[NHRASuperStock455SD]

Brian,

Got that Funny Car ready yet? Cant wait!

Lynn

[NHRASuperStock455SD]

Tom,

I have a new idea for a crate motor. How about a 4.9L short deck with RA-V and a Turbo to replace the motors that came in the 1980 Pace Car? I think it could make serious HP and with a 4-spd 4L-85 with locking converter like what was in Pontiac magazine last month. I think it could get about 20 mpg highway and can be very streetable. My son who is into all this blown stuff says the turbo lag would be a problem. I know the turbo would need reconfigured, but what are your initial thoughts? I think that 4.9 Turbo was one of the coolest cars Pontiac ever made. My buddy mildly reconfigured a stock one with a stock short block and set the record with it in stock eliminator with a very low 12 second quarter.

Lynn

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by NHRASuperStock455SD

I am pretty much sticking to the $2499 bare pricing with seats and guides ready to go including press in push rod tubes. (not installed optional). Since the alum on the top is thicker then there is no guide that protrudes into the intake port which is killer improvement for head flow. The other think I think that is way cool is the way we raised the ports, but also redesigned for use with the stock intake config.

Now I am trying to decide on valves. We already made the decision to scrap the 3/8 valve stem and go with a 11/32 on the street head that significantly reduces valve weight. The OAL is 5.75 inches at my insistence. Since the RA-V only came with hollow stem intake valves and sodium filled exhaust, then I think we should keep with the killer Pontiac tradition in light weight valve train. Any suggestions? Hollow stem? Titanium? I really hate the thought of doing a RA-V with stainless valves, it does doesnt sit well with me.

Thoughts?

Sorry I havent posted in awhile we have been doing testing on a new patented process for clean coal technology. It passed for SOx and NOx, now we are going after Mercury. We are doing the designs for a $100,000 boiler testing apparatus for continuous coal burn testing.

thanks,

Lynn
[email protected]
317-839-8378

I will leave the valve discussions for people with more knowledge.

What is your heartburn with a stainless valve in a "V" head.

What valve material do Hemi guys run?

Tom Vaught

[tom s]

lynn,I have a set of heads with 5/16 valve and a set with 11/32s.The 5/16 is a early hemi 2.19 valve.Tom

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by NHRASuperStock455SD

Tom,

I have a new idea for a crate motor. How about a 4.9L short deck with RA-V and a Turbo to replace the motors that came in the 1980 Pace Car? I think it could make serious HP and with a 4-spd 4L-85 with locking converter like what was in Pontiac magazine last month. I think it could get about 20 mpg highway and can be very streetable. My son who is into all this blown stuff says the turbo lag would be a problem. I know the turbo would need reconfigured, but what are your initial thoughts? I think that 4.9 Turbo was one of the coolest cars Pontiac ever made. My buddy mildly reconfigured a stock one with a stock short block and set the record with it in stock eliminator with a very low 12 second quarter.

Lynn

1) I like short deck engines when using short strokes/ small cid.

2) Lots of turbo knowledge on 4.9L-5.0L engines.

3) RA-V Port would not be as big of an issue with the right turbos selected (FOR A STREET APPLICATION). You would want boost at 1500 rpm.

4) EFI would be nice as you can improve drivability a lot with the right efi calibrator (Travis Q) and the right parts designed for a street car.
Assume 650 HP. I drove a 4.6L Boosted engine with 4 valve Cobra R ports (with over 600 hp) for 3 years on the street.

Tom Vaught

[Brian Baker]

Originally Posted by NHRASuperStock455SD

Brian,

Got that Funny Car ready yet? Cant wait!

Lynn

Not yet. Haven't had time or money this year to fart with it (mostly money). Looking for a used Dedenbear PG case right now though. If I can't find one in another month or so I'll be buying new, and having the tranny gone through shortly thereafter. Also waiting on Woolfords to finish my billet oil line adapter to mount on the block for the remote lines...only have 7/8" clearance between top rail and top hole in block, making it impossible to screw any fitting into the block.

[NHRASuperStock455SD]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

I will leave the valve discussions for people with more knowledge.

What is your heartburn with a stainless valve in a "V" head.

What valve material do Hemi guys run?

Tom Vaught

Tom,

Thanks for asking. They are too heavy and too elastic.

I believe you first must pay as much attention to valve train weight, seat and spring design second. It reduces your issues going forward. The lighter the the less elastic the valve, the less you have to over compensate for valve train. It reduces things like spring pressure which in turn reduces valve train paracytic losses. This concept has proven true in all our engines. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The valve train engineers at Pontiac knew this, and that is why they insisted on light valves. Me too. ;-)

Lynn

[NHRASuperStock455SD]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

I will leave the valve discussions for people with more knowledge.

What is your heartburn with a stainless valve in a "V" head.

What valve material do Hemi guys run?

