A while ago, I asked readers to give us some ideas for what we could do with the old 502 Ramjet short-block we took out of Project X. You’ll remember the folks at GM Performance Parts replaced it with their new Special Edition 427-ci ZL1 crate motor when they rebuilt the entire car last year. After using the old 502 to mock up the new fabrication, we decided to use it as the foundation for a new engine project, and through your help, we think we hit upon a winning combination.
After Trick Flow Specialties (www.trickflow.com) told us about their new 320cc runner rectangle-port big-block heads (part No. TFS-4141T002) and matching single-plane intake (part No. TFS-41400111), it sounded a like what many readers asked for when we built the 496 Howitzer, so we decided to go all in with an ultimate pump-gas street engine. The idea was to go for the biggest number we could while still running 91 octane and the original 4-inch forged crank. That meant a Vizard-specced solid-roller street cam from COMP (at just over .660 lift), and a Dominator carb. We also had to ditch the production 502 rods, as they are too fragile to support the 750+ hp we expect. That prompted a set of new Eagle ESP rods, so we opted for the longer 6.385-inch pieces, and an SRP forged piston with a slight 17cc dome (part No. 212147) to goose the compression ratio a bit.
All the work is being done by Andy Mitchell at Outlaw Racing Engines in Upland, CA (909-931-4612), and we made some great headway today. We also go lots of help from Summit Racing (www.summitracing.com). We hope to have all or part of the build-up in our July issue, so if you’re a big-block Chevy lover, you’ll want to keep checking back on our progress!