Last month, we built a 509ci solid-roller big-block Chevy, using the leftover block, crank, and oil pan from the 502 Ramjet crate motor out of Project X. We christened it the Pile Driver, because it pounded out 717 hp at 6,300 rpm and 651 lb-ft of torque at 5,100 rpm-all while sipping a diet of 91-octane pump gas. Those numbers are impressive, especially in light of the fact that we only spent $8,100 to build it, not including the parts from "X."
The Engine All that ground-pounding goodness came gratis some free-breathing induction from Trick Flow Specialties in the form of the new PowerPort 320cc aluminum heads, and R-Series single-plane intake manifold. Flowing over 360 cfm at its peak, the TFS PowerPort head could easily feed 502 hungry inches (now 509 with an overbore), but not alone. We got additional induction help from a solid-roller valvetrain from COMP Cams-principally by way of 292/298 degrees of gross duration (.020-inch tappet rise), 254/260 degrees duration at .050, and .653/.666 inches of lift. Finishing out the induction chores was a brand-new 1,150-cfm Ultra Dominator from Holley.
Although the 502 Ramjet short-block we started with was endowed well enough for a touch over 500 hp, these new free-breathing pieces would put a hurtin' on the I-beam Ramjet connecting rods, so we elected to go with some stronger Eagle H-beam rods. Lastly, the Ramjet's low-compression pistons would have to be replaced in order to capitalize on the promising horsepower potential of the Trick Flow induction. We selected a cost-effective set of SRP 17cc domed pistons in a 4.500-inch bore size. With our stock crank, these would push our 502 up to 509 cubes and peg the compression at a comfy 10.1:1. The entire package was assembled with the aid of Andy Mitchell of Outlaw Racing Engines in Upland, California.
The Pile Driver big-block Chevy combo acquitted itself nicely on the Westech Performance dyno in Mira Loma, California, pumping out the aforementioned 717 hp on pump gas, with the timing set at 32 degrees total. Having met our goals for performance and cost, we were pleased with the results, which you can read about in more detail (along with the engine assembly) in the November 2009 issue.
Our 509ci Pile Driver big-block Chevy was built by Andy Mitchell of Outlaw Racing Engines in Upland, California. Last month, the potent solid-roller combo generated 717 hp (at 6,300 rpm) with 91-octane pump gas on the engine dyno. New heads and intake from Trick Flow Specialties, and a new Ultra Dominator from Holley were a large part of that equation.
The Challenge While hanging out at the dyno, we wondered just how much e.t. the 509 Pile Driver would be good for in a street car that was optimized for the track? It's a question we get asked a lot, especially when readers call bs on magazine dyno test results. As the saying used to go before the advent of Engine Masters, you can't race a dyno. We initially thought about dropping the Pile Driver into the Street Sweeper, our resident '68 Chevelle project car. With its bulletproof Currie 9-inch rearend, TCI Super Street Fighter Turbo 400 trans, and 28x10.5-inch Mickey Thompson slicks, it certainly has the driveline beefcake to handle the power, but without a rollcage, we'd be dead in the water. We have already been kicked out of the track twice for running quicker than 11.50 with the 496-inch Howitzer big-block, so they were on to us.
What we needed was a car that was close to the Street Sweeper Chevelle in terms of weight, equipment, and driveline, but that was more optimized for the dragstrip than our g-Machine-oriented project car. We put the word out locally, and found our guinea pig through Tim Lee, owner of Don Lee Auto Service in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Lee got us in touch with Don Gatlin of Bakersfield, California, a 42-year-old electrical contractor, who has been bracket racing steadily for 20 years. Don liked the idea, and loaned us his '71 big-block Chevelle bracket racer that also does double duty as a street car.
The Chevelle Gatlin's Chevelle has been in his family for six years, being bracket raced for most of that time, while also seeing a good amount of street duty. Gatlin's '71 is a veteran of the regional Top Comp class, having racked up numerous wins and many appearances in the finals. Normally, his Chevelle has an iron-headed 540ci big-block underhood. That mill has 12.5:1 compression, iron Merlin heads, Merlin block, and a .730-inch lift solid-roller cam. Gatlin figures that engine makes around 850 hp, but he's never actually put it on the dyno. It has, however, powered the Chevelle to a best quarter-mile e.t. of 9.98/135 with a 1.45 60-foot time. That e.t. was with a curb weight of 3,730 pounds, including the driver. It's interesting to note that with the aluminum-headed Pile Driver 509 underhood (which also sported a much lighter 502 block), the curb weight dipped to 3,642 pounds with driver, for a savings of almost 100 pounds off the nose.
