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Chevrolet all but reinvented small-block performance with the introduction of the LS engine family. A potent and worthy successor to the original small-block, the LS has proven its power potential time and time again. The one possible complaint about the LS was that the factory fuel-injected combinations left out the early carbureted contingent, after all, the LS quickly became the swap candidate for trucks, street rods, and early muscle cars (and everything else). Companies like Edelbrock, Holley, and MSD soon stepped in to provide both carbureted intake manifolds and ignition controllers to allow the carburetor crowd to take advantage of everything the LS had to offer. This test is for those who have an even greater need for old-school speed, as we apply boost to a carbureted combo. Nothing screams performance like a big 6-71 supercharger sticking out of the hood. As we found out, adding a dual-quad 6-71 supercharger to the already efficient LS made not only an impressive visual statement, but plenty of power as well.

Words and Photos By Richard Holdener

Words and Photos By Richard Holdener

Words and Photos By Richard Holdener

In the hierarchy of the LS engine family, one designation stands above the rest: LS7. We know the LS9 makes more power and (numerically speaking) was two better than the seven, but it took forced induction for Chevy to finally top what was likely the most powerful production engine to date. Certainly the most powerful small-block, the all-aluminum, dry-sump 427 even offered more power than the legendary big-blocks of yesteryear. In a battle of the 427s, we’d put the LS7 over the wild L88 and ZL-1 combinations any day. The question now is, as good as the LS7 is in stock trim, how do you make one even better? What if we told you there was a way to not only dramatically improve the performance of your LS7 (or any LS7-headed combination), but make a powerful visual statement to boot. Did we mention that said system was also affordably priced? Enter the Speedmaster individual-runner intake manifold.

One of the many great things about the small-block Chevy is its versatility. Think about it for a minute: the same basic powerplant has been used to power everything from a heavy-hauling farm truck that rarely sees the high side of 30 mph to a production-bodied, land-speed record holder exceeding 300 miles per hour. The needs of mostSuper Chevy readers fall somewhere between these two extremes, but that still leaves a lot of room for individuality when it comes time to choose motivation for your favorite muscle car, street rod, or even daily driver. At Super Chevy we recognize the fact that not every enthusiast wants or needs an 8-second street machine, but few stick to stone stock.

Which is better, carbs or computers? The question is obviously a complex one, as we need to determine exactly what carb and what computer, to say nothing of what we mean by better. Are all carbs better than all computers? Not likely, nor is the opposite true, but for many, a complicated (and expensive) EFI system just doesn’t compare to a good, old-fashion carburetor.

From a simple math standpoint, making more horsepower requires nothing more than shifting torque production higher in the rev range. It is also possible to simply produce more torque in the same rpm, but with any given displacement, additional torque becomes more and more difficult.

A recent trip to the local Pick Your Part wrecking yard revealed row after row of what we like to call possibilities. Under the hood of each and every vehicle in the yard were the makings of a high-performance race engine just begging for a new lease on life. Of course, some would take considerable work to get there while others may never make it. But choose wisely and the rewards can be impressive. When you go looking for power in the yard, it is always best to go big, as in big-block Chevy. In the sea of stock, junkyard engines, bigger certainly means better. Since we planned on running a trio of power-adders on our junkyard “race” engine, we went right for a engine we knew was capable of withstanding both boost and juice. Though earlier Mark IV and Gen V engines are usually available, we zeroed in on the latest and greatest: a Gen VI 454 (7.4L) offered by GM from 1996-’99 (actually into early 2000).

Looking back, we can safely say that the original, as-cast, Twisted Wedge street head from Trick Flow Specialties had a major impact on the 5.0L Mustang market. It matters little that the Twisted Wedge heads were neither the first aftermarket performance heads available, nor were they the first aluminum head on the market for the 302 (and 351W). What the then-new offerings from TrickFlow Specialties did provide was an affordable, aluminum performance direct bolt-on head to the Mustang market when no such animal existed.

