Inside The No. 1 Qualifier

A set of Ferrea stainless...        read full caption A set of Ferrea stainless steel 2.230/1.72 valves work in 37cc chambers. Valve inclination on the Tiger heads is 12 degrees, and the deck thickness is 0.750 inch.

Kaase welded the chambers...        read full caption Kaase welded the chambers to reduce volume and then basically made his own chambers. The goal was to make them as small as he could without shrouding the valves.

The intake valve on the left...        read full caption The intake valve on the left features a 30-degree back cut to increase flow. You can see traces of the Calico coating on the stem to reduce carbon buildup. Both valves are coated on the chamber side as well, as explained in the introduction.

In the intake port on the...        read full caption In the intake port on the left, you can see how straight the shot is to the valve, thanks in part to the designed-in 1-inch raised intake ports. The intakes were fully ported, and epoxy was used where needed to build up certain areas, such as near the intake flange where the ports are matched to the manifold and spacer. A Victor Dominator manifold gasket was employed for port matching.

Here is the bowl work on the...        read full caption Here is the bowl work on the intake. Kaase says basic porting was all that was done here. He felt the bowl was a bit too big, so epoxy was used in some places.

Kaase describes the exhaust...        read full caption Kaase describes the exhaust side as a "grind and shine," and says not much needed to be done there.

The exhaust ports of the Tiger...        read full caption The exhaust ports of the Tiger heads are round like those of the Ram Air II and IV, and the 455 H.O. and SD engines. But these ports are considerably larger at 1.875 inches diameter versus the R/A IV 1.800 inches, and they are raised to complement the flow of the intake side. Kaase left well enough alone here, stating that this setup made good power at low rpm.

Tuning

• Tuning adjustments are limited to jets, air bleeds, emulsion tubes, float levels, fuel pressure, and timing by distributor movement only

Bottom End

• Engine Size Maximum: 509.0 cubic inches
• Any domestic OEM passenger car or commercially available aftermarket OEM replacement, cast-iron or aluminum block is acceptable. The engine block must retain OEM bore spacing and block angle. Lifter bores must retain OEM angle and diameter. Engine block must retain OEM deck height; raised cam blocks are not allowed. Any commercially available crankshaft is acceptable
• Any commercially available steel connecting rods are allowed. No aluminum, titanium, or other exotic material allowed
• Any commercially available pistons are allowed. Custom modified and/or coated are acceptable. Compression is unlimited

Oiling and Cooling

• Any method of artificially cooling and/or heating engine fluids, fuel, and/or air is not allowed
• Electric oil pumps not allowed
• Any commercially available wet-sump oil pan is acceptable, as are windage screens or crank scrapers that don't require modification to the block or oil pan
• Engine must contain at least 5 quarts of oil
• Any oil additive is acceptable
• Any commercially available electric or mechanical water pump is allowed. Remote water pumps are not allowed

Cam

• Any type and grind of commercially available camshaft is allowed, but lifters cannot be modified from as-new state. Offset lifters are allowed

Heads

• Domestic OEM passenger car and aftermarket replacement cylinder heads are acceptable, but must retain compatibility with OEM passenger-car intake and exhaust manifolds. Raised runner heads are allowed
• All rocker assemblies must retain OEM mounting design
• Any commercially available stainless steel valve in any size is acceptable. Titanium valves and springs are not allowed
• Unlimited porting, polishing, filling, and welding are allowed inside the head ports. No external modifications of the head ports are allowed.
• Aftermarket raised runner heads with OEM bolt patterns that connect to the intake by way of spacers (OEM bolt pattern) are allowed
• Maximum rocker arm ratio is 1.8:1

Exhaust

• Commercially available chassis-style headers are required. Any primary and collector size is acceptable. No fenderwell headers allowed. Header wraps are not allowed
• Must run mufflers, 3.5-inch inlet/outlet max diameter allowed. No X-or H-pipes allowed

Ignition

• Any commercially available, non-programmable ignition system is acceptable
• Crank triggers, magnetos, and ICTs are not allowed

Induction

• Any commercially available, single four-barrel carburetor including Dominator-type is allowed.
• Carburetor spacer/gasket height not to exceed 2.25 inches
• All engines will be supplied with 91-octane fuel
• Fuel Injection is not allowed
• Power adders, i.e., superchargers and so on, are not allowed
• 14-inch open-element air-filter housing with 3-inch tall commercially available street-style filter is required
• Any commercially available single piece or multipiece cast intake manifold is allowed. All interior mods are allowed. No exterior mods are allowed

Flywheel

• Any commercially available SFI-approved manual transmission flywheel is acceptable