Unless you rebuilding an engine with little to no budget you're going to upgrade to aluminum forged pistons. Besides being stronger than cast pistons, the lighter aluminum cuts parasitic power loss. That translates into more power at the wheels.

Last month, we produced a giant section on everything you ever needed to know about building a 383 small-block Chevy. The only thing we didn't give you was the buildup itself, because we ran out of room. So here is the engine buildup and dyno test of a typical street 383 that we built with a short-block kit from Competition Products, heads from Canfield, and an interesting flat-tappet mechanical from an upstart cam company called Camshaft Innovations.

'While you might consider buying testing time on a vehicle chassis dyno an expensive luxury, we hope you'll at least read this article to consider the possibilities. If anything, what we experienced in creating this story wasn't what we expected, but the safety, durability, and performance unleashed would have definitely been more painful to discover and resolve without time on the chassis rolls. To learn the most we could possibly learn, we partnered with the pros at Wheel to Wheel Powertrain (W2W), in Madison Heights, Michigan, as we ran a vehicle through its paces on the company's four-wheel-drive Mustang chassis dyno.

Electrical snafus are among the most annoying problems with older cars. Unlike tires or bodywork, there's something about electrical systems that seems to baffle many car crafters. We could blame it on 12-volt voodoo or the curse of mummy wiring, but the best way to get past all those superstitions is with some good old-fashioned electrical knowledge. Most direct-current conundrums can be solved with basic diagnostic work that will point to a simple repair. Dig out that test light and multimeter because we'll use them as the tip of our wiring attack spear to root out all those nasty electrical gremlins.

For years FE stood for "freakin' expensive." The good factory performance parts were scarce even in the engine's heyday, and when Ford stopped producing them in the early '70s, demand soon outstripped supply, resulting in a high per-horsepower cost for any serious FE build. Things have changed over the last few years, though, and now a multitude of aftermarket manufacturers are producing blocks, heads, and stroker kits, leading to a resurgence in popularity for the venerable engine. The end result is that it's now possible to put together a strong FE combination using aftermarket parts and do so without breaking the bank.

'We were crowded around the window of glass and chicken wire designed to separate us from flaming chunks of engine shrapnel when Westech's Steve Brul's hand crept toward the little red button on the console. With his left arm pumping the throttle lever, he touched the button, making the engine bark and twist hard to the left as the nitrous system was purged. On the way past 4,000 rpm, the solenoids were clicked open and the engine tried to leap off of the cradle, sounding a little too angry for just a 150-shot. When the engine settled back to an idle, it looked like the balancer was still attached and nothing was sticking out of the oil pan as the Superflow quietly downloaded the info from the cell. It was a unibody-bending 695 hp on our big tune-up.

The slip of paper you get after an exhilarating quarter-mile dragstripride is much more than a license to brag (assuming it's a stellar run).All those numbers on that little piece of paper are important tuningtools that can help identify improvements or problems in your car'sperformance. But if you're like most of us, maybe you take a quickglance at the 60-foot time, e.t., and top-end mph then simply stash theslip away between the seats. If so, then it's time to find out whatyou've been missing.

524ci Small-Block Chevy, 1,083 HP At 7,800 RPM
Sonny's Racing Engines, Lynchburg, VA
Not long ago, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins made history building race engines out of cast-iron production blocks and heads because race-specific parts didn't exist. Today, with five-axis CNC machines spitting out designer cylinder blocks and heads, if you can imagine it there's somebody willing to build it. To that end, Sonny's Racing Engines built this wazoo 524ci small-block Chevy using the latest GM RO7-style NASCAR cylinder heads. Not only do these heads flow hurricane-like numbers, but they are based on a wider bore spacing than the production small-block Chevy's spec of 4.400 inches. The RO7 heads are designed for a 4.500-inch bore spacing, which means they won't fit on a typical Gen I-style cylinder block. This created a demand for a CN Enterprises custom billet block to match the heads, complete with water jackets, so this motor could be used in wild Southern-style match-race drag-racing applications. Just for the record, that four-digit horsepower figure is the normally aspirated power. At 1,083 hp, it computes to just over 2 hp/ci. The SpeedTech nitrous system isn't just for show, but they've not yet tried the squeeze. We are duly impressed.

With all the hype about the Gen III LS1 and 6.0L engines, a little 5.3L engine has appeared in well over a million GM trucks since 1998 that's been overlooked in the rush to make horsepower. This engine displaces a mere 325 ci, but what it lacks in displacement, it more than makes up for in horsepower efficiency. Over the years, we've heard about several low-dollar 5.3L truck engines that made excellent power with only a few minor changes, so we thought we'd try our own version and see what happened. We were pleasantly surprised when this basically stock engine made well over 430 hp with just a cam change. But there's much more to this story, so let's get to it.

