DynoMax Power to the Wheels Dyno Tour - Seven Cars: 9,565 Horsepower

Sixth Place
Rod Nance
'59 Impala
509ci big-block Chevy
1,218 rear wheel horsepower

Rod wheeled the biggest car and carried the heaviest load, but on the dyno, that doesn't really matter. In fact, that extra heft of 4,600 pounds may be a slight advantage in keeping the rear wheels from spinning. Rod's been beating on this old Impala for quite a few years from his Port Saint Lucie, Florida, home, winning at least the long-distance award. He also added a bigger blower to replace the F1-R that he used to set his qualifier power of 1,025 rwhp. This demanded a retune for the E85 fuel. Rod credits Rickey Dyer, owner of O2-Technology.com, with getting his E85/nitrous jetting dialed in. Given the problems he had with the engine, then tuning changes to optimize for a new fuel, the new blower, as well as "beating our heads against the wall" for several weeks before discovering a too-small fuel tank vent, it's been a long, wild trip for this Florida car crafter. But he's still enjoying it all. Either that, or Rod has a very high tolerance for abuse. Perhaps it's both.

Engine: 509ci big-block Chevy
Block: GMPP 502 iron block, 4.50 x 4.00 bore and stroke
Crank: Ohio Crank 4340 steel arm-"This started out as an Ohio Crank crate motor."
Rods: I-beam Ohio Crank connecting rods
Pistons: JE dished pistons, 8:1 compression ratio
Cam: Comp Cams hydraulic roller, 254/266 degrees duration at 0.050 with 0.646 inch of lift on both intake and exhaust
Heads: Dart Pro 1, 345cc intake ported by Justin Lauffer at Lauffer Racing Engines
Valvetrain: Even with a hydraulic roller, Rod uses a Jesel shaft rocker system with 1.75:1 rockers to generate all that lift
Intake: Dart single plane that has been match ported
Carburetor: Holley 850-cfm annular discharge heavily modified by Kevin Van Noy at CSU to convert from pump gasoline to E85
Supercharger: ProCharger F-2. Rod says, "We went from 808 hp on supercharger only on the old blower to 911hp at the rear wheels with the F-2."
Nitrous: NOS Sportsman Fogger system that's rated up to 250 flywheel horsepower
Fuel Pump: Rod had Rick's Hot Rods install a pair of Aeromotive pumps inside a stainless steel fuel tank using -12 feed and return lines along with an Aeromotive boost referenced regulator
Electronics: Rod bolted on a Digital 7 electronic ignition box in the hotel parking lot on Sunday morning before the event and then learned how to tune on the fly during Tuesday's testing runs with help from Andy Wicks
Fuel: E85, 105 octane
Exhaust: Rod uses a set of custom-built fenderwell headers built by the Race Car Factory in Stuart, Florida, along with a set of 5-inch DynoMax Bullet mufflers
Transmission: JW Performance TH-400 with a transbrake and a tighter JWP torque converter
Rearend: 9-inch by Moser
Rear tires: M/T 28x13.5x15 ET Streets

By Jeff Smith

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