Super Chevy Magazine Homepage Super Chevy
Facebook Click here to find out more!

Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger - Boxing The Power Curve

Our 350 Test Mule Takes A Pounding As Trick Flow Specialties' New Carbureted Supercharger Kit Adds Mountains Of Torque.

By Mike Ficacci, Photography by Mike Ficacci
Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Blower
We couldn't slap this blower on possibly the ugliest motor on the face of the planet, so we did a little bit of dress up prior to heading to the dyno.
Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Blower
We couldn't slap this blower on possibly the ugliest motor on the face of the planet, so w

We left off with our 350 test mule in the July issue, when we rebuilt the bottom end with a rotating assembly from Summit Racing and pumped out a driver-friendly 468hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. We were poised to drop this baby into a first- or second-generation hot rod and make a nice daily driver until Trick Flow Specialties suggested we take out the friendly in "driver friendly" and scare the pants off anyone at the wheel. What we're referring to is Trick Flow Specialties' new carbureted, Roots-style supercharger kit that will bolt right up to our budget small-block.

Trick Flow Specialties' supercharger unit is straight from Magnuson Products and features a 122 high-helix rotor package, which is designed to create more power and torque at a lower rpm than any other unit.

At this point, our small-block is equipped with Trick Flow's 445hp top-end kit, complete with 195cc cylinder heads and fully roller valvetrain. The cam measures 0.558/0.558 and 246/254 degrees of duration. Up top pre-supercharger was an Edelbrock Air Gap intake and a Summit Racing 750cfm carburetor.

Our mission was to simply bolt-on the Magnacharger, leaving the bottom end as is, to simulate exactly what the average gearhead would do. Our biggest fear was the Keith Black hypereutectic pistons that were a perfect match for our non-forced air application. After making some calls for advice from the manufacturer, we decided to shove on and run this baby as is and make insane horsepower. Tuning would be the key to keeping it healthy.

We headed over to B&B Automotive Machine in Lynbrook, New York, slapped on a 950cfm carburetor from Proform, put the pedal to the metal after some minor tweaking, and shocked the heck out of us all as the dyno graph appeared on the computer.

What was the outcome? Get this: 570-plus lb-ft of torque from 2,500 rpm all the way up to 4,500 rpm, a gain of approximately 140 lb-ft through the same rpm range. On the street, this motor is going to act like a completely different animal than it ever would have in N/A trim. At the hit of the throttle from a cruising roll, we expect any sort of street tire to absolutely explode or pin your head hard into the back of the headrest.

We spent a great deal of time tuning to ensure we weren't going to hurt our brave 350ci Mouse motor on 93-octane fuel. We examined at least two spark plugs after every single pull, swapped all eight out at one point for a colder set, checked the roller rocker arms, and watched water and oil temperature constantly. We started the day at 22 degrees of timing and ended at 27 degrees as the motor continued to make power up to that point. Check it out.

