If you read the internet and listen to guys at the track...........there is a swinging dick on EVERY street corner with an inline valve, wedge smallblock, that makes over 900HP. I have been doing this stuff for a LONG time and have NEVER seen one, be it a Ford, Mopar or Chevy. As I said, you can do it with some canted valve stuff, but it's still not REAL easy and will be at a min of 40K if you do it with all new stuff.
I have done several 434ish Chevys and Fords, with the BEST 15-18* heads you can buy. A good one will make between 840 and 880, depending on cam, compression, rotating weight, etc. I have yet to see a Mopar head that was BETTER than the best off brand, so I am going to say it can't even realistically be done with an inline head........regardless to what some dyno sheets may say to the contrary
monte it can and has been done with the w8 stuff , my 390 was 920hp,ran 8.30@ 163.00 2850#, my uncle has a rwr 393 w8 that is 940hp 8.50's high 150mph @ 3100#, my avenger has a 300" w8 that is 705 I have run 9.05 @149.00 @ 3000# . all 13 degree head engines. NA in super stock cars. not one of these engines were under 40K . a few guys are selling p5 heads that are not cracked or leaking for 12 to 15 K. incase anyone is interested my 300" r3 w8 engine is for sale carbs to pan $15,000.00 . or the entire car for $45,000.00
Again Jim........many mistook the point I was trying to make. In Comp, Super Stock and some other trims, with sheetmetal manifolds, dry sumps, ultra-light bobweights, super low drag ring packs, etc, etc, the in question number is attainable, but lets face it, those type motors are few and far between. I was speaking more along the lines of what the average guy is going to do. Sure, he may have some KILLER cylinder heads that would be up to the task, but it's the REST of the motor, where making the jump from the 850-880 range to over 900 is where the issue lies.
And I wasn't trying to insinuate the guy with the Valiant was lying or anything like that.......but we all know this is a HARD, very hard in fact goal to achieve and just a run of the mill motor is not getting it done. His mph for the weight car, indicates he is about 20 shy of the "magic" number. Do I believe his motor makes the 880 the mph indicates.......absolutely I do. The 934hp the ET indicates............well I have my doubts. That's a 50hp swing in numbers, so the real number is likely in between.
My dad ran a SS/GA car for years that was a record holder. WE did the motors......me and him, so regardless of what some may think, I know EXACTLY what is required to get more power from a combo than most think is there. There was 40hp difference in our "record" motor and our "race" motor. One needed freshening in a handful of passes and the other would go the season. THAT is the difference, but of course you KNOW all this.
