Chevy Big Blocks: How to Build Max Performance on a Budget

INTRODUCTION

What makes one racer/engine builder a winner as opposed to another? In my experience, which is now spanning some half a century, I’d say it is attention to details. Not just any details but relevant details. That is what much of this book focuses on. It could be said these details come under the heading of speed secrets but within the top echelon of the performance industry’s big-block specialists pretty much all of what I talk about is well understood. But don’t assume every big-block specialist if they already knows what is revealed within these pages. There are maybe a couple of hundred at best, and if that sounds like plenty, consider how hard it is to find one of these specialists. They are spread out over the United States in about the same manner as the populace at large. Even if you found one, what are the chances they would part with any of their so-called speed secrets?

Often the reasons some speed moves are categorized as secrets is that their details are far from obvious. Indeed, they are very likely to be things you never gave a second thought to, assuming that it was a given and thus could be taken for granted. Well, you are probably going to be surprised at what you may learn within these pages.

Most of my engine building is for commercial clients who want the effectiveness of their products demonstrated by being used in a well-spec’d engine. Almost all of them comment on the amount of torque and horsepower I achieve because it is almost always 40 to 50 more than they had expected or hoped for. On one occasion a nationally known and well-respected Pro Stock cylinder head designer/porter was overwhelmed by the fact that Terry Walters, Jack Sain, and I made 105 hp more on his heads than he had expected. Was he pleased? Sure. But it was no accident. It was attention to detail, and that is a primary focus within these pages. Understanding which details are important and which are not means understanding one simple aspect of engine development. Here’s a phrase I’ve used before: Understand the nature of the beast. Let me expand on that statement. If you understand what characteristics the engine’s geometry and proportions are likely to give it, you can count on being one step ahead of your competitors right from square one.

I had a minor hand in helping out on this 565 street-build project. Built at Throttle’s Performance in Argusville, North Dakota, the builders wanted to see what was possible in terms of output with a set of off-the-shelf Brodix 24-degree heads. The result was more than 880 hp, and in this book, you will learn what it takes to make such an output (and more) for a lot less money than you might expect.

Proportional Consequences

I have covered the Chevy big-block’s size, proportions, and consequences before, but it won’t hurt to have a refresher because losing sight of it considerably erodes your big-block building prowess to the tune of at least 50 and possibly to a not-so-unlikely 125 hp!

The number-one factor limiting your big-block efforts in terms of power per cube is a valve size far too small for the displacement. Even when displacement is at the smaller end of the scale at, say, 454 ci, the valves commonly used in available heads are still far too small to effectively feed the engine. The consequences of this shortcoming are that the cylinder heads’ flow capability becomes of paramount importance. And when big-block heads are the focus of attention, the required port volumes to best get the job done are also of primary importance. Unfortunately a lot of what passes for accepted knowledge leads you down the wrong road. This is just another area where your build could lose 40 to 50 ft-lbs at low RPM for no gains at the top.

The plan for this build could be said to be only one rung from the bottom as far as available budget. But knowing what simple block mods could be done resulted not only in the saving of several hundred dollars but also some zero-cost power moves worth close to 20 hp.

The importance of having good cylinder heads is closely followed by the necessity to have a dynamically well-spec’d valvetrain. To be truly effective, the valvetrain must make the most of the intake valve’s flow capability. This, in turn, means you must diligently seek to maximize both intake valve acceleration and total valve lift. Now if this sounds easy, let me make this clear right away: That will not be the case unless you really work at it. The big problem here is the very substantial mass of the valvetrain itself, and this magnifies any negative issues a valvetrain can have. When you get to the discussions on heads and valvetrain, you begin to appreciate the value of this book as you learn about speed moves that you certainly won’t find in any other book on performance big-block Chevys.

Other Shortcomings

I have often heard that one of the faults of the Chevy big-block is that it can have more cubes than available cylinder heads can support. That situation may be so, but to look at it as a fault is indeed faulty logic in itself. Let me explain. Assuming the goal is to get power from the engine by any means (as opposed to power per cube), then at a fundamental level, the power achieved from an engine is only a function of the air it consumes. In simple terms, you can have either a 600-ci engine running 5,000 rpm or a 300-inch engine running 10,000 rpm.

