After months of research, advice, planning and prep, I finally got the 540 fired up, broke in and dyno tuned today. :D
Actually went to the shop Wednesday afternoon to get the engine all set up and ready for today's day long dyno session.
Boy, it was a long Thanksgiving Day! ;)
Lee, the owner/tuner, insists this is a very conservative dyno. He claims a 20-30hp "increase" if I would have tested the motor on a SuperFlow instead. :confused:

I had two firm requirements for today's testing...
First, I wanted to simulate actual "as installed engine" conditions as best as I possibly could. ALL pulls were made with my mechanical water & fuel pump, altenator and pulleys/serpentine belt installed and in use . And the Chevelle's Hooker headers were to be used, too.
Second, must use ONLY 93 octane pump gas as this WILL be driven mainly on the street. NO race gas!

Made 15 pulls today, trying different combos of timing, jetting, carb spacers and headers (one set of 2 1/8" and one set of 2 1/4").

Here's the best pull of the day...

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/BillsCamino/dyno.jpg

The motor best liked the combo of 37* timing by 2800, the Hooker 2 1/8" primary - 3 1/2" collector, jetting at 88 square, and a 1/2" open spacer.
Responded with a peak HP of 695 @6100 and peak TQ of 691 @4900 ! graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Now...What the hell am I gonna use for tires... ;)

Very impressive numbers, Bill! Looks like I was dead on with my torque estimate smile.gif Now get that thing in the car and get it to the track! Congrats graemlins/thumbsup.gif

NICE! Real low bsfc #'s. Never seen any that low. Was 88 the biggest you went on jets? Dominator did ok I guess? Cool.

Nice power numbers but I think he needs to get his fuel flow meters & hat calibrated ;)
The BSFC & AFR numbers are way off.

I have some ET street you could borrow; I haven't used them yet. graemlins/sad.gif

Can't wait to see the car at the Peach State Show. graemlins/thumbsup.gif and drive it too... :cool:

Sorry, i havn't been around for awhile but have you posted this combo lately?

Second, must use ONLY 93 octane pump gas as this WILL be driven mainly on the street. NO race gas! First let me say, very impressive! But then, you say it must be driven on the street? that just dosen't make sense to me, you can drive a 4 cylinder on the street! What are you going to do with 700 HP on the street?

Ohh goodness!!!that are impressive numbers.
:eek:
i,ll hope i get the same numbers with my merlin 540ci combo!!!!!
graemlins/beers.gif Thats cool!!
Congratulations!! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

:cool: graemlins/thumbsup.gif

:eek: graemlins/thumbsup.gif Awesome, now tub out the backend and put the largest meats you can back there. Great numbers.............why drive a 4 cylinder when you've got a big block!!

Tub it, or use the new MSD timming computer with traction control. Ask 66 283 how he likes his. ;)

congrats!!!!!

bill, did you happen to flow the heads?????

:eek: I want one of those graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Nice Job!!

OH BABY! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Bill you might want to post that combo, unless its "restricted access". You did end up using properly-sized heads and not small ones right?

Man, I feel like a shrimp with my lil 500 hp 427. :(

Very cool! graemlins/beers.gif Should be interesting to harness all that torque.

Wow Bill, awesome graemlins/thumbsup.gif We need a video of your first road test


Jerry

Originally posted by Wolfplace:
Nice power numbers but I think he needs to get his fuel flow meters & hat calibrated ;)
The BSFC & AFR numbers are way off. I was looking at this too. The A/F #'s indicate a rich condition while the BSFC #'s indicate a possibly lean condition.

I was told yesterday by the tuner that the fuel readings are skewed because of the unleaded pump gas which, with all of the additives used today, becomes very unstable at this power level. The fuel was also very sensitive to engine temps. It was recommended to dial back the timing to 35* for street use...which showed a loss of 28 HP and 26 TQ. Oh darn!
This engine was very responsive...good or bad... to any minor changes. For example, we increased jetting to 90 and lost 18 peak hp!

The combo is not a secret :D ...

Merlin III block, 4.500" bore, 9.800" deck
Callies Dragonslayer 4.25" 4340 forged crank
Manley 6.385" Sportsmaster rods w/ 7/16" ARP capscrews
SRP #142998 pistons, 10cc dome
Deck height is .007, with Felpro 1017-1 headgaskets (.041)
CR is 10.49, DCR is 8.19
JE plasma moly rings
Clevite 77 "H" series rod and main bearings
Milodon 7 qt.pan with Milodon pump, pickup, pan baffle and diamond stripper windage tray
Dart Pro I 325cc aluminum heads, out of the box installed as cast
2.300"/1.880" valves w/1.625" Vasco Jet H-11 springs and titanium retainers
flat milled to 114cc chambers
UDHarold designed Lunati solid roller
287/295, 256/264 @ .050, .660 lift
110 LSA installed at 105
Crower severe duty lifters
Crower rev kit
Comp Cam Hi-Tech custom length pushrods
Comp Cam Pro Magnum 1.7 rockers
Custom manufactured stud girdle
Edelbrock Super Victor # 2927 intake, port matched
Holley #8896 1050 cfm 4500 series carb
Carter “competition series” mechanical fuel pump
BG 1/2" open spacer
Hooker Super Comp 2 1/8" headers, 3 ˝” collectors
MSD 6AL box with MSD billet distributor
17* initial, 37* total @ 2800

