Engine Dyno time

UTfball68

UTfball68

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
Location
Granite Quarry
I think I'm pissing in the wind here, but figured I'd throw it out anyway. In the name of science and technical detail, I'll be doing some engine building/assembling/swapping over the next couple months. I have a stock 77 351M, stock 71 400, mild 77 400, built 79 400, stock 1970 460 (that I'll be building), stock 74 460 and a stock 79 460. I have stacks of different intakes, carbs, headers, heads, cams, cranks and pistons for each engine. Sorry, I'm a Ford guy, and these are always hot topics on Ford forums and magazines. Would be a good submission for True Blue Trucks and/or Bronco Driver. I thought would be cool to do a play by play of power difference with each add on or swap. Theoretically, I could see this being a $100k experiment since I don't own a dyno...haha. I'd like to have something more tangible than just a desk top dyno. Thoughts, ideas or suggestions???
 
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Well I have all the stuff sitting in the garage, vehicles, barns, etc. I'm a hoarder and pick up good deals as I come across them. So the only true expense would be the dyno time. I know there's no such thing as cheap dyno time, but didn't know if someone might have any ideas...if it's not feasible, guess I'll just do one engine at a time and do a beginning/ending number.
 
Buy or build an engine dyno. None of those engines are going to be making any extreme amounts of power. If you were just swapping carbs and intakes it would be no big deal to rent a couple hours of dyno time but what you're talking about is long term stuff.
 
braxton357 said:
Buy or build an engine dyno. None of those engines are going to be making any extreme amounts of power. If you were just swapping carbs and intakes it would be no big deal to rent a couple hours of dyno time but what you're talking about is long term stuff.
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Well not just carbs and stuff. The pre-72 stuff is in excess of 10.5:1 while later 70's is 8.5:1, and the impact these swaps have in each scenario. Factory pistons vs flat tops, and dished. Factory intake vs dual plane vs single. Stock heads vs worked stockers 2v and 4v vs factory 'performance' vs cheapy aluminums, etc etc. Small lift flat tappets vs roller set ups vs larger lift cams. I have shelves full unopened parts I've just accumulated over the years. Just thought it would be cool to see the difference between a stock 400 head vs a worked 400 head vs a set of aussies vs a set of CHI's or a comp DEH255 vs DEH265 vs XE262 vs 268h. Swap out a crank and see what happens and progressively increase compression with piston selections. You get the point...essentially the steps going from a 150hp engine to a 5-600hp engine. Figured it was a pipe dream to get that kind of dyno time/access, but always thought it would be cool to be able to put real world numbers to adjustments from stockers to strokers.


6BangBronk said:
http://jalopnik.com/5807502/how-to-build-your-own-dyno-for-just-2000/

I'm with the others. Dyno time can be $100-$200/hr if not more??? Fine for 1 motor. Not for 10... Especially when swapping intakes and such.
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Yeah...last few I've done have been $3-500 for about a half dozen pulls each. Thanks for the article.
 
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you're better to find a 2wd mule truck with a nice trans and rear end, some slicks, and have fun at the local dragstrip with the different setups.

Wholeheartedly, no engine builder with a dyno is going to want to devote time to the idea.
 
Yeah...didn't think so. At the end of the day, I just know a lot of dynos go unused the majority of the time, so figured something was better than nothing...but I suppose there are all sorts of liability issues if they're not the ones operating. But with my involvement in the 73-79 ford truck forums, facebook pages, magazines, etc...I thought it might make for a good tech session. Top questions I get are around engine builds. And ultimately, this 460 ford thread was the inspiration, just wanted to take it a step further with tangible proof:

http://www.460ford.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119213
 
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If you're gonna invest that much money ($100K??? Or it that a typo?) I'd be DAMN SURE, to MAKE SURE I had an outline of every option you plan to test and that it's something worth comparing. You get that many favors into a equation and you could end up with nothing but a bunch of junk information that does no real good to anyone.

Then ask yourself, is this information already out there? Has anyone ever dyno'd X engine with X mods? No since in wasting your money if the knowledge is already out there.
 
That's what I was asking...at $100-200/hr I could see it running that high...I'm not paying that. Like I said, just a pipe dream. I used to know a guy in China Grove, that had an old auto shop, had an old dyno in it...after he retired, he kept the building, I had carte blanche with it in high school. Gave him a couple hundred a week, some times he stopped by and we chatted, other times I was on my own. He's been dead few years now and the building stripped. Ultimately, I guess that's what I was looking for to play around in for a few months.
 
UTfball68 said:
Yeah...didn't think so. At the end of the day, I just know a lot of dynos go unused the majority of the time, so figured something was better than nothing...but I suppose there are all sorts of liability issues if they're not the ones operating. But with my involvement in the 73-79 ford truck forums, facebook pages, magazines, etc...I thought it might make for a good tech session. Top questions I get are around engine builds. And ultimately, this 460 ford thread was the inspiration, just wanted to take it a step further with tangible proof:

http://www.460ford.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119213
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You've gotta realize that shops like this get a guy a week using the "I'll make you famous if you give me something free" line. Why not invest in an engine dyno yourself and sell time to other people/build engines for others?
 
I do understand...and not really what I was after. And the reason I don't is because I'm in financial aerospace acquisitions by trade, not auto mechanics. Like I said, pissing in the wind, and probably just a pipe dream...just wasn't sure if someone knew somebody with an old abandoned garage with dyno equipment that wanted to make a couple grand a month instead of nothing. I figure you have to ask the question if you want to try to get the answer you're looking for. If it's not possible, that's cool...but I've already gotten a couple 'I may know somebody' texts.
 
Or dig around and see if you can find an engine dyno used, do your thing for 6-12 months, and resell it when done.
 
I will contest that no 2 engines are equal. Same cam, same bore, same stroke all makes no difference. It's the lime vs. lemon contest. I just got through beating a 302 in a truck to death to run and gave up. so I drop another engine being the exact same setup in it and it can't be buried now. Drove it to work today for second time working the bugs out and it absolutely screams compared to the other 302 I pulled? I'm down to an exhaust leak and it's good to go, I think?
There's so many variables in a motor. Every bearing, every oil passage, every torqued nut, ports, even gasket thicknesses make a difference. I can definitely see your intrigue to what works and what don't. But I think your issue is too many motors and not enough vehicles.:lol:

I like the drag strip idea. All these motors do share the same bell housing. And I've got pulling a motor and installing down to a easy 2 day event in a typical old ford carbureted truck.

But then again, I haven't heard anyone on here offering a dyno? May be your calling man? Ben's dyno service...
 
I definitely understand that...obviously, we're talking fresh engines here...and not the double digit hp M I pulled from my Bronco...haha. But an outline or guide, none the less. Like I said, something similar to the link I posted above, for all the newblets that always wanna know what kinda barn burner they'll have on their hands with a 4bbl swap, or even some of the more experiences guys that wanna see the difference between a set of ported d0ves vs TF streets vs Blue Thunders. But I've had and seen enough offers on this page where guys offer their services of parts/material cost, just to see something done...that I figured I'd toss it out there.

And seriously??? 2 days??? Your beer ratio must be pretty good...haha. For an auto trans truck that I'm not swapping...front clip off, old engine out, new engine towers in, new engine off the stand in the truck, test fire, front clip back on and ready to roll...I'm typically 4-6 hours on a 73-79 ford truck. If I am swapping autos, add 2 weeks of cussing trying to get the cross member out before I just cut it. On a manual truck, add about 6 more weeks to that because I can never seem to get the right pilot or flywheel.

Ben's dyno...I like the sounds of that...wanna loan me 50k???
 
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