Stock engine basics

[Gary Smith]

Originally Posted by Danpa

I have always been amazed at the amount of horsepower Stock Eliminator racers have been able to extract from their cars. I would think that the engines must be extremely efficient, squeezing the last bit of hp from every drop of fuel.
My question is, what do you guys do to the engines to make them run so strong on seemingly mundane parts?
I realize some basics like fully balanced rotating assembly and cc' ing the heads would help, but what else?
I'd like to apply some of the things to my street engine when I rebuild it.

Thanks,

Dan

Very valid and good question. Probably the most important is NEVER overlook details. The factories have so many imperfections in some of the smallest areas where improvements can yield some surprising results. Also, remember the car itself. There are many areas where you can improve performance in suspension, weight transfer, and hp robbing rotating weight.

I was talking to another racer yesterday about the very same subject. Too many racers looking to go fast fail to look at the most basic areas. I'm sure there will be others that chime in on this subject and should offer some interesting answers.