Vanishing Act

In this first episode you'll find out if Blueprint Engines is accurate in its advertised power for a 400ci Chevy small-block crate engine, and we'll see if Freiburger is justified in his love for dual carburetors and high-rise tunnel-ram intake manifolds.

Should you run a carburetor, or should you try the new and easy self-learning EFI setups? We'll dish up answers in this episode as host David Freiburger, Steve Dulcich and Steve Brule strap a 5.3L LM7 engine to the dyno.

It's our first head-to-head shootout with two engines: a Blueprint Engines crate Chevy 383 small block vs. a hand-built Mopar 383 by Engine Masters host Steve Dulcich. To make this a fair test, we equalized as many variables as possible.

The guys test various levels of destruction of a set of Hooker headers on a 550-horsepower, 400ci small-block Chevy from Blueprint Engines. The result is shocking.

On this episode, you'll learn a good combo for 470-plus horsepower from a stock, bottom-end 5.7L Dodge Hemi, and then see us add a Paxton supercharger in the hunt for 707 horsepower just like one of the new Dodge Hellcats.

Topping your engine with a set of aftermarket cylinder heads is a near-certain method for making more horsepower and torque but is the extra power really worth the money? We answer that question for people who are running a typical street-cruising small-block Chevy V8.

In this episode, we will compare the price, the tune up and the power of the Holley Tri-Power setup (part number 300-521 with gold dichromate carbs) to the Edelbrock Performer RPM Dual-Quad manifold and carb kit.

Boost is good. Forced induction makes huge power, and you want it cheap and easy. We look at the two most affordable implements of boost from SummitRacing.com: a Paxton Novi 1200 blow-through-carburetor centrifugal supercharger setup, and a Weiand 174 Powercharger roots blower.

You're sitting around with your typical street/strip V-8 and wondering, should I get 2.5-inch-diameter exhaust pipes and mufflers, or should I go 3-inch? We will help you decide, giving answers about power, tuning and weight on 2.5 and 3-inch systems. You'll also find out about a very simple combo for 600-plus horsepower from a 454 Chevy!

In this episode, you'll learn a simple combination for a 600hp big-block Chevy. Many people building engines like this are torn between the streetability of a camshaft that uses hydraulic roller lifters and the race-level rpm capabilities of the solid roller lifters.

The 408 is one of the most popular small-block V-8 stroker combinations for Chevy, Ford and Mopar. We take the first step to find out which engine dominates with a dyno duel between Mopar and Ford.

How do you pick the right size exhaust header tubes for your engine? This episode may set you in the right direction.

The 13th episode is an unlucky one for a poor little 305ci Chevy small-block. It was the victim of our test of how much nitrous oxide power boost can be tolerated by a completely stock short-block. It ends badly, but before the engine's demise we learn a lot.

We show you why the age-old concept of pulling a used engine from a running car and slapping some speed parts on it might not always be the best idea. Our special guest engine is a Mopar 360 small-block V8.

Cast-iron manifolds versus mid-length headers versus long-tube headers. Which one is best for you? In this episode, we again look to our loyal fan base to feed us ideas of power tests they want to see. The engine tested here is a BluePrint Engines 6.0L LS-based crate engine with BluePrint heads, a stock intake, and a Comp Cams roller cam.

Do you want to spend big bucks on a hydraulic roller cam setup or low bucks on the old-school flat-tappet cam? The answer depends on your desire for power and durability. We spell out the differences in the two camshaft designs so you can decide what's best for your car.

In this episode, we explore whether the price of a muffler makes a difference when it comes to performance. We provide dyno-proven answers as we run all the tests with a perfectly average 350ci small-block Chevy using Thrush and Magnaflow mufflers.

Increasing engine displacement with a stroker kit is a proven way to get more horsepower and torque, but exactly how much power? In this test of "there's no replacement for displacement," the hosts run a dyno compare you've probably never seen before.