Sharp Shooter

Ron Shaver was raised right. His grandfather was a fabricator, his father a machinist. When his interest toward high-performance automotive powerplants began to grow, he had plenty of support to jump in and become the best he could be. After 20 years of building professional competition engines, he's got a polished crew of professionals working for him at his spacious Torrance, California-based shop. His equipment is top-notch. He doesn't believe in excuses, and his reputation is bolstered by a long list of race wins and championship titles in several different disciplines of racing.

Now, it's a new millennium and times are changing. Many of the top-notch racing teams Ron has worked with over the years have decided to take their engine development programs in-house, and Ron is looking toward a new frontier to conquer with his extensive expertise. Luckily for us, he's looking at the street.

"The street market is growing tremendously. I don't have to tell you magazine guys that. We've got plenty of full-race projects happening here, and I want to expand toward more streetable stuff. I'm developing a line of streetworthy parts and engines. I'm the American distributor of what I feel are the finest cylinder heads ever made for the small-block Chevy (Pro/Topline), and then I heard about your Engine Masters Challenge. This is a great way for me to showcase what we're after--absolutely killer performance engines for the street on pump gas."

After winning USAC sprint car championships, the World of Outlaws championship (3 times), off-road SCORE events (10 times), and NARC titles (15 times), we don't know how much of an honor the Engine Masters Challenge will be. But, unlike any previous competition Shaver has been associated with in the past, this time he's on his own. There's no driver, there's no vehicle, and there's no track. It's just engine versus engine here, flywheel to flywheel. So, maybe the Engine Masters Challenge title will hold some special, more personal meaning to Ron, but first he has to win it.

We were impressed by Shaver's entry, and it's not hard to see why. He's using many of the same tricks developed over his many years in competition, and we're quite sure these are the exact things you readers want to see. If you Chevy fans are playing favorites or laying down odds, this entry might be the one you're looking for. Naturally, the real results can't be published until we run all the entries against each other, but no one has any doubt Shaver will be a contender for the big cash. Pay attention here, fans.

Shaver is starting out with...        read full caption Shaver is starting out with a nondescript '90s-era Chevy block. It's a two-bolt main unit with GM Performance Parts billet main caps on ARP studs. This foundation is plenty strong enough to support the power Shaver plans to deliver on dyno day. He says "I don't see anyone making the 600-plus horsepower numbers I've read about in other Engine Masters buildups. It's just not gonna happen. If someone touches on 600 at peak, that'd be amazing. I'm hoping to pull down 500-510 lb-ft."

The block is a used part that...        read full caption The block is a used part that formerly powered one of Shaver's many sprint car efforts. It's already shown it's capable of supporting more than 600 horses for many miles. The final bore size will be 4.185 inches. The only major mod to the block is the addition of roller cam bearings to reduce friction. Not normally seen as a street modification, roller cam bearings require special camshafts to fit the smaller inner diameter.

The crankshaft is from Sonny...        read full caption The crankshaft is from Sonny Bryant, one of the more popular race crank suppliers in SoCal. Bryant cranks are almost all custom made to customer specifications. This particular used crank is also a sprint car veteran, checking in with a short 3.320-inch swing. Teamed with the bore, the final displacement is 365.7-inches--just under our 366-cube limit.

This crank also has snout...        read full caption This crank also has snout dimensions from a big-block Chevy. Shaver's cranks all have this mod, since he's found the fatter snout more reliable in endurance engines where so many accessory drives are forced to run off the front of the motor, like dry-sump belt-driven oil pumps and the like.

Pistons are JE products, developed...        read full caption Pistons are JE products, developed from PN 622FL and weighing a svelte 401 grams. They are gas ported, forged, lightweight parts with a 2.5-inch lightweight pin-also from JE.

The rings are also JE products...        read full caption The rings are also JE products in 1.5mm thickness on the top and second rings, with the oil control ring measuring in at 3 mm. Final compression ratio should check in at 10:1, maybe even a little more.

The connecting rods are from...        read full caption The connecting rods are from Carrillo. They are a typical 6-inch steel rod with Carrillos own race-proven hardware. Rod bearings are 2-inch diameters.

"I'll trim the width of the...        read full caption "I'll trim the width of the rod bearings a bit to cut down on friction even further. We've done it before, it will not pose a reliability issue."

The cylinder heads are Pro...        read full caption The cylinder heads are Pro Action aluminum 23-degree castings (PN 12362256). Ron started with a bare cylinder head, read our rules, and developed his own game plan. He needed to keep the valve angle at 23 degrees, but he's decided to move the valves outboard a few thousandths (.060 on the exhaust, .040 on the intake) to better take advantage of the unshrouding provided by the large bore/short stroke combination.

While we weren't stoked to...        read full caption While we weren't stoked to hear about mods like this (we really wanted to keep trick machine work to a minimum so readers could more easily duplicate the efforts shown on our pages), these mods are within the rules. We didn't lock builders down to stock valve location beyond the factory valve angle, but we will next time.

These are not unusual mods...        read full caption These are not unusual mods for a builder at Shaver's level, and are expected in Pro Stock-type engines. Shown are both a CNC-completed Pro Action head that is representative of the final product, and a bare head that shows what Shaver started with.

The intake port will measure...        read full caption The intake port will measure in at about 220cc, and feeds a 2.08-inch valve. The chambers should measure out at about 64cc, and Shaver's port work will result in solid flow numbers. His goals for these heads are to flow 330 cfm at .700-inch lift, and 265 cfm at .700 inch of lift on the exhaust side. These measurements are at 28 inches of water with the head mounted on a 4.125-inch cylinder on the flowbench.

