What does it take to build a class leading 9 second all motor engine? We are going to walk you through our current recipe. Just like anything there are 10 different ways to do the same job. Talk to 10 different engine builders and you will get 10 different answers but we have always subscribed to the theory of no matter who we are working with on a particular project we are going to work side by side with them and with their prescribed recipe and theory of how to get the job done. We find a lot of people bouncing around from shop to shop and builder to builder throughout their project and ending up with a hodge-podge of parts that just aren’t willing to work together. We will break this recipe up into 4 sections. The cylinder head, the engine block, the external engine accessories and finally, the most important part of it all is the tuning and setup.
For starters let’s tackle the cylinder head. For our 2018 World Cup Finals engine we have aligned ourselves with JBR Engines, Drag Cartel and Supertech to build the baddest CNC cylinder head we can. The goal this time around is to be a top car in the class so no stone was left unturned with this engine build. The core head is PPA sourced from Giant Auto Salvage. The head was cleaned, prepped and then CNC machined by JBR Engines to their specs for max all motor power. Every engine build is going to be different. Knowing what the end goal is and how the engine will be used allows JBR Engines to setup the cylinder head to be the most efficient it can be for that particular application. The guy wanting to make max naturally aspirated horsepower in a drag engine will use a different CNC head program than the engines being built for a strong midrange in a time attack engine. Moldstar 90 Copper Seats were installed by JBR Engines as well so everything would be fresh and ready to use as needed.
Valvetrain duties are left to Supertech Performance. We received in a full set of their Titanium Valves, 37.5mm intake and 30mm exhaust with lash caps as well as a set of their dual valve springs, titanium retainers and spring seats. Picking your valve spring pressure when tolerances are this tight in an engine is extremely important. Jose Bello at JBR Engines mulled over the Supertech catalog taking into account all the setup info he had as far as the camshafts being used, install height, coil bind, and spring pressure and landed on the SPR-H1005d valve spring from the Supertech catalog. This valve spring runs at about a 77lb seat pressure at the selected install height and is key to control the lightweight titanium valves efficiently.
With the CNC work and valvetrain selected Drag Cartel was next in line to do what they do. Drag Cartel camshafts have been and continue to be the gold standard when it comes to K Series engines. They offer a wide range of camshafts that are suitable from your basic bolt on engine to full blown All Motor or Turbocharged engines. Jeremy suggested the Elite Pro Twin Lobe Camshafts for max power based on our goals. A set of Drag Cartel Tool Steel Twin Lobe Rockers that come WPC coated from Drag Cartel are being utilize for their strength and weight savings.
The Drag Cartel cam gears are in place and have been degree’ed in on the engine stand by JBR Engines to set the camshafts at the most efficient place for every last horsepower. These are locked in place as VTC is not used in this particular engine as all the parts have been built to work with each other with one goal in mind and that is max naturally aspirated horsepower. Before the rockers were installed the rocker shafts and cam journals were sent through WPC for their coating process. WPC Coating is a process designed to reduce friction and add strength to the parts. This is not necessary for a lot of engine builds but when winning or losing in the All Motor class comes down to the difference of 4-5 horsepower this was a good option in our situation.
That wraps up an overview of our 2018 cylinder head. We have built quite a few All Motor K Series engines over the years and this cylinder head is the most impressive piece we have developed. Next time we will go over the Engine Block and what we have chosen to do with that part of the project.
This engine is being built to compete at the 2018 World Cup Finals at Maryland International Raceway the first week of November 2018. Dyno and track testing for the IPG team will start shortly.Â