freshly built Turbo 400
ATI 8" converter, 4200 rpm stall (?)
3.73 GM 12 bolt with welded tubes
Brute Strength posi, 800# springs & carbon fiber clutches
Ford style axle bearings (no C-clips)
Moser axles, internals, yoke and support cover
BMR adjustable upper & lower control arms
Edelbrock no-hop bars
Hotchkis triangular braces
Air Lift bags
GM 1" rear sway bar
KYB shocks
Denny's "Nitrous ready" driveshaft

Bill, nothing better than a good dyno session smile.gif Congrats on the power part of the equation, good luck on the getting it to the ground part of the equation!

In regards to Lee's statement about making more power on a Superflow dyno, this is generally acknowledged to be true. One of the reasons for this is that the Superflow correction factor is more generous than other industry standards. That said, a lot of performance shops correct to the Superflow standard for "competitive" (business) reasons.

I'm with Mike in regards to the BSFC and A/F ratios needing recalibration - because if those were accurate I would have aborted the pulls. Note to Ken - those are lean A/F ratios, not rich. With A/F ratios that lean, and BSFC that low, if accurate, I would be concerned that the engine was fuel starved. Did you also get other data like ambient temperature, is that carb temperature above or below the carb? Any egt readings?

Thomas

Originally posted by Bomber '67:
Note to Ken - those are lean A/F ratios, not rich. You're right. I had it backwards. Makes more sense now.

Wowwie Bill! Great numbers, now the trick will be to get that effort to the pavement. Good luck with that challenge! Even if it's not entirely successful it will be fun trying. :D :D :D

Holy moly :eek:

I want one :D

jawdropping horsepower for the street. Absolutely awesome! graemlins/thumbsup.gif :cool:

I will be sure to avoid Marrietta GA with my little ol 500HP 454...... :eek:

Wow !!! How can I do that ????? congrats on an awesome combo graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I know that makes you a happy man!!!

But tires, yep, that could be a problem!!! :D

graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Good to hear it went well Bill !!!

Check out one of my local buddies cars.
www.southwestdrags.com (http://www.southwestdrags.com)
Look up the article on Joe Pena's Nova 540 w/ Jerico 4spd.
He's putting a lot of guys on the trailers right now and hasn't worked all the bugs out. His combo is impressive to say the least.

For you small block guys you may want to check out www.got-hp.com (http://www.got-hp.com) and look up the cars under videos and look for Vince Moore and Cliff Wells both are SBC 4 spd w/ 5.13's and running 11's on motor, mid 10's on 150NOS. One of the vids even lets you ride along in Cliffs car.

Later
Sean

WOW! take that oval port guys!!!!!! tongue.gif smile.gif First thing I noticed was the A/F ratio also. Did it change with the jet changes and timing changes? or did it stay pretty similar that might tell you if it was the engine or dyno.? I like the torque curve!!! seems pretty nice and flat! Looks like all the hard work payed off, I would be very happy with that combo! How does it idle?, how much vacuum does it pull at idle? Seems to me wiht the DCR #s you should be able to run the 93 Octane, but whadda I know about motors like that!(not a whole lot redface.gif )

73chevelle,tell me what you know about the 540" nova w/ a jerico.

that is the engine/trans combo i am putting together right now.

Its a 540", ain't no "oval v rect" debate here,

Those vids are way cool! Nice stick work and Chevelles to boot! Man, stick cars sure like gear. :eek:

Originally posted by cody:
WOW! take that oval port guys!!!!!! tongue.gif smile.gif Listen here ding-dong. Dyno numbers may be fun for bragging rights, but they sure don't mean anything about how the car will perform down the 1/4 mile. Give me a quick time slip over big dyno numbers anyday.

Now, get Bill to drop that bullet into a heavy weight Chevelle and lets see some impressive time slips. With that kind of power and a properly set up chassis, low 10's should be expected...only time will tell though as I'd be willing to bet he won't hook that thing effectively without alot of headaches.

that's ok, im building a STOUT 502 for my street car.. ain't gunna hook up, and i don't really care... tire frying is fun:) and so are braggin rights... besides. racing gets expensive when your breaking stuff. graemlins/clonk.gif

Very impressive,can't wait for the time slips.

-Kid

Todd, I know you are one of the great defenders of real time slips vs bragging rights (and I'm on your side) - but why take the bait when so prompted?

I'm always happy to hear of another stout engine going into a Chevelle. Not much use to debate the merits of the particular combo, or if it will even run the number - until it hits the track that is.