Ron says "We learned plenty...        read full caption Ron says "We learned plenty by recently completing a ZZ430 project for a customer. I'd like to run as big an exhaust port as possible, and then work toward matching the intake port and camshaft to what the exhaust port is telling us it can do. I'll fill the floors a bit on the intake ports to coordinate them perfectly with the exhaust port, and cam the engine accordingly for the rpm range we're after."

"I'm looking at two different...        read full caption "I'm looking at two different intakes now. I like the Wilson-modified Edelbrock we're used to, but I'm also curious to run a Wilson-modified Tork-Link, too." For those not familiar with it, the Tork-Link (shown in cut-away) was designed by our pal Jim McFarland, and has a reputation for delivering obscene torque at low rpm.

Now produced by High Tech...        read full caption Now produced by High Tech Engine Components (801-975-5900), the castings are consistent and of high quality. The ultra-long runners build plenty of velocity, yet can deliver the final mixture to the heads down a long, straight portion of the runner. Roundy-rounders love these intake for how hard they pull off the corners.

The carb will be built by...        read full caption The carb will be built by Braswell, and is based on a traditional Holley four-barrel design. "It'll be either 750 cfm or 830 cfm. We'll try them both and send in the carb we like best. Dave Braswell does the best carb work in the business, period." Coming from Ron Shaver, that means plenty.

The hydraulic roller camshaft...        read full caption The hydraulic roller camshaft comes from Crane, as will all of Shaver's valvetrain weaponry. Starting with Crane PN 11HR00110, the cam boasts .548-inch intake lift and .567-inch exhaust lift with 1.5:1 rockers. With the maximum-allowed rocker ratio of 1.6:1 for Chevy-based entries, the lift numbers get a bump to .584 inch (intake) and .604 inch (exhaust). Don't rush right out and order this cam for your own car, though. It's a special grind to fit the roller bearing-equipped cam bearings in the block, so the sizes are different. Why did Shaver choose a hydraulic roller over a solid, flat-tappet design? "Under 6,500 rpm, with only a 1.6:1 rocker ratio, I can easily make more power under the curve with a hydraulic roller than with a solid, flat-tappet cam. All day, any day, no question. It'll end up being 230-240@.050 on the intake side, and 240-245@.050 on the exhaust side. Lift will be about .600-.610 inch. That's probably all it'll take, and it's a streetable combination that should start pulling hard where you guys begin testing at 2,500 rpm." Naturally, Shaver will test several profiles to fine-tune his entry; this is simply where he'll start.

The belt drive connecting...        read full caption The belt drive connecting the cam to the crank has become a popular choice in the Engine Masters Challenge- the Jesel PN KBD 31200. This fully-adjustable belt drive has a proven reputation after years of success in racing, and quality has never been in question.

The water pump will be an...        read full caption The water pump will be an electric unit by Meziere. This is yet another race-proven part that can live in a street environment without worry. The billet pump is lightweight and flows plenty! It's also a well-crafted, visually attractive piece of art known for its endurance.

The exhaust flow will be escorted...        read full caption The exhaust flow will be escorted from the heads by a set of DynaTech headers. DynaTech is another race-based company elbowing their way to the street. This header is a good example of their intentions. It's a street part, but reflects engineering developed on the track. Ron has great faith in the headers, and they'll feed into a pair of Flowmaster mufflers to complete the exhaust syste

Shaver is relying on XRP fittings...        read full caption Shaver is relying on XRP fittings to deliver fuel to the Braswell carb. XRP's top-notch fittings are also race-proven. Even though this carb setup is a relatively simple affair, it's still representative of XRP's quality, seen in their entire line of goodies.

The entire powerplant will...        read full caption The entire powerplant will be held together with ARP hardware, with the notable exception of the rod bolts mentioned earlier. Shaver uses studs wherever he can, and ARP complete engine hardware kits ship with each fastener set clearly labeled to make assembly a breeze. Home builders should take advantage of this too, as new high-quality fasteners are cheap insurance on powerful street engines forced to operate in a wide range of conditions and rpm ranges.

Shaver, like many other Engine...        read full caption Shaver, like many other Engine Masters combatants, is running a Moroso oil pan (PN 21235) and pickup (PN 24350) with a Melling HV pump.

We've seen this teaming of...        read full caption We've seen this teaming of components on entries of all different makes, proving that both Moroso and Melling boast a wide range of well-developed components suitable for hard life on the streets.

This engine will be outfitted...        read full caption This engine will be outfitted with a complete MSD ignition system. Readers can relate to this, as it's a popular and proven method of lighting the fires far beyond the ranges we'll be testing in. If it's good enough for Ron's Engine Masters entry, it's good enough for your street machine!

Additional details include...        read full caption Additional details include a 14x3 K&N air filter and a Tilton starter. While none of these parts are unknown to our readership, they're two more examples of race parts that have found their way into countless street machines. There's good reason for that, and we feel our Engine Masters Challenge will continue to assist some of the best of the aftermarket race engineering to life on the street.

We've got more in store for...        read full caption We've got more in store for you next month, as our coverage of entries continues right up to dyno day. It's getting closer, and we can't wait to start sharing the results of this unique challenge with you. We're as curious as you are about who will win and what kind of power they'll have to put out to get past all the others gunning for the title. Stay tuned!