It ain't no secret, some tricks maybe.
If you can read, can use tools, you can build an engine capable of any horsepower you want.
Quality machine work is all you need.
There are decades of recipes
EXACTLY. There are no secrets. The few guys who have made power at 8000 and above have all posted how they did it. I’ve posted how I did it.
You’d think the dude was Jason Line or something. It takes a pan with some volume, the biggest suction side tube you can get (and that’s probably still not too big as a dual pickup is even better), get the oil leaks stopped, correct the oil timing and it will turn 10k if you have the wallet and the balls to do it.
Which reminds me...it’s not only oiling that is the road block to high RPM horsepower in the SBM. It’s that retarded 59 degree lifter bank angle.
My reliable limit was about 8800. And that took Ti valves, 340-360 on the seat, double tapered pushrods (which during 1999-2000 was unheard of in anything but Comp or Pro Stock) and constant effort to keep up on all that ****.
The springs were checked every 10-12 runs (and that wasn’t enough), the pan came off with no more than 50 runs on it to get a look at the rod bearings (when I first got my crap back together the pan came off after every day at the track so I could verify what was going on) and that was over and above clutch maintainance , magneto maintainence, fuel system...you get the picture.
There are many who claim to make power that high but I doubt most of them.