345s-bspinnin
Enthusiast
SHORT STORY:
Decided to go heads/cam route on my SRT. Quick searching pointed me to a gentlemen residing just up the street from me. I knew there was some power to be realized by porting OEM heads, but end results blew my mind. This relatively straight forward application of Greg Good Heads, cam, full exhaust, and remote tune by Todd at A&C produced gains of almost 230whp at redline!!!!
DETAILED STORY:
Its a novel. Grab some coffee or a beer and sit down for this one. Plenty of information enclosed, including pictures, tables, charts, graphs, and videos.
MODIFICATIONS:
- Greg Good ported OEM Heads with Greg’s recommended valve train components (2.02/1.60 valves, springs, retainers, slow-bleed lifters, etc.)
- Greg’s trusty Comp Cams Grind 3634/3635, 232/236, .601/.606 valve lift at .050 on 1.7 Rollers
- Port matched Intake Manifold (just runners, not cut open or anything like that)
- T&Ds Roller Rockers
- Rear head cooling modification for decreased thermal gradients along heads
- Final compression at 10.5:1, (heads decked, thinner head gasket)
- Exercised proper due diligence with build, including cam degreeing, injector flow cleaning/testing, precise pushrod measurement, spark plug indexing, new AB wires, etc.
- Includes cosmetic upgrades like polished intake manifold, powder coating valve covers/spacers
- Peterson Fluid System Catch can (same as ACR-X) with Exotic Engine style valve cover adapters
- X-Metal Throttle Body with CAI
- Stock short-block, fuel system, clutch, ignition, damper, etc.
TUNING:
- SCT Software
- Remote tuning by Todd at A&C Performance
- Took more than a couple of iterations, but Todd did a fantastic job of tuning from 2500 miles away
LABOR:
- I took the DIY approach; all parts removal and installation tasks done by me in my home garage (service manual, basic tools, car on jack stands, uhhhh courage?)
- Working on a Viper was new to me. However, this was not my first rodeo and the Viper is certainly not a spaceship. All work was relatively simple and straight forward.
- Cost is free; if we choose to ignore opportunity cost, and numerous cases of beer I went through
ISSUES:
- American Racing Headers would interfere with ARP Head bolts; flange had to be recessed for proper clearance (see pix below)
- Mystery o-ring found in oil pan. Anyone know where these came from (pic below)? Apparently car was built on a Monday.
- Random/weird PCM Failure after a SCT tune upload. Haven’t quite pinpointed the issue, but we suspect the email system or anti-virus corrupted the file. SCT was able to recover PCM via a recovery file. Thanks to Todd at A&C performance and the folks at DC Performance for getting me quickly on the road again and in time to participate at the Texas Mile
PRICE $$$$:
- Total cost, including porting OEM heads and ALL other related parts including catch can, x-metal throttle body and air intake system is on par with the price of a new Paxton as priced at Summit Racing
- Full-exhaust (ARH and ACR-X Catback) costs are separate
RESULTS: (Dynojet dyno, and results all SAE corrected per industry standard, before/after charts below)
- Peak gain in hp: OEM 446whp vs. 643whp (+197 whp gain at peak)
- Peak gain in tq: OEM 500wtq vs. 606whp (+106 whp gain at peak)
- Hp gain at redline: OEM was 415whp vs. 643whp at 6200 (+228whp gain at redline)
- TQ gain at redline: OEM was 365 wtq vs. 544 wtq at 6200 (+179wtq gain at redline)
- Peak number of 643whp/606 is about 756bhp/716tq at the flywheel with (15% loss)
- 50+% improvement in power
REAL WORLD (for the anti-dyno folks):
- I haven’t been to the 1/4 mile track, and won’t be until there is a private rental since I have no plans on adding a full cage for my vert
- I was already running 11.5 at 125 with only headers/tune on street tires, I am certain that I will be well into the 10s now
- I participated in the Texas Mile. Ran 191.5mph and was doing over 134mph by the 1/4. This was on my 614whp/590wtq setup. See my Texas Mile thread for more info.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS, OBSERVATIONS, and COMMENTS:
