REC Seminar content'

[David Vizard]

Race Engine Challenge – what’s different between the Engine Masters Challenge and Greg Finnican’s REC. Although they seek to achieve a similar goal the way this is approached is very much different. The result is a much more entrant friendly competition.

The most significant factor is that the rules are strongly shaped by potential entrants and a substantial number of top motorsports experts (and there are plenty of those around Charlotte) Greg’s position here is to act as the referee and as such he has the final say on the rule making. The 2018 REC showed that this approach had plenty of approval among entrants. The result is all the benefits of a talented committee plus a team leader with great managerial talent.

A rule I strongly favored as is that the REC’s engine spec would not change from year to year so a contestant who does not have the available time/manpower to research and build an engine in 8 or so months can work on an entry for as much as 20 months. That made it possible for me to enter. Another ruling that I really like is that the entrants themselves are also the judges. There’s more but I am sure you are getting the picture here.

What Greg does not have is the big sponsorship financial backing and the media publicity infrastructure that the EMC has.

With a truly excellent dyno facility (Greg’s toy – I guess being a highly successful business realtor really pays off) which is being continually updated is the ability to test engines to within fine limits is top notch. So is the location. Charlotte being a major motorsports hub. The list of pluses goes on but it was not my intent to go through every detail here but to make sure you had at least a passing clue that this was not the same deal as EMC but differed in a great number of respects all of which contribute toward moving it well into the ‘user friendly’ zone.

To help forward Greg’s ambitions here I will be doing a big seminar on the Friday. It will be an hour during the late morning and about three to four hours in the late afternoon/evening. It will be open to non-competing attendees and of course any REC competitors that may want to attend.

If you are coming to the REC as a non-competitor but to experience the action and attend the numerous seminars there is an attendee fee. I think it is about $175. However, if you are attending my seminar, I am giving away two very advanced computer programs. One is a cylinder head program that coaches the user to port the head/s into certain highly defined performance parameters. When this is achieved the debate over whether or not the heads will work on the dyno becomes virtually redundant. In other words, it coaches a beginner into an expert about first time around so long as the die grinding skills are there.

Although I have been told that, for those who are not winning championships etc , that the program is near priceless tool it normally retails for about $150. This lunch break seminar session is basically a tutorial on how to use the program as it is nothing like any other head program out there.

Now for many the IOP porting program will be something of an eye opener. If you fell into that group then the evening session with the TorqueMaster cam selection program will really blow your mind.

This cam program is super accurate – 98% of the time it will compute a cam spec as accurate as the final cam from a very well tested chain of dyno test cams. It will reduce days of work down to literally minutes.

The way TorqueMaster determines the cam the engine needs is to tackle the problem from both ends of the job. The first step is to enter the very basic architecture/spec of the engine you think you want to build. This requires just eleven initial inputs as per the following: - bore, stroke, rod length, intake and exhaust valve sizes, CR, and required peak power rpm and provisional intake and exhaust rocker ratio’s. In addition to this the programs also calls for the induction track length – plenum to intake valve. The last request that needs to be specified is the application as seen in the yellow bar in the lower middle of the screen.

Once these basic parameters are specified the next job is to hit the ‘Calculate’ button. That will cause the yellow result boxes to be filled as per the second screen shot below.

So what do you get from the output screen? Just check out the list below.

LCA, intake and exhaust duration and overlap for starters. Next comes a computed cam advance for this engine spec -not just the generic 4 degrees normally given out. This is followed by the intake centerline the cam should be set too in the engine. Next minimum valve lifts and (this is a winner for street and vacuum constrained race motors) the idle vacuum are shown.

Top of the next column is the dynamic CR. The program will tell you what to target and advise what to do to the input spec to get it where it should be. In this case 8/1 was the target so the build could run premium gas station fuel. This 8/1 will, as the next box shows generate 204 PSI cranking pressure.

The next two boxes down show peak power and torque. These figures are normally within +/- 7. By changing the input specs, you can see what fine tuning does to the output. In other words, you can ‘reverse engineer’ the spec to get the best combination for whatever the application constraints are.

