Car Craft – October 2019

(Joyce) #1

8 CAR CRAFT OCTOBER 2019


HORSEPOWER!


1,300HP, 350CI LS
COPO CAMARO
Gary Wolkwitz / Califon, NJ
Factory-stock NHRA drag racing is back
in a big way with the Ford/Chevy/
Mopar contingents all represented. One
of the meanest of this new breed is the
COPO Camaro, which comes set up for
out-of-the-box, 8-second quarter-mile
passes. With an engine that’s rated by
the NHRA at “only” 580 hp, you might
wonder how this is possible. Well, we’ll
tell you.
The COPO Camaro just celebrated
its 50th anniversary, so it’s a program
that’s been around for a long time. In
the early naturally aspirated days, race
teams were able to ditch restrictive
stock intake and exhaust systems,
all in the name of increasing power.
Today, the same theory is alive and
well, but with one big difference:
boost.
New in 2019, the Camaro began
using a jackshaft-driven 2.65L
supercharger, courtesy of Magnuson
Superchargers. While quite potent in
naturally aspirated form, the 350ci LSX
engine really wakes up when boosted.
Race teams typically run more than
twice the amount of boost you’d see
on a pump-gas street car, as levels
above 16 psi are commonplace. When
you’re talking about a hot 10.9:1-com-
pression engine with a big cam to start
with, now you can see how the COPO
engine is able to nearly double its rated
output to the tune of 1,300 hp at the
flywheel in competition form. None of
this would happen, of course, without
tweaking from Mr2 Performance,
engine massaging from Barton Racing
Engines, owner Gary Wolkwitz, and
driver David Barton.
What makes the COPO engine even
cooler is that you don’t even have to
fork over the $100K-plus for a Camaro
to get one. GM and other retailers sell
a complete COPO engine package
complete with supercharger to the
tune of $35,000, which actually isn’t
bad for a computer-controlled engine
that can be hot-lapped at more than
1,000 hp. If you’re on the hunt for the
ultimate engine for your Pro Tour-
ing, street rod, or drag car, the COPO
engine may be what you’re looking for.

By Jason Sands /
Photos: Jason Sands

ASPIRATION
New for 2019, the COPO engine features
a 2.65L supercharger built by Magnuson
Performance. The highly efficient blower
draws air through a Magnuson 109mm
throttle body before compressing it to 16
psi and sending it through an integrated
intercooler that keeps intake tempera-
tures as low as 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
The exhaust side of the spectrum is
handled by American Racing Headers
with 2-inch primaries made out of 304
stainless steel.

CAMSHAFT AND VALVETRAIN
Perhaps the most work went into the camshaft and
valvetrain of the engine, as these parts were the key
in keeping the engine low-maintenance while still
being able to spin 8,000 rpm, pass after pass. The
cam is a steel hydraulic-roller that features 0.
inches of lift and 242 degrees of duration at 0.
inch on the intake and 257 degrees on the exhaust
side. This obsession with reliability continues
throughout the valvetrain, with Johnson hydraulic-
roller lifters,^3 ⁄ 8 -inch Trend Performance chromoly
pushrods, and 1.8:1 roller rockers. The last piece of the
puzzle is a set of Performance Springs Incorporated
Max Life beehive springs and steel retainers and
keepers from GM.

SHORT-BLOCK
GM knows the COPO engine isn’t cheap, so
pretty much the best of the best is crammed
inside the 350ci, supercharged engine. Starting
with a GM LSX block with steel main caps, the
bottom end is assembled with a 4340 Callies
Dragsonslayer double-keyed crankshaft, 4340
H-beam rods, Mahle 10.9:1 compression forged
pistons with coated skirts, and Clevite heat-
treated bearings. An ATI Super Damper bal-
ances things out.
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