2005 Engine Masters Challenge - Qualifications

BES Racing Engines
Big-Block Chevrolet
Tony Bischoff
West Harrison, IN
(812) 637-5933
besS645@aol.com

Bischoff brought a sledgehammer of a big-block Chevy, and walked out of the competition with a fat second-place finish. Tony's reasoning for the Chevy makes sense: "I built the big-block Chevy because it is has the most readily available racing parts and they are the least expensive, and I build more of these for customers than anything else." Tony's development program sought to push the limits on pump-gas power, while running clean: "On my dyno, the engine did not detonate at all in testing."

Jon Kaase Racing
Pontiac
Jon Kaase * Winder, GA
(770) 307-0241
www.jonkaaseracingengines.com

The most significant aspect to the returning two-time champion's Pontiac, besides being a Pontiac, was the phenomenal torque production from the bottom of our test range. The power and the score was there to threaten for the title right to the end, but dense air and an aggressive tune rattled the engine to fourth place in the final standings. Jon related, "I knew I'd have to find some power to beat Lennart, and with the tune-up where it was, I don't think the engine was there. I didn't expect the detonation to hammer it so badly. The engine is one exotic bag of tricks."

Dove Performance
Ford FE
Jim and David Dove
Columbia Station, OH
(440) 236-5139

If you are into big-block FE Fords, the name Dove will likely be familiar. The Ohio-based operation manufactures many components to keep these classic big-block engines viable. Dove points out, "We make blocks, heads, manifolds, water pumps, all sorts of items for these engines." The team was planning on bringing an all-new FE built just for the competition, but delays forced them to substitute a well-used race engine first built in 1991. Despite the setback, the FE performed well, and completed qualifying without any problems.

Cadillac Performance Parts
Cadillac
Richard Potter
Soddy Daisy, TN(423) 332-7636
www.cadillacperformanceparts.com

Potter's Cadillac Performance Parts Cadillac was one of the more exotic entries, with evidence of his custom handiwork showing virtually anywhere you look. Cadillac Performance is committed to a development effort to bring out the best of these engines' potential. When queried about why the Caddy, Richard's answer went right back to the early days of hot-rod heritage: "Forty years ago dad used to build whisky cars, the old Fords, what you'd call g-Machines today. Everyone had the '40 Fords and '50 Fords, and we'd build Cadillac motors for them when they came out. They'd have lowered sway bars and 80-gallon holding tanks. We found these engines can make good power and no one was making parts, so we got into them. We've made 1,400 hp on alcohol with them."

T&B Performance and Machine
Mopar Wedge
Tom and Brenda Foley * Monroe, WI
(608) 329-6800

The T&B effort was the only Mopar entry into this year's competition, and the team elected to build a small-bore, long-stroke combination based on a production 383 Chrysler block. The effort was a true family affair, with the whole Foley gang including the four children making the trip to World for the event. The block was reinforced by partially filling the water jackets and a CRE main girdle. B1 heads and intake were used.

Livernois Motorsports385-Series Ford
John Lohone
Dearborn Heights, MI * (313) 561-5500

ivernois was out to prove the worth of the big-block Ford, and by showing over 800 hp and scoring in the 1250s during qualifying, they certainly proved the point. The engine combination was slightly under-square, but you might notice from the configuration that builder Lohone did not go to extremes. The engine did, however, have one of the highest compression ratios run in this year's shoot-out, with just a tick under a 13:1 ratio squeezing the mix. To monitor detonation, the engine was equipped with a knock sensor, which provided a real-time LED display of the detonation level. Livernois' effort paid off with a third-place showing for the Ford.

Barry Rabotnick Engines
FE Ford
Barry Rabotnick
West Bloomfield, MI
248-931-0358
www.survivalmotorsports.com

Barry Rabotnick loves FE Fords. He has been building these engines since 1974, and enjoys the fact that they are not the norm. The block is from Genesis. Commenting on the Ford FE oiling system, Rabotnick noted, "These engines have a reputation for oiling problems, but from my standpoint, it is an undeserved reputation; I've never really done extensive modifications to one of these systems, it's more a matter of proper detailing." Barry noted that his engine program changed mid-stream: "My original concept relied on a crank that did not arrive in time, so I had to revise everything. This engine uses basic pieces that can be duplicated by anyone relatively easily."

MPG Heads385-Series Ford
Scott Main & Bob Moore * Englewood, CO
(303) 762-8196 * www.mpgheads.com

he MPG Heads' Ford entry came into the competition in trouble when testing away from their local facility turned disastrous due to sub-standard fuel causing detonation and hammering the engine. In fact, the team heroically went to work to make repairs on-site at World, even replacing a seat insert in the heads. It just wasn't to be, since the sealing capabilities of the engine's bottom end were compromised, making the engine detonate and lose power in qualifying. Despite the effort, it was deemed prudent to withdraw during qualifying, leading to a DNF.