Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Ok guys we've been busy and haven't been posting but here is our latest project arrived yesterday we're building a pair of twin turbo big block aluminum chevy EFI engines they're going to be 380 ci as planed so far and we expect to make in the 1300 t0 1400 hp I'm going to document and show as much as possible and at the end we'll see how close we come . The customer wants to run 170s and have the fastest accelerating boat he's aver had we're going to give it our all . Also all the wiring for the dash panels we'll be finishing for him. Hope you gear heads enjoy . Sincerely Laz Mesa

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Laz, 380ci?

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Hi Laz: You must really want to rev those puppies! I know this is sometimes necessary with available props and ratios to get the big speed, but I'm thinking about Mercury's 500 CID race engines that used 4.6 bore with 3.75 stroke. Wouldn't that work or does the customer want to base this on an engine program developed for under 400 CID racing class?

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

We've been building turbo engines for years now for drag racing and I have several customers that have broken every E.T. and mile and hour record in their classes for years this is going to be one bad set up we plan on turning the engines 8500rpm with the gear we have in the drives to see speeds in the high 160 to low 170s I'm going to show flow numbers rod ratios cam specs and at the end the final dyno videos and dyno numbers.

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

There are plenty of Turbo Diesels running out there in the marine environment.

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

A 380 c.i. big block should be absolutely bulletproof!

At 4" bore x 3.75" stroke, you are going to have a mean piston speed of over 5300 ft/min at 8500 rpm. That doesn't seem sustainable. My suspicion is that you must be cooking up something like 4.5" x 3", which lands you squarely at 4250 ft/min MPS. Am I far off?

Has a motor of these dimensions been built before? Could this spawn a new trend for supercharged motors as well? Why not run around with bomb-proof blower motors at 25 psi of boost too? I guess your big challenge is going to be building a valvetrain that can hack it. The poor exhaust valves are going to get hit 4250 times every minute with the turbo's blowtorch.

Can't wait to see!

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

The've been using twin turbo motors in the boats that pull speed skiers on the west coast for years. Everyone out there uses them. I dont know the specs but I think Pfaff started the craze many years ago. Ive seen them accelerate and they are quick!!!!!

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

GM was workong on a marine engine test program a few years back- As I recall it used a BBC block with short stroke and was less than 400 CI. The heads were special, and were seperately cooled independent of the block. They made big power, but time and patience wore out. They built a couple of prototypes, and the whole project got shelved.

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Powerboat magazine did a story about that engine a few years ago. I still have it somewhere. The engines put out big power but the outdrives couldn't take it. That was before #6 outdrives. Btw, the guy that built the exhaust for that boat lives in my neighborhood and does welding and fabrication still.

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

sweet.... :cool:

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

I can promise you they don't run them easy in these events either...
Race after race, they just keep on gettin it on :cool:

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

We modified the exhaust system turbos engine management systems waste gates and boost controll system and were currently modifing the cooling system because after disassembling the engine we found some areas that need to be addressed cams and valve trane are also areas of modification were working on my next post will have the exhaust system and modifications with the turbos and the waste gates installed

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Laz-
Who built the hull?
Due

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

The hull is a Chris Cat and the entire bottom has been cut and redesign with extensive modifications by an individual who is very involved in boat racing and has won countless world championships as a crewchief .

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Thanks- I thought it looked familiar.
Due

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Here are some pics of the exhaust mods we've done you can see the first most noticed is the replacement Garret water cooled ball bearing turbo then the modification to the exhaust with the Tyal adjustable waste gate operated by an Innovative boost controller on the dash that controls both engines at the same time and the addition of the merge type collector flange which we use in the drag race engines I'm confident in the exhaust system alone we have another 100 hp to safely use. Hope you guys enjoy.

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

These are the latest water jacket design housings from Garrett and the pipes are going to be wraped again after were done they were wrapped when we had them on the dyno the first time and I was supprised how much cooler than water jacket headers they were .

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

You know come to think of it I don't know why Garrett recomended these turbos by design it may be simply they don't have the correct size exhaust housing for the ci were running generally speaking marine turbos have larger exhaust housings and wheels because larger ci are use in that field this project is an open checkbook and it's surely not because of price .

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The water cooled turbine housings are incredibly heavy..... you can't hang those out there on the pipe setups he has showing... they'll crack, and break the flanges right off.... those turbo's are nice pieces, wrap the exhaust and run it...

My only concern would be turbine tip speed, at 8500 rpm engine speed, for loooong distances, your talking over 225,000 rpm on a T5 or T6 frame turbine wheel diameter. The trick is the tubing size, and a/r ratio's matching up...
I wanted to do this setup last year for my Criterion, using a 366" truck block (I have an NOS 366" tall block on the shelf now) .125 over, 3.766 crank, alum. heads, EFI, Hogan intake, maybe 385"-395", single BB turbo, intercooled.... my wallet dried up. I think a 447" may be a better way to go now... JMHO.

Jim Haas

Diesel Power & Injection, Inc.
Miami, Fla.

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

How about doing it on an outboard ?

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

Laz neet shet :D , Keep the picks and info coming . I am intrigued :drink:


Rob

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

guys here are some pics of the original wiring and gauges that were in the boat and shotly I'll have wiring of our finished work with all the new gauges we went with gaffrig monster gauges platinum face chrome ring and bezzels

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What ever happened to this boat and set up. Thansk Jeff

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?? same here, did they ever make any water test.

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That kinda RPM, I wonder how often he'll be rebuilding. Every other Poker Run?

Good luck

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I havent heard from Laz at all around here lately.

Re: Mesa Racing Engines Latest Project
 

My father was running tall-deck 454 twin turbo's back in the late 70's, early 80's with a water/air intercooler. They were somewhere near the 600 hp range. The only problems he had back then were finding tall deck blocks. They had to go to junk yards and find junked truck blocks. I believe they were built by Flagship out on Long Island or somewhere near there.

Twin Turbos by Gentry
 

In the 1990's Gentry built a series of twin turbo engines that held up wonderfully. I think they were 355 cid Big Blocks. Maybe tall decks with a bore of 4.25 and a stroke of 3.125 with nice long rods and they were spun up to pretty high speeds. With today's technology, these engines should be sweet. Good luck Laz!

Interested in progress as well
 

I'm interested on the status of this as well. I just purchased a used set of turbos for my two 454s. These are the PFM setup (garret turbos) using PFM modded valve covers, PFM water/air intercooler and stock mercruiser manifolds. This system also came with EFI and Paxton fuel pumps. All for the low price of $1025!! :drink:

Just got to piece this all together...but wanting to learn more about Marine Turbo setups before I make all the mistakes :eek:

Actually Gentry's stuff is starting to surface again.
Carson Brummett out of California has all the molds
for the turbo's ,manifold, and intercooler etc. And Carson
builds turbo engine's too.

But now your Seeing Builders such as Tommy from Chief engines using the gentry parts with his own personal combinations. Tommy had a real nice display at the Miami
boat show with one of his Turbo engine displays going in a
Nortech.
Tommy has made these all cumputerized and fuel
injected and make 1,200 hp. on 93 octane if memory serve's me, Tommy felt that turbo's are the wave of the future for big power with long term engine life.

His display was beautiful !!

Cougarman