best blow-through carb on the market is absolutely useless with a bad carb hat on top of it. Van Noy warns against low-profile hats, especially those that ask the air to turn at a really tight angle. “They choke down the air and don’t let it smoothly blow into the venturis,” he said. Staying inline with our budget in check, we bought a Spectre single-plenum intake (PN 9849) from Amazon, along with our turbo kit. It is 3.5 inches tall and has a 4-inch inlet. Van Noy is familiar with this hat and has found them to work well. Don’t confuse it with PN 98499, which is a low-profile version that does not work well at all!

The Conclusion

After building a blow-through carb, consulting the expert on its operation, and testing one on an engine dyno up to 600 hp, do we recommend building your own blow-through carb? You better believe it. With $47.95 in parts invested in the carb, this is one frugal way to get your engine ready for boost. To be fair, if your ride isn’t Holley-powered from the get go, you’ll need to buy one. A new carb like ours sells for $462.95 on Summit Racing, but we’ve never been to swap meet that wasn’t swarming with carbs ripe for the picking.

Sources

Holley
866.464.6553
Holley.com

Westech Performance Group
951.685.4767
WestechPerformance.com

Carburetor Solutions Unlimited
909.851.6955
CSUcarbs.com

The post Build a Blow-Through Carb for Less Than $50 appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

When it comes to making power in race engines, the devil truly is in the details. Of course, the guys in the professional classes can throw money at their problems to make them go away. But those of us racing on a budget have to find ways to swap ingenuity and effort for a stack of Benjamins.

If you race a Street Stock or Pure Stock class, you quite often will be required to run a stock-style harmonic damper that wasn’t designed for high-rpm racing. Heck, even the NASCAR Late Model Stock class requires it. Normally, this is done to try and force racers to save a little money, but if you aren’t careful these dampers can cause you a real headache.

Most stock engine harmonic dampers are elastomer dampers, which means they use a ring of rubber bonded to both the inner hub and the outer steel shell (which serves as a sort of flywheel). The damper works because this elastomer ring allows movement of the outer flywheel portion of the damper, which absorbs vibrating pulses created from combustion in the cylinders before they can damage the engine.

Over time the stock dampers can suffer from the extreme vibrations created by the long stretches a racing engine will spend at high rpms, and the elastomer ring can actually delaminate from the outer shell. When this happens the damper can “twist” so that the outer shell is no longer correctly lined up with the keyway in the hub, and as a result your timing marks will be off. And, of course, if the timing marks on your damper are off, you won’t be able to correctly set your engine’s ignition timing.

Being able to accurately find top dead center (TDC) is a critical step no matter what engine you are working with. There are different ways to do it, but in this article we wanted to show you a simple, quick, and practically foolproof method for finding TDC whenever you are doing a rebuild, building a new engine or simply want to check and make sure the timing marks on your damper are still accurate. In our example, we have the cylinder heads off the engine, but you can also do the same with the heads on by using a piston stop that threads through spark plug hole.

Sources:

ATI Performance Products
(877) 298-5039
www.atiracing.com

Summit Racing Equipment
(800) 230-3030
www.summitracing.com

The post How to Accurately Determine Piston TDC appeared first on Hot Rod Network.