Whipple 2.3 is it too small for a 540 cid bbc?
 

Whipple 2.3 - is it too small for a 540ci Chevy? I have the setup on a 509 cid deal, but might swap cranks and pistons out, and was thinking about bumping it up a 1/4" on stroke.

It is on the small side even for a 509. I'm sure it can be made to work, just not optimal.
People put B&M 174's on 502's and they are maxed out only will make about 4# of boost, but still add power over being N/A.

I highly modded the 502 mag intakes,more than most,I even cut up the opening and exit on whipple's intercooler,w/ 490ci and I only get 4.5psi.If I were you,I'd look fo a 3.3.

A whipple 2.3 maxes out pretty early. I built a pair of 454s that made 785 hp at 9.5 psi of boost with I think a 2.9" pulley. I put a bigger pulley on it because of high IAT concerns and longevity. I recently dynoed a 515 cu inch motor that also had a 2.3 sidemount. Customer had a 2.7 or 2.8" pulley to get it to make 5.5 psi of boost around 800 hp, BSFCs were completely awful too because of how hard the blower was turning. Im thinking we were seeing .700+lb per hr per hp. I wouldnt consider putting one on anything bigger than a 4.0 stroke combo, thing was really too little for the 515, fwiw, Smitty

Whipple 3.3
 

Sorry to hijack thread, but planning to put a whipple 3.3 on a 540. Hoping to make 7-8 lbs boost. Bad idea or OK?

Depends on how well built the 540 is, and components used.

whipple
 

All new, Built for blower, dart block, Dart heads, blower pistons etc.

if you can spin it at like 30,000 rpms I think it`ll be just fine.:ernaehrung004:

seriously ,how fast can you spin a 2.3 whipple .
I am going to put one on a 540 also

Spin it too much and it becomes a heat pump and not efficient. better off selling the 2.3 and use the money towards a 3.3.

Id put an 8L on a 540......they are pricey

by the time you spin that 2.3 fast enough to make decent boost , it will have heated the air highly and will be very little gain.
Id atleast step up to a 3.3 or 4.0 . You can spin them slower and not heat the air excessively .

Thanks
I guess I will be looking for a 3.3L .
Does a 3.3L compressor fit a 2.3 intercooler?

Thats the next question I was gonna ask- and the last one being- what would it take to add another 2.3 and make a quad rotor setup?

I contacted Whipple,they said they no longer do the 2.3 quad rotor.
For the 3.3 L
‘You would need a Tuner kit less intake and intercooler They are about $5500.00’

It could work decently. Reduce the cam overlap to 0 if possible to maximized cylinder fill. That will allow it to be efficient as possible without having to spin it faster than needed due to boost going out the exhaust in overlap

it will be interesting to see what 0 scavaging has on higher rpm operation.I'm not a fan of 0 overlap,even on turbo motors.

A turbo has is much different than a blower. A turbo has insane back pressure to deal with and needs help to get moving. A positive displacement motor does not require scavenging from the exhaust to get the intake moving because as soon as the valve cracks open the boosted charge is feeding the cylinder instantly. Opening ivo early blows it out the exhaust as well as creates pumping loss and closing the exhaust late reduces boost as it blows out the cylinder. Not a huge issue if the blower is large as it has the excess cfm to create good boost and power but with it being on the small side there is no room to waste the charge which requires a more blower specific cam. Will it make power with overlap. Yes. It will make more in this case by reducing overlap by allowing a lower ratio to meet the same boost

sound good in theory,,we'll wait for real world results.good luck

Well hey its your lucky day. I have cams coming in exactly as described and will be dynoing soon. 408 with 1.9l superchargers.

I agree. No overlap is a bad idea. Especially if you have long tube exhaust headers. You are giving up free power that scavenging would give you. And for what? So that your boost gauge reads higher and your blower is a larger parasitic drag on the crank? Dumb

Max power deals almost always end up with overlap and healthy duration despite the power adder used.

Its not about the boost gauge number. Its about taking a minimal sized blower/supercharger (centri not included) and allowing it to maximize the cylinder fill when cfm (2.3l in this case) is lacking. Its also about keeping the iat down. By widening the lsa and bringing the overlap to 0 you are also opening the exhaust valve much sooner which will evacuate the cylinder of spent gases. Remember I am speaking primarily of this 2.3 blower on a 540. Not a large 10-71 with an abundance of flow. If you are limited on flow then its best to keep it in the cylinder. Not out the exhaust. Whats going to make more power? The forced air charge that is added or scavenging? Ill put my money on the boost every time. I do understand that depending on how big of a cam is ran 0 overlap may not be achievable but reducing it is the point