Small-Block Chevy Test Engine - Danger Mouse Part Two

Your Dyno Engine Is Ready For Service

Baseline, New Manifold, New Rockers
It took a little bit longer than we'd expected, but Danger Mouse (DM) is officially open for business. If you're not familiar with this engine project, here's some background: Last year we introduced the idea of building a test engine and taking suggestions from our readers as to what they would like to see tested. The initial response was good but tapered off quickly as we had to push DM to the back burner and tackle other projects first. This year, we vowed to make DM a reality. Last month, we showed you the short-block buildup, highlighting the strong bottom end components from Lunati and World Products, and this month we'll finish it off with the top-end assembly and the first round of dyno bashing. This has quickly become one of the coolest engine projects we've ever done. Not only will DM now be able to provide SUPER CHEVY readers with their very own dyno engine, but it's already surpassed our initial power expectations on its very first outing!

We wanted to begin testing...

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When we took DM over to the Westech Performance Group for its initial flogging on their SuperFlow 901 dyno, we anticipated a rather dull day. That's because, at the time, DM was only equipped with a donated cast-iron, spread-bore intake manifold from the students in Burbank High School's auto shop class, and a set of stock cast-iron GM heads, commonly referred to as "Camel Humps" (casting No. 461). Powerhouse Engine Components rebuilt the heads for us using replacement stainless steel (1.94/1.50) valves and high-performance single-coil valve springs with a damper. Powerhouse also machined the heads for screw-in rocker arm studs and installed pushrod guideplates but did no porting or polishing. Even with a cam that most would consider too small to really make some power, this engine still cranked out over 300 hp in its most basic form.

After some basic ignition advance adjustments, no other changes were required to make this little mule kick. The Carb Shop Q-Jet worked fantastic right out of the box and only required a metering rod adjustment to lean it out slightly after we installed the Weiand intake manifold and the motor started pulling a little more air. Danger Mouse worked so well, in fact, that even the dyno operators at Westech were impressed with how much power it made in stock form. Three hundred ponies from a stock-headed Mouse with a factory intake is something to admire. It's the result of a good engine blueprint and the selection of the right cam for the application. Soon, we'll try some other cams to see just how big we can go before the stock heads become a limiting factor. Then we'll swap heads and go for the gusto. If you can think of anything you'd like to see tested on Danger Mouse, feel free to write us a letter or email it to the address listed above. Remember, this is your test engine and we want to hear your ideas, otherwise we'll be left to come up with our own and that would hardly be any fun.