and 114-degree LSA. The cam was combined with a new set of solid roller lifters, hardened pushrods, and Crane 1.73:1 (BBF) roller rockers. To provide adequate flow for the solid roller cam we installed a set of ProMaxx aluminum heads. These heads featured 340cc intake ports, a 2.30/1.88 stainless (back-cut and swirl polished) valve combo, and 122cc combustion chambers. Thanks to full CNC porting, the intake ports checked in with 412 cfm at 0.900 lift (according to their own flow testing). Having previously exceeded 800 hp with these heads on a wilder 572 stroker, we knew they were more than adequate for our “little” 496. The final of our three major power producers was the single-plane Super Victor intake from Edelbrock. To ensure our stroker had plenty of air and fuel the intake was combined with a Holley 1050 Ultra Dominator carburetor. While we had the major components taken care of, we added the equally important subsystems to the stroker to make it run, including a billet distributor from MSD, an SFI-approved damper and fabricated valve covers from Speedmaster, and a rock-solid oiling system. The ProMaxx aluminum heads were secured using a set of ARP head bolts and MLS head gaskets from Fel-Pro. We made sure to have the surface finish on the block and heads correct for use with the MLS gaskets. After a few break-in cycles using Lucas break-in oil we started tuning the big-block combo. Dialing in the Holley carb took all of one jet change, it was nearly perfect right out of the box. After running timing sweeps up to 40 degrees (it ran best at 37 degrees), the big-block pumped out 677 hp at 6,400 rpm and 591 lb-ft of torque at 5,300 rpm. We were plenty happy with the power output, especially since we didn’t go whole hog on a wild cam profile or jack up the static compression. The big-block stroker was plenty stout in naturally aspirated form but things were about to get even more impressive. The first of our power-adders was an NOS Cheater nitrous system. The carbureted plate system featured a nitrous plate to deliver the nitrous and fuel, a pair of solenoids to deliver said components to the plate, and
adjustable jetting to determine just how much to supply. The kit also featured a 10-pound bottle, arming and activation switches, and all the necessary mounting hardware and lines. We removed the carburetor and quickly installed the nitrous kit. After installation of the jetting to provide an additional 150 hp, we filled and heated the bottle (the bottle is shipped empty) then hooked up the requisite fuel lines. With everything
ready, we ran the big-block once again and were rewarded with 859 hp and 769 lb-ft of torque. With careful tuning, the 150hp shot improved the power output by 182 hp. We made sure to dial the total timing back per the instructions, but went just 4 degrees instead of the recommended 6. Adding a splash of 100-octane race fuel to the 91-octane unleaded gave us the extra margin of safety.