602 crate motor

[ashurst21]

Am I ignorant to have thought that I could buy a crate motor out of speedway slap on a good carb and go run in the sport mod class competitively? If gm says they should make 350hp and 390ftq how is it that these guys are tweeting the motors to get 400+hp and 425ftq? In a class where motors have a no touch policy at least on a take off with the same gears I should be able to hang with the pack or maybe get pulled by a half a car length. I am hearing that guys are paying double what I paid for mine, shouldn't there be some type of regulating going on? I'll concede that I am not the best driver but I am flat out getting smoked and the only thing I can figure out is I didn't get my motor from the same guys they all did. I know racers will be racers I just wanted to cry alittle before possibly joining them or building a completely legal claim motor

[50j]

Not all dynos read the same so you can't take dyno numbers at face value. If you go to a dyno where they test several 602's you can see if yours is average, strong, or weak compared to average 602 numbers on THAT dyno. As far as slapping on a good carb, you should be careful there. There are a lot of bad ones that are supposed to be good. The cheapo carbs aren't even close, and some high priced carbs fall short. Mass produced shelf carbs won't get you there either. I would recommend JDR or Stealth if you don't want to mess around, and you can probably get some good input about other things that help the 602 when purchasing the carb. A good combination makes a difference. If the stock 602 won't keep up in IMCA, you either got a dud, it's tuned wrong, or bad bolt on parts are holding it back.

[Chris Steele]

What is fuel rule for the series you want to run?

[ric78]

This is something you hear all the time in dealing with crates. Like Chris said what is the fuel rule in your series are you running the absolute best allowed? If not that can get you smoked on starts. Is there a header rule? Is everything bolted from the crankshaft all the way out to the lug nuts and wheels the best lightweight stuff you can run? Another thing can 2 men on relatively level ground push your car with ease? You would be surprised at the people you hear complain my 602 will not run when their car will not even roll. 9 times out of 10 it's not the crate engine it is deficiency's in your car. This may not be the case with your car but I would say it's more likely the case and you can throw that money at a blue print job and put it back in that same car and get smoked some more. I would spend that blue print money on my car.

[Chris Steele]

Blueprinted our 602 back in 2010 after running the engine for almost 2000 green flag laps, 1927 laps to be exact. Put car on chassis Dino, made several pulls, pulled engine and left it. Got the engine back, put it in and went back to the chassis dyno......gained 7 horsepower. Best carb we found was box stock 4777 Holly with the choke horn on it.

[Chris Steele]

It only gained 4 hp putting everything back exactly like it was....the 7 hp gain was after tuning carb and timing

[50j]

A stock 4777 won't even be close to a good modern crate carb, but it's easy to test on a case by case basis.

[50j]

ric78, good advice. Some people also have the car so tight it feels like it won't run and once it's freed up it feels like it's got a lot more power.

[Chris Steele]

I'm not saying that there are not better carbs out there, but the stock 4777 on a 602 is pretty good. You only have a dump truck engine with a circle track cam and oil pan lol. We tested against a BLP and a Willys and the stock 4777 was better than the Willys carb and was 1HP less than the BLP....this has been a couple of years ago and we used Turbo Blue fuel on Hendrens Racing Engines chassis dyno.

[let-r-eat]

There is more to hp than some peak number. BLP is an outstanding carburetor.

[Chris Steele]

Thanks stock car driver....see folks, the stock 4777 Holly is better than some of the expensive "RACING" carbs on the market. Save yourself $600-800....buy a $425 carb instead of a $1200 carb. I wish more series would go to the stock 4777 carb rule with a $450 claim rule and get rid of these stupid priced carbs.

[50j]

Dirtcar Sportsman Modifieds allow stock appearing 4777 and 80541 carbs. Nobody competitive in the class uses stock carbs, but they look stock. Yours was bought used or traded for if I remember correctly and probably came from up north a bit. You probably didn't know what you had. Nobody else that has done that test has had the same results, and the people who took that advice a few years ago bought a good carb the second time around.. Not a cheap way to go.

[Chris Steele]

Nope...I bought my carb brand new at Mr. B's Speed Shop on Main St. In Rock Hill, SC. I've had a 650HP, a couple carbs built by local guys and a Quickfuel, none have been as good as my stock 4777.

[Chris Steele]

lol just messin.... we don't run alky down south.

[50j]

You tested against some bad carbs then in my opinion.

[Chris Steele]

ashurst21 take these guys advise and go buy yourself a high dollar carb....according to them we've never ran good with our stock carb on our 602 and never will...it was a fluke...dont buy that K&N plastic air filter base that slides down over the choke horn either, it gained a few HP on Hendrens dyno, but we might have tested against bad filter base plates too.

[Chris Steele]

Good carbs don't have a choke horn? Thats simply a selling method...nobody wants to buy a "racing carb" if it still has a choke horn, it don't look fast...pffft, whatever. Why do you keep referring to "the south" like we are a bunch of backwood knuckle dragging Hillbillies that race beat up Caprice Classics and don't know chit? A "high dollar carb" can vary in price, if its for a 602 engine where rules state "pump gas or non-oxygenated fuel and carb must have choke horn" then anything over $500 is a high dollar carb (translates to wasted money in the south), but if it's going on a 900HP all aluminum super engine running oxygenated 116 octane fuel, $1500 is probably a cheaper carb.

[50j]

Anyone who races Dirtcar Sportsman Modifieds knows what's up with 602 carbs including those with choke towers. If someone in your area "wastes money" on a good one and listens to some other recommendations they'll have an advantage. Monkeying around with junk is wasted money if your time is worth anything. Just my opinion. Carry on.

[Chris Steele]

Being from the South, I have no clue what a Dirtcar Sportsman Modified is....but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Don't take my info guys and no more PM's with questions, fore I know nothing about making a 602 run up front.

[Chris Steele]

...and I'll stay off of the oil and dyno topics too, that's way over my head.