- I am flabbergasted that a relatively simple Greg Good heads/cam package, hi-flow exhaust, TB/CAI, and a good tune from Todd at A&C Performance can gain a peak of about +200whp
- 750 miles since build with no mechanical issues (includes many many WOT hits needed for tuning), and numerous healthy long-winded runs at the Texas Mile
- Valve train is surprisingly quiet for T&Ds (about the same as stock, maybe even quieter)
- More “buckin’ bronco” at low rpm while in lower gears, occasional idle hang (while computer was relearning, now appears gone)
- No major issues with reversion, I can still cruise at 40mph in 5th, rpm at ~1100rpm
- Engine exhaust was louder, even with my OEM exhaust with crossover (ARH w/o cats)
- Engine sound turned absurdly louder with ACR-X catback, decelerating popping is more prevalent
- Power gain is very linear; oddly enough, very similar to a centrifugal blower
- On the street, it’s an absolute rabid animal. It will spin through most of second gear if you stab the throttle anywhere between 30-75mph. Must roll into it now
- I have received many compliments on the lopey sound at idle, it literally rocks the car
- No check engine lights, and all readiness tests complete, except 1 – EVAC
- This means I can successfully pass OBD-II Emissions testing in Texas since we are allowed 1 non-complete readiness monitor
TO THE GENTLEMEN BEHIND THIS WORK:
I would like to give out a HUGE thanks to Greg Good. He is a vault of Viper engine knowledge. His work is absolutely phenomenal and proof is in the numbers. Also a HUGE thanks goes to Todd at A&C Performance for being my one-stop-shop for the engine build (tune, parts, gaskets, spacers, etc.). I must tip my hat to Todd for doing a great job of tuning my car remotely. He was instrumental in helping with my PCM woes and allowing me to make my Texas Mile event. Thanks to Mark at Woodhouse for helping me with the other “while you are there” tasks such as replacing leaky power steering lines, leaky oil cooler lines, ripped shifter boot, new trans/diff/brake fluids, failed shock replacement, etc. Lastly, thanks to Mr. Chuck Tator (Wizard) for being my guiding light with some of my noob questions.
DYNO RUNS:
Results (SAE corrected, smooth at 5). Best was 643whp/606wtq. Other dyno runs are are part of my throttle body and CAI study. See next post below.
BEFORE/AFTER:
Comparison of Baseline (OEM) versus Heads/Cam Dyno Numbers
BEFORE/AFTER per RPM:
Gains across the RPM Range between Baseline versus Heads/Cam. Very linear gains!!!!
PORTED OEM HEADS:
Great eye candy for the gear heads:
Intake Port:
Exhaust Port:
Head Deck:
Assembled head:
Mystery O-ring Found in Oil Pan. It was just sitting on the windage tray/baffle !!!!!!!!!!!!!
American Racing Headers and ARP Interference: (header flange had to be ground down)
ACR-X Exhaust vs. OEM Cross Over:
Inside ACR-X Muffler:
View with OEM Throttle Body and Air Filters:
ENGINE BUILD VIDEO:
I had a Go Pro mounted on my cabinet as I did my engine work. Its starts with the car rolling into the garage and ends with a dyno run. I had set the GoPro to take a picture per minute. I simply would turn the camera on when I would get into the garage, and shut it down when I was gone. I took over 3000 pictures, which means I spent more than 50hrs of actual work doing something “constructive” in the garage. The next 6 minute video shows the conglomeration of my engine build pics and some videos (excuse my presence in some of those shots).
http://youtu.be/pjgTO8BtXNs
Decided to go heads/cam route on my SRT. Quick searching pointed me to a gentlemen residing just up the street from me. I knew there was some power to be realized by porting OEM heads, but end results blew my mind. This relatively straight forward application of Greg Good Heads, cam, full exhaust, and remote tune by Todd at A&C produced gains of almost 230whp at redline!!!!
