racr4jc

What would it take to build 1000hp naturally aspirated? Is it possible to build a 1000hp N/A street motor and for pump gas? I'm thinkin it'd need 632ci or so...

Mindgame

Street motor, pump gas, 1000 hp, normally aspirated.... it's been done.... Sonny Leonard is the man and Sonny's Automotive Racing (SAR) is the place.

The trick is more cubes. Yeah, you can get a 632 with a bow-tie tall-deck block but you can do 723-752 ci with the Merlin Superblock.... 11.625 deck-height, +.400 cam location, up to 5.6 stroke without modifications to the block. The Merlin's bores are 4.49 in diameter and can go to 4.625 with a .34 wall thickness.

The most popular combination is the 723, using a 5.375 stroke and a 4.625 bore. The rods are 7.645 center to center. SAR builds a 9:1 723 that puts out 950ish hp, using a solid roller cam and Dart Big Chief heads. I'm sure he could turn things up a notch and hit the 1000 hp mark pretty easily. Been interested in one of these motors for quite a few years now and I've dealt with Sonny a few times in the past with race engine builds. Not inexpensive, but horsepower never is.

-Mindgame

number77

its been done, some engine builder in houston built up a 383 (i think, i know it was small)

Mindgame

A 383, normally aspirated, on pump gas, making 1000 hp????

I need to meet this guy/gal/god.... what's the name of this shop?

-Mindgame

number77

i don't know but i will find out, and i'm, not for sure if it was pump gas

Mindgame

That changes everything then. See, if you take away the "pump gas" factor, then you have unlimited rpm, compression, etc....... basically a race engine that wouldn't be suitable for street action. Big difference there.
I use to race a 1000 hp n/a small-block... one of Sonny's creations. It took over 500 cid and close to 10k rpm to do it though. And no, I didn't drive the car to work.

-Mindgame

Stephen 87 IROC

I read in a truck zine about a 1000hp turbo'd SBC pickup. It was putting out well over 38 pounds of boost and had high compression. There was so much pressure in the cylinders that it was stretching the head bolts.

The easiest way is with CID. The more the better. If you had an engine that big I only need to ask why would you still want to use pump gas in it? Driving on the street would probably get 5 mpg.

Other than that I agree with everything Mindgame said.

Ai

The last 980-1050hp NA smallblocks I was around were 398-403cid rocket block based engines with $40,000 topends.

Pump gas? Not quite

Dr.Mudge

Big cubes, 383? 700-800 HP is one thing but a full 1,000 HP, oy. The Nascar guys are running mushroom shaped solid tappets, and pull about 750 HP I believe, with no more than 10k RPM?

1,000 HP is a nice number, but what are you going to do with it. Plus, anything with those kind of numbers NA is going to be peaky in a huge way, street car, not in my eyes. Go turbo or blower and actually retain some bottom end, otherwise live with less power and I think you'll be happier. Unless you drag though or have a HIGH end road car, 1,000 HP is a way to waste money, fast.

WickedFast555

1k horsepower is easy with a good engine builder. Like mentioned before, Sonny builds great stuff. I'm biased towards Dave Reher at Reher Morrison. Either way, pull out the credit card and don't tell the wife.

Mindgame

You guys need to be trained to stop thinking small-block on everything.
This is not small-block territory... at least not n/a.

Again, you're thinking small-block. A BIG big-block will make this power (like the Big Chief headed one I mentioned) at about 6,000 rpm! I use to have the dyno results to that engine (955 hp I believe) and the hp peak was at 5800 rpm. Now the torque curve was even more impressive, making over 800 lbs-ft from 3000 on up! If that's a peaky engine, then I want a peaky engine.
And the "what are you gonna do with it" statement...... I don't know about you Doc, you're starting to sound like my old man did when I was first getting into this stuff. Are you a gearhead or not???? There's no such thing as too much.

-Mindgame

camcojb

I'm leaning with Mindgame and the other big block guys on this one. Kenny, you know I had the ProCharged big block that made over 1000 HP with 91 octane gas and A/C. Pretty easy to do with a blower and still have full driveability. Throw in the EFI and I was getting 19 mpg at a 75 mph cruise on the freeway.

With the power adders a small or big block can get there. I'm doing a twin turbo small block that will be in that range. However, going naturally aspirated gives a huge advantage to the big block, mainly due to sheer cubic inches and the enormous airflow their heads can flow versus a small block. I can't imagine a 1000 hp pump gas small block that would be streetable. A friend has a 9800 rpm 14:1 Pro Stock truck small block with a sheet metal intake and split Dominators, etc. Basically all the tricks and it makes over 900 HP, but is so far away from streetable it's ridiculous.

I'd recommend the biggest engine you can afford and talk with Leonard and guys like him that have already been there, done that.

Jody

Dr.Mudge

Yes and no, I like to PLAY but I dont consider myself an engine builder (aka drag racer). Everything starts with the intent of road racing, and about 500 HP would get my 2200 pound car moving so fast I'd need a case of depends on hand.

I was in no way suggesting using a small block, only using that as a bearing, go as big as cost allows to retain any kind of bottom end is what I'd do, a 12,000 RPM small block isn't my idea of street car.

I still look at small blocks for reasons of cost, and as a general rule of thumb. Of course like most folks when I was a kid I dreamed of huge power, but even a modest 400+ RWHP makes me realize that it wouldn't take much more than that before you'd get into real trouble on the street. Anything 11 seconds or quicker will get you in trouble with the law in about 3 seconds of pedal happiness, in other words I likewise want to drive my toys on the street

treyZ28

i'd like to introduce you to three of my friends
bigblock, supercharger and debt

two of which i need to get to know better, one of which i know all too well

Mindgame

I hear ya there Doc. For an auto-x guy... power, weight and maximum tire size is undoubtedly going to set a limit. That or you have to do a lot of very slight rolling-on-the-throttle.

-Mindgame