Harold Baker says, "The gains on the dyno when one factors in a 20-percent driveline loss indicate that the engine is putting out 500 crankshaft horsepower. For a small-bore 346 to generate those lofty numbers is quite an accomplishment. On the street, the T/A continues to be well mannered; the combination of the PRC heads, F.A.S.T injectors, and updated tune make the engine even more responsive off-idle and in the mid-range. Once the engine rpm starts to rise, the power just keeps building until the tach sweeps to redline."
By changing to the PRC cylinder heads that offer a budget price and significantly enhanced breathing capabilities, the LS1 was able to take full-advantage of the Comp cam, as well as the excellent intake and exhaust previously installed. The '00 WS6 T/A is both fast on the street and deadly consistent at the track. This shows performance can be increased on a budget with an LS1-equipped Bird without sacrificing quality or the ability to jump in the car and run down the street to a local cruise. A careful selection of parts and the right tuning have turned up the wick on the little LS1 to near LS7 numbers. Big Power, small change-you bet!
Drag Testing
Baseline drag testing was conducted at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, which is a quarter-mile racing facility with a track elevation of 538 feet above sea level. Drag testing after installation was conducted at the quarter-mile facilities of San Antonio Raceway (SAR) during the Pontiac Southern Nationals. The track elevation of SAR is 646 feet above sea level.
The T/A improved upon its previous best of a 12.78 at 109.59 mph with a 12.67 at 111.75, but the numbers are somewhat misleading. The conditions for drag racing were terrible. Harold Baker told us, "With the high temperature and humidity levels, the bracket racers that I routinely race with were running 0.3 to 0.4 seconds slower than they did the day that I achieved the previous best time."
Due to the vastly different conditions between the baseline and PRC head drag testing, the elapsed time comparison would only be fair if the numbers were converted, so NHRA conversion factors were applied in order to compensate for differences in temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure.
After pulling down the weather data, calculating density altitude, and computing the adjusted e.t.'s and mph, it was clear that when the 12.67 became a 12.20 at 115.96 mph, the 0.39 second difference attributable to correction factors correlated perfectly with what the other racers were experiencing. On a good day in optimal conditions, the T/A just might knock down a 12-teen.
Since the PRC head testing was conducted as part of the bracket race at the Pontiac Southern Nationals in San Antonio, the car got quite a workout. Harold waded through a deep-field of entrants and narrowly missed a class win by a 0.0054-second breakout. Even heat-soaked, the difference between the best and worst pass at the track was less than 0.06 second. Fast and consistent-a bracket racer's dream come true!