  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Flat Black Paint
    First and foremost, we ripped off the stock balancer and broke out the flat black paint to cover up the off-shade of orange. This is a quick and cost-efficient way to dress up your engine. We used quick drying paint so we could quickly tackle some of the other goodies we had prepared.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Flat Black Paint
    First and foremost, we ripped off the stock balancer and broke out the flat black paint to
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Summit Racing Timing Cover
    Summit Racing sent us a lot of chrome, including a set of valve covers, a fuel pump block off, timing chain cover,...
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Summit Racing Timing Cover
    Summit Racing sent us a lot of chrome, including a set of valve covers, a fuel pump block
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Summit Racing Oil Pan
    ...balancer, oil pan, water pump, alternator, and a whole lot more...
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Summit Racing Fuel Pump Block Off
    ...Check out superchevy.com for a web-exclusive look at everything we installed...
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Summit Racing Valve Cover
    ...to get our engine ready for a car show.
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Machining
    Then it was off to B&B Automotive Machine. Using B&B will give us consistent results, as this is where we did our previous testing. Glenn Briglio has been more than helpful through the entire process. As usual, we were on and off the dyno in no time and they were prepared to try anything to make sure our engine was making power and making it safely.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Machining
    Then it was off to B&B Automotive Machine. Using B&B will give us consistent results, as t
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Grinding
    As few have had their hands on this blower kit prior to us, we mocked up as much as we could before hitting the dyno room to make sure we didn't waste our time if a problem was to arise. We did have to do a little grinding, and it was...
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Grinding
    As few have had their hands on this blower kit prior to us, we mocked up as much as we cou
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Water Neck
    ...great we found this out when all was apart. The water neck we used needed a little more room to fit flush and some minor grinding took care of that. Also, out back we had to make some modifications to our distributor as it would not clear the back edge of the base plate. Two small speed bumps, and two easy fixes.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Water Neck
    ...great we found this out when all was apart. The water neck we used needed a little mor
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Base Plate
    The base plate simply installs to the block and cylinder heads using the same holes as the intake manifold on a naturally aspirated engine. Trick Flow supplied...
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Base Plate
    The base plate simply installs to the block and cylinder heads using the same holes as the
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Plate
    ...all the hardware we needed for the kit, which saved us a great deal of time since much of the...
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Plate
    ...all the hardware we needed for the kit, which saved us a great deal of time since much
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Silicon Application
    ...hardware is metric. We placed some silicone around the water jackets and across the front and rear rim of...
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Silicon Application
    ...hardware is metric. We placed some silicone around the water jackets and across the fr
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Silicon Sealer
    ...the block and positioned the base plate into place.
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Rubber Seal
    Once evenly tightened into place, we made sure the rubber seal that sits between the base plate and supercharger was firmly in its groove, and set the blower into position. If this rubber seal were to move out of place, an air leak could occur, affecting boost levels and impeding our ability to tune the engine properly.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Rubber Seal
    Once evenly tightened into place, we made sure the rubber seal that sits between the base
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Satin Finish
    The Magnuson 122 super-charger is available in this satin finish and it comes in a short or long neck design to clear the water pump on your combination. It is even available for Vortec cylinder heads. The kit runs $2,899 in any of these forms and includes a crank pulley, idler assembly, distributor hold down, gaskets, and all the necessary hardware to bolt directly onto your engine.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Satin Finish
    The Magnuson 122 super-charger is available in this satin finish and it comes in a short o
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Race Series Carburetor
    Proform's 950cfm race series carburetor was bolted atop the supercharger and looked great to boot. Hand assembled in the U.S. of A., it features high-flow main bodies, screw-in air bleeds, solid billet construction, and power valve blow out protection. We could not have been more pleased at how the Proform carburetor performed. We planned on having to mess with jetting to achieve optimal performance, but literally did not touch the carb the entire day. Before some of the pulls, we brought rpm down past 900 and the engine had a beautiful, consistent idle.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Race Series Carburetor
    Proform's 950cfm race series carburetor was bolted atop the supercharger and looked great
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Crank Pulley
    Next, we bolted the crank pulley into place and using a straight edge, ensured the blower pulley, idler pulley, and crank pulley were in line. Supplied with the kit are two small shims if all the pulleys do not align. Luckily, we did not have to use them.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Crank Pulley
