Thinking about the new Warhawk...
Thinking about the new Warhawk block from World Products, it brings me back to one of my favorite Chris Farley moments of all time. In the middle of a stressful fight with co-star David Spade, Chris adorns David's tiny blue blazer and begins singing "Fat guy in a little coat ..."
If you know what happens next (the jacket rips in half), you now know what it feels like to put a Warhawk together. It just doesn't seem possible, or plausible, to be able to take such a physically small package and displace such a large amount of cubic inches. If you are going to make this work it takes a good team of engineers, builders, and machinists. For the guys over at World Products to do this, they have extended the deck height from a stock 9.24 inches to a much taller 9.80 inches. This allowed the engineers to accommodate large stroker crankshafts, including the 4.500-inch Callies unit, while still maintaining close to stock exterior dimensions.
Of course, doing so is not without its fair share of heartache. The tall-deck design is an excellent idea and, once assembled, a truly fantastic piece of machinery. However, there are many small issues that can take a toll on both your budget and your ego. Fortunately for us, the master builders over at Vengeance Racing have already done all the hard work and we were there to watch each step of the way. Follow along with us as Buddy Daniel builds and installs a tall-deck, 496ci Warhawk into an otherwise bone stock '02 Camaro.
 These days, it is rare to...  These days, it is rare to see such a stock-appearing LS1 engine bay. Ray Bennett, the owner of this beautiful car, searched long and hard to find an ultra-low-mile Camaro SS to begin this project. What you see here is a 2002 SS with 35--count them--35 total miles. |  For Vengeance Racing, dropping...  For Vengeance Racing, dropping an LS1 engine, harness, transmission, and K-member is an easy deal. For us mere mortals, such a task is very doable, but having access to a lift will really help out. The whole assembly is much easier to remove as a single unit. |  The new bullet is going to...  The new bullet is going to be a massive 496-cubic-inch Warhawk. The long-block has already been assembled by ProLine Race Engines and features a Callies 4.500-inch crankshaft, forged Callies 6.440-inch rods, and custom Wiseco forged pistons. The heads are Trick Flow 235cc castings, which have been hand-finished and modified for a solid lifter application by Brian Tooley at Total Engine Airflow. |
 In order to house 496 cubic...  In order to house 496 cubic inches in a small LS-style block, the Warhark comes in a tall-deck configuration with a 9.800-inch deck height, as opposed to the stock 9.240-inch deck height. Because of this tall deck, several modifications need to be made before you can drop this in an LS-powered chassis. |  On the backside of the block...  On the backside of the block directly above the camshaft is an oil transfer galley, similar to that found on '99-and-later blocks. In our application we tapped these holes and blocked them off. On the front of the block, we ran a set of restrictors (0.020-inch) to limit oil flow in the top end. Several engine builders, including Vengeance Racing, believe this is key to maintaining good oil control in the bottom end. World Products recommends running a 0.020-inch restrictor both front and rear. |  To reach 496 cubic inches,...  To reach 496 cubic inches, the stroke on the Callies crank is quite large (4.500 inch). Because of this it is necessary to very carefully check all of your clearances to make sure nothing in the bottom end makes contact with anything else. |