170 STREET MACHINE
MILL OF THE MONTH
STORY SIMON MAJOR PHOTOS SHAUN TANNERI
F THE Transformers’ Optimus Prime
chose to morph into a tough-arsed street
engine, I reckon you’d be looking at it.
Sure, ol’ Optimus needs the wholesome
business end you’d expect from 572 cubes
of Chrysler Hemi, but he’s a robot who also
loves a splash of bling, and this gorgeous
all-alloy, Six-Pack-equipped Mopar monster
being built by Con Sagiaris at Pro Race
Engines fits the bill perfectly.
That droolworthy aluminium World-brand
block features a raised cam tunnel and is
filled with the best of the best, including
a 4.5-inch-stroke Eagle steel crank, 7.1-
inch Eagle H-beam rods and custom Ross
4.5-inch-bore pistons to create a dead-
square reciprocating assembly.
A Comp hydraulic-roller cam and Crower
roller lifters team with Jet Engineering pushrods
and dead-sexy Stage V rocker gear to activate
the Manley valves and Comp valve springs
nestled in alloy Stage V cylinder heads.
This modern spec of such a revered engine
family retains some old-school heritage in theform of a Six-Pack carburettor set-up. A central
355cfm Holley two-barrel is employed for light
throttle, but when the loud pedal is mashed,
Satan is summoned via two vacuum-operated
500cfm two-barrels mounted fore and aft.
“With a 98-octane-friendly 11.5:1
compression ratio, we’re aiming for
over 700hp,” Con explains. “This engine
combination must be low-maintenance and
have good street manners for its intended
application, so that horsepower will be
reliable and user-friendly.”
The intended application is an
equally gorgeous purple 1970
Dodge Charger owned by
Yankee car aficionado Peter
Mikelat – we featured his
pink Hemi-powered ’72
’Cuda in SM, Jan ’17. Peter is
a bloke who loves to get out
and drive his cars, so you’ll be
sure to see this perfect pairing
at the local Melbourne hotspots
in the not-to-distant future. s572 CI ALLOY HEMI
SIX-PACK
PRO RACE ENGINES, NOBLE PARK, VICTORIA
170 STREET MACHINE
HEMI HEAVEN:
Looking deliciously top-heavy, those
calling-card Hemi tappet covers befit the
572 cubes on offer, and this package is
being built specifically for reliable street
bruising. With an 11.5:1 compression
ratio, the Six-Pack carb set-up will be
98-octane-friendly, while the CVF billet
accessory drive and 2.25in-primary TTI
four-into-one headers will help nestle
this mechanical behemoth neatly into the
engine bay of a B-body ’70 Dodge Charger