    Next, we bolted the crank pulley into place and using a straight edge, ensured the blower
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Dial Indicator
    When we first fired up the engine, the crank pulley was obviously not spinning true. Turning to 6,500 rpm, this is one issue we wanted to resolve, and could with a little know-how. We loosened the three bolts and mounted a dial indicator on the block. We set the indicator to zero on the inside edge of crank pulley and rotated the engine till we found the highest number on the indicator which happened to be +0.080-inch. This indicated that the crank pulley was spinning 0.080-inch out of center. Using a rubber mallet, we gently persuaded the crank pulley 0.040-inch in the opposite direction of the high point and tightened the bolts. This made a world of difference when engine was running and could eliminate belt loss in the future.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Dial Indicator
    When we first fired up the engine, the crank pulley was obviously not spinning true. Turni
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Blower Pulley
    Our first pull was made with the 3.250-inch blower pulley in place, which nets approximately 5 pounds of boost across the rpm range. We had timing set at just 22 degrees and were staying extremely safe as all we were doing was making certain all systems were go. Max torque was 481 at 3,000 rpm and horsepower was 458 at 5,400 rpm. More importantly, the spark plugs looked clean, the engine ran through the rpm range very smoothly, and our brake specifics (the measure of fuel rate over power) maintained a safe reading.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Blower Pulley
    Our first pull was made with the 3.250-inch blower pulley in place, which nets approximate
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Spark Plug Switch
    We then switched to a set of plugs designed for a forced-air application. We went to a non-projected Autolite 3910 plug gapped at 0.030-inches that burns colder than those in N/A motors, helping to eliminate detonation, and ensure the quick rush of air does not blow out the spark.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Spark Plug Switch
    We then switched to a set of plugs designed for a forced-air application. We went to a non
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Dyno Room
    B&B's shop is state of the art with fresh air flow, ambient noise reduction, quick disconnects, and most importantly, triple-paned bulletproof glass separating us from the engine in case of a major malfunction, Also, while making pulls, we made certain to use noise reduction ear protection as the decibel level in the dyno room can reach unhealthy levels.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Dyno Room
    B&B's shop is state of the art with fresh air flow, ambient noise reduction, quick disconn
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Pulley Change
    As the BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) and spark plugs stayed on the rich side, we decided to change pulleys from 3.25-inch to 3-inch, taking our boost level from 5 to 7 psi. At the same time, we also turned the timing up to 25 degrees. The change netted us 530 lb-ft of torque at 3,100 rpm and 517 hp at 6,000 rpm. At this point, we...
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Pulley Change
    As the BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) and spark plugs stayed on the rich side, we
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Spark Plugs
    ...pulled all eight spark plugs to ensure we were not doing any damage to the engine. Note that all pulls were made on the "cool" side with our water temperature at 130-degrees and oil temperature at 140. Once we find a home for our supercharger small-block, this is probably about where we will run the set-up: 7 pounds of boost and approximately 25-degrees of timing.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Spark Plugs
    ...pulled all eight spark plugs to ensure we were not doing any damage to the engine. Not
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Pulley
    Last but not least, we decided to go for broke and turn up the wick. At 7 psi, we were encountering some belt slip through the higher rpm range, dropping boost approximately 1.5 psi. If we were trying to make power and turn this into a drag-only machine, we would go back and install either an 8 or 10 rib pulley system to help...
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Pulley
    Last but not least, we decided to go for broke and turn up the wick. At 7 psi, we were enc
  • Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Belt Slippage
    ...with the pressure loss. We then installed the 2.8-inch pulley, increasing boost to 10 psi and also increased timing to 27 degrees. Our first pull went smoothly, and before even looking at the dyno graphs, we backed it with another pull with a little more temperature in the engine. The results were outstanding. We made max torque of 581 lb-ft, and max horsepower of 555, an increase of 138 lb-ft of torque and 87 hp.
    Chevy 350 Small Block Supercharger Belt Slippage
    ...with the pressure loss. We then installed the 2.8-inch pulley, increasing boost to 10
TRICK FLOW SPECIALTIES SUPERCHARGED
350 (7 PSI BOOST)
Torque Horsepower  
530 517
  Before   After (10 PSI)
  HP Torque hp Torque
2900        
3000 332 574
3100 343 574
3200 355 576
3300 374 575
3400 386 573
3500 400 575
3600 408 581
3700 420 577
3800 431 577
3900 441 577
4000 321 422 449 576
4100 332 425 461 573
4200 340 425 468 574
4300 355 434 477 569
4400 363 434 484 567
4500 370 432 493 563
4600 384 439 500 561
4700 396 443 504 557
4800 404 442 506 550
4900 412 442 524 541
5000 418 439 528 542
5100 421 431 531 540
5200 432 433 532 532
5300 435 428 539 527
5400 446 429 543 518
5500 446 421 555 515
5600 447 413 549 510
5700 450 409 555 512
5800 450 401 548 498
5900 463 405 546 495
6000 465 394 553 481
6100 465 388 548 472
6200 468 388 547 470
6300 461 376 542 458
6400 455 374 540 450
6500        
By Mike Ficacci
Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!

*Please enter your username

*Please enter your password

*Please enter your comments
Comments:
Not Registered?Signup Here
(1024 character limit)
Super Chevy