My winter project
 

This winter I will be upgrading my Merc 600sci.

This is being done by Dustin Whipple, down in California.

Here is a link that documents what is being done to the motor, along with dyno results.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...mentation.html

In addition to this, I replaced my upper unit with an IMCO SCX in anticipation of the added horsepower.

I will try to keep you all in the loop with pictures etc along the way.

Chris

Winter is a dirty word

Yea, especially around here unless you ski/board:rolleyes:

My personal projects are planned as...
1. Swapping to 380 K-plates (done but haven't tried them)
2. Switching from 4150s to Doms (yea, I know Chris; this project should have already been done :drink:)
3. Getting my very slow 30 pitch props :angry-smiley-038: to BBlades

Dave

Here is a video of my motor with the Stage I PCM upgrade: 701hp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BTsMEudtCw

Chris

The new numbers are in for the Stage II upgrade for the 600sci:

752hp at 5850rpm !

This is what you get with just a PCM re-program, a water re-route, and a smaller pulley.

Dustin rocks!

Here is a pictue of my motor on the Whipple Dyno:

Update:

Dustin has decided to try the 4.0 supercharger on the motor before doing the cam swap. He just wants to see what we can do with the motor without going internal.
Should be ready for some more dyno passes by mid to end of next week.

Chris

Performance update:

Dustin is working dilligently on the re-programing of the Smartcraft PCM. Due to its individual cylinder ignition and fuel curve programs... this is quite a time consuming process... especially with a cam that is radically different than the original 600sci or 700sci cams.

As of last nite (9 pm), the motor is making 850 hp at 5900 rpm with 10 lbs of boost.

This is with the new cam, and the 4.0 supercharger.

Timing curves, fuel curves, and boost have not been finalized... Dustin thinks there might be more in there, and will continue to work on it.

After this round of testing, and finilization of the PCM program, Dustin will bolt the 3.3 back on and get it dialed in with the new cam.

Chris -- Chasing 100 mph -- hopefully this will do it

chris
what is going to be your finall set up the 3.3 or the 4 also what are the new cam specs.?
that thing is going to be fast.

Way to go Chris and Dustin! Great #s!
Best Regards,
Steve

I will be keeping the 4.0 and aiming for 900hp. I dont think Dustin's stage IV will produce much more than about 850-860 hp for the average user... so he and I will have to come up with something a little more on the edge to get my target hp. The BAM speed calculator says that I will need about 880 hp to cross the 100mph barrier with my boat.

The cam is proprietary, but is similar to the 525 cam with about 115 deg of lobe seperation.

Chris

Dustin came in on Sunday (the dude is a serious workaholic), and tweeked the PCM some more... still not finalized.

Stage IV dyno graph:

Chris

Hi Chris,
Good reading as always. In the dyno shot, It looks like Dustin is using your EFI, throttle body, and intercooler with his 4.0. Am I correct? I understand he's probably doing that to "package" out his various "stages". I would think his aftermarket throttle body on the 4.0 would flow more cfm than the OEM Merc unit, wouldn't it? So there's some HP there, and you could always swap out pistons for more static compression (7.5 to 8.5/8.75).
Best Regards,
Steve

The 4.0 Throttle bodies are beast and high on the cool factor. Beautiful pieces and worked very well with a dual IAC setup which probably won't be required with the mild cam you're using.

I'm beginning to get a bit concerned with the rotating assembly on that setup :eek:
You may be tuning the 540 setup pretty soon :drink:

Great numbers!

Steve... correct... stock throttle body and innercooler...

The innercooler has been modified to flow more water than the stock setup. This required a seperate pickup for the innercooler.

Dustin has already flow benched the stock throttle body, and says it is more than adequate for the hp we are making. The stock air cleaner is disfunctional at this point, and costs the motor nearly 20 hp. Dustin is working on a better flowing air cleaner.

The stock bottom end is extremely stout on this package, and has been used in making over 1000 hp.

