[eschaider]

Engine power is directly related to air mass processed by the engine per unit time. In round numbers, it takes 10 lbs of air per minute or 600 lbs of air per hour at STP (standard temperature and pressure) to produce 100 HP.

Once you have settled on the engine displacement, power production is directly related to how completely you fill those cylinders and what RPM you test the engine at, i.e. how much air you process — period!

If you have inadequate heads that choke off the airflow at some rpm, then that is where the torque begins to fade. If you have adequate heads but the wrong cam, wherever that cam runs out of steam, so too does your engine.

Until you go to a boosted engine, you are pretty much stuck with the above metrics and power model.

You can play with some engine metrics, such as squish, compression, timing, etc., for optimization, but the big enchilada is the displacement and the pounds of air per minute that the mechanism can process.

When you start chasing specialty length rods and other interesting but ineffective BS power enhancements, you are just wasting time and money. If you want to waste money, at least do it creatively. Use the small block with the four 427 bores at the center and the depleted uranium superalloy rods at the front of the engine. They not only protect the driver's feet up there, but they also produce a nice soft blue glow, making it easier to find your car in the pits at night races.

If you think the 427/347 engine is stupid (with or without the depleted uranium alloy rods), then you should run as fast as you can from all the trick rod/stroke/crank BS the internet regularly dumps in our heads to either sound smart or sell parts you don't need.

Brent is telling the straight story; it is worth paying attention to! You will have a better-performing engine, spend less money, and have a happier experience!