How to prepare for engine dyno?

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well the motivation to dyno this engine came while I was underneath my Barracuda changing a leaky main seal and saying out loud... Mother freekin rattin drattin... I WOULD GLADLY PAY SOMEONE 500$ TO CHANGE THIS FOR ME !...LOL

This dyno session is simply for tuning , leak checking , break-in ( or breaking) and curiosity.
 
well the motivation to dyno this engine came while I was underneath my Barracuda changing a leaky main seal and saying out loud... Mother freekin rattin drattin... I WOULD GLADLY PAY SOMEONE 500$ TO CHANGE THIS FOR ME !...LOL

This dyno session is simply for tuning , leak checking , break-in ( or breaking) and curiosity.

You have it covered.

I had a rocker arm issue that I probably wouldn't heard if the engine had been in the car and would've lead to damage. We heard it and shut the engine off and found and fixed the issue then continued on. In my case it was $450 well spent and that included 7 quarts of Brad Penn motor oil. Plus the guys at the engine shop were Mopar guys and we had a great time hanging out and shooting the breeze. It was a great experience for me.
 
well the motivation to dyno this engine came while I was underneath my Barracuda changing a leaky main seal and saying out loud... Mother freekin rattin drattin... I WOULD GLADLY PAY SOMEONE 500$ TO CHANGE THIS FOR ME !...LOL

This dyno session is simply for tuning , leak checking , break-in ( or breaking) and curiosity.
I do hear you saying a lot about leaking and worrying about leaking. Personally I seal everything with the "right stuff". And knock on wood I have sent nothing out leaking. As matter fact the 11.5 motor in questioned (the relevance of that is the hysterical part) has been drag racing and hell-bent Street driving for over 4 years now and never even a spot of moisture let alone a drip.
I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like a Dyno sheet. Or some dino time to fine tune their motor.
I assume if something like your oil pan engine leaking they're going to point at it and say that's where it's leaking you need to fix that? Like in 4 or 5 hours are you playing to reseal the oil pan? And try it again? As far as breaking won't they just get the motor fired up right away and bring the RPM's up and very them for 20 minutes or so? Not quite sure what the dino does different in this process? I guess air-fuel ratios could be monitored better? Butt for me I had an O2 sensor and a known good running pre-existing carburetor.
I guess my real question is have you broken Motors in before and you just don't want to do it or?
 
You have it covered.

I had a rocker arm issue that I probably wouldn't heard if the engine had been in the car and would've lead to damage. We heard it and shut the engine off and found and fixed the issue then continued on. In my case it was $450 well spent and that included 7 quarts of Brad Penn motor oil. Plus the guys at the engine shop were Mopar guys and we had a great time hanging out and shooting the breeze. It was a great experience for me.
7 quarts of Penn grade! That's great, the dino session was only $380 then...
 
Oh no, I'd never poke fun at anyone............. :lol:
You know my really my biggest worry is that people are taking these motors to the dinos because they're just scared to break them in themselves. I'm not saying this is the case at all please please don't get this twisted. But I am slowly trying to figure it out LOL
I definitely see where you feel you were saved by the dino LOL I mean something's got to give you that feeling that money was well spent. I'll come over the next time you want to break in a motor so you have some Mopar guys to laugh with and talk too.:poke:
 
For me I would really like to do it strictly for the tuning. first off the cam is going to get broken in whether it happens in the car or at the dino and the dino doesn't fix leaks! LOL.
 
pans take longer to remove if they are in the car AND you have to move the header first...which requires removing the torsion..which requires...you get it

this is a solid roller cam so no breakin required.

It will be nice to have engine tuned and ready to go when I drop the car onto it.
 
Don't worry Jpar I'm not bent. I've been messing with Mopars for over 40 years and have built a bunch of them. I was 15 when my Dad helped me build my first engine, a 273 out of my 65 Dart GT, by then I had helped him rebuild a bunch of tractor and farm truck engines.
I have a lot of money (for me) in this 434, not to mention all the hours of work so the $450 was not going to be a deal breaker.
 
pans take longer to remove if they are in the car AND you have to move the header first...which requires removing the torsion..which requires...you get it

this is a solid roller cam so no breakin required.

It will be nice to have engine tuned and ready to go when I drop the car onto it.
Yeah I agree if you spent that much money at this point another $450 isn't the deal breaker.
 
