Magazine about Duke Walker`s Engine

TECH
Stepping it up
FROM N/A TO SPRAY
FUELAB
We knew FUELAB made some nice parts, so we
weren’t surprised how sharp everything looked.
Walker chose to have them anodized in blue, but
there are quite a few custom colors available.
Written by Jake Amatisto
Behind the Lens: The Author
& Scott Sparrow
the
411
4The engine in question
is fairly simple 383
small-block with AFR
G
reat appearance and function are two things
that everyone wants from their
muscle car. Constantly upgrading and
improving our projects is part of the fun of this
hobby/sport/lifestyle of ours and not leaving well
enough alone is something all gearheads are guilty
of. But we can’t help it; even if the car is running
fine, we always find ways to make it run better than
just fine. Quicker acceleration is probably the most
desired when it comes to goals we have for our
cars, but overall speed isn’t the only thing we look
to improve.
A few months ago while hanging around Mark
Rapp’s shop in Huntington Beach, we noticed a very
cool Nova with nasty sounding small-block was
getting some work done. Although the car had run
high nines in the quarter-mile before, the owner Duke
Walker was looking into going a bit faster. Under the
383 Small-Block
210 heads and about 13.1
compression. You’ll also
notice he runs a Pro
Systems carburetor and a
Star Vacuum Pump
setup. This combo is
good for high 9-second
times on motor.
4Here’s a shot of the car,
Duke Walker’s Nova
“Bandit.” Walker heroically
drives his Nova with one
arm since he’s got
limited-to-no function in
one of them. His license
plate reads: 1RBANDIT
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November 2010
1RBANDIT
hood is a Rapp Racing 383 small-block Chevy with AFR
210 Eliminator heads and about 13:1 compression,
good enough for wheels up launches and 9-second
slips. But of course, the addiction to his own adrenalin
ate away at Walker’s mind until only one solution
remained: convert the car to run liquid power, nitrous
oxide. “The car ran great on motor, but I’ve always
wanted to try nitrous,” Walker said. Walker bracket
races his Nova too, so for him running consistently is
just as important as going fast. Nitrous is known for its
hard hitting power and not really its consistency,
luckily there were some new nitrous gadgets available
FUELAB is a fuel system
company that offers some
very trick components.
TECH
Stepping it up
FROM N/A TO SPRAY
The Blackout kit is mostly
about style, but that’s
definitely important when
building a badass car.
that help this area. After hearing his plans, we decided
to follow this transformation from an all-motor
monster to a nitrous gulping Mustang eater.
One area Rapp wanted to improve on this car before
installing the nitrous system was the fuel delivery.
Before installing nitrous on any car, you should always
first make sure there’s an adequate fuel supply to
support it. The single, worn out “black” pump from the
1990s in the trunk wasn’t in any condition to handle
the increased demand with the nitrous turned on, so
Rapp looked into a whole new fuel system before
tackling the nitrous. To feed the beast we called the
pump experts at FUELAB who suggested one of their
Prodigy in-line pump and filters for carbureted
applications (PN 41403). FUELAB is a fuel system
company that offers some very trick components for
the power-hungry and specifically, the pumps have
some pretty unique features. They are built with an
internal speed control for variable flow operation,
which means you don’t need any type of external
modules to vary pump speeds (great for powerful
Go With the Flow
Pump Features:
• Compatible with gasoline, diesel,
methanol, and ethanol
• High efficiency sling vane positive
displacment pump
• Special housing shape for extremely quite
operation and steady pressure
• Carbon 9-vane construction with pressure
balanced rotor for high reliability
• Backed by a 2-year limited warranty
Electronic Features:
• Internal speed controller for variable
flow operation
• 12 to 16 volt vehicle electrical
system compatibility
• Accepts PWM input for speed control
• No expensive add-on voltage regulators
or pump controllers required!
• Continuous duty–motor speed can be
adjusted for street or strip fuel demand
Motor Features:
• Lightweight super-efficient dc brushless
motor reduces current draw
• Low mass rotor for high-speed reaction
to changes in speed and flow
• Powerful high flux density Neodymium
rare earth magnets
• No motor brushes to wear out or corrode
(low-Sulfur diesel, no problem)
• Wet motor design, no dynamic shaft seals
that can wear out
Construction Features:
• Compact, lightweight design, less than 3 lbs,
overall length 6.9", diameter 2.63"
• Billet Aluminum Construction with anodize
per MIL-A-8625, Type II
• High quality mounting brackets included
• Long-life, multi-fuel compatible Fluorosilicone
static seals
• Accepts standard or port style—10AN fittings
Perimeter Plate
the
411
4The perimeter plate
from ZEX is known as one
of the higher flowing
plates available and its
perimeter design provides
superb distribution.
4We really liked the look
Blackout Kit
of the hoses that come in
the Blackout kit. It’s a
simple change from the
norm, but they really
look trick.
