I need some advise from anyone who has Whipple or Pro Charged a 496 MAG HO.
1. What kind of results did you get, pros and cons?
2. What did it cost to have done?
3. What drive changes or mods were made?
4. Any recomendations in the North East for a good shop to do
the installation
5. Is one charger better suited than the other for this motor?

Thanks your input!

I don't think that Whipple has their kit out yet and I have not heard of anyone running a 496HO procharger kit, have only seen the picture in the ad.

Negative, No unit commerically available, Dustin?. Procharger's have been out for about a year.

I recommend that you go with the Whipple (for many reasons), but I highly suggest that you wait until they have their "kit" available.

You may want to contact Whipple, and tell them that you want to volunteer your boat for testing.

Good Luck!

I wrote to tyler crockett, it was printed in may or june Hot Boat
He said this motor has some weak links, Pistons, etc. He is
working on a package that will work. I would wait, I don't buy
all the blower ok on stock motor hype. I blew up a lt1 vette
with a vortech. The motor is now put together right. Just my .02

I read the reply of Tyler's and thought that he said the HO motor was good to go as far as blower boost, but it was the straight 496 that he didn't recommend boost with. Maybe I read it wrong, but I was under the impression that the 496 HO had forged pistons instead of cast.

That is the same debate I read on another board. Are the components the same or different between the 496 and 496 HO? One poster checked the Merc website and said the parts are almost identical. I have also heard that it's OK to boost the 496 HO but not the 496. Fact or Fiction !

Here are the facts:

496 MAG
Type: 90° 8.1L Standard V8
Displacement: 496cid (8128 cc)
Compression Ratio: 9.1:1
Valve Configuration: Pushrod Actuated Overhead Canted Valves (2 valves per cylinder)
Manufactured: Tonawanda, New York
Valve Lifters: Hydraulic Roller
Bore x Stroke: 4.25 x 4.37 in (107.95 x 111.00mm)
Main Bearing Caps: 4-Bolt Cast Iron
Balance Method: Internal
Intake Manifold: Factory Installed PFI Manifold
Firing Order: 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Oil Pan Capacity: 8 qt
Fuel Type: Gasoline (unleaded)
Fuel System: Port Fuel Injection
Engine Rotation: Clockwise (facing front)
Paint Protection: Component Painted
Shipping Weight: 734 lb (333 kg)
Horsepower: 375 hp @ 4600 rpm
Torque: 490lb-ft @ 3200 rpm
Sparkplugs: Platinum tipped (1.5 mm gap)
Emissions Controls: Internal PCV orifice System
Actual power levels may vary depending on OEM calibration and application.
Materials:
Block: Cast Iron
Cylinder Head: Cast Iron (with exhaust valve seat inserts)
Intake Manifold: One-Piece Coated Cast Aluminum
Main Bearing Caps: Cast Nodular Iron
Crankshaft: Cast Nodular Iron
Camshaft: Steel
Connecting Rods: Forged Steel 1141 SAE (shot-peened and magnafluxed, with 9-mm diameter connecting rod bolts)
Pistons: Hypereutectic Cast Aluminum



496 MAG HO
Type: 8.1L V8
Displacement: 496cid (8128 cc)
Compression Ratio: 9.1:1
Valve Configuration: Pushrod Actuated Overhead Canted Valves (2 valves per cylinder)
Manufactured: Tonawanda, New York
Valve Lifters: Hydraulic Roller
Bore x Stroke: 4.25 x 4.37 in (107.95 x 111.00mm)
Main Bearing Caps: 4-Bolt Cast Iron
Balance Method: Internal
Intake Manifold: Factory Installed PFI Manifold
Firing Order: 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Oil Pan Capacity: 8 qt
Fuel Type: Gasoline (unleaded)
Fuel System: Port Fuel Injection
Engine Rotation: Clockwise (facing front)
Paint Protection: Component Painted
Shipping Weight: 740.75 lb (336 kg)
Horsepower: 420 hp @ 5000 rpm
Torque: 505lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
Sparkplugs: Platinum tipped (1.5 mm gap)
Emissions Controls: Internal PCV orifice System
Actual power levels may vary depending on OEM calibration and application.
Materials:
Block: Cast Iron
Cylinder Head: Cast Iron (with exhaust valve seat inserts)
Intake Manifold: One-Piece Coated Cast Aluminum
Main Bearing Caps: Cast Nodular Iron
Crankshaft: Cast Nodular Iron
Camshaft: Steel
Connecting Rods: Forged Steel 1141 SAE (shot-peened and magnafluxed, with 9-mm diameter connecting rod bolts)
Pistons: Hypereutectic Cast Aluminum

Please notice, And I've posted this in the tech section a while ago...

The cranks are now the same! Both are cast. This model year and last they were cast and forged for the 375hp and 425hp, respectively.

Also, the Vortec HP3's used in apba racing applications currently, also use the same cast crank at about 525hp with no bottom end failures so far.

I guess they found it to be overkill on the stock motors. Blowing the motor however will be a different story.

JEEZ...They look pretty damn close to me !