302 Small-Block Engine Build - A Wolf Among Mice

Now that the all the major...        read full caption Now that the all the major components are bolted on, the orange cans of Krylon are rattled and rolled. Now this is a true Chevy Orange engine.	Manley pushrods and Comp Cams...        read full caption Manley pushrods and Comp Cams race-designed Endure-X solid roller lifters with laser cut oil passages were installed next.	Crower Enduro 1.55 ratio rockers...        read full caption Crower Enduro 1.55 ratio rockers increase the duration and lift of the already large cam.
In order to complete the look,...        read full caption In order to complete the look, a beautiful set of NOS valve covers was used, but had to be clearanced as well as having some of the edge shaved off. They fit and they look perfect.	Nothing looks meaner in a...        read full caption Nothing looks meaner in a '69 Z/28 like the original cross-ram intake. While Warren does own a few original intakes, he opted to use an aftermarket re-pop for this build. In order to use the cross-ram with the AFR heads, a fair amount of work had to go into the shaping and port matching of the intake. The ports had to be moved a little up and over for a proper fit--you can see the groove milled down the side of the intake. Without this groove the intake will not fit onto the AFR heads and the valve covers will not fit either.	Here's a closer look at the...        read full caption Here's a closer look at the intake before the lid is bolted on. The runners on the intake were also extensively machined and smoothed for the best possible air and fuel flow.
Carburetion is two 500 CFM...        read full caption Carburetion is two 500 CFM Holley double pumpers that are identical to the ones used in 1969.	The linkage setup on these...        read full caption The linkage setup on these carbs is all mechanical. If you notice in the picture, the primaries are open three quarters of the way before the secondaries open.	With nearly everything bolted...        read full caption With nearly everything bolted on, this is what the Little Wolf looks like. It's a perfect retro looking engine with the best technology that is offered today.

Judgment day arrives and the mousey little motor is set up on the dyno at Jim Grubbs Motorsports. Grubbs was also responsible for much of the machine work that went into the block. After the break in period of the engine and incremental pulls, a few power pulls were made, but the numbers were only in the high 400s. It turned out the throttle linkage needed some adjusting because the secondaries were not opening. The high 400s doesn't look too bad if that is just the power from the primaries. After the linkage adjustment and some timing adjustments, another pull was made to 7,500 rpm and the lovely numbers popped up on the screen. At 5,600 rpm, the torque peaked out at 458. Peak horsepower topped off at 534 at 6,700 rpm. Like the original Z/28 race engines, this sucker is a high-rpm beast designed to run on race fuel.