DETAILED STORY:
Its a novel. Grab some coffee or a beer and sit down for this one. Plenty of information enclosed, including pictures, tables, charts, graphs, and videos.
MODIFICATIONS:
- Greg Good ported OEM Heads with Greg’s recommended valve train components (2.02/1.60 valves, springs, retainers, slow-bleed lifters, etc.)
- Greg’s trusty Comp Cams Grind 3634/3635, 232/236, .601/.606 valve lift at .050 on 1.7 Rollers
- Port matched Intake Manifold (just runners, not cut open or anything like that)
- T&Ds Roller Rockers
- Rear head cooling modification for decreased thermal gradients along heads
- Final compression at 10.5:1, (heads decked, thinner head gasket)
- Exercised proper due diligence with build, including cam degreeing, injector flow cleaning/testing, precise pushrod measurement, spark plug indexing, new AB wires, etc.
- Includes cosmetic upgrades like polished intake manifold, powder coating valve covers/spacers
- Peterson Fluid System Catch can (same as ACR-X) with Exotic Engine style valve cover adapters
- X-Metal Throttle Body with CAI
- Stock short-block, fuel system, clutch, ignition, damper, etc.
TUNING:
- SCT Software
- Remote tuning by Todd at A&C Performance
- Took more than a couple of iterations, but Todd did a fantastic job of tuning from 2500 miles away
LABOR:
- I took the DIY approach; all parts removal and installation tasks done by me in my home garage (service manual, basic tools, car on jack stands, uhhhh courage?)
- Working on a Viper was new to me. However, this was not my first rodeo and the Viper is certainly not a spaceship. All work was relatively simple and straight forward.
- Cost is free; if we choose to ignore opportunity cost, and numerous cases of beer I went through
ISSUES:
- American Racing Headers would interfere with ARP Head bolts; flange had to be recessed for proper clearance (see pix below)
- Mystery o-ring found in oil pan. Anyone know where these came from (pic below)? Apparently car was built on a Monday.
- Random/weird PCM Failure after a SCT tune upload. Haven’t quite pinpointed the issue, but we suspect the email system or anti-virus corrupted the file. SCT was able to recover PCM via a recovery file. Thanks to Todd at A&C performance and the folks at DC Performance for getting me quickly on the road again and in time to participate at the Texas Mile
PRICE $$$$:
- Total cost, including porting OEM heads and ALL other related parts including catch can, x-metal throttle body and air intake system is on par with the price of a new Paxton as priced at Summit Racing
- Full-exhaust (ARH and ACR-X Catback) costs are separate
RESULTS: (Dynojet dyno, and results all SAE corrected per industry standard, before/after charts below)
- Peak gain in hp: OEM 446whp vs. 643whp (+197 whp gain at peak)
- Peak gain in tq: OEM 500wtq vs. 606whp (+106 whp gain at peak)
- Hp gain at redline: OEM was 415whp vs. 643whp at 6200 (+228whp gain at redline)
- TQ gain at redline: OEM was 365 wtq vs. 544 wtq at 6200 (+179wtq gain at redline)
- Peak number of 643whp/606 is about 756bhp/716tq at the flywheel with (15% loss)
- 50+% improvement in power
REAL WORLD (for the anti-dyno folks):
- I haven’t been to the 1/4 mile track, and won’t be until there is a private rental since I have no plans on adding a full cage for my vert
- I was already running 11.5 at 125 with only headers/tune on street tires, I am certain that I will be well into the 10s now
- I participated in the Texas Mile. Ran 191.5mph and was doing over 134mph by the 1/4. This was on my 614whp/590wtq setup. See my Texas Mile thread for more info.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS, OBSERVATIONS, and COMMENTS:
- I am flabbergasted that a relatively simple Greg Good heads/cam package, hi-flow exhaust, TB/CAI, and a good tune from Todd at A&C Performance can gain a peak of about +200whp