Don't worry Jpar I'm not bent. I've been messing with Mopars for over 40 years and have built a bunch of them. I was 15 when my Dad helped me build my first engine, a 273 out of my 65 Dart GT, by then I had helped him rebuild a bunch of tractor and farm truck engines.
I have a lot of money (for me) in this 434, not to mention all the hours of work so the $450 was not going to be a deal breaker.
I to have a bunch of money (for me) into my 410 not to mention all the hours of work! And I'll be damned if someone will rob me of the thrill of breaking in my own motor. And pay them to do it! But but but but I would not mind if I could afford time for tuning. For me personally I would be prepared to spend the money for Pure curiosity sake more so than the need to squeak out any more extra horsepower out of the street motor that completely melts the tires in any gear. and that's only from an 11-5 motor. Again speaking out loud for me personally and not expecting anybody to own my values.
 
Its not just squeeking out every horse... It also allows you to get the maximum driveability. It would be nice to just assemble and drive instead of jacking around with tuning your new ride. Not that it isnt fun to tune.
 
pans take longer to remove if they are in the car AND you have to move the header first...which requires removing the torsion..which requires...you get it

this is a solid roller cam so no breakin required.

It will be nice to have engine tuned and ready to go when I drop the car onto it.
Reminds me of my friend, Joe. Got his 440 back from the dyno and we slid it in one night. It ran great on the dyno but ran like crap in the car. I called him at 6am the next morning with an idea.. The only thing we changed between the dyno and the car was I took off the fuel pump block off plate and bolted his old pump on. With no regulator, 10 psi was too much for the Edelbrock. We put a regulator on, dialed it to 5# and back in business.
 
This dyno session is simply for tuning , leak checking , break-in ( or breaking) and curiosity.
Seems like you have a secondary other objectives too.
I hope to try 2 manifolds back to back .... A Victor vs M1 Dual plane W2s.
That's fine. :thumbsup: Actually that actually makes it that much more worth it being on a dyno than break in stand.

Even before, or if you don't get to, changing intakes you want to be looking at the AFR and fuel/hr to see if the align and the fuel curve is flat through the pull.
(AFR is based on interpretion of left oxygen so that's why its never an absolute. That's why changing timing can sometimes appear to change the AFR. It changes the combustion process even though the fuel to air ratio was the same.)
IMO. be prepared to change jets and or main air bleeds. If you don't have changable air bleeds, bring some thin wires.
Keep in mind compression may come up through the pulls.
Some interesting reading from a very smart builder tuning a race engine that was supposedly broken in.
Motorsports Village • View topic - How a Wideband gets tricked to read wrong AFR

A few posts in, a member explains different ways he can load the dyno for different purposes.
2 different dynos,2 very different numbers.why?
 
I took race gas and pump 93, extra plugs and my Holley carb parts, jets, bleeds, IFR, tranfer slot restrictors, gaskets and a super sucker spacer. I took the engine unpainted, after the dyno session it was cleaned up and painted.
We primed mine, started it and set the timing and warmed it up and ran the valves then started making pulls. I have to admit I had a lump in my throat on the first pull, he pulled it to 7200.


Super sucker

Every time I've seen one back to back on a dyno session they make more tq and more hp. 10-20 more everytime.
 
Super sucker

Every time I've seen one back to back on a dyno session they make more tq and more hp. 10-20 more everytime.


Yes, a Super Sucker, 13 more hp on back to back pulls, no other changes. The thing that got me was the fact that the AFR's from side to side were over one point off before the install and were within a couple tenths after.
 
I have considered a super sucker but not sure it will fit below the hood of my Swinger even with the performance hood.
 
I have considered a super sucker but not sure it will fit below the hood of my Swinger even with the performance hood.

fit under both of mine. One was a 4" cowl induction, the other was a six pack hood.
 
Dyno a motor. Getting ready. I would say get over there and look at the set up. See what it takes to mount the motor onto his cart. His set up might bolt directly to your block. Or you may need to bring motor mounts. Will your motor plates work? It all depends. Does he have a plate that bolts to your crank that accepts another plate that's spliced for the dyno input shaft? What if you need flywheel bolts and you got flex plate bolts? Does he got dyno headers? Will they clear your pan with the lockouts? Will your pan clear his cart? Does he have an electric water pump for your motor? Will your big oil system allow room to hook up to his cart? Oil pressure hookup is simple. Do you have a source for manifold vacuum? He probably has a Morse cable for throttle. Do you have the right size ball stud? A bracket to mount the Morse cable? Is your distributor compatible with his boxes? Need to bring your coil? Will your plug wires clear his dyno headers? Fuel hook up? It's easy to say that he has everything. Sure about that? Are mopar his bread and butter? Probably not. It's pretty frustrating when one item stops the whole show.
 
