Engine build progress is nearly finished.
I pulled the original 400 out of my 1969 442 and will be replacing it with this 488, painted in the original 400 color.

Torker Intake ported and matched
Holly Quickfuel 850
Edelbrock Performer RPM Heads (re-worked)
10.5:1 Compression
CAM specs @.050 242/250 110LSA, swapped 4/7 firing order

The torker is a spreadbore, so we will determine with adapter is best while on the dyno - open or the 4-hole.

 

 

Looks great, keep us posted!

 

Nice, who did the machine work?

 

Looks nice, what’s the rpm range on the cam?
did you do anything to the bottom end?

 

EDIT--- we are at 477 Cubic Inch, not 488- I had my math wrong.

Engine is officially dyno'd and broken in.
We tried different carb set ups, spacers, and had a snafoo with an HEI distributor that led me to run an MSD instead.
We ended up using the open bore spacer vs the 4-hole.

Enjoy the video!

​​​​​​​It came in at 550hp and 566 tq - a very respectable amount for a street car



Olds Performance supplied the offset ground crank and internally balanced the rotating assembly.
The bottom end does have main cap straps, and I know there are a lot of opinions about those.

 

Great job / great numbers. Congratulations.
Can you expand on what was done to the intake? Plenum work? Details?

 

Nice Build and numbers.

 

Thanks! I was honestly very hoping to break the 600 ft lb, but I'll take this over the original 1969 400 I had.

 

some material was removed and smoothed. Here’s some pictures during the process

 

👍👍

 

Dyno conditions were not favorable-
high humidity, corrected altitude at 2800 ft., and 1 3/4 headers resulted in the lower numbers.

I do feel with larger headers, cooler air, and at lower altitude it would be in the 600s.

 

Hmmm I’m not so sure, that’s most likely corrected power already, not measured.
What was the correction factor? Do you have fuel consumption numbers etc.?
And how old is that QF carb?
Thanks.

 

is correction factor the ratio 1:1 on the sheet?
you’re the expert!
the carb is brand new

 

You made 489hp measured, CORRECTED was 550 so your correction factor was about 11-12%. Like I said, corrected power is just that, it’s already corrected for the weather conditions of the dyno session. So if the weather was better, it would change your measured horsepower, but not your corrected. Bigger headers however would most likely add to both.
And now based on your a/f numbers, I had a feeling it was newer QF carb. They’re not what they used to be, unfortunately.

 

right on- thank you for explaining!

i might try to hunt down an older one- appreciate the input!

 

You’re welcome, no problem.
If you’re willing to change the carb, and don’t care about having a choke, get the Edelbrock VRS-4150 series. Great piece.

 

What changes would I see from going to that carb?

 

Well, I can tell you without hesitation, that every engine I’ve put these on, without exception, has made more power. Most times it was double digit power.
BUT, they do require tuning. Buy a wideband and a jet and bleed kit and you’ll be equipped to do it right.

 

you left some power on the table there for sure. the afr is all over the place.
did you get into any jet changes?

 

Good catch, definitely rich.

 

Agreed, that’s why I asked about the carb. The later QF’s seem to be harder to get right.

 

Any ideas what jets to try with the QF based on that table before going to a new carb?

 

what model number is the carb? they are all 2 circuit with adjustable air bleeds. seeing how you did get an ideal afr one time in middle of the rpm range, you might be able to lean out the low and high rpm afr with larger air bleeds.. but that’s a long shot considering it’s in the 10’s on both ends of the range. that would be my fist attempt .

ask around about who at Holleys tech is the best to get advice from. have all your data from the dyno session available when you talk to them about the afr during the pulls.
that’s all free ..you’ll also learn some basics about tuning your own carb

 

Will do - this is my carb:
Quick Fuel Street-Q 850 CFM 4-Barrel Carburetor SQ-850

Given these readings are at WOT, how would the AFR compare when normally street driven? Say about 1/4-1/2 throttle?

 

To be honest, you have your work cut out for you. As Dale referred to, you have a large span of varying air fuel ratios. Based on what I’ve seen in these carburetors lately, you’ll most likely need to get into the metering blocks to change some of the emulsion bleeds in there as well. They’re not calibrated like they used to be, consequently that’s why I quit using them. They’re much harder to get right throughout the rpm/load range today than years ago.