The limiting factor we are running into now... and you can see it at 4700 rpm on the dyno chart ... is the restriction in the heads. Dustin is considering making the Stage V modification, a CNC port job to increase flow. The motor then would require less boost per given horsepower. At this point, boost is stacking up in the intake, and not making it to the pistons because of cylinder head restrictions.

At some point in the future, I will probably be building a 565 bottom end to put under my existing parts. (Dart 9.8 block, 4.6 bore, 4.25 stroke)

Chris

I would agree on the head restriction as that is what I referred to earlier on (too much blower for poor flowing heads)
Next restriction is possibly right around the corner...

I guess we'll just agree to disagree as to the bottom end :drink:

A stock GM forged crank is in no way designed to support 1000hp, let alone with another pulley on the end of it :eek:

Maybe I misunderstood the package but I thought this was just a 600SCi motor.

I just added to my above post while you were responding.

Heads are definately the restricting factor.

The 4.0 makes aproximately 35-40 more horsepower than the 3.3 in this application, while spinning slower and putting less stress on the front of the crank than the 3.3, and creating less heat.

I am not claiming that I know about the crank or bottom end ... just repeating what have been told by Dustin Whipple and Eddie Young.

It is a 600sci.

Chris

Now your talking :evilb::evilb::evilb:

I have abused Gen VI blocks in the past and they are surprisingly very strong but they also had good Crower internals and were studded.

Now ask Dustin or Eddie if they would warranty a 1000hp blower motor with a GM502 crank. I think I know the answer to that :drink:

Your going to be running very strong when the it's all done. Keep the techi info flowing.

Thanks,
Dave

Dave,

Thanks for the info.
I will definately keep the info flowing.

Interestingly enough... we had a hard time figuring it out... this is not a Gen VI block, but rather one of Merc Racings new castings. Two piece rear main seal, Gen 6 front cover, extra webbing, clearanced for a stroker crank..etc ... Bob Maderia helped us figure this out.

Chris

Yes Chris,
A new and strange block for sure. It's GM's (not Merc's) latest Gen VI now dubbed a Gen VI/Gen IV. I recieved one this Spring and looked at it for a couple hours trying to figure out what I had received. The fuel pump boss and clutch linkage had me completely bewildered as well.
I measured everything I could imagine to see if it would fit where it was going (525EFI) and everything measured exactly the same as the standard Gen VI block sitting next to it. Only difference was the fuel pump and clutch linkage provisions. No extra ribs or any strengthening additions were visable. Just a 502 block that people can now used thier Mk-IV parts on.
The main improvements appear to be over a Mk-IV blocks which the late Gen VIs had already implemented.
They are 1 piece seal units but can use a 2pc adapter to fit a Mk-IV crank if you so had to use one. Merc only uses a 1 piece seal arrangement at this level.
At the 850SCi level they go to a Callies 4340 forged unit (for a reason :) ). They get $10k for it on Mercruiserparts :eek:

Glad to see someone else ran across this seemingly odd block :drink:
Slapped a fuel pump block off plate on and was on our way :rolleyes:

Dave

Update:

The motor made 905 hp at 6100rpm, and 855 ft/lbs of torque.

This is with a stage IV setup: reprogramed PCM, Whipple cam, 4.0 supercharger at 13 lbs of boost.

Dustin feels that boost is once again stacking up in the intake manifold, and not getting into the cylinders, and that the heads are now the limiting factor in the equation.

The next step is stage V modification... ported cylinder heads. The heads on the 525, 600 and 700 are all the same, and specially designed for their closed cooling system. Dustin feels that with opening up the heads, he can produce the same horsepower and torque with 2-3 lbs less of boost.

Of note, Dustin discovered that once this motor starts flowing enough air to get over the 750hp mark, that the stock air cleaner is reducing power by over 20 horsepower. He is in the process of building an new billet air cleaner for 600 and 700 sci motors that will be a nice addition to any 600/700 motor owners looking for some added bling and performance.