When aircraft used piston engines, it was very clear early on in the development of such engines that the best power for a given overall size and weight of engine was to be had from the biggest displacement possible not the most RPM possible. In other words, bigger inches at lower RPM resulted in the best weight-to-power ratio. That also suited the engine’s application because propeller speed needed to be limited so that the blade tips did not go supersonic. So the big inches of the big-blocks are to your advantage. That is why I talk about heads and valvetrain in relation to moves, many less than obvious, that you can make to best utilize the cubes your big-block has to offer.

The valvetrain starts within the block. Knowing what can be done here can save you more than $100 if you are planning a short-cammed build. Not only that, but the torque output can increase along with that cash saving.

Choosing the best port size for the job is a critical part of a successful build. Adopting common wisdom can often severely impact low-speed torque while delivering no additional output at the top end.

Which is better, a roller cam or flat tappet? The answer you most often get is a roller every time if you can afford it. Unfortunately that is not possible when the budget is tight.

A Chevy big-block’s short deck height limits rod length, and as a result, it makes for a short rod/stroke ratio. You must constantly keep this in mind when attempting to spec out the best parts combination.

The short rod/stroke ratio of the big-block is another area of concern that is frequently discussed. The rod/stroke ratio is the center-to-center rod dimension divided by the crank stroke. It is common practice to use a stroker crank in a big-block, but even a stock-stroke 454 with a stock rod does not fair too well in terms of what it has versus what the engine may like. The stock rod/stroke ratio for a 454 works out to 1.576:1 (6.185 ÷ 4). This is on the short side for sure. To see by how much, let’s consider, say, the rod stroke ratio of a successful high-output Chevy small-block. Where power per cube, due to displacement rules is called for, the most favored rod/stroke ratio is in the range of 1.7:1 to 2:1. In other words, a much longer rod in relation to the stroke.

So what are the disadvantages of a short rod? The answer here is that if you take friction out of the picture: virtually none. Unfortunately, friction is ever present and carries with it a considerable negative impact. Studying the geometry, the shorter the rod the greater the rod’s angularity, causing the gas pressure to push the piston into the cylinder wall with greater force. My thoughts here are that this is something we are stuck with, so there is no point in fixating on it other than to look for ways to make the best of it. Fortunately, there is a ray of sunshine here. Knowing how best to deal with a short rod/stroke ratio is a substantial step forward and thus a distinct advantage over someone not so informed. In fact if what is said later in the book is absorbed you can actually shrink that short rod problem to near zero.

Delivering Results

So what is it worth to fix big-block shortcomings? To put it another way, What sort of power increase can you expect by parting company with the price of this book? Because I work on these engines almost exclusively, and most of the work I do is in the area of research and development, I can be relatively specific here. It is fair to say that probably better than 98 percent of the time someone who acts upon the information delivered here achieves a minimum of 50 extra hp, with an average of something around 75 to 100 hp.

Indeed, in many cases, target power levels are achieved at considerably less cost than would have otherwise been the case. How do I know this? Simple, I get plenty of calls for advice from pro engine shops asking if I have any moves that may show more power without a cost increase; as the shop down the road is beating their numbers for less money and getting their customers as a result.

Cam timing is critical. It’s entirely possible to lose 10 to 20 hp because you don’t know which factors you may have built into your engine. These can dictate a different cam advance than the cam manufacturer’s cam spec sheet.

Because of the short rod/stroke ratio, compression can be one of your closest allies. Be sure you have all the relevant facts because it can make a much bigger difference than with many other engines.

CHAPTER 1

DISPLACEMENT DECISIONS

There are at least 20 hp locked up in simple block mods that cost only time. You need to ingrain it firmly in your mind that a max-performance big-block requires many cubic inches. That means nothing smaller than 427 inches. Starting with anything smaller sets you up for a power per dollar failure.

Bores and Flow Anomalies

As far as blocks are concerned, many power production techniques involve the cylinder bores in some way. The fact that the combustion chamber overhangs the block and thus adds to intake valve shrouding means anything that helps unshroud it is beneficial. The difference in breathing capability of a small-bore (4.310 inches) 500-inch engine with a 650-hp output versus that of a lesser, shrouded, big-bore (4.5 inches) engine with the same heads is about 20 to 25 hp on peak and about 30 hp at about 600 to 700 rpm past peak. I estimate about 4 to 6 hp of that difference is due to the reduced ring/piston friction a shorter stroke engine has, but the rest is due solely to the increased breathing capability. Even a big-bore engine still has some shrouding in the vicinity of the intake valve where it most closely approaches the cylinder wall. For a 24-degree Chevy big-block head, minimizing this shrouding effect is more important than it may at first seem because a less-than-obvious factor concerning the intake flow pattern is developed in a typical 24-degree head’s intake port.

