Instead of giving away a car at the '08 All-Chrysler show at Carlisle, Carlisle Productions teamed up with Muscle Motors to build an engine they could give away at this year's event. Follow along to see what's inside this potent big-block and how the guys at Muscle Motors built one stout mill anyone would be happy to have.
If you've attended the popular All-Chrysler show at the Carlisle fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, then you know this event is huge. With a car show, giant swap meet, manufacturers' midway, and drag racing close by, there's something for everyone. One of the most enjoyable parts of the Carlisle event-at least for one lucky participant or attendee-has always been the car giveaway. Each year for as long as we can remember, everyone attending the Carlisle show is entered in a drawing to win a cool Mopar, and the excitement is always high when the winner's name is announced. Well, rather than giving away a car this year, the crew from Carlisle Productions decided to change it up a little. This year, Carlisle Productions and yours truly are teaming up with Muscle Motors (MM) of Lansing, Michigan, to build an engine for this year's drawing.
Deciding to give away an engine instead of a car was a tough choice, but deciding which engine to build for the giveaway was even tougher. While the small-block and Hemi engines each have a strong following, most involved felt that the big-block Mopar would be the sensible choice as the majority of Mopar musclecars came equipped from the factory with a big-block of some kind. Additionally, the big-block is a logical and easy swap in most body styles, so the decision was made. To facilitate building and testing this engine, Mike Ware of Muscle Motors offered the services of his shop in Lansing, Michigan. As one of the top engine shops in the country, Muscle Motors is known for their powerful race and street engines. With a full-service machine shop and in-house dyno, whoever wins this engine can be confident it will be a strong, reliable performer.
Starting with a seasoned 440 block, Muscle Motors built this engine into a stroked, pump-gas-friendly torque monster that will be a blast for someone to drop in their Mopar.
But what engine should be built? Should a basic 440 cube RB be put together? Not if we have say in it. So a stroked RB was decided on. Stroking an RB engine has become common place, and if it's that easy, why not? Now, we didn't want to build a fire-breathing, high-compression monster that only a few people could actually use. Nope, this engine had to be reliable, run on pump gas, and be sure to give years of mileage capabilities.
Muscle Motors has developed a 505-inch kit that was everything we needed. It utilizes quality parts and was able to be tailored to our needs when it came to compression. So it was settled, MM would assemble our 505-inch wedge around their stroker kit, and we would dyno it and give it away on Sunday at Carlisle-make sure you're there.
Muscle Motors has been supplying Mopar gearheads with tough, economically priced stroker kits for years. This engine will utilize one of their kits for a final displacement of 505 ci. The kit is completely balanced and uses quality parts.
It can be yours
Do you want to win this engine?
This contest has ended!
For more information, please visit carlisleproductions.com.
Since this engine will likely be dropped into a street car, Mike decided to keep the compression level at a pump-gas-friendly 10.0:1. A Muscle Motors stroker kit was utilized with a forged steel crank, H-beam connecting rods, and Diamond forged pistons for a final displacement of 505 ci. To keep the Clevite bearings lubricated, a Milodon high-volume oil system was employed. For simplicity, Mike also chose a hydraulic flat-tappet camshaft from Comp Cams to actuate the valves. To feed this potent short-block, Muscle Motors CNC ported a set of Edelbrock Performer RPM cylinder heads, then topped them with an Edelbrock RPM dual-plane intake and Holley 950hp carburetor.
Editor's note: It gets harder and harder for us to find ways (or the means) to give back to you guys for supporting us over the years. But with the help of many companies, we are able to do that with projects like this. The next time you're looking for parts and/or services, please keep in mind the companies that keep you in mind. Thank you.
-Randy
