Future engine compared to current.
 

I need some opinions on how much of a gain will be had on jumping from my current 496 to a 540. The 496 I am currently running has the following specs.
Dart 325 Pro 1 heads fully ported with 2.3I/1.88E
Solid roller cam 272/280 @.050" with .714" gross lift
13.2:1 compression SRP forged pistons
Nickerson 1050 dominator (flows 1175)
Merlin single plane intake
CMI e-top exhaust
MSD ignition
With this the little Baja does 95 to 98 MPH on GPS.
Horsepower is unknown, but estimated at 700 plus??

I am considering a 540 with the following
Same heads as above
Solid roller cam 278/286 @.050" with .731" gross lift
Compression in the high 12's to low 13's
All other parts the same as above.

How much more power with 46 more cubes and a little more cam?
Enough to see 100 MPH? Lets hear some opinions.
Thanks
Craig

I could be wrong Craig, but I doubt you were making 700hp with your 496. With the 540 and the components and comp ratio you listed ---I would guess right around 725-750hp or so, but like I said I could be wrong. Sounds like a pretty interesting project though! :)

Thanks KAAMA, I knew I could count on you for a response. I am just trying to get a handle on what 46 cubes is worth. It would be real easy to go from 496 to 540 cubes. I would need a block, pistons and a cam. Any other route would require basically a complete engine package. I figure on 20 HP per MPH which means to get to three digits I will need 40 to 100 HP based on my current top end. I know nitrous would be the easy way, but I would like to see a legitimate 100 naturally aspirated. :D I still feel my current 496 is in the 700 HP range. Keep in mind I twist it 6000 to 6300 RPM and it is a 13.2:1 compression motor. I never dynoed it so I cannot really argue, but based on other comparable 10:1 motors making 550 to 650 HP I feel 700 is realistic. Anyway, what are the 46 cubes worth in HP? 50HP or more like 100?

didnt you forget the best part: HOW MUCH BOOST!!!!!!!!:p

Hey Merlin, You're right a blower would be sweet, but the Baja 210 Sport barely has enough room for a BBC in the engine bay let alone a big old huffer. That will be for my next ride. Someday!:rolleyes:

Formulafastec, so based on your estimation I will gain somewhere between 50 and 70 by going to the 540. I think that sounds reasonable. Keep em coming. I am still waiting for someone who has dynoed numerous motors to give me there real world experiences.

Sorry KAMMA--- I think that with 13 to 1 comp. ratio he may be over 700HP with that combo. And with the 540 You may be close to 800 HP if not over that. What you need with that engine is full length headers not the E-TOPS. I read somewhere that you gain 40 HP for each full number increase in compression ratio over 8 to 1 on a 454 - 502. (I might be wrong- don't shoot me )

Tinkerboater,
I agree about the full length headers. My exhaust exits very low and for economical purposes the e-tops gave the best bang for the buck. From what I have been told on compression, each point of compression is only worth 10 HP if no other changes are made. We all know cam selection is made based on many factors and compression is one of the main ones. If compression is increased and the cam is matched to the new combo, I think the 40 HP per point of compression is pretty close. So from what Tinker thinks the 46 cubes gained by the 540 could be worth 50 to 70 (plus) HP. It sounds like this may be my ticket to 100 MPH naturally aspirated????:rolleyes:

Tink, I thought about the comp ratio that he was running before I posted what I thought he made. I guess it would also depend on how many RPM's he is turning @WOT as well. You very well could be right, but like I have stated; I could be wrong, but I'm just trying to stay on the conservative side of the equation. I think 46 cubes gained from a 496 to a 540 is roughly worth 50-75hp as well. It's just my opinion and I know I could be wrong, but it sure is fun talkin' & chewin' on it! I LOVE talkin' about this stuff! Now then, us fellers just gotta have a little bench racin' talk to make it through the winter until boatin' season comes around again! :)

Kaama ,
with that kind of CR and those RPM's I kind of believe it makes 700hp. My old 502 with 8.5:1 CR made 625hp at 5800rpms. And my 540 makes an estimated 675hp with 9:1CR. :)

Thanks 26, similar type of comparison and a 50 HP gain. HP sure gets difficult to find when at this level.:( Going to a 540 would probably cost around $3500 to $4000 for a mere 50 HP. Probably the smart thing to do would be to live with high 90's and start building a 540 or 572 blower motor for a hull that can really handle 100 plus MPH performance. (Cat or v-drive Schiada);)

I think the 496 is easily making over 700 HP. The extra displacement of a 540 won't add much HP, but it will make a lot more torque at lower RPM and bring the peak HP down a few hundred. That should allow you to go up a little in prop pitch. Also, the bigger bore will unshroud the valves a little more and help breathing. The exhaust is probably the real key with the kind of power you're making.

Bob

540s
 

Craig
Keep me in mind I may be able to help you with the block,rods and crank before long. At the present time I have some feelers out to give me some prices to replace my 540s. I'm wanting to go with a pair of alum. 622s for my cat. I should have the answers this comming week,That way I will know what boat show Im going to. Miami and LA are the same week this year I understand, so whoever I can get to build my shortblocks is the direction I'm going..
eliminator219:D :D

Wette Vette, you are running that wild mill in a Sport 210????:eek:

I had a 210 new in 1987 and it was a handfull with a 350 Mag! Are you running big tabs? I really liked my 210, we had a blast in that thing, and when I sold it I got 4000.00 more than I paid for it!!!!! Replaced it with a Sport 220 with a 454 Mag, and repaced that with a Sport 280. I had great luck with all three Baja`s

I`d love to see some pics!