With Gatlin's blessing, we enlisted the help of Tim Lee and the crew at Don Lee Auto Service to swap Gatlin's 540 Merlin for the Pile Driver. A few hours later, we hit the start button, and everything sounded perfect, just like it did on the dyno.
At The Track In order to meet our deadline, we needed to get to the track soon. As luck would have it, there was a big bracket race scheduled for the following weekend on August 8 in Fontana. The thrash paid off, and we made it with a healthy car. Due to the huge number of racers, we would only be allowed one time trial, then go directly into bracket eliminations; so we'd get two runs for sure, and more if we were lucky. For the first run, Gatlin set the tire pressure at 10.2 pounds, based on his prior experience with the Chevelle. After a bigger than usual burnout (for the camera), Don launched the Pile Driver off the transbrake at 3,800 rpm, but after short wheelie, it stumbled, 60-footed with a 1.67, then picked up steam again. The lights showed an 11.23/124. The postmortem in the pits was that we forgot to install jet extensions in the rear metering plate. Fuel was sloshing away from the jets, causing a big bog.
We got to work swapping out Don Gatlin's 540, and dropped in the 509ci Pile Driver. With the exception of chasing a different flywheel, it was an easy swap. Lots of credit goes to Tim Lee of Don Lee Auto Service for helping us locate the Chevelle, and wrangling the engines at the last minute. (Photo by Scott "Sticky" Miller)
With jet extensions installed and a slight adjustment to the needle and seat of the rear float bowl, Gatlin went back for his first round of eliminations. We agreed to dial the car hard with a 10.60, hoping we'd feel good if we broke out. We had this one last chance, and the Pile Driver needed to produce!
Without changing the setup to the tire pressure, shocks, launch rpm, or the 6,600-rpm shift point, Gatlin did his burnout, staged it, then let it fly. Once again, the front end stood up, but no bog this time. Everything sounded fine down track, and Gatlin lit up the scoreboard with a losing 10.608 at 128.46. Don redlit by two hundredths, but otherwise ran dead-on his 10.60 dial-in. Unfortunately, losing means we had no more runs left. Nevertheless, we got the TFS-equipped Pile Driver down into respectable 10-second territory, and proved that every pony we made on the dyno got put to the tire!
WHERE THE MONEY WENT Description: Source: Part No. Price: GMPP 502 block and crank Project X, take-off 10237292 n/a GMPP 502 4-inch stroke forged crank Project X, take-off 10183723 n/a GMPP 502 6-quart oil pan Project X, take-off n/a n/a GMPP 502 damper Project X, take-off n/a n/a GMPP 502 water pump Project X, take-off n/a n/a GMPP 502 oil pump pickup Project X, take-off n/a n/a Trick Flow 320cc PowerPort heads Trick Flow/Summit TFS-41400002 $2,095.95 pair Trick Flow R-series single-plane intake Trick Flow/Summit TFS-41400111 $399.95 Trick Flow valve covers Trick Flow/Summit TFS-41400803 $245.95 Trick Flow pushrods (intake) TFS/Summit, 3/8-inch x 9.550 TFS-21419550-8 $56.95 (set of 8) Trick Flow pushrods (exhaust) TFS/Summit, 3/8-inch x 8.650 TFS-21418650-8 $56.95 (set of 8) Eagle rods, 6.385-inch forged Eagle/Summit ESP-63853D $459.95 set SRP 17cc dome pistons, 4.500 bore SRP/Summit SRP-212147 $538.88 set Sealed Power rings, 1/16, 1/16, 3/16-in. Sealed Power/Summit SLP-R104515 $155.39 Main Bearings Clevite/Summit CLE-MS829H $79.95 Rod bearings Clevite/Summit CLE-CB743HN $87.60 Cam bearings Clevite/Summit CLE-SH616S $26.95 Intake bolt kit ARP/Summit ARP-435-2002 $55.95 Holley Ultra Dominator, 1150 cfm Holley 0-80556-2BK $960 Carburetor stud kit Summit SUM-G1421 $3.69 COMP roller cam, 4876B/4877B SR105 COMP Cams 01-000-8 (custom) $303 COMP Endure-X solid roller lifters COMP/Summit CCA-883-16 $489.95 Two-piece Gen VI timing cover COMP/Summit