BASIC ENGINE or CUSTOM ENGINE?
OUR ENGINE PACKAGES
The engine shop we use and work very closely with is a separate operation from our company, but we've done so much work together over the years that it's become a natural extension of our service to my customers. Fitzgerald Automotive in Beacon Falls, CT ships its engines everywhere in the world.
Fitzgerald's 8-stack engines reflect everything Darryl Fitzgerald and I learned over many years working together tuning these engines on the dyno. Building and tuning 8-stack engines has become Darryl Fitzgerald's specialty. I run his engines in two of my own vehicles and after hundreds of redline shifts, my engines are still going strong, and yours will too.
Your engine will come with everything, including the right ignition system, a hi-torque starter, hi-flow aluminum water pump, all front pulleys, fuel pump, and a competition Aviad or Canton oil pan, depending on your application.
When you speak to Darryl Fitzgerald, he will guide you through the engine component selection process. Details will include everything from the reciprocating assembly to the heads, type of valve covers you want, pulleys and belt drive system, accessories such as A/C compressor, alternator, and any other special details you request. Fitzgerald's offers personalized service and they and I will work one-on-one with you. If you buy an engine there, we'll be shipping your induction unit to them for installation.
Every engine is pre-run on the test stand to break in the cam, re-torque the heads after the first heat cycle, and, of course, tune the stack system. EFI engines will be supplied with a fuel map from the initial setup. Any leaks or other glitches are addressed before it comes off the test stand. Dyno-tuning is optional. Engines are shipped turnkey, which means you'll install it in your car, connect the fuel supply and throttle linkage, and TURN THE KEY. It's a tuned engine, ready to start.
A Fitzgerald Smallblock Ford 363 stroker for an FIA 289 Cobra. These 302-based engines develop 490 hp.
8-STACK ENGINES vs. 4-BARREL ENGINES
An 8-stack engine isn’t complicated; it’s just a little different than a four-barrel engine. An engine is basically an air pump and its efficiency depends on the compatibility of its components. When everything works well together, the engine will be efficient and deliver a balanced combination of power and drivability in the workable rpm range it was designed for. But with incorrectly matched components, an engine can be an incompatible collection of parts that don't get along well together.
The main thing that differentiates these engines is that they use “independent runner” manifolds that don’t have a central distribution plenum under the carburetor(s). With an I.R. manifold, there are eight separate, isolated columns of air, one for each cylinder. There is no inter-communication between the eight incoming air columns or the eight cylinders.
This is why I.R./8-stack engines are known for having instant throttle response. When you crack the throttle, you’re moving eight small columns of air, not one big mass of air in a 4-barrel manifold plenum. The smaller the air mass, the faster it moves. The faster it moves, the more torque and power the engine makes.
The biggest enemy of the 8-stack engine is what’s called “reversion”. This happens when the incoming air columns are disturbed by reverse-flowing pulse waves sent back into the intake manifold from the cylinders because the valves are opening and closing at the wrong time in relation to piston movement. This is the result of using an incorrect cam in an engine with an independent runner (non-plenum) manifold. This disturbance to the incoming airflow results in lost horsepower.
The camshaft coordinates the valve opening and closing events in relation to the piston position in each cylinder. As the pistons move up and down, the valves open and close, and the timing of these events has to be optimum. If these events are only a few degrees off, it can make a huge difference. This is why the camshaft is the heart of the engine.
At high rpm’s on a dyno, reversion looks like a thick fuel mist coming out of the velocity stacks. When the reversion is this severe, it’s called “standoff”, and this is what happens when an I.R./8-stack manifold is mounted on an engine that has a cam with excessive valve overlap.
On a 4-barrel engine, the reverse pulses still occur, but they never get as far as the carburetor. This is because when the pulses get up into the open plenum area under the carburetor, they’re drawn into whichever cylinder is on the intake stroke.
4-barrel engines aren’t as fussy about valve overlap. The Lobe Separation Angle (LSA) of the cam governs this. We only use cams designed for use with independent runner inductions.
