DeTomaso Mailing List: November 2000, Message #158

I cant believe that there are so many stupid people on this list.  People
take everything a person says to extreems.

Yes you can build a high HP engine.  Will it live or not??  That depends on
how it is used.  If you build a street engine and proceed to turn it 9000
rpm down the drag strip pass after pass with 400HP worth of NOS.  OR if you
want to run it all day long at 8000 rpm on a road course every weekend,
No, then the engine will not live.  But if you want to do this with an
engine, you dont build a street engine.

I belong to more clubs than just POCA.  I also belong go a car club for
Drag racers.  Some of these engines dont live long,  Some have ran for
years of track time and lived.  It depends on how much the parts are
pushed.  It all boils down to how you use the engine.

If you build an engine with Good quality parts, set up the clearances right
and dont push it beyond the design limits, then it will live.  Look at a
factory car now days.  The LS-6 puts out a conservative 385 HP but more
like 450HP from a 350 cubic inch engine that gets 27MPG and passes
emissions.  It will live if you routinely push it to 6000 rpm.  And it
doesnt have race parts.  Take the rev limiter off and dump in a bunch of
boost or NOS and it will blow up.

Want a warranty, the factory gives them.  But you can still blow up one of
those engines.  Replacement street engines give a 1 year or 10,000 mile
warranty.  Want a warranty on a high performance engine?  Good luck.  How
does the engine builder know how you are going to use it.  It may last
200,000 miles if you never turn it over 4500 rpm.  Turn it over 8000 rpm
every day and it may not last 3 months.

Can you get a 500 street HP??  why not.  Edelbrock gets 420HP from a 350
chevy with their standard Performer RPM dual plane intake package.  That is
1.2 HP per cubic inch.  Build a 427cid small block and you would get 512HP.
 Why should one 1.2 hp/cube be any less reliable than another 1.2 hp/cube.

It all depends on how it is used.  I have build engines that put out some
good HP.  I have had some failures.  Both times it was my fault for being
cheap.  Once because I tried to run turbos with stock valves instead of
using turbo compatible valves.  The second time because the Machine shop
screwed up and I did not catch it which resulted in a valve sticking while
driving down a highway and normal speeds.  My latest engine is doing great
and it has been putting out near 600 HP for 8 months now and 8000 miles.

Now, what does an engine need? That all depends on preference.  Want a
$5000 EFI system, then that is what you get.   Do you need it to make HP,
NO.  Do all EFI sytems cost $5000, NO, only the ones you want to look
really cool.  I have in fact seen some very simple EFI systems in racing
making increadable amounts of power without looking like webbers.  

Lets all be reasonable from now on and quantify our comments.  And for the
record, if I sold engines, then I would tune them on the local dyno and
provide dyno sheets.

Dave "gets pissed off easily by idiots" D