Tom Vaught

Hemi guys run $8000 rocker arm systems and valve springs 470lbs on the seat and 1250 open. My rocker systems are quite that expensive, but not that far off. I have about $4500 in mine and I do it myself. Hemi engine builders pay about $3000 for the rocker shaft systems, not to mention they are cheating with the lifter bore angles, and it costs about $2700 for the keyed lifters $350-$500 for push rods. The biggest thing is $5k labor it costs to do the rocker shaft systems. It takes a lot of effort and expense to get that heavy SS valve in check.

Lynn

[NHRASuperStock455SD]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

1) I like short deck engines when using short strokes/ small cid.

2) Lots of turbo knowledge on 4.9L-5.0L engines.

3) RA-V Port would not be as big of an issue with the right turbos selected (FOR A STREET APPLICATION). You would want boost at 1500 rpm.

4) EFI would be nice as you can improve drivability a lot with the right efi calibrator (Travis Q) and the right parts designed for a street car.
Assume 650 HP. I drove a 4.6L Boosted engine with 4 valve Cobra R ports (with over 600 hp) for 3 years on the street.

Tom Vaught

I am looking for a short deck turbo block to see if it would fit the bill. If not, we can short deck one no problem to 9.200 with the stock 6 inch rod. If our stock Pontiac blocks could hold 860HP I was hoping the T-301 block with a little work might hold that 650HP. If anyone has a block or engine for sale let me know.

Lynn
[email protected]

[tom s]

Lynn,I have turbo block sitting at SD.Tom

[NHRASuperStock455SD]

That would be great Tom if you want to sell it. Dave has my address I just bought another mega brace off of him for the RA-V street motor. (I wont put a motor together without it.)

I am also looking for a complete 4.9 Turbo motor.

Lynn
[email protected]

[Dragncar]

Lynn, why would a RAV engine need a lifter bore brace as all the bores are reinforced?

[Tom Vaught]

Dragoncar, I think he is using a conventional block and adding his "V" heads and calling it a "V" engine vs his other race engines in his stable.

Tom Vaught

[NHRASuperStock455SD]

Yes Tom, thanks!,

This is a street RA-V engine with a conventional 455 block. Our attempt is to use readily available parts with the new RA-V heads to see the pure Pontiac power. Since Tony Bischoff and our partnership, we have been putting out close to 750HP with stock blocks and cast cranks going 8700 RPM.

I think the aftermarket blocks are cool too, we will be doing one of those shortly. Here is our proposed line up

Street/Strip 455(482CID) RA-V (stock block) Crate motor
Street/Strip 500 RA-V (565 CI max) Crate motor (After market block)
Race RA-V 600 RA-V (667 CID max) (Our Race block and cranks)
Race RA-V 700 RA-V (750 CID +++) (Our Race block and cranks)

proposed:

4.9 L NA or Turbo short deck
6.5 L NA or Turbo short deck

All street engines 4 barrel or 2 x 4 bbl tunnel ram, or stock height single 4.

All machine work and components done by BES Racing.

Lynn McCarty
[email protected]

[Tom Vaught]

Obviously to get 700 cid you are moving the bore spacing? What would the bore spacing be vs the deck height?

Tom Vaught

[NHRASuperStock455SD]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

Obviously to get 700 cid you are moving the bore spacing? What would the bore spacing be vs the deck height?

Tom Vaught

Tom,

How do you know we are not doing a W-bore block? (I think it would be so cool!) Has Ford tried it? I bet they have. I think Lycoming did one. Pretty sure Honda did one. (Just Joking!)

I really think talking about bore spacing is superfluous. We do whatever we need to do in order to get the bore/power the customer wants. Even my 455SD SS engine doesnt have the stock bore spacing. It is the first thing a SSer and Ser does for power is to offset the bore. It is why you see lots of blocks in NHRA done with 8 sleeves.

Deck height the same thing, whatever fits for the bore and stroke the customer wants. A 400 cubic inch engine with a 10.250 deck height is ridiculous in my book. Everyone knows that a 303-400 short deck is faster, dont they?

Lynn

[Tom Vaught]

Yes Lynn, we have looked at "W" Bore Blocks several times over the years. So how much deck do you have left on the block after the .400 short deck?

Tom Vaught

[NHRASuperStock455SD]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

Yes Lynn, we have looked at "W" Bore Blocks several times over the years. So how much deck do you have left on the block after the .400 short deck?

Tom Vaught

Sorry Tom I missed that question. 0.400 off the deck? Or 0.400 off stock Pontiac deck?

It really depends on which block you wish ie what bore and stroke desired.

Most blocks come with a 0.650 inch deck, so cutting .400 is no problem. However if we rub the sand cores we can add metal in the critical areas. Each block has its own critical factors.

Best thing for me to ask is what exactly are you looking for and I will see if we can do it.

Lynn

[tom s]

Lynn,call dave and setup shipping.I think I have 250 in it after dave had it cleaned and magged.We can take it off a set of heads when they are ready.Tom

[gregsgtos2]

are the rav heads done yet?