Also, as far as I know, many more people build stock stroke engines than build strokers. Thus, stroke would have to be stock for whatever factory engine an entry was based on, with no more than 0.040-inch overbore permitted to allow for getting clean, straight bores. Stock compatible aftermarket heads (e.g., Edelbrock Performer RPM) would be allowed, but nothing with raised ports or requiring exotic manifolds. You could also impose a cost limit to prevent one-off $20,000 motors. Roller cams would be allowed as long as total cost remained within limits. To prevent big race cams from being used, there would be a manifold-vacuum requirement, perhaps 6 or 7 inches. Fuel would be normal pump premium. I'd suggest about a $4,000 cap, excluding carb, ignition, and oil pan. Headers would be supplied as per what the dyno operator wanted.
I'm not sure exactly what criteria I'd use to determine the winner. I tend to favor average horsepower, as I feel it more accurately predicts real-world performance in a real car than a single peak number does.
The purpose of this would be to reflect what many people can reasonably expect to already have or easily find in a junkyard and be able to build affordably.
Neil Smith
via e-mail
This is a great idea, Neil. If we get enough reader support mail, we'll look into it. It would be a lot of work, but it would also be fun. The torque monsters would have the advantage if we went after average power as the measurement.
Readers' In and Out Lists
In: Owning a '76 Vette, '68 GTO, '60 Caddy, '64 Nova, 454-powered BMW, '69 Olds 442, and a '65 Hemi-powered 'Cuda
Out: Only one of them actually runs
In: The one that runs is the Vette and it's sweet
In: Being able to do almost all of your own wrenching
In: Having a wife who doesn't mind you owning seven cars that don't run yet
Out: Being so busy working on your friends stuff that you can't get to your own
In: Having those same friends help you load your truck to go to the swap meet
Out: The swap meet is rained out and you end up unloading it by yourself
David Essig
St Cloud, Florida
In: Getting high-performance parts at cost
Out: Always being broke two days after payday
In: The new 6-71 supercharger that made you broke
In: Being the only guy in town with a supercharged ride
Out: Knowing every gas jockey, at every gas station in town
In: Creating your own custom paint color for your ride
Out: Trying to reproduce that color six months later
In: Selling parts to the police chief during the week
Out: Getting another noise violation ticket on the weekend
In: Knowing where to find N.O.S. parts for flathead Fords
Out: I'm 21. The youngest parts man in town, no one believes I can find N.O.S. parts for flathead Fords.
In: Giving discounts to fellow racers
<Out: They're all imports
Out: Knowing more about their import than they do
In: Good deals from the tire shop that has an account at your store
In: The tire shop also lets you make payments
Out: Going through two sets of Mickey Thompson's in as many months
In: Having access to newly released products
Out: Waiting three month for a back-ordered newly released product
In: Being a Chevy fan
Out: Living in a town that loves Fords'67 Chevy guy
In: Getting Car Craft in the mail
In: Also getting the Victoria's Secret catalog at the same time
In: Reading Car Craft first
Out: Finding out it's your last copy of Car Craft
In: Renewing Car Craft before paying the gas bill
Stephen Asbill
Creative Director
Boneless Chicken Games
We're afraid to ask about Boneless Chicken Games.
Man of Few Words Dept.
On a small-block Chevy, is it better to use a PCV?
Why?Erroll Trujillo
via e-mail
Yes. Because.