Dyno a motor. Getting ready. I would say get over there and look at the set up. See what it takes to mount the motor onto his cart. His set up might bolt directly to your block. Or you may need to bring motor mounts. Will your motor plates work? It all depends. Does he have a plate that bolts to your crank that accepts another plate that's spliced for the dyno input shaft? What if you need flywheel bolts and you got flex plate bolts? Does he got dyno headers? Will they clear your pan with the lockouts? Will your pan clear his cart? Does he have an electric water pump for your motor? Will your big oil system allow room to hook up to his cart? Oil pressure hookup is simple. Do you have a source for manifold vacuum? He probably has a Morse cable for throttle. Do you have the right size ball stud? A bracket to mount the Morse cable? Is your distributor compatible with his boxes? Need to bring your coil? Will your plug wires clear his dyno headers? Fuel hook up? It's easy to say that he has everything. Sure about that? Are mopar his bread and butter? Probably not. It's pretty frustrating when one item stops the whole show.

He has not done a small block mopar on this dyno before but has one to do in next few weeks so they are getting the mounts etc ready.
I have flywheels , bellhousings , motor mounts etc...

If @IQ52 wasnt retired I would take the short trip up to him and let him do it.
but alas... he is probably out killing an elk right now.
 
Dyno a motor. Getting ready. I would say get over there and look at the set up. See what it takes to mount the motor onto his cart. His set up might bolt directly to your block. Or you may need to bring motor mounts. Will your motor plates work? It all depends. Does he have a plate that bolts to your crank that accepts another plate that's spliced for the dyno input shaft? What if you need flywheel bolts and you got flex plate bolts? Does he got dyno headers? Will they clear your pan with the lockouts? Will your pan clear his cart? Does he have an electric water pump for your motor? Will your big oil system allow room to hook up to his cart? Oil pressure hookup is simple. Do you have a source for manifold vacuum? He probably has a Morse cable for throttle. Do you have the right size ball stud? A bracket to mount the Morse cable? Is your distributor compatible with his boxes? Need to bring your coil? Will your plug wires clear his dyno headers? Fuel hook up? It's easy to say that he has everything. Sure about that? Are mopar his bread and butter? Probably not. It's pretty frustrating when one item stops the whole show.

This^^^^^

My dyno guy sets the engine all up the day before so usually its ready to run when you get there, but other guys are different. Have the engine primed and set to #1. My guy doesn't like the thermostat in, it fights the water pump on the dyno, have it dressed with whatever you want to run on the street (distributor, Wires, plugs etc).

Bring everything you need to tune, jets, air bleeds, different carbs even, carb spacer and longer studs, even your own tools in a tool box (if you don't need them you can leave them in your car) shop rags (if you are changing jets to clean up the spilt gas), timing light, spare plugs, cap, rotor, ignition wires (even if this stuff is all new I have the old stuff on hand).

If you are going to change the oil after break in bring oil, filter, funnel. If you are setting valves bring gaskets.

Time is money and the less time you spend looking for stuff the more time you have for dyno time.

The last dyno session went like this (friends engine)

Break the engine in 20 minutes total, varying loads and RPM's, set timing to 32 ( I think) total during break in. No leaks, good oil pressure. Do some light pulls to redline to make sure everything is good.

1st real pull, not the power expected, not pulling the air expected and vacuum still remaining in the manifold at WOT, suggestion change out the vacuum secondary spring.
2nd pull, power is better, air flow and manifold vacuum is good, overall mixture is good but the primary vs secondary fuel flow is way off (secondary is using way less fuel than the primary), change out the secondary jets to bigger ones.
3rd pull, Fuel flow is better, mixture is richer, down jet the front of the carb.
Pull 4 and 5 to get the mixtures good.
Pull 5, 6 and 7 setting the total timing for optimum power.
Pull 8, try a carb spacer to see if it makes a little more power (it did 10 HP!)
Pull 9 and 10 (I think) just to confirm and for video.

Engine broken in and I think we wrung out all the power this almost stock 383 could make. I think we gained 60-70 HP from the starting point ( the secondary spring was the biggest impact.).

Garth
 
There is no reason it could not be run with throttle body or multiport FI
LOL! I agree but wondered if anybody here had done it and if it made more power I get why it does with a carb but.... would it also do the same on a throttle body FI set up? I think it could.
 
My local chassis dyno is 99$ for 3 pulls. That would tell you real quick.

all it really does is increase the plenum volume and change the airflow a bit.
 
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