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TECH
Stepping it up
FROM N/A TO SPRAY
ZEX’s Blackout Nitrous System
Features & Benefits:
• Black powder-coated bottle, plates and fittings
along with carbon fiber-look hoses
• Features Active Fuel Control™ and throttlebywire compatible electronic TPS switch
• Carbureted and EFI kits available
• Smoothes out distribution of nitrous and fuel
• Kits include tuning jets, fuel tap fittings,
solenoids, filters and all necessary hardware
• Full adjustability to power level you desire
Dual Bottle Bracket
the
411
4The first thing on the
agenda was to install
the dual bottle
bracket.
We opted for duals for
less pressure drop
during a pass.
street cars). They are also designed to be brushless so
they don’t to wear out or corrode like older designs.
Another thing we thought was cool about the FUELAB
stuff is each component is serialized and the pump
comes with its own flow performance certifications. To
compliment the nitrous system, FUELAB also sent a trio
of regulators to try, two of which came with some
high-end gauges.
When it came to the nitrous system on Walker’s
Nova, ZEX stepped up with a few of their products. The
“Blackout” nitrous system is one of ZEX’s newest and
comes with their patented perimeter nitrous plate. The
Blackout kit is mostly about style, but that’s definitely
important when building a badass car. The kit comes
with an all-black powder-coated bottle, plate, fittings
and carbon fiber-look hoses. Walker also opted for a
dual bottle setup as well. As you run down the quarter
mile with a single bottle, the pressure can drop
rapidly depending on jetting, with dual 10 lb. bottles
you get more consistency because the variations in
pressure isn’t as extreme and you also have more
usable power throughout the entire run, whereas a
single bottle tends to drop off at the top end. To help
keep the bottles at the correct temperature, Rapp
installed a pair of bottle heaters from ZEX as well and
unlike other heaters that only have one mode, the ZEX
versions actually function using a pressure control
switch. It allows the user to “tune” the bottle pressure.
We noticed a very cool Nova
with nasty sounding small-block.
4There were some
clearance issues with the
carb spacer so Mark
Rapp had to mill it down
for everything to
fit properly.
4With the nitrous plate
in place, Rapp hung the
solenoids using a nifty
aluminum bracket. Note
the aluminum spacer
under the nitrous solenoid,
a cool custom detail.
86
November 2010
Carb Spacer
Solenoids
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TECH
Stepping it up
FROM N/A TO SPRAY
MSD 2-Step
Bottle Heaters
These aren’t your ordinary bottle heaters, these are magic. Well, not really, they are just controlled by a
pressure control switch that allows you to “tune” the pressure.
In addition to the adjustability, ZEX’s design features a
240-watt element, one of the only heaters to utilize
this. The high power heater means you can heat up
bottles in a jiffy.
Rapp Racing was responsible for the transmogrification of Walker’s Nova and we noticed he applied a
To compliment the nitrous
system, FUELAB also sent
a trio of regulators.
couple custom items to the build. “We mounted the
dual-bottle bracket in the passenger seat, made the
blow-down tubes, and you’ll notice I made a bracket
to hold the 2-step and some of the wiring,” Rapp said.
“I had to also convert his fuel cell to a -10 fitting, and
also put a roll over valve on it since it didn’t have one
before,” he said. With the fuel system upgraded and
nitrous ready to rock, we asked Rapp what his
tune-up plans were. “We’re going to start really light
with the nitrous, with a 100 shot and go from there,”
Rapp said, “The car already carries the wheels nicely,
we’ll have to be careful we don’t put it on the
bumper.” When asked how fast it will go with the
nitrous, Rapp explained, “Well, the engine isn’t really
setup for nitrous, so we’re already talking about
changing some things about it over the winter.” With
high 9s being the norm for this ride in N/A form,
imagine what a little spray could do, we think this will
be a 8-second ride for sure. “After he gets used to the
small jets, we’ll creep up on it, but we really want to
make it a more nitrous-friendly combination, then
he’ll really haul ass,” Rapp concluded. Look for a follow
up article on Walker’s performance gains with the
juice in an upcoming issue of FSC. g
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411
Blowdown
S
O
U
FUELAB
217.324.3734
fuelab.com
ZEX Nitrous
888.817.1008
zex.com
Rapp Racing Engines
714.842.7300
rappracingengines.com
MSD Ignition
915.855.7123
msdignition.com
FUELAB Filters
Air Flow Research
877.892.8844
airflowresearch.com
R
C
E
4Under the car, the
FUELAB filters and
pump hang nicely using
the supplied t-bolt clamps.
The pump is designed to
be a high-flow, lowpressure solution for most
carbueted applications.
When turned all the way
up it flows 200 GPH.
4An MSD 2-step
box (used as a nitrous
retard) and Digi-Set was
also wired up by Rapp.
4Because the bottles
sit in the driver’s
compartment,
blowdown tubes were
in order. Rapp used some
Red Horse 180-degree
pieces to direct the
pressure in the event of
valve failure.
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