Last month, we got the ball rolling on a special World Products 454 small-block engine that is destined for SUPER CHEVY's Road Tour Camaro-a vintage Second-Generation F-body infused with the latest in contemporary performance trends and technologies.
We started with the latest in big-cube small-blocks-World Products 454ci combo-but wanted to add a 21st century twist. So, a call to FAST (Fuel Air Spark Technology) hooked us up with one of their electronic fuel injection systems, controller and data logger.
The injection system caps an already impressive breathing system on the large-displacement small-block. The cubes come from a 4.000-inch stroke and 4.250-inch bores. Extracting 454 ci from a normal Mouse engine would leave the block with opaque cylinder walls, but World Products uses their own Motown block casting. It's designed with extra built-in bulk that promotes not only gonzo bore diameters but added strength and improved cooling capacity.
To ensure those big, hungry cylinders get enough to eat, World Products drops on Motown 220 Lite aluminum heads, which get their designation from the large, 220cc intake runners. The valves are big, too, measuring 2.125 inches on the intake side and 1.600 on the exhaust. With 58cc chamber volumes and dished pistons, our 454 has a pump-friendly 11:1 compression ratio.
FAST's electronic fuel injection system is tailored to feed the combustion chambers of the big-inch small-block, drawing air through a 1,150-cfm four-barrel-style throttle body. The system is remarkable for its simplicity, mounting to a modified World Products single-plane carburetor manifold.
 The Motown block is externally...  The Motown block is externally identical to OE Chevy small blocks, but it has more material inside to strengthen the block and improve water flow. Some of the extra "meat," can be seen the material machined away on the top of the cylinder wall as the lifter bores were indexed. |  To arrive at 454 ci, the Motown's...  To arrive at 454 ci, the Motown's 4.250-inch bores combine with the 4.000-inch stroke of this Eagle forged crankshaft. It's held in place with four-bolt, splayed billet-steel main caps. |  Rods and pistons also are...  Rods and pistons also are forged. The H-beam rods measure 6.000 inches in length, and the slightly dished pistons give an approximately 10.0:1 compression ratio. |
Interestingly, our project engine wore one of the first prototype throttle bodies from FAST, so everything about it and its subsequent performance on the dyno was uncharted territory for us, FAST and World Products.
The engine was originally configured with a carburetor, then converted in the span of a few hours to the injection system. Other than a slew of sensors and a return line to the fuel tank, swapping a carbureted engine to EFI doesn't take a rocket scientist.
And while tuning the system for optimum performance doesn't require a rocket scientist, either, it demands someone who is as competent at a computer keyboard as with a carburetor, according to FAST's Jay Rohrback.
"Fuel injection is a tool," he says. "How well you use that tool determines the performance results."
Other tools supporting the injection system include FAST's electronic controller, a data logger, and a digital ignition system. The speed-density air metering system permits on-the-fly tuning adjustments, which is complemented by wide-band tuning capability, too.
 Insisting on good idle quality,...  Insisting on good idle quality, but still delivering a throaty sound, we called on Comp Cams to grind us a special solid-lifter camshaft. |  Cylinder heads are from World...  Cylinder heads are from World Products, too. They're aluminum versions of World's Motown 220 design. |  The Motown 220 Lite heads...  The Motown 220 Lite heads take their name from cavernous 220cc intake runners. In addition to their large volume, the runners require no machining to flow exceptionally well. |