We love hearing from machine shops that discover novel solutions to sticky problems. One of the most imaginative is Evans Speed in South El Monte, California. The company has come up with a cool repair for Ford 385-series (429 /460/514) blocks suffering from spun cam bearings that involves a dip into the neighboring Ford FE big-block parts bin.

409ci Small-Block Chevy, 1,035 HP
Tim Vnuk, Elk River, MN
Among the horsepower-with-a-comma heroes at the DynoMax Power to the Wheels Dyno Tour finals in Las Vegas covered in the Mar. '08, Tim Vnuk was conspicuously absent. As the No. 3 qualifier, Tim's blow-through carbureted small-block Chevy should have been right there in the middle of it all, dukin' it out. When Tim's teenage son ended up in the hospital after a car accident, Tim understandably stayed home to be with his family as his son recovered from his injuries. This doesn't take away from Tim's effort as the tuner/builder of a 1,000-plus-horsepower small-block Chevy. Tim has owned the Nova for eight years and the plans for this latest engine conveniently coincided with the announcement of the DynoMax Challenge, so Tim decided this would be an excellent reason to try E85 instead of straight pump gas. After a pair of non-DOT-legal front tires and no passenger front seat prevented his qualifying at the Car Craft Summer Nationals in St. Paul, Tim towed to Springfield, Illinois, to qualify the Nova with its 1,035-rwhp shot. This package is still so new that the car hasn't run a full pass down the quarter, yet has already knocked down an 8.77 at 156 mph lifting at half track due to tuning issues. Tim says we'll see him next year on the DynoMax Tour with a blow-through carbureted small-block, but you can bet it will be a lot stronger. That's a given.

Careful measurement is the key to quality work. Work slowly when measuring rod journal diameter to guarantee an accurate reading by ensuring the micrometer is perpendicular to the journal surface.>>>

Many car crafters roll their eyes and tune out when bench racing turns to electronic fuel injection (EFI). We're not here to hijack you into believing that EFI is cheap or even simple. Carburetors will always have their place. And yes, EFI is more expensive and more complex. That's old news. Even if you never take the opportunity to apply what EFI can do for an older muscle-car, it's still worth learning the basics of electronic engine control. What this all comes down to is that the more you know about EFI, the less intimidating it becomes. Don't worry; there's no test at the end, and we promise not to whack your knuckles with a yardstick if you lose focus for a second or two.

'There's something about big-block Chevys that demands big cylinder heads. Maybe it's some sort of deep, genetic, missing-DNA-link thing between car crafters and Chevy Rat motors that insists on monstrous, rectangle-port cylinder heads. It's like some kind of baritone inner voice that won't be content with anything less than massive 360cc intake port heads on a 396.

Room For Turbos
What It Is: A tube-steel K-member for fourth-gen Camaros and Firebirds.
Why You Care: Yes, we've run releases for tubular K-members before, but this one adds a twist. Maybe "spin" would be a better term. BMR made this one with extra clearance for turbo- and supercharged applications. There is room to run up to a 5-inch downpipe along either side of the engine without interfering with the suspension mounting points. Also, you can choose from LS1 motor mounts, small- or big-block motor mounts, or no mounts at all for totally custom applications in case you want to build a tank engine or something.
How Much: $599.95
We Say: Make boost. Smoke tires.
Learn More: BMR Fabrication; Thonotosassa, FL; 813/986-9302; bmrfabrication.com

Factory production vehicles haven't rolled off the Big Three's assemblyline with new carburetors since the '80s, but it's still the mostpopular choice of induction among car crafters. Don't get us wrong; weunderstand that the latest and greatest computerized fuel-injectionsystems are getting more affordable and enable today's performancetuners to tame mega-horsepower engines for docile street use, but nomatter how you look at it, carburetors will always be cheap andeffective if you know how to properly tune them. But carb experts--theguys who spend all day on the phones with real-world users--tell us itnever ceases to amaze them how many people are completely lost when itcomes to understanding the nitty-gritty details of how a carb reallyworks and how to tune one for maximum performance.

Well, they're finally here! All you Chrysler fans can rejoice in knowing that the long-awaited Victor 440 heads from Edelbrock are now available. This new offering isn't just a re-vamp of the existing Performer RPM heads; it's a completely new and innovative design that remedies many of the shortcomings associated with the stock head layout. Follow along as we put the new Victor 440 to the test and see how it stacks up to ported and unported versions of its older sibling, the Performer RPM.

