This week in the shop we are making a Crate 350 Gm Block and Supercharging it!
Why?
There are a number of reasons. First, an efficient supercharger system can produce yesterday's musclecar performance using today's low-octane gasoline, with exceptional reliability and minimal impact upon fuel economy. Second, superchargers have developed to the point that they are easy to install and simple to maintain, especially when compared to pulling, rebuilding and fine-tuning an engine. Finally, unlike nitrous oxide, which requires frequent repurchase of fuel, once a supercharger is installed there is no more expense or hassle associated with performance. In short, supercharging delivers exceptional performance with little of the hassles traditionally associated with high performance. Centrifugal supercharging is the only way to make a reliable 500, 600, 700+ horsepower on otherwise stock, daily driven V-8's.
How does it work?
Superchargers achieve performance gains by increasing the density of the air/fuel charge within the combustion chambers of an engine. This increase in density is achieved by forcing additional amounts of air (beyond the amount of air that normal atmospheric pressure would force into the engine) at the lowest temperature possible. CFM measures the volume of air that an engine is flowing, while MAF (mass air flow) also factors in the temperature of the air charge, since a cooler charge is more dense and therefore more powerful. So in more technical terms, supercharging increases both the volumetric efficiency of the engine and the mass air flow through the engine to produce gains in both horsepower and torque.
Install point of view from Intern Dalton!!
Today I put my first Super Charger into a Chevy 350 small block. At first I didn’t know how to even start , So when in doubt( RTFM) turn to the instruction manual . then went step by step till we ended up with killer looking engine ready to drop intp next shop project . It was super easy so get yourself one and drop it in to your ride . Looks really cool and put s some crazy power to the rubber on the road !!
