Engine Masters

There is no hotter engine package these days than the turbocharged GM LS-Series V-8. Many people have proven that you can pull a 4.8L or 5.3L straight out of a junkyard and boost it to the moon and make 1,000 hp—but what if you’re a little more conservative and want to have huge power but also reliability from an engine you can drive every day on pump gas? That’s what you’ll learn about on this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL. We’ll show you where we spent the money and where we saved it, and why we chose some lower-power components in favor of budget and reliability as we make incredible power from a 5.3L with a single turbo, 91-octane fuel, and stock cylinder heads.

A junkyard Chevy LS engine with a turbo—it’s a dime-a-dozen concept these days, but how big can it go? To find out, Engine Masters went to the originator of the “Big Bang Theory” dyno test: Richard Holdener, who delivered the world a 1,200hp boosted 4.8L way back in 2011 in the pages of HOT ROD magazine. Holdener has brought many junkyard engines to a power-adder-assisted demise since then, and has found the connecting rods to be the weak spot. The Gen IV engines have better rods, so this time the victim is a 6.0L with a pair of BorgWarners on the way to 30 psi. Will it go or will it blow? Find out in jaw-dropping fashion on this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL.

This time, our episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL is for the purists. It’s for the ones who disputed our Episode 2 test with throttle-body injection (TBI) not being real electronic fuel injection (EFI). So we’re back and more serious than ever with a state-of-the-art 1,050-cfm multipoint EFI system facing off against the 750- and 1,000-cfm relics known as carburetors. Which will squirt the most power into our tried-and-true 383 Chevrolet? Find out here.

This time on Engine Masters presented by Amsoil, we explore what we’ve always known: Increased engine temperature decreases power output. We always thought we knew the answer, but today our 598 Chevy big-block gets some special heat treatment to find out exactly how and why heat kills power. The answer might be just as surprising to you as it was to us.

On this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich welcome back Richard Holdener to blow the literal lid off of internet “blower manifold” theories. You’ve seen us play with runner lengths before, but this time we use FAST’s modular-runner intake manifold to test both short and long runners to see how each reacts in both NA and boosted trim. Is there such thing as a “blower manifold” or is it all just keyboard huff and puff? Join us to find out, won’t you?

This time, the comparison features 100-percent more hydraulic cam! Last round we compared hydraulic and solid roller lifters on hydraulic and solid cams, respectively. But we have more questions! For instance, can you actually run solid roller lifters on a hydraulic cam? Why would you? And, if you do, will they make more power? How long will they survive? The list goes on, but check out the answers for yourself on this episode of Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, and hopefully you’ll be as intrigued as the rest of us.

How much fuel pump power does your motor need? This time on Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we investigate the limits of four budget, mechanical pumps on our very streetable, 500 horse 372 Chevy. Can these budget pumps keep enough pressure and flow to support our power numbers? What about the power that you’re making? If you’re anything like us, this might motivate you to take a second look at your own fuel system.

This time on Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, David Freiburger, Steve Dulcich, and Steve Brule´, go on the hunt for the best manifold to make big horsepower numbers on a big-inch, big-block Chevrolet. These aren’t manifolds for any boring, old 454 or even a 496. We’re talking 598 cubes of big-block, and we’re throwing four different single-plane, single 4bbl manifolds at it from Dart, Pro-Filer, Brodix, and Edelbrock to see how the difference in their runner walls and plenum shapes make or cost power.

All else equal, which will make more power, an iron head or an aluminum one? That’s what we’re testing on this week’s Engine Masters, presented by AMSOIL. Aside from the obvious weight savings, there are some real things to consider. Does aluminum’s ability to shed heat help it make more power, or does the iron head’s heat retention promote cylinder pressure and therefore more power? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s right here on the dyno.

Our testing has repeatedly shown that carbs make more peak power than EFI, and our explanation is based on the fuels ability to cool the incoming air on its way to the head. Multipoint injection just cant do that. Or can it? We move fuel injectors up the intake manifold runners to see if the extra distance of suspended fuel makes extra power.

The crew compares 90 mm and 105 mm forward-facing throttle bodies against one another, and then to 2000 cfm worth of top-mounted, dual quad-style throttle bodies, all atop a fuel-injected, 700-hp LS7.

The reputations of sequential and batch-fire injection styles each carry when it comes to overall power; the guys explore that question, tunability, what it takes to make the switch, and all of the pros and cons.

The crew examines the power of different types of spark plugs, such as ones with fancy metal tips or extra ground straps, and explains the results of gapping them bigger or smaller.

The bigger the cam, the higher the curve, right? Well, theres some truth to that, but what about when youre talking about low-end torque? The guys explore the world of usable, cruise-able, tow-ready torque curves with three of the smallest camshafts theyve ever tested. But how small is too small? Come along as they find out.

Listen up, street drivers of big-block Chevys, this is the shootout for you! With so many average power, cruiser level, and even bone stock BBCs roaming around, this one is long overdue. From high rise to low rise, square bore and spread bore.

Why does colder fuel make more power? How can you consistently keep fuel temps down, and what difference will it really make? All these questions, and more, answered this time on Engine Masters.

Can your pushrods or valve springs affect your power production, even when valve float isnt a problem? This promises to be an eye-opening episode of Engine Masters, as we test varying combinations of valve spring and pushrod strengths in our 514 big-block Ford.

Weve done an intake manifold comparison on nearly every American big and small block platform, and at long last its big block Fords turn. Were shooting out single planes AND dual planes on a healthy street/strip 514ci combo that should relate to what a lot of BBF guys are running.

Standalone air/fuel ratio gauges have changed the game when it comes to tuning carbureted engines, with a world of possibilities and pitfalls when using them. We start by comparing five off-the-shelf units, then move on to showing how things like placement, air leaks and even dead cylinders can affect your readings, your tuning decisions, and ultimately your power levels.

Freiburgers 582 big block Chevy is back! And this time were using it to shoot out 1050, 1250 and 1450 cfm Dominators. When youre flirting in that 1,000-hp range, how much difference do those extra cfms make, and how much does the tune change between them?

Does a 300 shot of nitrous sound like a lot, or like youre just getting started? Thats one way to tell if you should be running a plate or a port system, and the guys walk you through each system, how much power you can add through each, and the jetting differences between them.

We all know theres invisible voodoo that can make or rob power in an exhaust system. The guys explore the merits of stepped headers, whose primaries step up in diameter, and merge collectors, which create an intentional restriction in the collector, against good old-fashioned, no-frills headers. Do the frequency-tuning claims of the steps and the velocity-enhancing merges make a difference to your motor? Absolutely!