Inside The No. 1 Qualifier

A Question Of Compression
JKRE built the engine to run 12.4:1 compression on 91-octane fuel in the competition. Sounds pretty high, even with the heat-dissipation qualities of the aluminum Tiger heads. "Yes, it may ping and rattle a little bit," Kaase says, "but the engine has more cam than you would normally run on the street, which reduces cranking compression somewhat to ward off detonation. We also welded up the combustion chambers and reworked them to reduce volume to just 37 cc to gain quench area on each side of combustion chamber to further avoid detonation. Piston-to-deck height is +0.010, and the piston top, though it has a large dish to reduce compression, is shaped to mimic the combustion-chamber shape to increase quench area. The valves were Calico heat coated on the intake to reduce the heating of the mixture entering the chamber and on the exhaust to keep the valve from glowing red, and providing another possible origin for detonation. Running 28 degrees timing with 23 degrees initial up to 4,000 rpm and then adding in the final 5 degrees also reduces detonation slightly, but backing off the timing too much can really hurt power."

The carburetor is a King Demon...        read full caption The carburetor is a King Demon 1050. Kaase says the venturis were machined to flow 1,100 cfm. He tried several discharge boosters and banjo holders during tuning, but found the carb didn't respond much better than box stock. Various jetting setups were tested--No. 86 square was one combo that worked well.	This Meziere electric water...        read full caption This Meziere electric water pump saves a few ponies, and the balancer is a TCI Rattler. A BOP beltdrive system accurately keeps the cam in time with the crank and allows for easy cam degree adjustments or even quick camshaft R&R by virtue of its design.	An MSD Pro-Billet Distributor,...        read full caption An MSD Pro-Billet Distributor, coil, and wires comprise the ignition system. The fittings and braided cooling hoses (shown), return water to the intake from the heads. The IAII block has 1/2-inch NPT holes provided at the rear of the block (see plugs) for external cooling, allowing the builder to dry deck easily, but Kaase chose more traditional cooling.
These Hooker Super Comps feature...        read full caption These Hooker Super Comps feature a 2.00-inch primary diameter, 28-inch long-tubes and a 3.5-inch collector. When asked why he didn't try a more elaborate exhaust like step headers, Kaase replied, "There may be a benefit, but I have seen others show up to the competition with armfuls of headers, and they don't seem to make a big difference."	The underside of the Wilson...        read full caption The underside of the Wilson 1-inch carb spacer reveals contouring of the openings for smooth flow into the intake plenum. Kaase chose the four-hole over an open spacer because he felt it showed a little better bottom end.	The ports and their entries...        read full caption The ports and their entries on the Edelbrock Victor intake were opened and smoothed to promote flow.