This 451ci Mopar made 1,101 hp on pump gas but more than 1,400 hp when it was intercooled and fed good gas.
A 1,000-plus-horsepower street engine is not such an uncommon thing anymore. Years ago, you would have been locked up in a padded room for even daydreaming about such a thing, but thanks to the world of heads-up drag racing and the incredible advancement of supercharger and turbocharger technology and knowledge, it's no longer unthinkable to make four-digit horsepower and torque with a package that can run around on the street. But we've rarely seen anyone do it with a Mopar, so when Bob Vrbancic called and said that's what he was building, we had to check it out.
The goal was 1,000 hp with a 451ci engine using a low-deck 400 block and "no real exotic parts," according to Vrbancic. Though there are some trick pieces, and you certainly can't call this a budget engine, it's not something you have to be a professional machinist and engine builder to screw together.
The forged 4340 crankshaft is from 440 Source and has 400 main bearing sizes but a 440's 3.750-inch stroke.
The moneymaker is the ProCharger F2 supercharger, which blows 15 pounds (on pump gas) of atmosphere into a Carb Shop 950-cfm Holley on top of an Indy Cylinder Heads intake (with a Dominator flange) that feeds Edelbrock Victor heads. A Lunati solid roller cam provides real lope, but at 265/271 duration at 0.050-inch lift, it's not unbearable. The package is destined to go in Carb Shop employee O.J. Bretzing's original-owner '70 Charger.
"A lot of this engine was based on a built 383 I had in my car for a long time," Bretzing says. "The former incarnation had a D-2 supercharger and made 760 hp, and I drove it back and forth to work all the time. It was very, very reliable. It had KB hypereutectic pistons, stock rods, a stock crank, and a Comp roller. I beat the crap out of it for years."
This engine uses better parts than that, but it's still not radical. So let's get a closer look at the bullet that Bretzing hopes to beat the crap out of for the next few years.
NATURALLY ASPIRATED WITH A 50/50 MIX TURE OF 91- AND 116-OCTANE FUEL RPM TQ HP 4,{{{600}}} 567 497 4,800 571 522 5,000 575 548 5,{{{200}}} 576 570 5,400 576 592 5,600 577 615 5,800 571 630 6,000 559 639 6,200 549 648 6,400 536 653 6,600 523 658 91-OCTANE WITH WATER INJECTION RPM TQ HP 4,600 676 592 4,800 704 643 5,000 747 711 5,200 776 768 5,400 803 826 5,600 {{{825}}} 879 5,800 837 {{{924}}} 6,000 855 977 6,200 870 1,027 6,400 884 1,077 6,500 890 1,101 C16 RACE GAS, WATER-TO-AIR INTERCOOLER, FULL-RACE TUNEUP RPM TQ HP 4,600 1,000 876 4,800 1,035 946 5,000 1,063 1,012 5,200 1,085 1,075 5,400 1,121 1,153 5,600 1,158 1,234 5,800 1,179 1,302 6,000 1,183 1,351 6,200 1,182 1,395 6,400 1,174 1,431 6,600 1,141 1,434 6,800 1,101 1,425