Smallblock Chevy engine with Weber crossram, ready for the dyno. This customer specified his own color and ordered the induction unit to match. A typical custom engine package.
COMPRESSION RATIO
Another important consideration for any 8-stack engine is the compression ratio. This is extremely important for throttle response. We use the ideal compression ratio of 10.5:1, and our engines run on 91-octane pump gas. If you want a higher compression ratio, just let us know. The only substitute for a minimum 10.5:1 compression ratio is a lot of cubic inches, which will offset a lower compression ratio to some degree.
OUR ENGINE PACKAGE
Over the last four decades, I’ve probably tuned more 8-stack engines than most people who are still left on this planet, whether in customers’ cars or on the dyno. My own experience, combined with the engine building expertise of my engine builder, led us to offer complete, ready to run 8-stack engines.
Our engines reflect everything Darryl and I have learned working together on the dyno and street testing. Eight stack engines are what we know and this is our specialty.
Your engine will come with everything, including a small diameter MSD Pro Billet distributor, ignition wires, hi-torque starter, aluminum water pump, pulleys, fuel pump, and either an Aviad or Canton oil pan depending on your application.
When you call, I’ll discuss your engine needs with you. We will discuss all details, including what valve covers you want, the pulleys and belt drive type, and any other special details that should be noted. Every engine is built to order. This is a personalized service and I will work one-on-one with you.
One of our 351W/427 strokers shown with a billet aluminum serpentine front drive. Any drive can be equipped with polished accessories such as an alternator, power steering pump, and A/C compressor.
You select the valve covers you want on your engine. Competition 289 Cobra valve cover is shown on this 302/363 stroker for an FIA replica.
Another type of serpentine front drive with polished accessories.
I will coordinate your engine order with Darryl, and once it’s in place, you’ll then work directly with him on the engine build and its progress. When your induction unit is finished, I ship it to the engine shop to be mounted to your engine.
When your engine assembly is complete, it is started-up and run on the test stand. This eliminates any anxieties you might have about starting a new engine for the first time on your own.
Once it’s running, the cam is broken-in and any leaks or other startup gremlins are resolved, should they pop up. The valves are adjusted, the carburetors (or throttle bodies) are synchronized, and after one complete heat cycle, the cylinder heads are re-torqued. The engine is then started and run a second time for its final check.
If you want your engine dyno-tuned before shipment, this last step is optional. If we run it on the dyno, your engine will be put through its paces, redlined several times, and proven. You’ll get the dyno sheet.
When you install it and turn the key for the first time, there will be no surprises. It will start as if you parked it yesterday. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
We ship our engines everywhere in the world and we welcome orders from customers and specialty shops anywhere. We ship about one-third of our engines to locations overseas.
Shown above is an engine for a Daytona Coupe with 1" shortened stacks and a turkey pan. If you need one of these, the engine comes completely assembled as you see here. Note that the Daytona Coupe pans need to be trimmed to the exact required height for whatever car they are going on, as there are different manufacturers and these pans are designed to seal to the underside of the bonnet. Unlike the Daytona Coupe pans, our GT40 turkey pans come completely finished. All turkey pans are custom-made to fit our manifolds by Nick Acton at Acton Customs. We do the final fit and assembly here.
ENGINE OFFERINGS
Our specialty is Ford engines with stack inductions for GT40’s and Cobras, but many of these engines are also built for hot rods, customs, Pro Touring cars, and every other conceivable application.
Typically, our smallblock Ford 302-based 331/347/363 strokers range from 450 to 490 hp and our 351W/ 427 strokers produce 590 hp. We also build 351C engines which are available as 408 strokers.
Our Chevrolet engines include smallblock 350’s, 377’s, 383’s and 427 strokers. The bigblocks range from 454’s to a 502 strokers.
Our engine shop is a small specialized facility that one of our customers aptly labeled as a “boutique” engine shop. The standard lead-time for an engine is 8-10 weeks, but it can get backlogged at certain times of the year. This depends on parts availability from vendors, and the general workload. Please allow enough lead-time. It’s always best to assume it may take longer.