Knowing Rick Anderson has...
Knowing Rick Anderson has no qualms about spinning the rollers on the Anderson Ford Motorsport DynoJet chassis dyno, we shipped off Project Real Street to Clinton, Illinois, in the hopes of finding some power. And find power we did-after Rick swapped the heads, cam, and supercharger, thus creating a combo fitting of our stock block, standard valvesprings, and maxed-out 48-lb/hr injectors. Had we wanted to step up the springs and injectors, there was surely more power at higher rpm, but with more stress on our stock block as well.
The original Real Street rules specified only a stock 5.0 camshaft, which left a lot of room between the lines. The latest rules, however, specify maximum camshaft measurements. In part, the cam rule reads: "The maximum lobe lift of a stock lobe 5.0 H.O. camshaft is 0.278 inch. NMRA will not accept a lobe lift of less than 0.270 inch or more than 0.278 inch. These lobe lifts are within the parameter of a 'stock-lobe 5.0 H.O. camshaft.' The choice of rocker ratio is the racer's, with the maximum valve lift at the retainer not to exceed 0.480 inch." The rules go on to list maximum lobe lifts at a given duration, which are as follows: 0.050 inch at 211 degrees, 0.100 inch at 179 degrees, 0.150 inch at 148 degrees, and 0.200 inch at 115 degrees. Likewise, maximum and minimum lobe-separation angles of 117 and 115 degrees, respectively, are mandated.
Plain and simple, magazine project cars are double-edged swords. Every car nut would like to dream up a car and build it while on the job. Of course, magazine projects are notoriously long-lived and-in my case-underperforming cars that never quite live up to their potential. A number of factors are at play here, but the main culprit is that because they are part of the job, they become just another part of the job, so they don't receive the kind of after-hours worship that your prized projects do. After all, your project is a way to forget about work. Ours are work-enjoyable work, but work all the same.
Here's how Project Real Street...
Here's how Project Real Street arrived at AFM, sporting all factory accessories-A/C, power steering, and smog pump. Our combinations included a Paxton Novi 2000 blower with a legal pulley blowing into an Accufab 70mm throttle body, a Trick Flow intake, and Twisted Wedge cylinder heads. The short-block is a D.S.S. Super Pro Bullet with main support and optional windage tray. Our cam was a stock '93 5.0 cam and the rockers were 1.7s from Comp. Rounding out the hardware was a full Bassani Xhaust with 1 3/4-inch short-tube headers, an X-pipe, and an after-cat system. The fuel system is by Aeromotive, the 48-lb/hr injectors are by ACCEL, and the tuning is courtesy of an AFM Programmable Management System. Tuned to the edge, it was good for just over 430 hp. We knew something was up.
It doesn't help that yours truly often likes to make things more complicated than they need be. Just ask Tech Editor Houlahan. In addition to performing the requisite black interior swaps, Mark likely wouldn't be surprised to hear me ask him to install two steering wheels in one of my project cars. Seriously, I have an affinity for gadgets, and you have to look no further than the number of Auto Meter gauges in Project Real Street to see that. In fact, I'm still a bit disappointed we haven't put an aftermarket stereo in the car-yet.
And the idea of a stereo in the car just goes to show you, I really wanted to build a car that reflected my original ideas about the NMRA's Real Street class. As you may or may not know, I had a bit to do with forming the concept of this class, which was built around streetable bolt-on parts and power adders. Since its inception, the class quickly evolved beyond its mid-10-second origins into an ultracompetitive, mid-9-second class thanks to some select rule changes and the unmitigated creativity of its racers. Still, I never thought my project car would be a competitive racer, rather an example of a street car that would be legal for the class-the kind to have fun with, not compete for a championship.
Rick tried all the tweaking...
Rick tried all the tweaking and tuning he could to get the car to respond. Nothing seemed to work. At one point, we thought the MSD Digital 6 Plus wasn't keeping up with the engine's boost. To find out if that was a problem, Rick installed a fresh set of ACCEL U-groove spark plugs (PN 0765; $3.07 each) and swapped our Digital 6 for a Digital 7 Plus (PN 7520)-of which the programmable versions are a mainstay in the Real Street class these days-and a matching HVC coil (PN 8252). Though we stepped up the spark energy from 135 millijoules to 190 millijoules with the swap, the spark energy wasn't the problem. At least we know we have plenty in reserve now should we lean on the combination in the future.
After all the tweaking and...
After all the tweaking and tuning, it was time to tear it apart and put on the good stuff. Headlining the new gear is a set of JDC-prepped Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads featuring a special Real Street valve job. Knowing we had a stock block underneath, Rick resisted the urge to install some of his trick AFM valvesprings (PN AFHR15018; $119) on the prepped Twisted Wedges. Heads such as ours, with the valve job and stock Trick Flow springs, will set you back $1,250, or $151 more than untouched TWs from AFM. They appear worth the modest premium, as they picked up flow through 0.500 inch lift, well within the working lift range of the stock-style cam. Check out our sidebar (No Porting, More Flow) for the full specs.
AFM created quite a niche...
AFM created quite a niche by grinding camshafts that fit the NMRA's definition of a stock cam. The benefit of running one of these cams is accuracy. You might put different OEM cams on a Cam Doctor and come up with 10 different measurements, while the AFM cams are all said to deliver the same numbers. Those numbers are 277/277 inch lobe lift, 211/211 degrees of duration at 0.050 inch, and 115 degrees of lobe separation. These cams ensure you have the maximum lift and duration while still staying legal, and run you $279 each. As they have the factory 4 degrees of advance ground into them, Rick prefers to install them straight up, which is actually 4 degrees retarded, negating the ground-in advance.