408ci LS2 Engine Build - Super Chevy Magazine

When Pro Stock Motocycle racer Eddie Krawiec decided to build himself a street machine, the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team rider made sure the '66 Nova was going to be a cutting-edge street machine. All the best suspension goodies from Chris Alston's Chassisworks ensured "Project Getaway" would ride and handle like a champ. But what about the engine? When you earn your living accelerating to 192 mph on two wheels in under seven seconds, your hot rod has to be able to get the adrenal glands pumping in a major way.

With that in mind, Krawiec put in a call to Turn Key Engine Supply in Oceanside, California, for one of its blower-ready 408 LS2-based engines and another to Kenne Bell Superchargers in Rancho Cucamonga, California, for a twin-screw supercharger. Turn Key whipped up an 8.5:1 compression stroker engine with Dart Pro1 cylinder heads. Atop this went a 2.8-liter Kenne Bell blower.

When all was said and done, the resulting engine was a masterpiece. It delivered 778 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 710 pounds of torque way down at 3,700 rpm-on the swill known as 91 octane California pump gas.

For the sake of science, we bolted on the 2.5-inch pulley and ran the 408 on 114-octane Rocket Brand race gas. The result was 803 horsepower at 5,650 rpm and 813 ft-lbs at 3,700 rpm. We had to stop the pull at 5,650 because the injectors were maxed out! This lightweight Nova is going to put the hurt on those giant 20-inch Nitto tires Krawiec ordered.

On to the build!

The starting point of our build is this GM LS2 block. When used by the General it's listed at 6.0-liters of displacement (364 ci), but we have plans to bump that up a bit to 408. The bore was upped from 4.020-inch to 4.030; the rest of the added volume will come via the rotating assembly.
The starting point of our build is this GM LS2 block. When used by the General it's listed
A key player in our plan to bump up the displacement of our LS2 block is this four-inch stroke Lunati crank. Forged from 4340 material and then Ion Nitrided, this crank features main journal gun drilling as well as rod journal lightening. More importantly, it will be able to hold up to the stresses associated with a supercharged engine. Turn Key specified that the crank come with a 24x reluctor wheel for easy programming.
A key player in our plan to bump up the displacement of our LS2 block is this four-inch st
To ensure easygoing street manners, we went with a fairly tame camshaft. With duration numbers of 211/230 and lift specs of .591 for both the intake and exhaust, this 121 LSA cam should serve us well in Project Getaway.
To ensure easygoing street manners, we went with a fairly tame camshaft. With duration nu

Oil is life in any engine, especially a high-performance one, so Turn Key installed this Moroso (PN 22120) high-volume pump. It will increase volume by around 18-percent, will fit under our stock cover, and is hard anodized. To keep everything timed correctly we installed a JP Performance roller timing chain set.
Oil is life in any engine, especially a high-performance one, so Turn Key installed this M
Just as critical as the crank are the parts connected to it. Rods experience tremendous forces in a naturally aspirated mill, and it's even worse in a blown engine. For this reason we went with super-strong Lunati 4340 I-beam rods. The fully machined rods are matched to +/- 1.5 grams and utilize ARP cap hardware. After file-fitting the rings, Turn Key mated them to the forged blower pistons, also from Lunati/Wiseco.
Just as critical as the crank are the parts connected to it. Rods experience tremendous fo
Using the appropriate ring compressor, the pistons and rods were carefully slid into the cylinders. The -22cc dish of the pistons will help us hit our 8.5:1 compression ratio.
Using the appropriate ring compressor, the pistons and rods were carefully slid into the c

Due to the increased stroke of the new rotating assembly, Turn Key has found that several spacers are needed so that the windage tray will clear. With the tray secured, they then installed the pickup tube and finally the F-body oil pan.
Due to the increased stroke of the new rotating assembly, Turn Key has found that several
Supercharged engines thrive on airflow, so we went with Dart Pro1 CNC heads (PN 11071142). These 250cc heads will flow a boatload of air and their 68cc chamber volume works to hit our compression goal. The heads feature multi-angle intake seats and radiused exhaust seats to enhance air flow in addition to the large 2.08 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves. The fact that they came fully assembled with 1.290 beehive springs made our lives that much easier.
Supercharged engines thrive on airflow, so we went with Dart Pro1 CNC heads (PN 11071142).
The Dart heads were then put in place utilizing GM MLS head gaskets (PN 12589227) and ARP hardware. With a compressed thickness of .051-inch, these gaskets should easily hold up to the rigors of supercharger duty. Also, you can see the billet valley cover Turn Key installed to accommodate the Kenne Bell twin-screw blower.
The Dart heads were then put in place utilizing GM MLS head gaskets (PN 12589227) and ARP