Chris

Hi Chris,
Great #s. Was that pump gas or race gas?
If that's pump gas, it's even more impressive. We have have plentiful 93 octane gas here, even on the water at some marinas. I heard 91 is more prevalent on the west coast?
Happy Holidays,
Steve

91 Shell

Chris

502 block
 

The 502 is as thick as a bow tie block. I had one sonic tested to see how much it could be bored. It can be bored to 4.625 and still have .250 wall thickness. The only issue is to get good head sealing at the water passages with the large holes.

Dave, on the GM crank, I agree on the power level, but most cranks are broke coming off the line, reved at 5000 plus and dropping the clutch. Boats are usually not hammed from a start. If so, the slip factor helps.

Hope all had a great holiday and a safe New Year!

Dustin just e-mailed this graph showing the difference between stock..stage I, and stage II torque and horsepower.

We are still waiting for my CNC ported heads to come back so we can bolt them on and continue testing.

Chris

Air Cleaner...Order two when hes done.

You betcha

Chris

Can't afford all the winter projects I'd like, so I'm having my 55" two-stroke RC boat painted to match. Not a huge fan of my Nordic graphic scheme, but thought it would be cool.

Anything new yet Chris ??????

Heads are back at the Whipple compound as of today.... hopefully the motor will go back together this week.

Seemed to take an eternity for the head guys to write a CNC program for these heads to be duplicated.

I am getting a little anxious... to put it mildly.

Chris

LOL I bet, but you have every right to be. Dont worry, it will all come together soon. We still have some time till it get a little warmer. Yet I know that doesen't stop you any!!! I'm really pumped for ya. It is going to turn out SWEET!

Are we there yet, Are we there yet, Are we there yet??????? Dad are we there yet!!!!!:drink:

anything new ???

Are you holding out????? whats new

My motor is on the dyno ... running, and testing as we speak.
We had to switch over to 80 lb injectors (from 65), because the stock system was not able to provide enough fuel for the sustained horsepower we were making.

A delay came because Teague had schedualed time on the dyno to test their new 800 smog compliant motor, and that took a week.

Chris

Just a little update...

My motor finally came off the dyno, and is getting ready to get all dressed up with black anodized parts, and the supercharger powder-coated red, to match the rest of the engine.

It has been almost 6 months since I took my motor to Mr. Whipple's magic wonder land. Part of this time was spent trying different combinations, and then prototyping new parts. All the parts are now in production to be included in various stages of Whipple power-up kits for the 600sci and 700sci motors.

My motor is a stage VI, which includes a 4.0 supercharger, ported heads, and various valve train upgrades.

Horsepower is a consistant 955-962 at 6100-6200 rpm with wide open runs holding at aproximately 922 horsepower at 5800 rpm, loaded for 2 minutes to check heat exchanger temps, oil temps, and manifold temps.

I will be heading to the Whipple compound next week to pick up my motor, then bringing it back home for installation and some on-water testing. :evilb:

Next the boat is going to Nordic in Havasu for some warranty work on the rear hatch.

After Nordic takes care of its stuff in the next month, I will be taking the boat back to Dustin for some final tuning on the water.

Chris

Congratulsations Chris,
Great #s, but we expected nothing less :drink:.
I know you are looking forward to getting back on the water. I got out Sunday. Already in the 80s here.
Let us know how she runs.
Best Regards,
Steve

Congrats Chris, Those are awesome #'s!! Just in time for the sun to shine!! I bet you can't wait....

Derek

Right on Steve!
I am jealous!

The temps here have been in the high 50's to mid 60's... there have been 3-4 days when I could have been out doing prop testing...but no boat yet :(

I can hardly wait to get out on the water and see what this thing will do!

The goal is to rightously bust through the century mark.

Chris

Dyno run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl8M-AI-ZrM

Chris

Hey Chris,
Great speaking with you today. That is totally sick. Justin is the man. Please be careful testing. I see triple digits in your future. I guess we'll see how well the new Imco SCX holds up :drink:..................
Best Regards,
Steve