The build-off always starts off as a friendly staffer competition, but as the builds get closer to being complete, it boggles me how my cell phone will start ringing completely off the hook. What's he planning? How far is he into the build? Have you heard any dyno numbers yet? And believe me, the questions go on and on. It's not to say that this is a terrible thing; it's actually nice to have two guys who are being gung ho and making an attempt for bragging rights-at least until the next friendly shootout.
This month, we wanted to see how a small-block would fare against a big-block with a strict $6,500 budget. Right off the bat, everyone involved was saying that the big-block would trounce all over its little brother. However, it's all relative and really depends on the type of performance you're expecting and the chassis you plan to mate it to. Personally, I'm more of a big-block kind of guy so that should tell you who I was cheering for. Still, I have to admit that the small-block did a great job of letting all of us know it wouldn't go down without a fight.
If you want my personal opinion, both builds were created by thinking outside the box and presented incredible packages that can easily be replicated. That's right, we didn't stumble across a lucky bottom-end score through the classifieds, nor did we just happen to have a set of ported heads lying around to make budget. What you see is what you get, and should you want to follow suit, we've listed every single part number along with its cost.
You've seen what we did-and are about to see the final dyno numbers, so let me leave you with the following question: Given the same opportunity, what would you have done different? What combination would you have built? E-mail your thoughts and build specs to me at chevyhi@primedia.com. -Henry D
John's Engine
JMS Racing Engines 505ci Big-Block
Let's face facts, friends: $6,500 isn't a lot of dough with which to build a big-block, not to mention something with some decent performance numbers. Actually, I was looking for better than decent. A big-block has big advantages, but I'd have been nuts to dismiss my Mouse motor opponent. And so the crux of the issue quickly arose: Where would our money be best spent?
 As we're sure you've already...  As we're sure you've already noticed, we also put some stroke in our big-block contestant. Sal Alcarez of JMS Racing Engines, who handled our block prep, took a moment to point out that the cast-in clearance is just enough for the rod bolt to pass. This small cut was all it took to make room for our new 6.385-inch arms. |  Why a 505ci build, you may...  Why a 505ci build, you may ask. For starters, it was a good way to make use of the 0.060-over, two-bolt main core we had on hand. The block must be sonically checked to make sure it's sound enough to handle the extra bore without breaking into a water jacket. Ours was, so we went for it. |  Moving on with the assembly,...  Moving on with the assembly, JMS' Jeff Johnson began by driving in our new cam bearings. The hole in the bearing shell must line up with the oil gallery passage, since there's no oiling groove in a MK IV big-block. |