EMC 410 Stroker: Baseline Run vs. Final Combination Shipped toCompetition
The graph illustrates what can be achieved after roughly seven months oftuning on a particular combination. Though the peak power was down by asmuch as 50 hp (at 6,500 rpm), the all-important average power was upsignificantly (from 961 points to 1,038 points). A significant portionof the differences in the power curves can be attributed to the changein intake manifold from the single-plane Super Victor to the ExtrudeHone-ported Performer RPM Air Gap, but as much as half of the additionalpoints came by chipping away 1-2 points at a time. The drop incompression took away 20 points, but we were able to get back almost allof what we lost with additional testing. Unfortunately, the EMC 410buildup never got to produce this power curve during the competition.
Tony Jones supplied one of...
Tony Jones supplied one of his SS1 carbs for the competition. The SS1was essentially a much modified Holley Dominator. The Jonesmodifications produced a rock-steady air/fuel curve--something paramountwhen testing from 2,500 rpm to 6,500 rpm.
The Holley Dominator carb...
The Holley Dominator carb sizing required a 4150-4500 carb adapter tomate to the standard Holley flange on the Performer RPM intake. As luckwould have it, the spacer itself was worth 14.2 points (over aconventional carb sans spacer).
We ran a number of header...
We ran a number of header combinations on the EMC 410 and were happywith the results of the off-the-shelf Hooker Super Comp headers (for the302 Fox Mustang), until we ran a set of 13/4-17/8-inch step headers fromKooks. Oddly enough, the Kooks step headers showed no power improvementon a fellow competitor's combination, but were worth 6.1 average pointson ours. If there is anything we learned during this madness, it's that power gains offered by performance parts are definitely applicationspecific.
The electrical portion of...
The electrical portion of our buildup was trusted to no one else butMSD. MSD supplied the billet distributor (Comp Cams supplied thecarbon-fiber cam gear), the plug wires, and the 6AL and blaster coil.The MSD system ran flawlessly once it was wired in properly.
We chose Denso Iridium spark...
We chose Denso Iridium spark plugs as we've had such good luck with themin testing on high-horsepower motors. Heat-range changes had littleeffect on power on this application.
Another electrical trick we...
Another electrical trick we employed was using a Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pumpto increase the supply voltage to the CSI electric water pump. Theadditional voltage increased the pump speed, which in turn increased thewater flow through the motor during testing. The increased flow rateshowed its worth by adding 3.9 average points. We were believers onlyafter running it back-to-back twice.
One of the reasons we chose...
One of the reasons we chose the dual-plane intake was that we wereconcerned the required air cleaner (14x3 inches) might restrict the peakpower. Given that Jon Kaase's motor produced 700 hp through the filtershows that only knuckleheads run without a filter on their streetmotors. This spun-aluminum filter offered an impressive entry as well asa raised lid. This is current NASCAR technology, so we figured it wasgood enough for our EMC entry. To us, the spun-aluminum filter was thebest-looking part of the motor.
Steve Brule from Westech suggested...
Steve Brule from Westech suggested making a shield to isolate the carbfrom the radiant heat, and he was right. Adding the heat shield(technically, it was called an isolator plate) resulted in a gain of 2.1average points. The limited airflow in the dyno cell at World Productsmay have made the shield more of a hindrance than a help, but onlytesting would show that for sure.
While the engine performed...
While the engine performed perfectly during testing at Westech, a mishapwith the water supply during the preliminary competition hurt itschances. We managed to make the finals despite the fact that the motorwas already wounded, but things just went from bad to worse and we woundup finishing sixth overall. The eventual winner was Jon Kaase with anaverage score of 1,043.2, followed by W. Enterprise at 1,031.2 and BESwith an average score of 1,022.6. We sure didn't have anything forKaase, but we think the motor would have been a podium finisher had itnot been overheated, based on the scores achieved right before shippingit to the competition. There's always next year.