First of all I'd like to say I am still very far from building this engine and I wouldn't consider myself an expert. I'm trying to learn by setting up engine configurations and seeing what could work or not. So anyway here is what I came up with:

block
-----
Merlin-2 BBC 540ci 4.5" bore x 4.25 stroke

heads
------
AFR BBC CNC machined heads
valve size: 2.3" in, 1.94" ex
Port size: 1.82"x2.54"
Combustion chamber: 119cc

cam
-----
Holley #50233
Dur. @ .05: 268* in, 271* ex
Lift .705" in, .708" ex (1.7 ratio rockers)
sep: 110*

solid roller lifters
roller rockers 1.7 ratio
manual tranny (most probably ROD6)

Didn't check what pistons I'd go with but would be aiming at 1:10 CR. To tell the truth I have no clue what kind of power curve this engine would make. As for the cam, my reasoning was to find the highest lift with the less duration which is hard to find indeed...

Any opinion or comments are welcomed...I especially hope to hear from Monty, Norval and gkull. :)

 

I am no BBC expert(never owned or worked on one), so I'll leave it to the others who have more qualified experience.

 

k. thx anyway. :p:

 

There are several of us on the Forum that have built this setup. Of course we need to know what you intend to do with it and what are your definitions of streetability and reliability.

I absolutely love mine. It has proven to be very reliable and capable of great power. You've picked a cam slightly hotter than mine, but it will work fine. I kept lift in the .675 range to help extend valvetrain life. Mine has 262/273 @.050 on 112 LSA. Holds 9.5-10" of vacuum. I like to take several hundred mile road trips without worrying about it.

Mine made 702 Hp/687 ft lbs at the crank on the engine dyno and 615 RWHP in the car. It peaks around 6000-6200 on HP and torque hits at 4600 rpm.

I have 10.4 compression and pump gas is all that's ever been in it. No problems with 39* advance.


Jim

 

Well I want it to be an all around beast... I'm doing my homework to find a way to fit 345x18" tires so I can have as much traction on the road and on the track. As well as being able to swap in some slicks when I'll go drag racing. The maintenance of the solid cam isn't a problem. And even though if won't be my daily driver, I will use it a lot. (car shows, when goin out, weekend rides, etc) I just love the idea of driving this car up to the track, swapping in the slicks and beating the trailer cars.

I'm happy to hear you have a cam much like the one I'm going to get. I was afraid it would have a rough idle and thus being unusable in the slighest traffic. Being a manual tranny, I don't think it'll hurt me that much that the peak will be at high RPM. I still think I'll have loads of tq at low rpm....enough to break those 345 loose.

EDIT: As for the intake, I looked at what was available and wasn't impressed...I think I might go with the edelbrock super victor BBC CNC machined. Oh and I want to go multipoint fuel injection...would that intake do the job? I can see the studs that need to be drilled for the injectors so I guess it should work.


[Modified by Lohkay, 10:16 AM 11/8/2001]

 

Those things your seeing on the intake are most likely for nitrous. For fuel injection you'll want bungs in place right above the head and at an angle so as to point them at the back of the intake valve. The nitrous bungs are usually just little round things that are raised up, as the the fitting for nitrous are mounted on the intake vertically.

 

The Super Victor would be a great intake for it. I would have one on mine but it would require hood sectioning and I'm not ready for that yet. Still like the mild outside look. It all depends on the RPM range you want to play in. World Products is using a downsized runner intake on their 540's that they say gives up a few ponies on the top but is consistently .2 quicker at the track. I've seen the same thing on some cars I know of first hand.

These are big motors and they don't rev quite like a small block, but they don't need to. They make a lot of power every time that crank turns!

As far as streetability, you'll be fine. Mine idles around 1000-1100 ( it will go lower, I just like it there) You can lug it around all day long in the 1500 rpm range. No problem even with my 365 cc ports and a Dominator carb and 3.36 gears.


Jim

 

Lohkay,

Your combination will make LOTS of power! However I would caution you about using that cam if your street driving consists of much idling and low rpm cruising. The reason is the .700" + lift requires high pressure springs, and can grind your nice cam and lifters into so much expensive junk. The combination of high spring pressure and lots of idling and low rpm cruising is very hard on solid roller lifters.

Comp, Crane and several other cam companies offer street roller grinds with similar duration and slightly less lift, with opening and closing ramps and attendant spring pressures more conducive to street longevity. Comp also offers their "Endure-X" brand of solid roller lifters which incorporate an additional oiling groove to improve low rpm oiling to the roller bearing.

I don't know much about the AFR BBC heads, however AFR is noted for their excellent SBC heads. No reason to think the BBC heads will be any less effective.

You are looking at ca. 700 HP with an appropriately matched induction system.

Big blocks are fun!

Take care,

Mark


[Modified by ML67, 5:27 PM 11/10/2001]

 

Thanx for the comments guys. I can't wait to start building this engine. :D

 

Hey Jim I was curious would that World Products intake fit under an L88 hood?

 

I haven't measured one yet, but the single plane one is pretty tall. It essentially has a 2 in. spacer made onto it. I doubt it will fit. The dual plane one would probably fit but I'm guessing it would strangle your motor. Low end response and midrange are not things these suckers need help with. Feeding it above 5000-6000 rpm is the tricky part.

jim