Next on the list is some very important data. The program will tell you the required CFM head flow and intake runner volume to achieve the calculated output. In the example here it is calling for 289 cfm from a 204 cc port for our SBC build. Next box is an input of the intake length done during the initial engine specing. Here you are required to put in the induction tract length. Allowing the fact that a change in this length means a change in manifold means that to get the induction length somewhere right you will need to juggle the peak power rpm so it is close to the intake tuned length rpm shown in the box below.

This intake length function is a very handy tool to prevent a total cam rpm and intake rpm mismatch. Such a miss-match can easily cost 30 to 50 hp but is rarely addressed by other cam selection programs and, as often as not, even cam selection experts relying on experience.

OK so now we have a cam spec – what now? Well the data bank has about 550 flat tappet SBC cams in it. Next question. How long will it take you and a stack of profile sheets find lobes that fits the spec? this is usually a half hour job minimum. With TorqueMaster it takes about 90 seconds to come up with the best part number required.

If this was all the program did then it is already outpacing anything out there but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The second data bank will find the required cylinder head with part number. The third will find the rockers that best meet the requirements. This unique data bank has the real ratio’s at the opening point, TDC and full lift along with the real world ratios and how they change as lift progresses. Next comes detailed data banks for springs, lifters, pushrods, intake manifolds, carb and carb sizes needed and so on. This is all with the part numbers so you don’t have to go searching for them. In all Torque Master will allow you to spec out an entire performance engine to very high standards. Take a look at the output curves of motor below. That shows a first time around Torque Master build that could be done at home by any competent engine assembler.
So, will shelling out the $175 to attend REC be worth your while? I think definitely so as you will not only get my two programs free but additionally access to some of the country’s top engine intellects.

DV

[RevTheory]

That's a trip I'm hoping to make this year.

[Walter R. Malik]

David, although I am not in accordance with all of what you say, I will admit it is "mind teasing" and makes a person really think. I am probably not in accordance with what anyone says, for that matter; except maybe Ben Franklin.

It is surely true that you can't hear much while you're talking so, I will certainly have my ears on while being there.
My goal through life has been to learn at least one new useful thing every day.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

[David Vizard]

David, although I am not in accordance with all of what you say, I will admit it is "mind teasing" and makes a person really think. I am probably not in accordance with what anyone says, for that matter; except maybe Ben Franklin.

It is surely true that you can't hear much while you're talking so, I will certainly have my ears on while being there.
My goal through life has been to learn at least one new useful thing every day.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Walter,
As far as I am concerned you will be a top VIP attendee. I have learned a lot of Ford stuff from all the tips you have sprinkled throughout your many posting - for that I am indebted -thank you very much.
DV

[David Vizard]

Latest update on TorqueMaster program. It now will print out a cam card sheet.
DV

[Dragsinger]

David, does the program select drag race roller cams?

[David Vizard]

David, does the program select drag race roller cams?

For the SBC the total # of cams of each sort is well over 2200.

The cam details allow far more decision influencing factors than just the normal duration numbers and lobe lifts.
I am up to my butt in alligators at present with medical appointments but I will see if i can do a detailed description of lobe selection tomorrow.





DV

[Dragsinger]

Is the cam program available for sale without attendance?

[David Vizard]

Is the cam program available for sale without attendance?

Yes,
Go to our web site davidvizardperformanceseminars.com and contact Marvin on:- PHONE : 865-850-0666 or
E-MAIL :- MARVINGVX@GMAIL.COM

Tell him you are an ST memeber and you could be inline for a sizable discount.
DV

[GARY C]

David, did you do the 4 valve version you were working on or is it incorporated in this new version?

[Boz-Race Engines]

Hi DV, I have tried to contact Marvin many times via email to purchase the program to no avail, I would love to try this program.

[David Vizard]

Hi DV, I have tried to contact Marvin many times via email to purchase the program to no avail, I would love to try this program.

Boz,
I have just forwarded this to Marvin to take care of.
DV

[RevTheory]

Do previous versions get updated? Marvin hasn't responded to me, either.

[Boz-Race Engines]

thanks David, hope your doing well,

[Boz-Race Engines]

Hi DV does the program do .050 duration figures also? cheers