Part VI - Tech - Power Trip - 559 HP 550 TQ

My fuel of choice for high-boost engines has always been VP Racing Fuels' C16. With a motor octane rating of 117, C16 is a leaded racing fuel specifically designed for high-boost turbocharged mills-Buick Turbo V-6s love this stuff. More on this outstanding fuel later when I hit the track and really turn up the wick. For now, Cal, I, and SLP's Brian Reese drain the pump gas and dump in 15 gallons of C16.

Hartline gets the XFI online, loads the Race program, and sets up the datalogging while I do last-minute checks of the new engine, the wiring/connections, the fuel system, etc.

A couple of initial hits are made to ensure that the boost and fuel numbers are in the ballpark, and Cal adjusts a slightly rich air/fuel ratio. We soon realize that a smooth accelerator pedal transition to WOT is needed to avoid downshifting and hazing the meats. Since the plan at the track is to lock up the converter at WOT, we decide to do so on the dyno as well. The VSS isn't working after my GNX dash install so we use a paper clip in the ALDL port. The boost isn't even over 21 psi yet and 470 horses are showing up at the tires. The next few runs start to shape up: Cal fine-tunes the fuel, the boost is around 22 psi, and Reese, reporting from the control room, says the horsepower numbers just broke 500.

With everything looking good and safe, I turn up the boost to what I hope will be around 24 psi with the internal wastegate-it's time to see just how much power this thing will put down. I jump into the driver's seat, crank the LC2 over, and unlock the rollers. Cal arms the logging mode, the shifter goes into First, and I run it up to 4000 before banging Second. I do the same until the 200-4R hits Third, then I roll into the throttle. The huge 67GTQ starts inhaling atmosphere in a bellowing, wicked hiss as the torque comes on and the Buick strains against the straps. The boost gauge sweeps past 20, settling on 24. It's a bit unnerving to rev this roller cam past 6000 but I'm in it to win it, and I see 6150 on the Superflow readout before letting off. "That pull felt clean," Cal notes. And, once the rollers stopped, we duck into the control room to find a suitably impressed Reese eyeing the dyno graph that read: 559 rear-wheel horsepower, 550 pound-feet of torque at only 24 psi!

A 3D shot of the final Race VE table.