Don't let the fancy AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge moniker fool you. Sure, the EMC is a serious high-stakes competition that many top engine builders use as a public stage to promote their mechanical prowess, but these engines are still real-guy stuff. We know you want to see engines built with everyday, off-the-shelf parts that run on ordinary pump gas, so we built the rules to let the competitors get back to basics. Like the Doobie Brothers song said, we're "takin' it to the streets." No trick NASCAR or Pro Stock stuff, no custom-fabricated intakes, no science project fuel formulations-just mail-order stuff you can get out of any catalog or swap meet and run on the street. As you'll see, the art-and the error-of engine building is in how competitors choose their parts, and what they do with them. With the few exceptions of oil pans and headers, most of these power combos can be duplicated by the modest home engine builder.
Over the next 12 months, we will be featuring in greater depth many of the more attainable engines in our qualifying coverage, but in the meantime, you'll get an overview of every single EMC competitor right here, right now. We've got the engine specs, and even the dyno numbers for you to drool over. In selecting our competitors for the 2010 event, we attempted to bring in a variety of mills-old, new, big, small, obscure, mainstream, high-tech, and simple. Our builders also run the gamut, from well-known pros, to little guys in their garages on the weekend. There's something here for everyone, no matter your level of infatuation.
This year's competition was notable for its attrition; out of the 38 competitors and alternates who showed up, nine of them were unable to make three back-to-back dyno pulls in competition. We've got the dyno sheets for the 29 engines that made it through the gauntlet, and data is for the single pull with the highest average power and torque during official qualifying. As for the DNFs, we're publishing the engine specs because there's still some value to be gleaned from the parts selection-and perhaps an insight into what they may (or may not!) bring next year.
Are you tantalized by the results? Have you been sitting on the sideline watching? Do you think you can do better? If the answer is "yes," we hope to hear from you soon. By the time this issue hits, we'll have details for the 2011 AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge on line at PopularHotRodding.com. We've got some very exciting changes in the works for next year that will make it easier than ever for you to be involved in Engine Masters. Got a foolproof small-block recipe with a knock-out punch? Are you Michelangelo reincarnated as a cylinder head porter? Do you dream in camshaft lobe separation angles? Are you a wizard with fuel injection? We'll give you the national spotlight (and the cash!) to show the world that you are the Engine Master!