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The blower kit maxes out the stock truck fuel pump on the dyno, so we have been exploring fueling applications that can handle both our current low boost application (7psi with the 3.375 pulley that doesn't clear the stock hood) and higher boost applications for the coming street kit (9psi+). As soon as we have the fuel issue worked out, we should be ready to offer the blower package to the masses.
In the past, 9psi produced 800hp/820ft-lbs in the 496 with aluminum heads and the 207S camshaft. Assuming the 540cid pumps out similar power, theres a very real possibility of making 850hp and thats before you run the big boy 213 camshaft.
As a side note, the shop 540cid suburban finally got the 213 cam shoved into it in place of the 205 camshaft. It lopes like a hot rod and is very driveable on a stock torque converter! We just got back from a 1000 mile road trip with 14mpg at 78mph. Going over the grapevine in southern CA with the AC / Seat heaters on, it never downshifted (unless we were playing with AMGs).
Power wise, we lost about 30ft-lbs on the bottom end but picked up tons of power above 3700rpm. Max power with the JBA headers was 585hp at 5300hp, max torque 655ft-lbs at 4500rpm. The engine is a bit starved for air up top though - with a 100mm MAF, an intake manifold that supports top end airflow like the cool gap, long tubes and proper dual exhaust you can make tons more. I'm sure we'll end up doing all that at some point, but for now, we're more interested in getting this blower kit going.
Anyone want to make guesses as to what the 540cid makes on 7psi with stock heads and 202 cam?
Last edited by Raylar Engineering; May 13, 2016 at 03:49 PM.
No guesses? Fine, I guess I'll just have to keep it informative.
The whipple 2.9L with a 3.375" pulley makes 8.5lbs of boost and made 590hp / 695ft-lbs at the crank.
Engine specs: 8.1L stroked to 540cid with the 4.75 stroke forged rotating assembly. 202 camshaft, stock iron cylinder heads and jba mid length headers.
Its important to note that with the exception of a rotating assembly that can handle the power, a very small cam and headers, this engine is otherwise stock. The 202 cam on the 540cid is so small that it sounds stock / drives like a bone stock offering from GM.
Important things to note:
The 3.375 pulley / 8.5lbs of boost maxes out the stock computer MAF tables. To run more boost (the 2.5" pulley should make somewhere between 11-13lbs of boost) you'll need to scale the computer values back after installing a 2 bar MAP sensor.
Videos of cool whirring noises on the dyno coming soon!
The 202 is our towing camshaft for the 496 / 8.1L, so in a 540cid engine its a real stump puller.
Additionally the stock cylinder heads are the real limiting factor with the blower - imagine a supercharger pushing air through a coffee straw and you're about right.