<VV> HP 2

[Tony Underwood]

At 05:54 hours 06/08/2005, Padgett wrote:

>>  likewise the 327-375/365
>
>375 was the big plenium Rochester Fuel Injection engine in 65 after which 
>the porcupine engine was the answer at a much lower price.


But this engine was available in '63.   No BBC then.   At least, not to the 
public, just the guys lucky enough to grab up a W series "Mystery Motor" to 
attempt to run in NASCAR.

The 327-375 was the same engine as the 327-365 except for the carb vs 
FI.   And on a dragstrip the carb'ed engine was always outrunning the FI 
engine.   So much for accurate HP figures.    Besides, the 327 engine was, 
on an honest dyno, not able to kick out 375 hp in any variation available 
off a showroom floor.    It was all buzzword HP so as to favor the Corvette 
image.

>Limiting factor was the venturi which kept the CFM down to about 520. 
>While at GMI I came across information on the Grand Sport Corvettes 
>showing the diameter increased from 2" to 2.329" which kicked the flow 
>over 700 CFM.

Still not up to par with the Comp series AFB carb (IMHO one of the best 
street performance dragrace carbs ever) such as was seen on a variety of 
performance engines out of Detroit through the '60s.


>Since was running B/P in a 63 split window at the time and the rules were 
>very specific about carberators (this Rochester or this Holly) but said 
>little about the FI except that it was allowed, I spent some time hogging 
>out some choke assemblies and filling all of the casting voids revealed 
>with epoxy.

Ahh...    now you're looking at some flow.   Anybody ever throw money on 
you after you beat them?   Oops...  this ain't dragracing.   Sorry...  (do 
they allow you to throw "protest money" anywhere within SCCA?)  ;)

I do recall how the carb'ed cars didn't pull through the corners as well as 
the FI cars, obviously the FI metered better in hi-g turns what with carb 
bowl slosh etc.   But on the straights the carb'ed cars would wake back 
up.     Corners are where AFBs fall a bit flat unless you get inside them 
and mortify a few things.  They were, however, king on the streets for the 
"stoplight nationals" on weekends.

>Now even back then it was known that if you built a full race SBC with 
>SCCA legal components and could get enough air flow, it would wind to the 
>moon and it did.

I've seen some MP cars turning ridiculous RPM at serious dragstrips.   One 
guy with a bright new (then) white '92 Camaro who did extremely well at the 
Sports Nats one year, had a big "tattletale" tach on the cluster and I got 
a look at the red needle in the pits after a run (this car was turning 10's 
with a 292 inch smallblock Chevy in a not-lightweight '92 Camaro) and the 
needle was past 10,000 rpm.

THAT is twisting a SBC to the moon if one ever was...  you shoulda heard 
this car launch, yanked the wheels coming off the line, screaming like a 
banshee, videotaped many of the runs and still occasionally watch and 
listen just to hear the engines of some of these cars.


tony..