Examining The Deck Plate, Long Rod And Stock Deck, Short Rod Approaches To Big Displacement Honda Power
One might find a naturally aspirated engine build-up story in a magazine labeled Turbo & High-Tech Performance odd, but in an industry dominated by the Honda market it's our duty to illustrate the high-tech side of naturally aspirated Honda performance.
In a recent Honda build-up story, we explored the advantages of adding deck space to increase the rod length in a B-Series engine. While this seems to be the latest craze in all-motor performance, a question came up in a conversation-is a deck-plate necessary? What does it take to make power? Horsepower vs. torque, high rpm vs. low-end power, long rod vs. short rod and so on and so fourth.
These interesting questions spawned even more and the outline of a story materialized. This all comes down to engine theory and an engine builder's beliefs. Before you start flooding our e-mail systems with your thoughts, remember that this is an evaluation of the differences between the two modes of thinking and where minds clash, controversy soon follows. It is not an exercise to prove or disprove any theory, just understand each in a common context on an OHC engine. It is also not a strictly Honda-only issue, as all theories discussed here are transferable to any OHC powerplant.
For some time, we have wanted to do an engine build comparison but could not figure out a way to strike the perfect chord with our readers-until now. After months of preparation, we have gone to some of the best in the import and domestic business. Managing the engine building and machining is Dan Benson of Benson Machine. Cylinder head manipulation will be handled by Bill Craddock from BCE Racing Heads, while Tony Ramos of JE Pistons and Brian Crower of Crower Cams and Equipment Inc. are handling parts development. Here is a quick background on the men behind the motors and their opinions concerning these displacement increasing methods.
Dan Benson is the man who revolutionized the strength of the Honda block by replacing the inferior Honda cylinder sleeves with ductile iron replacements capable of taking on boost pressures in the 30-plus psi range. His work can be seen in some of the fastest racers that include Stephan Papadakis and Lisa Kubo.
Bill Craddock is known for his extensive knowledge of Mitsubishi and Honda cylinder head technology. Bill's list of racers is widely known and he has been involved in many high-horsepower street cars. Lanny Higa ran deep into the 10-second zone in street trim, while others were in full race trim to equal his e.t.s. We're talking full interior, with no weight reduction. John Shepherd's Eclipse turbo is another one of Bill's creations. This vehicle dominates the East Coast, laying down 9-second times on street tires. A few more big-name racers supporting BCE product are Stephan Papadakis, Shaun Carlson, Mike Simon and Len Monserrat.
Crower Cams and Equipment is another industry leader in the import market. You can guarantee that all the top racers have started with or are currently running Crower rods. Now the company is on a roll helping to develop even more import cylinder head parts.