Hey guys.

I'm curious about building an alcohol motor.

I want to do up a straight axle beater of sorts, over the next couple of years. I was thinking an alcohol motor would be cool to have.

My question is, do you build them for torque, or to spin?

I have stacks of B engine parts in my garage, so I can do up a high compression 383 without much effort. I also have a smogger 440 or two laying around.
Big cam and spin it like mad? Or are you better to build a 440 to 500" motor, and keep it around 6500 or so.

No street duty. This car will be strip only, but doesn't need to run killer fast. a high 10 is all I'm shooting for. Straight axle with an altered wheelbase late 50's mopar.

Thanks

Alky makes a lot of torque so if it were me I sure wouldn't build a small engine and try to spin it...

im interested in this too,but for an e85 lodeck.not sure how similar the build strategy is between the two.

You might want to contact Maximus Wedges on the board here. He built a really nice 512 lowdeck alky motor, very reliable all done before 6000rpm and makes great power and torque. If my memory doesn't fail me we dyno'd it on 110 racegas and it made 680hp&683ftlbs.Dave

About the only difference is you can run what ever compression you can put in it for alky, E85 likes a little less (max 13/1?)than Methanol. The more cubes you put in the motor, and the bigger the cam, the faster it will go provided you have the right carb, manifold, and headers. A pocket port on a set of iron heads, 446 cubes,590 or similar cam, 850 carb , single plane intake, 2or 2 1/8 headers will push a 3200 lb car into the 10s. If you can't get the compression up with what you have, Methanol and E85 work just fine on less squeeze. The motor just makers less power like gas. As for timing, start two degrees less than where you would for gas.

with everything Greg said. The only other thing I can think of that helps is a gap-less top ring.

We have found the target compression to be 14 to 1 on meth,total seal rings,good top lube,and AED is the only carb to use.Mine acts just like a gas motor heats up just wright and only uses a little over a gal a lap and thats driving to and from the pass,its deadly consistant and takes fuel like a champ.

Call best machine they built mine.
also do not run it fat you will beat the bottom end out of it.

4.57 @ 150 on alky. printing tickets all day long

Good info guys.

Thanks!