If you consider a typical pushrod V-8 port style, the dominant flow path into the cylinder takes place through the part of the intake valve circumference that is open to the center of the cylinder. However, a typical 24-degree Chevy big-block head’s ports have something of a flow anomaly for both ports. But the flow anomaly is more apparent for the bad port. (See Chapter 4, Cylinder Heads, for more information.) This anomaly brings about a potential high-flow area well toward the cylinder wall side of the valve, and that area is most shrouded by the chamber wall and the cylinder bore. Failure to appreciate its existence can cancel out this potential high-flow area, and as a result, you can lose a measurable chunk of power.

This is valuable knowledge that less than a handful of big-block engine builders probably know. I estimate that knowing what to do here to allow the motion of this flow anomaly through and past the intake valve is probably a 20-hp advantage.

Fig. 1.1. Other than typical reconditioning procedures, many moves can be done to a stock block to improve engine output.

Fig. 1.2. Here you can see how much the combustion chamber overhangs (red line) the cylinder bore (yellow line). This is a 4.290-inch bore and you can see from the valveseat (transparent blue) that a 2.3-inch intake valve only clears the bore due to its canted angle. Chamfering the top of the block drastically reduces the negative effect the sharp edge of the bore has on flow.

Just so you are primed, taking advantage of this flow pattern also involves piston reshaping when a big-dome piston is used. (See Chapter 2, Pistons, Rods and Cranks.) Small-bore engines are the worst bore-shrouding offenders but I am making a big deal of this point as they are the most common blocks with which to start a build. The first move is the block chamfer operation. It is important enough for me to cover it here in detail.

Minimizing Intake Shrouding

Let me say up front that regardless of bore size none of the block/head combinations I discuss here are free of shrouding. However, big-bore blocks, that is, from a 4.466-inch diameter (stock 502) on up, are very much better in this respect.

Fig. 1.3. Here is what bore chamfers (or deshrouding) look like. The intake side is a very effective power enhancer, but the exhaust side, even though it helps, makes only a relatively small difference.

Fig. 1.4. This test shows the difference in output without valve deshrouding block chamfers versus a block with deshrouding chamfers. Tests such as this are not as straightforward as it may at first seem.

Cutting block chamfers is easy enough. First check the fire ring form on a head gasket against that of the chamber. With aftermarket heads, in most instances, the combustion chamber perimeter closely matches the head gasket. If this is the case you can use the head gasket as a template to outline the block deck to establish just how far to go with a die grinder. As to how far down the bore to go this should be limited to about 1/16 inch shy of the position of the top ring at TDC. Just in case you are wondering if it is really worth it, check out the dyno tests showing before and after results in Figure 1.4.

Before assuming the tests in Figure 1.4 are an absolute, let me make a couple of points clear: A test like this cannot be done as a simple A versus B comparison. Cutting away the block means a reduction in compression ratio (CR). Sure, it is not much and if nothing else changed it would, in our 10.5:1 CR test case (a 475-ci unit), have amounted to about 0.2 reduction in ratio. Being aware of this I used a thinner head gasket to partially compensate. The reason for only partially compensating is that a thinner head gasket also tightens the quench/squish clearance between the head’s face and the piston at TDC. This also increases power so I estimated from quench tests what it was likely to be and settled on a working compromise. This means that you need to use the test results of Figure 1.4 as a guide to the value of cutting away the bore, rather than as an absolute.

Another point to bear in mind here is that this test unit had a 0.100 overbore. That in itself relieves some of the shrouding of the intake so block chamfers were needed less on this test unit than would have been the case for smaller bores. The fact that the chamfers are effective is also borne out by the trend of engines without them seeming to make less power than those with them.

