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| DYNO TIME |
The next piece of the puzzle was to break in and tune our motor on a dyno. We wanted to
insure that it was tuned to run on pump gas and all the bugs were worked out before going
back in the chassis. Even more important on this project was to make sure our modified
blower and serpentine belt system would pass the test. We brought our motor over to
Mason's Racing Engines in Scituate, RI. This shop turns out engines from mild to wild and
the dyno facility is first class. Bob Mason's knowledge and true passion for horsepower is a
cut above the rest. Before our initial start up, we filled the motor with a new break in oil from
Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oils. These are the same specially formulated oils that are used
in all the JGR engines that you see running the NASCAR circuit every weekend. The BR
break in oil is formulated with high zinc and phosphorus levels. This helps the rings to seat
while providing maximum wear protection for your valve train and bearing surfaces during
the break in process. Skipping this simple but important step on an engine build or cam
change could lead to costly premature failures. Once everything was set to go our engine
was brought to life. First the air : fuel ratios and initial timing were set. Then the motor was
brought up to 2500 RPM for 25 minutes while all the vitals were being monitored. With plenty
of oil pressure and no abnormal behaviors showing the throttle was bumped in quick bursts
to expand the rings and help them seat. Once the break in was complete we let it cool down
and then inspected everything including the oil and filters. We had a happy motor,
everything checked out other than a few minor leaks that required some extra sealant. It was
very rewarding to hear that engine come to life for the first time with the growl of a real hot
rod. Check it out...
insure that it was tuned to run on pump gas and all the bugs were worked out before going
back in the chassis. Even more important on this project was to make sure our modified
blower and serpentine belt system would pass the test. We brought our motor over to
Mason's Racing Engines in Scituate, RI. This shop turns out engines from mild to wild and
the dyno facility is first class. Bob Mason's knowledge and true passion for horsepower is a
cut above the rest. Before our initial start up, we filled the motor with a new break in oil from
Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oils. These are the same specially formulated oils that are used
in all the JGR engines that you see running the NASCAR circuit every weekend. The BR
break in oil is formulated with high zinc and phosphorus levels. This helps the rings to seat
while providing maximum wear protection for your valve train and bearing surfaces during
the break in process. Skipping this simple but important step on an engine build or cam
change could lead to costly premature failures. Once everything was set to go our engine
was brought to life. First the air : fuel ratios and initial timing were set. Then the motor was
brought up to 2500 RPM for 25 minutes while all the vitals were being monitored. With plenty
of oil pressure and no abnormal behaviors showing the throttle was bumped in quick bursts
to expand the rings and help them seat. Once the break in was complete we let it cool down
and then inspected everything including the oil and filters. We had a happy motor,
everything checked out other than a few minor leaks that required some extra sealant. It was
very rewarding to hear that engine come to life for the first time with the growl of a real hot
rod. Check it out...
With our leaks fixed we re-torqued the heads and then filled the oil pan with Joe Gibbs
Driven 15W/50 Hot Rod oil. This brand new oil is designed for high performance
applications with an additive pack you can't get in standard passenger car oils. Newer EPA
standards have all but eliminated the presence of zinc in most motor oils opening the door
for premature wearing of older flat tappet engine designs. This new oil builds off the race
proven formulations already being used by the pros with the bonus of critical additives to
protect cars that are not driven every day and spend a lot of time sitting between start ups.
This is the same additive technology the US military uses for storing and shipping their
vehicles to prevent rust and corrosion. Our plan was to start with a few small pulls to see
how everything acted under load. Then increase RPM's in 500 increments until we found our
peak power range. Then go back and tune for power with jet changes and timing. This
process normally takes several evenings with things clicking along, but for us it took much
longer. During our first real pull it was evident that we had a few dilemmas to overcome. First
we made more boost than the motor was built for which was easily fixed with a pulley
change. Our real nemesis was the belt slippage we had at around 3900 RPM rendering us
un-tuneable until we cured the problem. We managed to evaporate almost two months of
nights & weekends testing different theories and combinations. We explored different belt
wraps, pulleys, belt styles, belt sizes, tensioner modifications, custom spacers and brackets
until we found the right combination. One very helpful piece of the puzzle came by way of a
company called Reichard Racing of Leonard, MD. They manufacture a line of ultra grip
pulleys that are drilled & slotted to provide extra belt grip for supercharger applications
where belt slippage tends to be a problem. Our solution came from a combination of the
ultra grip supercharger pulley, increasing our belt wrap with added idler pulleys and
repositioning the tensioner creating more tension under load. Once we found the key to
Pandora's box the motor came alive with consistent pulls peaking out at 6500 RPM. We
could finally tune for power. With several jet changes and a few degrees of timing she was
making a solid 460 hp @ 413 Ft lbs of torque. Plenty of ponies for our little deuce. Click on
the link to hear it run...
My deepest gratitude goes out to Bob Mason of Mason's Racing Engines for patiently
seeing us through the tough nights spent in a quest to get it right. Also I appreciate the help
of Jim Reichard of Reichard Racing for his shared expertise on pulleys, tensioners and belt
wraps. Finally, I thank my loving wife who put up with my stressful highs and lows while
watching out for our two young boys in my absence. I couldn't have done this without them.
Driven 15W/50 Hot Rod oil. This brand new oil is designed for high performance
applications with an additive pack you can't get in standard passenger car oils. Newer EPA
standards have all but eliminated the presence of zinc in most motor oils opening the door
for premature wearing of older flat tappet engine designs. This new oil builds off the race
proven formulations already being used by the pros with the bonus of critical additives to
protect cars that are not driven every day and spend a lot of time sitting between start ups.
This is the same additive technology the US military uses for storing and shipping their
vehicles to prevent rust and corrosion. Our plan was to start with a few small pulls to see
how everything acted under load. Then increase RPM's in 500 increments until we found our
peak power range. Then go back and tune for power with jet changes and timing. This
process normally takes several evenings with things clicking along, but for us it took much
longer. During our first real pull it was evident that we had a few dilemmas to overcome. First
we made more boost than the motor was built for which was easily fixed with a pulley
change. Our real nemesis was the belt slippage we had at around 3900 RPM rendering us
un-tuneable until we cured the problem. We managed to evaporate almost two months of
nights & weekends testing different theories and combinations. We explored different belt
wraps, pulleys, belt styles, belt sizes, tensioner modifications, custom spacers and brackets
until we found the right combination. One very helpful piece of the puzzle came by way of a
company called Reichard Racing of Leonard, MD. They manufacture a line of ultra grip
pulleys that are drilled & slotted to provide extra belt grip for supercharger applications
where belt slippage tends to be a problem. Our solution came from a combination of the
ultra grip supercharger pulley, increasing our belt wrap with added idler pulleys and
repositioning the tensioner creating more tension under load. Once we found the key to
Pandora's box the motor came alive with consistent pulls peaking out at 6500 RPM. We
could finally tune for power. With several jet changes and a few degrees of timing she was
making a solid 460 hp @ 413 Ft lbs of torque. Plenty of ponies for our little deuce. Click on
the link to hear it run...
My deepest gratitude goes out to Bob Mason of Mason's Racing Engines for patiently
seeing us through the tough nights spent in a quest to get it right. Also I appreciate the help
of Jim Reichard of Reichard Racing for his shared expertise on pulleys, tensioners and belt
wraps. Finally, I thank my loving wife who put up with my stressful highs and lows while
watching out for our two young boys in my absence. I couldn't have done this without them.
| After the belt slippage problem was solved |