- 750 miles since build with no mechanical issues (includes many many WOT hits needed for tuning), and numerous healthy long-winded runs at the Texas Mile
- Valve train is surprisingly quiet for T&Ds (about the same as stock, maybe even quieter)
- More “buckin’ bronco” at low rpm while in lower gears, occasional idle hang (while computer was relearning, now appears gone)
- No major issues with reversion, I can still cruise at 40mph in 5th, rpm at ~1100rpm
- Engine exhaust was louder, even with my OEM exhaust with crossover (ARH w/o cats)
- Engine sound turned absurdly louder with ACR-X catback, decelerating popping is more prevalent
- Power gain is very linear; oddly enough, very similar to a centrifugal blower
- On the street, it’s an absolute rabid animal. It will spin through most of second gear if you stab the throttle anywhere between 30-75mph. Must roll into it now
- I have received many compliments on the lopey sound at idle, it literally rocks the car
- No check engine lights, and all readiness tests complete, except 1 – EVAC
- This means I can successfully pass OBD-II Emissions testing in Texas since we are allowed 1 non-complete readiness monitor
TO THE GENTLEMEN BEHIND THIS WORK:
I would like to give out a HUGE thanks to Greg Good. He is a vault of Viper engine knowledge. His work is absolutely phenomenal and proof is in the numbers. Also a HUGE thanks goes to Todd at A&C Performance for being my one-stop-shop for the engine build (tune, parts, gaskets, spacers, etc.). I must tip my hat to Todd for doing a great job of tuning my car remotely. He was instrumental in helping with my PCM woes and allowing me to make my Texas Mile event. Thanks to Mark at Woodhouse for helping me with the other “while you are there” tasks such as replacing leaky power steering lines, leaky oil cooler lines, ripped shifter boot, new trans/diff/brake fluids, failed shock replacement, etc. Lastly, thanks to Mr. Chuck Tator (Wizard) for being my guiding light with some of my noob questions.
DYNO RUNS:
Results (SAE corrected, smooth at 5). Best was 643whp/606wtq. Other dyno runs are are part of my throttle body and CAI study. See next post below.
You must be registered for see images attach
BEFORE/AFTER:
Comparison of Baseline (OEM) versus Heads/Cam Dyno Numbers
You must be registered for see images attach
BEFORE/AFTER per RPM:
Gains across the RPM Range between Baseline versus Heads/Cam. Very linear gains!!!!
You must be registered for see images attach
PORTED OEM HEADS:
Great eye candy for the gear heads:
Intake Port:
You must be registered for see images attach
Exhaust Port:
You must be registered for see images attach
Head Deck:
You must be registered for see images attach
Assembled head:
You must be registered for see images attach
Mystery O-ring Found in Oil Pan. It was just sitting on the windage tray/baffle !!!!!!!!!!!!!
You must be registered for see images attach
American Racing Headers and ARP Interference: (header flange had to be ground down)
You must be registered for see images attach
ACR-X Exhaust vs. OEM Cross Over:
You must be registered for see images attach
Inside ACR-X Muffler:
You must be registered for see images attach
View with OEM Throttle Body and Air Filters:
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
ENGINE BUILD VIDEO:
I had a Go Pro mounted on my cabinet as I did my engine work. Its starts with the car rolling into the garage and ends with a dyno run. I had set the GoPro to take a picture per minute. I simply would turn the camera on when I would get into the garage, and shut it down when I was gone. I took over 3000 pictures, which means I spent more than 50hrs of actual work doing something “constructive” in the garage. The next 6 minute video shows the conglomeration of my engine build pics and some videos (excuse my presence in some of those shots).
http://youtu.be/pjgTO8BtXNs
