I was just curious if anyone might have some insight to the top power numbers ever made with a nailhead? I was looking both N/A and with some sort of power adder on gas(pump and/or race) or alcohol. I would guess that the nitro guys back in the day were somewhere in the 1000 range?o No:? I also remember reading about the turbo nailhead in the 60's that broke... the dyno or transmission? I thought it might be interesting to know and would help me set goals for the future.
Good question,I'd like to know the answer too. Mainly I would like to know what the limit is for the N/H block is before any kind of block girdle is needed.(working on a Top Secret project,LOL,details much later if it works out) Maybe some of the forced induction guys on here can let us know what it takes to make the bottom end hold up to huge amounts of boost,if any? Thanks. Derek
In terms of tangible dyno figures, Joe's solid cammed 446 stroker made about 425hp. PEM Racing had a 425 (I think) that made about 430hp. Those are both significant, albeit streetable combos. 450hp NA would be a significant achievement. I'm not aware of any boosted or nitrous applications that have been dyno'd though.
Alright all you numbers guys, figure this one out. If a car weighs around 3500pds. & runs the 1/4 at a 10.8ET@125MPH what's the HP figure come out to be??? Normally aspirated, dual quads with a distributor & 13.2-1 compression. Tom T.
Using your numbers I plugged them in this calculator; http://www.wallaceracing.com/hpcalculatorquarter.php From their main page with many more calculators; http://www.wallaceracing.com/Calculators.htm The results are; <CENTER>Your HP computed from your vehicle ET is 494.23 rear wheel HP and 549.14 flywheel HP. Your HP computed from your vehicle MPH is 505.66 rear wheel HP and 561.84 flywheel HP. </CENTER> Nice run with a N/H!! Hey Tom,does the low end need any help to stay together on a N/H with that kind of power?Thanks Derek
http://www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/marquis/vehicles/90298 The Radrides team built the 56 Buick " Nailed " with a twin turbo, injected 401 dry sumped engine. The PHOTOS show a girdle and other modifications mentioned in the ABOUT tab. Stunning detail, but I haven't seen any power or torque figures for this build.
I think the 60s turbo nailhead was breaking the tranny. I would love to know what the twin turbo engine gets for #s
In 58, Ivo held the record for a single engine dragster at 154 MPH in 9.14 seconds. It was a 427 CI Nailhead at somewhere about 1700 pounds with driver. I wonder what the calculator tells us about that? There were no special girdles in that engine: having seen pictures of the inside during a rebuild for a museum. Cheryl
Thats pretty light,so it wouldn't take as much HP to go fast,here's the numbers from the calculator; <CENTER>Your HP computed from your vehicle ET is 396.04 rear wheel HP and 440.05 flywheel HP. Your HP computed from your vehicle MPH is 459.27 rear wheel HP and 510.30 flywheel HP. </CENTER> The engine from Tom's would be faster in the dragster than the one in it.(weight to HP ratio wise) Derek
I absolutely love that 56, I would have to change the wheels though :rant::blast:. Great power numbers Tom! Have you ever thought about putting your car on a dyno?
Something is wrong with that calculator since The flywheel horsepower is lower then the rear wheel. I think that was pretty good for 58 since most of us can't get any where near 460 rear wheel horsepower with a 455 nevermind a Nailhead. Cheryl
510 HP flywheel is higher than 459.27 rear wheel HP,what's wrong? And yes,thise are great numbers for 1958. Derek
Nevermind, I was seeing it backwards as the rear wheel HP higher then flywheel HP. We Know that can't happen. Cheryl
Ivo's records were set in the day when wheelspin was normal. I'm not sure how that would affect calculated horsepower, but I'm sure that the loss due to traction (or lack of it) would be significant. I simply don't believe that a supercharged Nailhead with all the max power goodies would make that little horsepower. It's competition included Chrysler Hemis that didn't have the Nailhead's breathing problems, yet the Nail went faster. I think that you could add several hundred horsepower to the calculated numbers.
John that was NA, he went slower with the blower on the single. That car had a very good balance of weight, power, gearing and traction as I understand it. He could leave in second gear in a wheelstand without 200 pounds of ballast in the front (that mr. Parks made him carry). More power upset the balance of the combination. Cheryl
I wrung both rear axles off right at the carrier bearings on my original skylark ..... and all I had was a 401 with a 091 cam and a holley 3 barrel..... :laugh: In the old days the common saying was that for every atmosphere pressure boost the HP was proportional .... 300 hp X2 =600hp.. X3=900 and so on....
yep,, and transmissions,,,, had a thunderbird powered 49 ford club coupe that I tore out 9 transmissions... the junk yard that I dealt with kept me one sitting in a corner all the time.... :laugh::laugh: finally I got a HD three speed out of a wrecked police car and it stayed.....:Brow::laugh:
The car Tom mentions is not his (at least I don't believe so). IIRC, it belongs to its original owner, but Tom was the one who's made that pass, plus it's a 4 speed!
I know with my application I went with studs on the mains, cylinder heads and arp rod bolts. Had a set of ROSS forged pistons made with total seal rings. File fit because of the boosted application. I see no problem with 600-650hp.. I want to know how much tq the motor will handle before it spits a rod or snaps a crank. I figure with the low rpm, low boost ,high air flow per/minute and a great tune their is a lot less abuse on the whole setup. i found that 90-110 air flow per minute is right for my setup. The tune is everything and keep nox low is the key to not melting down. Dependabilty would depend on boost levels.. Their are limits and i would think 15psi would be on the line for my setup. Paul turbocharged Nailhead
