The Findings
Check out the photos and sidebars to see how the testing went and what you can learn from our pain. Without a doubt, the chassis dyno testing discoveries were more than just horsepower-the car is much safer and consistent. Now, the car should be able to make some laps at the dragstrip with the focus being on getting the car to hook at the line and using all the power it is making.
Kunkle is planning a new engine to produce the 600 rear-wheel horsepower W2W says he'll need to run in the 10s. He's a believer in chassis dynos and looks forward to coming back to the dyno rolls with his new engine installed to debug it before heading out to the dragstrip.
Chassis Dyno Testing Results
The chassis dyno is a brutally honest piece of equipment, but it tells you much more than just power output. If a vehicle is unsafe or unreliable, the dyno will expose it. We ran into multiple issues that needed to be resolved, and the vehicle is better for having corrected them. They are listed along with the power improvements because of their value to the overall performance of the vehicle.
| TEST STEP | RESULTS | DIFFERENCE |
| Performed baseline testing | 320 hp | n/a |
| Checked throttle travel at WOT | 320 hp | 0 hp, but peace of mind |
| Checked timing | 326 hp | +6 hp, set to 35 BTDC |
| Tuned carb setup | 326 hp | 0 hp, but smoother idle |
| Fixed vacuum/pressure leaks | 350 hp | +25 hp, blown-out gasket |
| Fixed underhood oil leak | 350 hp | 0 hp, minimized fire hazard |
| Fixed leaking transmission pan | 350 hp | 0 hp, durability improvement |
| Fixed slipping blower-belt tensioner | 350 hp | 0 hp, improved reliability |
| Repaired blown transmission | 370 hp | +20 hp, replaced torque
converter |
| Increased boost with Dyer's pulleys | 390 hp | +20 hp, 1.5 pounds of boost |
| Horsepower results from testing | 390 hp | +70 hp |