It used to be that power-hungry hot rodders would stay up late working in their garage, assembling an engine under the glow of a dangling light bulb. With advice gleaned from friends, magazine articles and even stuff overheard at drag strips, guesswork was as much of a contributing factor to performance as was camshaft selection.
Today, however, with the advent of crate engine packages, the only guesswork is what day the box full of power will show up at our driveway.
Don't get us wrong. We're big supporters of the crate engine, as it has given enthusiasts access to proven combinations and prices that would be almost impossible to beat if the parts were purchased individually-this is especially true of GM's line of crate engines. But the crate engine trend also has spawned another twist in the hobby-the install-it-and-close-the-hood syndrome. Besides, say, adding different valve covers and the obligatory air cleaner, most enthusiasts simply drop their crate engine in place and hit the road.
We rarely see one that's been modified to make more power, which seems a little odd. Certainly, the foundation is already in place for even greater power increases.
That's exactly the reasoning behind Martin Motorsports' recent GM Ram Jet 502 engine project, which was initiated by a customer with a street/strip vehicle who leaned a lot closer to the strip. He already had the engine, but figured it needed more power to be competitive.
One of the reasons for starting...
One of the reasons for starting the project with an already-assembled crate motor was because all the ancillary accessories, from the water pump and balancer, to more nickel-and-dime items such as the injectors, throttle linkage and wiring, was already in place.
"The owner also wanted the engine to stand out in the crowd," says Harold Martin, of Martin Motorsports.
In a nutshell, the engine was disassembled and rebuilt to enhance its breathing with a new cam and port work. The assembly was also blueprinted and a wet-flow nitrous system was added. A FAST controller replaced the factory computer because of its capability to control timing and fuel on the higher-horsepower engine. It also allows for wide-band tuning.
Off the bottle, the bolstered big-block cranked out 580 hp and 583 ft-lb of torque on the engine dyno; an increase of nearly 80 horses over the crate engine's stock 502 rating. Torque is up almost 20 ft-lb over the stock 565 rating, too. When sprayed, the giggle-gassed Rat's output jumped to 861 horsepower and just under 900 ft-lb of torque. This is terrific output, especially for an engine the owner insisted will see street service.
Crate RebuildAlthough it seems incongruous-and expensive-to take apart and re-assemble an engine that was already built, Martin says the long view of the project points to overall savings.
"The Ram Jet 502 is a great engine to start with," he says. "All the bottom end parts-the crank, the rods, the pistons-are forged. It also has good cylinder heads."
True enough, but most of those parts are available separately. Martin, however, says the economic advantage lies in the details.
"By starting with the crate engine, you also get all the ancillary items that would nickel-and-dime a ground-up project to death, especially all the fuel injection parts," he says. "The injectors, wiring harness, sensors, etc.-they're already included."
With a factory torque rating...
With a factory torque rating of 565 ft-lb at 3,200 rpm, GM builds the Ram Jet 502 with a tough bottom end-its forged steel crankshaft (4.000-inch stroke) is already suitable for the extra dose of horsepower that nitrous would introduce to the engine.
Opening up the crate engine, then, should pay significant dividends. That seems to be the case with this 502, which jumped about 80 horses with the following upgrades:
*Cam changed from .527/.544 lift and 224/234 duration to .566/.566 lift and 296/302 duration, with a 110-degree centerline.
*Comp Cams 1.7-ratio roller rocker arms (stock does not include roller arms).
*Comp Cams #924 valve springs; dampened two-spring design with 115-pound seat load and a 322-pound open load.
*"Cleaned up" heads, including port-matching with intake manifold.
"The modifications simply allow the engine to push more air," says Martin. "They also allow the engine to rev a little higher, but not much. It's not an RPM motor."
Actually, it's not the valvetrain or reciprocating assembly that is the 502's effective rev limiter; it's the throttle body.
 Like the crankshaft, the factory-installed...  Like the crankshaft, the factory-installed forged steel rods and coated, forged aluminum pistons can withstand considerably more power than factory's Ram Jet 502 power levels, but 900 hp is about their limit, according to Harold Martin. (He says the crank is good to 1,000 hp.) |  One of the changes made to...  One of the changes made to the Martin Motorsports Ram Jet engine was replacing the stock cam to a hydraulic roller with .566/.566 lift and 296/302 duration on a 110-degree lobe separation. That compares with stock cam specs of .527/.544 lift and 224/234 duration. |  The stock aluminum cylinder...  The stock aluminum cylinder heads were retained for the project. They boast big, 2.25-inch intake valves and 1.88-inch stainless valves. Stock chamber volume is 110cc which, with forged pistons, delivers a compression ratio of about 9.6:1. |