I'm happy that Bill is happy with his dyno pulls (but I am still concerned about the calibration that made such skewed bsfc and a/f ratio numbers). I'll be even more interested to hear that he gets the total car combo sorted out and lays down some impressive track results - that certainly is enough power for a low 10 second pass.

Peace, Thomas

Originally posted by Bomber '67:
Todd, I know you are one of the great defenders of real time slips vs bragging rights (and I'm on your side) - but why take the bait when so prompted?

I'm always happy to hear of another stout engine going into a Chevelle. Not much use to debate the merits of the particular combo, or if it will even run the number - until it hits the track that is.

I'm happy that Bill is happy with his dyno pulls (but I am still concerned about the calibration that made such skewed bsfc and a/f ratio numbers). I'll be even more interested to hear that he gets the total car combo sorted out and lays down some impressive track results - that certainly is enough power for a low 10 second pass.

Peace, Thomas Why not? Cheap shots are a two way street and Cody truly is a ding-dong tongue.gif ;) .

I too agree that I don't care so much about what parts are used in a combo, rather the results that show on track performance.

I meant no disrespect to Bill, rather wish him well with a powerful engine. I do feel he has his work cut-out for him trying to get the power he has to the ground and use it effectively and efficiently. That will be his greatest challenge.

With todays cheaper parts and the ability to make strong power for reasonable costs, it's up to the chassis tuner and not the engine tuner to make a car run both quick and fast. There's many a car out there with a ton of power which rarely runs impressive times, much less make a full pass. The true chassis tuner is able to take the available power and use it to the combo's full potential.

In this case I wouldn't be too concerned with the BSFC & AFR numbers with that kind of power it is pretty obvious it's the flow meter or as Thomas hinted the parts probably would have gone home in a box :D
High threes & low fours would be excellent & high fours are still pretty good for a carb.
Holleys almost always go into the fives at higher RPM.
Far as I know, about .5 lb per hour per hp is still the standard used when figuring fuel consumption
Those low three numbers might be seen on a 4 valve injected engine but that's about all.
It is not the fuel as this can be accounted for when you input the specific gravity & is a small correction assuming gas.

BTW, this is one of the reasons we also have lambda on our dyno ;)

"Listen here ding-dong" graemlins/angry.gif :D

"Its a 540", ain't no "oval v rect" debate here,"
actually i have seen some debates, I was just poking fun anyway! lets not start on this again, :rolleyes: Lets leave this alone, Once again Great dyno numbers! Even if you never get it to hook up, its always will give you that warm fuzzy feeling knowin just how much power you got!

One thing we can all agree upon: what fun it is to drive a tire melting monster! The ridiculous thing about this level of power is that with street tires you can launch into tire melting madness at will at freeway speeds, yee-haw smile.gif

I plan to have my '65 Elky with its new 496 on the track early in 2004. Hopefully Bill and Cody will be making passes with their tire melters at the track as well.

Technology, combined experience, and knowledge are coming together to allow today's powerful engines to do well even in the hands of a regular driver. Suspension systems that work and suspension tuning are more well understood now then in the past. As mentioned before, the new MSD Digital 7+ box (#7531) makes it easier than ever to tame such power off the line for a great launch. I'm actually not all that worried about putting my new-found power to the ground: previously with only 368 rear wheel hp my '65 went 1.68 second 60' times just using an off idle launch with no fancy electronics - of course I am expecting quicker short times with the new combo.

Thomas

Bill...you are my hero! smile.gif

I just gotta say......

Those numbers warmed the cockles of my heart!

UDHarold
(what the heck is a 'Cockle' anyway?)

---No obscene replies, please...

A cocle is an edible shellfish actually, but in the context of "warm the cockles of my heart" it means something different.

Anyone have an unabridged Oxford?? smile.gif

Harold or Bill, is there still somewhere I can see the various BBC SR grinds? I need one for a GENVI 510". Not too big though.

Harold,
When we spoke on the phone, you said that cam would make 700hp in my combo.
What happened to the other 4 hp?? :D
Very pleased and many Thanks for your help! graemlins/hurray.gif
We considered trying 1.8 rockers. What is your opinion on that?

Gene, YGM...I need a fax number.

Mine? 716-626-0878 THNX! And I need Harolds to get a firm recommendation, although ** I think I know** what my friend needs.

Bill, GOT IT! THNX.

My buddy is running a Gen6 510" in a 68 Camaro, using the Crane SR236 ( 236/248 on a 112 lsa), and I beleive he is woefully undercammed. BUT, only using 2800 stall and 3.73s out back.

I was thinking either the 285/295 or 276/284. BTW, these are BOTH HR and SR profiles, yes?

Harold's number is 901-365-0950 x135
I'd would say the 276/284...he could use the greater lift plus the @.050 numbers are more in line with the rest of his combo/gearing.
I can't say if available in both HR and SR. I guess that would be up to Lunati and Harold.

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