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This 1923 T-Bucket isn’t nicknamed “Widow Maker” for nothing. The guys at Prestige Motorsports had a specific agenda to fill for this build.
This custom painted ’23 T-Bucket nicknamed “Widow Maker” gets a 632ci face lift.
“It’s not a race engine,” says the lead engine builder, known as Senior. “The customer has a T-Bucket and he wants two things: bragging rights with the most massive motor as you can physically see, and for it to look good. It is all about show.”
This custom built big block blower motor fit the bill. An aluminum block from Brodix forms the foundation for the 632 cubic inch monster.
“I think as far as their processes go, they are superior. Brodix offers a tough block, and as a company they are easy to deal with,” says Senior.
A 10.200-inch deck-height block stretches out just enough to fit the 4.750-inch stroke steel crankshaft from Callies, Oliver H-Beam rods, and custom pistons from JE inside. A large dish on the piston was needed to get compression down to 9.0:1. Strength was a concern for Senior.
“Being a 632 cubic inch blown application, they really had to do a good bit of work to get the pistons correct as far as strength and things of that nature,” he states. “That is why you don’t see a lot of them. It makes it complicated being a 632.”
JE’s new Nikasil plating was used on the ring lands to keep them from galling. Stainless steel rings seal off the combustion chambers. A solid roller camshaft was custom ground by Comp Cams to provide drivability and longevity while still meeting the demands of the engine.
A tall deck block from Brodix, a Callies steel crank, and Oliver H-beam rods form a solid foundation for the build. The aluminum block was custom painted to match the car.
Custom dished pistons from JE provide the needed compression and strength for the BBC monster.
The 24-degree CNC cylinder heads from Edelbrock and Pat Musi Performance provided exceptional port location and flow rates to accommodate the massive amount of air pumped by the engine.
An extra-thick deck and beefed up spring pockets are also special features of the cylinder heads.
A four-inch spacer combined with the 14-71 blower on top gives the engine maximum height. A Big and Ugly injector hat from Enderle quickly catches your eye, towering atop the engine.
(Left) Pat Musi inspired heads from Edelbrock top off the long block. (Right) A 14-71 blower, custom spacer plates, and Big & Ugly injector hat give the engine the height the customer was looking for.
Prestige really went the extra mile to make the engine look clean for the customer.
“He didn’t want the injectors hanging out, so we got an injector plate that went internally. We had to build a lot of things internally to get the injectors to fit under the Big Ugly,” says Senior.
Although a loss of power was expected due to the air restriction of the injector rails, Senior was just not happy with the result.
“What happened is all the injectors had to be so far forward it actually just drowned the front of the motor. I took fifty percent duty out of the front four injectors, and the difference was like night and day. But it still didn’t make power because [the injectors] just clogged up the front of the hat. It was a nice concept, but it didn’t work well.”
(Left) Prestige installed a custom made injector plate that put the fuel injectors under the Big & Ugly. Despite the clean look, it eventually was swapped out for performance. (Right) Notice the progressive linkage on the injector hat to provide crisp throttle response.
Flames shoot out the headers after closing the throttle due to the rich air fuel mixture.
The dyno video shows the result of this testing with flames shooting out of the headers due to extremely rich cylinders.
The internal injector plate was swapped out, and the injectors were placed externally. This made all the difference on the dyno.
“With five pounds of boost on pump gas, it made just under 900 horsepower. At twelve pounds of boost on race fuel, it made a little over 1,000 horsepower. I really think it was capable of 1,400, but it needed an intercooler on it and more cog to spin the blower faster,” Senior points out.
Here is the transition of the T-Bucket from the small block to eye-catching big block.
Doug Aitken, owner of Prestige Motorsports, adds, “This engine is nasty to say the least! Because this engine is going into a 1923 T-Bucket, it really made no sense to design it around max-effort type status. We want to keep it alive, as drivable as a blown 632 can be, and reliable for the customer. This application running alcohol, water to air intercooler, much larger camshaft and fifty percent overdriven blower would make even more power, but that was not the goal here.”
It even caught the attention of a deputy on a Saturday morning test run. “That was me,” states Senior. When asked what happened, he laughed and simply stated, “No good.”
In the end, the customer got exactly what he was looking for. “We gave him the most cubic inches and power we could safely build, still be drivable, and cosmetically look good,” says Senior.
Prestige chose Holley’s HP EFI system to make that possible. Although the power is insane for a T-Bucket, Senior gives credit to Holley for making it drivable.
“This thing is just…I mean I was idling in third gear at seventy some miles an hour,” says Senior.
“But it drives good. It is pretty well-mannered. I’m really impressed with how it drives. A lot of that, to me, is the Holley system. You’re able to fine tune that thing so well.”
The big-block stroker engine inside of the custom-painted T-bucket turns heads everywhere it goes, as shown in the photo to the right.
This monster is as wicked as it looks!
