2008 Engine Masters Challenge - Monday Updates

Dove brought an example of the engine type that they make a specialty of, an FE Ford in the legendary 427 configuration. The engine had the distinction of running first in the line-up, and by all indications it sounded like a strong runner in the warm-up session. During the scored pulls, the mighty FE pulled strongly through the test rpm range, although the power delivered was short of the Dove teams expectations.

The 340 Mopar fielded by Hinkle Performance engines seemed to have the hardware to make the engine a serious contender in this event, however the engine was disqualified from competition due to a violation regarding the intake flange bolt pattern.

Mike Phillips and his specialty Buick crew from Automotive Machine and Performance, brought a finely detailed and seriously built 455. Coming in a little rich on the air/fuel ratio during the warm-ups, the engine was tweaked in the tuning period with a change to the high-speed air bleed, netting a power gain. A subsequent timing loop found the engine was already right where it needed to be, and it went on to produce 717 horsepower. It was a stout showing indeed, and enough to take the lead early in the competition.

Randy Malik from RM Competition came to the show with an unproven big block Ford combination based on the Ford 429. This engine received zero dyno time before the event, relying instead on Randy's many years of engine building experience. Set up with a soft tune-up for the warm-up period, Randy worked through air-bleed tuning to handily build the score. In tuned form, the engine turned in the points to achieve second place in the current standings.

Dove's number two entry is yet another FE Ford, this time in the much more common 352 cubic inch displacement. The engine started the warm-up pulls with solid performance, however in the second of this series of pulls there were definite indications of problems brewing, with the score visibly falling off. The Dove team soldiered through the qualifying dyno session well down of their power potential.

BH Performance came to the show with a Mopar small block 340 topped with a pair of Indy heads and a short flat tappet. The engine seemed to have trouble at the bottom-end of the rpm range with apparent detonation, and to compound matters there appeared to be valvetrain control issues at the upper end of the range. The team could definitely be credited with strong numbers between, with showing over 540 hp showing at the peak. Despite the less than perfect pulls, the final score was enough to bump the field to take the current lead position.