A few years ago, our sister magazine Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords covered the buildup and dyno test of a 347ci small-block with off-the-shelf parts, street-oriented cam timing, and a carburetor, and the crowning touch was a CSX Racing twin-turbo setup. The results were less than expected due to a few factors, so in this story, we will fix those ailments and develop more power in a more controllable package. While this engine is on the wild side for most Mustang Monthly readers, some of our readers love hearing about turbo engines. This small-block is right at home between the shock towers of a street or strip Mustang. Let’s take a look at how to build and tune one of these beauties, so you can be the new hero at your next Mustang show. Oh, and also, blow the doors off of most any car you’ll come across on the street!

topend, 500hp, 5.0L, ford, richardholdener, power

What can we say, we are junkyard dogs at heart. In our opinion, there is no better way to spend an afternoon than by rummaging through the junkyard to find hidden treasure. If you don’t look under the hood of every vehicle there and think, hey, we could make that into something seriously cool, then you are NOT a real car guy (or gal). Every engine bay is home to a stock motor, which is already cool, but there is so much more. Lurking under all that grease and grime was (in our case) a small block just begging for new lease on life. Having served faithfully for more than 100,000 miles towing that fishing boat, lugging that 5th wheel or just lumbering around town with a box bed full of supplies, it was time to resurrect the Phoenix that awaited within. Chose wisely as we did, and it’s a simple matter of upgrading the existing components to get that Chevy to haul ass instead of bass. If it seems like we are excited about boneyard builds, you don’t know the half of it.

Ask any group of Chevy enthusiasts about the best small block ever made and chances are someone will say the 327. Sure, some may argue that the 283-horsepower, injected 283 was the first Chevy to reach 1 hp per cubic inch, while others will counter with the Trans Am-winning DZ302 and still others might chime in with LT1 350 as the last great high-compression small block. What we quickly learn from this discussion is that there were a number of great small blocks produced during the muscle car era, but only one can lay claim to having the highest factory power rating. The fuel-injected L84 327 was factory rated at 375 horsepower, while the carbureted L76 version was rated 10-hp down at 365 hp. Whether these motors ever produced that kind of power in stock trim is irrelevant, as no 283, 302 or even 350 was ever rated higher. Thus, the 327 can lay claim to being the most powerful of all the original muscle-car small blocks. A better question might be how does the king of all muscle-car small blocks compare to modern machinery?

What’s not to love about nitrous oxide? If you are a car guy (or gal), you owe it to yourself to install nitrous on at least one car, any car, before you trade in that hot rod for the inevitable mini van. Why is nitrous cool, you ask? Where else can you get instant power at the push of a button? The great thing about nitrous is that not only can you get that big hit but the hit can be applied to just about ANY combination, from stock to Super Stock. Nitrous doesn’t care what name is plastered on the outside of your car, it just needs injection into an internal combustion engine and the compound will do the rest. It is for this reason that nitrous oxide is so popular among racers. As a street racer, how do you not just love the fact that you have an extra 100-500 hp (or more) at the push of a button? Talk about instant gratification! Before we get to the specific benefits of the ZEX Perimeter Plate and results of our dyno test, we should take a quick look at the amazing compound known as nitrous oxide.

Back in part 1 we introduced Bangshifters to our Cool G 383 build up. What started out as a simple, iron-block 5.3L was quickly transformed into a 383 stroker by combining a forged steel crank (4.0-inch stroke) and 6.125-inch rods from Speedmaster with a set of JE forged, flat-top pistons. To that short block we added a Crane hydraulic roller cam that offered .624 lift, a 232/240-degree duration split and 113-degree lsa. We then topped off the stout short block with a set of CNC-ported TFS Gen X 225 heads and a Holley Mid Ram induction system. The unique intake system could be run a number of different ways but we chose the single throttle-body/EFI route. Back in part 1 we assembled the motor using ARP head studs and Fel Pro MLS head gaskets then ran the normally aspirated combo using a Holley Dominator EFI system. Taking the ever-foolish, more-is-better approach, we decided on a lofty goal of no less than 1,000 hp (a Cool G). In normally aspirated trim, the 383 produced 517 hp and 483 lb-ft of torque on the SuperFlow 902 at Westech Performance Group, getting us more than half way there.

Richard Holdener

From a simple math standpoint, making more horsepower requires nothing more than shifting torque production higher in the rev range. It is also possible to simply produce more torque in the same rpm, but with any given displacement, additional torque becomes more and more difficult.