CCA-217 $249.95 Timing set COMP/Summit CCA-3149KT $182.75 Cam bolt kit COMP/Summit CCA-234 $9.95 Balancer bolt kit Summit SUM-G1678 $7.95 Crane Gold 1.7 roller rocker arms Crane/Summit CRN-13750-16 $319.95 Distributor, MSD Pro Billet Summit/MSD MSD-8555-1 $227.95 Ignition wires, MSD Super Conductor Summit/MSD MSD-31299 $75.95 Spark plugs, Champion C61 Summit/Champion CPN-688 ($3.69 each) $29.52 Intake gaskets FelPro/Summit FPP-1275 $16.95 Gasket set FelPro/Summit FEL-KS2618 $58.95 Oil pan gasket set FelPro/Summit FEL-OS34407R $21.95 Expansion plug kit Sealed Power/Summit SLP-381-8009 $14.99 Oil pump Melling/Summit MEL-M77HV $32.95 Oil pump driveshaft Melling/Summit MEL-IS77 $6.63 Oil pump stud ARP/Summit ARP-230-7003 $4.88 Head bolt kit ARP/Summit ARP-135-3607 $83.95 Oil filter adapter AAMidwest OFA305 $9.50 Fram Tough Guard oil filter Rock Auto TG-30 $8.95 Synthetic 10W30 break-in oil Royal Purple/Summit RPO-11487 (6 quarts) $47.70 Engine paint Dupli-Color DE 1607 $5.99 Parts total: $7,434.42
MACHINE WORK (OUTLAW RACING): Clean block: $80 Block bore and hone: $245 Cam bearings: $60 Deck resurface: $120 Balancing: $180 Main bearing housing checkout $40 Machine shop labor total: $725 PARTS & LABOR TOTAL: $8,159.42
BY THE NUMBERS
’71 CHEVELLE
Don Gatlin, 42, Bakersfield, CA
Vehicle weight (with driver): 3,642 pounds
ENGINE
Type:
Chevy 509ci big-block
Block:
502 Mark VI
(from GMPP RamJet short-block)
Oiling:
Melling pump,
stock RamJet 502 oil pan
Rotating assembly:
stock 4.00-inch
forged RamJet 502 crank,
Eagle 6.385-inch I-beam rods,
SRP forged 17cc domed pistons
Cylinder heads:
Trick Flow Specialties
PowerPort 320cc,
2.25/1.88-inch stainless valves,
121cc combustion chambers
Camshaft:
COMP solid roller,
292/298 degrees gross duration
(.020-inch tappet rise),
254/260 duration at .050,
.653/.666-inch lift, 105 degrees LSA
Valvetrain:
Crane Gold 1.7 rocker arms,
TFS 3/8-inch pushrods,
Isky tool springs,
COMP Endure-X solid roller lifters
Induction:
Trick Flow Specialties
R-Series single-plane intake,
Holley 1,150-cfm
Ultra Dominator carb
Exhaust:
Lemons 2 3/8-inch multi-step
long-tube headers, 4-inch dual exhaust,
dual 4-inch Cherry bomb mufflers into
dual 4-inch single-chamber
Flowmaster mufflers
Power adder:
none
Fuel system:
Aeromotive 1000 fuel pump,
Aeromotive regulator
Ignition:
MSD billet distributor,
MSD Digital 7 ignition
Cooling:
Meziere electric pump,
Griffin radiator
Output:
717 hp at 6,300 rpm
Best e.t.:
10.60/128 (with 509ci Pile Driver)
DRIVETRAIN Transmission: Turbo 400 by Brandon’s Transmissions, Bakersfield, CA, 9.5-inch Edge Racing converter (4,200 stall speed), manual reverse-pattern valve body with transbrake Rear axle: Currie 9-inch, spool, 4.10 gears
CHASSIS Front suspension: Autofab front upper and lower control arms, Autofab springs, QA1 Stocker Star single-adjustable shocks (set on “8”) Rear suspension: Chris Alston Chassisworks adjustable antiroll bar (one flat pre-load on passenger side), Moroso Trick springs, QA1 Stocker Star single-adjustable shocks (set on “7”), Southside Machine lower control arms Brakes: stock Rollcage: fabricated by S&S Fabrication, Bakersfield, CA; kicker reinforcements to rear upper control arm boxes
WHEELS & TIRES Wheels: Centerline Warrior, 15x4 front, 15x10 rear Front tires: Moroso Front Runners Rear tires: 29.5x10.5W Mickey Thompson ET Drag slicks (10.2 psi pressure)
ON THE DYNO 509CI BIG-BLOCK CHEVY RPM TQ HP 3,400 592 383 3,500 591 394 3,600 594 407 3,700 600 422 3,800 606 439 3,900 610 453 4,000 612 466 4,100 614 479 4,200 617 494 4,300 623 510 4,400 628 526 4,500 634 543 4,600 639 560 4,700 644 576 4,800 647 592 4,900 650 606 5,000 651 620 5,100 651 633 5,200 651 644 5,300 650 655 5,400 648 666 5,500 645 676 5,600 642 684 5,700 638 692 5,800 633 699 5,900 629 707 6,000 623 712 6,100 616 715 6,200 607 717 6,300 598 717 6,400 589 717 6,500 578 715