Thanks to the Beach Boys, Chevy's 409 is one of the most famous engines of all time. But how much do you really know about it? Did you know the combustion chambers are in the block, not the heads? Did you know it's the only regular-production Chevrolet passenger-car V-8 with six head bolts surrounding each cylinder bore? Did you know the standard 4.3125 bore was the largest of any Chevy production V-8 until the arrival of the 502? Most importantly, did you know that lots of Chevy Rat motor parts are adaptable?

To Advance or Retard
Stan Wiggins, Houston, TX: I have a question regarding camshafts. What is retarding and what is advancing the camshaft? I mean, if I drill the cam sprocket and install a bushing, which way do I position the bushing to achieve the advanced position and vice versa? In layman's terms, if I advance the camshaft in increments of 3 degrees, which should increase low-end torque, how does this work, and should it affect my initial camshaft selection? Likewise, if I choose to advance or retard the camshaft, what is the maximum limit? What kind of performance numbers can I expect when advancing or retarding? These are some of the questions that cloud my constant search for better technical understanding.

'There are few things cooler on earth than owning a fast, fun car that you're proud to drive-except maybe owning your own place to build and maintain that car. It's a growing trend we're seeing more of as we talk to people at shows and events. Guys are building their own shops. Not just rich guys, either, but regular guys who work for a living. So we decided to investigate. We wanted to find out what is involved in setting up a personal garage: what you can do to add on to your existing property, or how to find commercial space for lease, and how to construct, equip, and maintain your place.

'They say it never rains in Southern California, so except for a few of our southern friends in Florida and the Gulf Coast, we are the only ones who aren't shop-bound this time of year with musclecars carefully stored away. Lucky us. For the rest of you, this leaves most weekends and winter nights open for garage tech. So we thought we'd offer up some interesting little projects that you can build yourself with the help of a tape measure, a chop saw (or hacksaw if you're really desperate), a 110-volt MIG welder, and a little bit of fabrication experience. But don't let that welding stuff scare you. As our buddy Scott Sullivan once told us, "If you can fog a mirror, you can MIG-weld." 'Nuff said.

320CI, 500HP, Injected Jimmy Six
Bill Harris, Riverside, CA
If you're into automotive eccentricity, it can be found in abundance in Southern California Timing Association's (SCTA) dry lakes and Bonneville top speed racing. Bill Harris used to drive an inline Chevy six back when he was in high school, and while he's always been into cars, he wasn't a racer. That is, until he went to Bonneville. "I made the mistake of going to Bonneville a few years ago as a spectator." A year later, he and partner/crewchief Dale Wester were neck deep in an '88 Camaro that runs in a variety of Fuel Altered, Gas Altered, and Gas Coupe classes. As we were assembling this story, Bill, Dale, and driver Richard Ross had just returned from the Salt, where they set the XXO/Fuel Altered record at 196.488 mph with an exit speed of 200.9 mph, powered by this ancient Jimmy six. Bill says they're now thinking of bolting on a centrifugal supercharger and running this inliner in several blown classes, where they think they can run between 215 and 220 mph.

Scott Duenow, Detroit Lakes, MN: I'm putting together a blower setup for my 440-powered Charger. What mods are done to the carbs to run on a Roots blower? I'm undecided between Holley and Carter carbs. The motor has home-ported 906 heads with 2.14/1.81-inch valves, a Mopar Performance 292-degree-duration cam with 0.509-inch lift, forged TRW Six Pack replacement pistons on stock rods, and a reground stock steel crank.

'"Just put a 9-inch in it!" That has been the rallying cry for Ford enthusiasts for more than 40 years. If there is an industry standard for rearend strength and durability, it has to be the Ford 9-inch. But the days of finding a Mustang-width 9-inch housing in the junkyard that you can use for a typical leaf-spring street machine are rare. Even the big rear-axle companies like Currie, Moser, and Strange now make their own housings rather than try to find decent cores. But there is an alternative-the Ford Mustang 8.8-inch rearend.

'The oddball, the anachronism, the redheaded stepchild-the Gen II small-block can be considered all these things. Conversely, it can also be regarded as the ultimate production version of the original small-block Chevy and a testbed for the technology that would advance the small-block into the new millennium. Since its introduction in 1992, much ink has been spilled (some in the pages of this very magazine) about the Gen II engine. We'll spare you the nostalgic musings on Chevrolet engine families and get to the heart of the matter: LT1s are available in junkyards right now. Complete engine, transmission, and ECM/wiring harness combinations are selling on eBay for less than a grand. So we thought it was time to take another look at these engines. We wanted to know why they were made in the first place, how they differ from the original small-block Chevy, what their strengths and weaknesses are, what their performance potential is, and what people are doing with them.