Kurt.

BIGGUS, My 210 has a short shaft drive and full hydraulic steering on it which made a huge difference in the driveavility compared to stock. On calm water it is a blast to drive and handles great. As for rough offshore water you just have to remember what it is when you are running. A 20' 10" boat!! When the opportunity on calm water presents itself it is fun to run with the bigger boys.:p

Eliminator 219,
I would definately be interested in your motors/rotating assemblies. The question will be if I have the cash when you are ready to sell. I am currently looking at a few new homes and I may be strapped for a while. Are you going with blown 622"? If so I hope some B-maxes are also on the adgenda. Are you trying to hit 140 in that 30 footer!:eek:
Thanks,
Craig

Wette Vette, what are you going to be doing with that 496??

Hyper, you really don't want that motor in your boat!!! I would either sell it or put in some 10:1 pistons and drop it in a Corvette. It will probably be after 1 more season of use anyway.;)

Are you sure? Im a little lighter than you on this 19, just let me borrow the engine for a year and we will let it be happy in knowing it got one boat up and over 100.....-:D :D

vette
 

Did you ever use the program dyno 2000 to see what horsepower your present motor is compared to the 540 you plan to build? just curious

Desktop dyno using small tube headers with mufflers showed the following numbers.
496" showed 759 HP @ 6500 and 665 Ft-Lbs. @ 5500
540" showed 781 HP @ 6500 and 711 Ft-Lbs. @ 5000

22 HP and 46 Ft-Lbs of torque are what the desktop dyno says I will gain by going to a 540. Deosn't seem like to much bang for my buck if it ios correct.:rolleyes: It may be enough to get me to triple digits though??:confused:

540s
 

Craig
I think you are right as far as the drives goes,B-Maxs but not untill one of my Imcos gives up.. Im still going to stay with the blown engines,4.75 X 4.60 Tall blocks is where I'm looking so far just dont know about the alum blocks,right at twice as much as the cnc blocks, dont know if the weight factor is worth all the extra money.
Glad to hear you are getting a new house but also wish that you would hit that magic triple number, you have been knocking at the door long enough.. My engines have 107 hours and are in great shape, might be the time for you to go supercharged and quit doing all that wrenching..
Keep in touch:D :D :D
eliminator219

Les;

You should easily see 1200hp a side with those blown 632's. :eek: 1400hp if you really put the boost to it and run nasty solid rollers, on 118 octane:eek: :eek: Look forward to meeting you and seeing your boat next time I'm up to visit Craig. In my opinion, if you're making that kind of power in a "relatively" small boat already you're not going to notice much difference in the saved weight from alum blocks. When you decide what you're going to do I know someone who would be interested in your 540's. have a good one.

You're right Les, and I have been gettin the itch to do a 1000 HP blower, turbo, or pro charged motor. I just don't think it would be smart to put an engine like that in my Baja. I like cats, but I really like the 21' Schiada River Cruiser with a V-drive and 3 or 4 speed transmission. 1000 HP wouldn't even make that combo sweat and it should be 105 plus and have a 40 to 100 MPH time of like 4 or 5 seconds.:eek: At least thats what Schiada tells me.:confused: Anyway you know how it is. Hard to be content and just leave well enough alone. I will get my wife's house done this spring and then get serious about building that 1000 plus HP.:D I will still be trying to get a couple more out of the Baja, just no radical changes.;)

Big motors
 

Jdncal and vette,
Thanks for your imput, I really dont know what I want to do at the present time. The cat runs great and I really haven't had the time to run her,4 times last year, and I dont want to fix what is not broke. I had a hard time with the 36s,didn't want to roll over with out reallly putting the power to it,but once over... alwsome,
I'm running low boost and hyd rollers with 93. I know that I dont want a full out- go fast boat! Its just I keep reading all these posts of all these big numbers and its gets me to thinking, but it could be like so many of the boat co sales pitches..Bull****!!
I and others around know that I have a true 130 mph boat, but is it enough?I gues that I could alwalys change pullys, but dont want to destroy great engines, Let me know your thoughts!!:D :D
eliminator219

Les, give our friend Dean Nickerson a call and have him send you the proper pulleys for your blower to increase boost to racing fuel levels. If you give him all of your motor info he will provide you with the necessary adjustments i.e. timing, and jetting, required for the elevated boost level. Knoll Brothers in Mich. City always have 110 octane leaded racing fuel in stock. For shootout weekends like Ozarks or Hadry Party type events pump it up and run the good stuff. On normal outings on the big lake (which is to rough to run that hard on many occasions) turn it down and run 93 octane. Just a thought and less expensive than a complete re-power. If it were me I would just leave it pumped up and run the good fuel all the time. Once you have the extra power it would be hard to go back. It sounds like if you only made it out 4 or 5 times you may as well leave it pumed up.:D

Craig
sounds like you may just be right! Thanks a lot, I will keep you posted. anyway, good luck on the 100 numbers..
eliminator219