Intake Versus Exhaust

As far as effectiveness goes the shrouding reduction of the intake is far more influential than the exhaust reduction. The intake seems to account for about 85 to 90 percent of the possible power gain. This means that unshrouding the intake is far more important than unshrouding the exhaust, which means that moving the heads across the block to further unshroud the intake at the expense of the exhaust is worthwhile. By using head-locating dowel rings that are offset you can move the heads across the block up to about 0.020 inch. Although this unshrouds the intake at the expense of the exhaust you are still very much on the winning side.

Bore Offset Power

All the foregoing leads to the possibility of some additional power if you are committed to a certain piston size that is not at the bore limit or you have class rules limiting displacement. However, let me make it clear that bore size for increased displacement is always the number-one priority. With that in mind here let’s investigate bore offsetting and see how it plays into the production of a performance block.

In my previous Chevy big-block book, I discussed how to maximize bore size with a casting where the cores had shifted. This involved offsetting the bores to maximize the amount of overbore that could be accommodated. This involved shifting the bores up to about 0.025 inch in the direction of the thicker wall. Offsetting the bores can have a power advantage if the offsets are thoughtfully done.

Fig. 1.5. If the block casting is sufficiently thick, there is room to make favorable moves on the bores. Another way to further deshroud the intake valve is to move the bores in the direction of the red arrows. In a similar manner you can also get the effect of an offset wrist pin by moving the bores in the direction of the blue arrow. Combining the moves of the red and blue arrows results in the bores moving in the direction indicated by the green arrows.

For instance if the block can only be bored, say, plus 0.040, and the casting is thick enough, the bore centerlines should be moved toward the intake valve because this relieves the shrouding to a greater extent than if the bore stayed on its original centerline. Also there is the possibility of simulating the effect of an offset piston wrist pin.

The point here is that if the bore diameter is limited before that point, these centerline moves are a way to get back some of the possible deficit. With that in mind let’s consider the effects of offset pin-to-bore centerlines.

Piston Wrist Pin Offset Potential

This subject has generated a lot of controversy about whether offsetting the piston wrist pin creates power. I should tell you now that you will find plenty of theories and even some dyno evidence to the contrary. You should take my findings on this subject and put whatever value you feel is worthwhile on it.

Pin offset is the practice of relocating the piston’s wrist pin so that it is offset toward the major thrust face of the bore. Having the pin offset in the opposite direction of crank rotation means that TDC occurs slightly sooner than otherwise would be the case. At TDC of the power stroke, the pressure is still considerable although still somewhat short of peak. However, because the crank centerline, rod journal centerline, and wrist pin are in a straight line, they are dead-locked, so no torque is transmitted to the crank via the prevailing cylinder pressure.

Fig. 1.6. Here you can see that offsetting the wrist pin means that the rod transmits its downward force to the crank at a more favorable angle. This geometry advantage comes into play immediately after passing TDC.

Because of the offset, the rod-to-crank angularity comes on faster after TDC than it would without the offset. The application of the pistons’ downward force on the crank has a more favorable geometry. The initial result is the pressure in the cylinder is communicated sooner during the power stroke than would otherwise be the case.

Let me clearly state that something like 80 percent of the power that is generated in a high-performance engine occurs in the first 20 percent of the stroke. So if the pin offset allows more power to be extracted early on, it should be a move for the better. This effect is seen to a greater extent with the shorter rod/stroke ratios. Big-blocks with short rods are in theory at least, prime candidates for such a move.

Of course the dyno is the place to see if that is so. I ran such a test, not in a Chevy big-block, but in a 2-liter Cosworth YB engine in 1989 when I was racing these engines in the United Kingdom. These tests showed a 3½-hp advantage with a 1-mm offset in a 250-hp engine. With short rods and large displacement, this result bodes well for big-block builds, but it is not without certain issues that must be addressed.

Acquiring Pin Offset

You can acquire pin offset by two means: First and most efficiently, you can offset bore the cylinders. Second, you can use custom-made pistons with offset pins. The original reason for offsetting wrist pins is to reduce piston slap, especially on a cold start-up. If the piston is symmetrical and balanced about the pin centerline (so that one side of the piston is not heavier than the other side due to a dome or valve cutouts) as the piston comes to TDC, the loaded side reverses and the piston rattles in the bore.

By offsetting the pin the cylinder pressure loads one side of the piston more than the other thus tending to keep the piston in contact