The School of Automotive Machinists took and first and second place in the LS Shootout. SAM Facebook photo

In what is arguably the most anticipated action from the new classes announced for this year’s revamped Amsoil Engine Masters Challenge, the Vintage V8s hit the dyno today as the contest heads into the fourth day of competition at the University of Northwestern Ohio.

SAM Racing will enter the Vintage V8 class with an 8-stack-fed Mopar “Poly” engine.

Open only to domestic V8 engines manufactured in the mid-’50s or earlier, except for the Chrysler Hemi that was showcased on Day 1 of the Engine Masters. The rules are pretty much open for parts selection, other than all components must be commercially available. Engine builders can use carbs or fuel injection, and even the compression ratio is unlimited.

Heading up the official entry list are three Ford Y-block engines (technically, one is a Lincoln) from teams representing Jon Kaase Racing Engines, Eaton Balancing and RB Vintage Engines. Kaase is a multiple champion at Engine Masters, and Ted Eaton of Eaton Balancing has taken Y-blocks to challenge the conventional Chevys and Fords at other Engine Masters events.

Hemi engines drew all the attention on Day 1. Amsoil Facebook page photo

Also in the Vintage V8 are a 352ci Packard from Kustom Kemps and a pair of Mopar “318 Poly” engines from Chris Bennett at the School of Automotive Machinists and Buck Hinkle. Lynn Peterson, owner of the Packard, is well known for his AMC engines at Engine Masters, and EngineLabs recently featured a sneak look at the SAM engine.

The winner will be determined based on average horsepower and torque from 3,000 to 6,000 rpm combined from three pulls. There is a displacement factor that will be calculated into the numbers for the final score.

On the first day’s agenda, Tony Bischoff of BES Racing Engines brought back the winning engine from last year’s competition that was staged under the old format of a couple dozen engines duking it out under one set of rules. With the new format, there are now five different classes, each one determining a winner every day. Day One was the Hemi Generation challenge, pitting the three different Chrysler Hemi platforms against each other. Bischoff’s 401ci Gen III Hemi equipped with ThiTek cylinder heads on a factory iron block averaged 695 horsepower and 617 lb-ft of torque. After factoring in the displacement, Bischoff recorded a score of 2,789.8 points.  Red Rocket Engine Co. with Daniel Boshears took second-place money with a 402ci Gen III Hemi, hitting a peak of 645 horsepower but not building enough power under the curve to challenge Bischoff’s averages and settled with 2,463.2 points. A big 514ci Gen II Hemi from Cory Short’s Triple S team posted a total of 2,344.9 points while twisting the dyno for nearly 800 horsepower.

Day Two was the new Spec Small Block class, where competitors were required to use specified Edelbrock cylinder heads, Edelbrock intake manifold and Comp Cams camshaft. Average power readings were taken between 3,500 and 6,800 rpm in this class. Chris Thomas from the Almost Kaase team won with his 415ci Ford Cleveland-head V8, producing 575 average horsepower and 553 lb-ft average torque. In second was Randy Malik with a 414ci Windsor Ford. The winner received $12,00 and the runnerup earned $3,000.

LS engines took the spotlight on Day Three. Teams start with a GM LS3 short block, then modify it with their choice of heads, cam and induction. All parts have to be installed before the dyno run as part of the competition. Only three teams spun wrenches in this division with the The School of Automotive Machinists winning, averaging 576 horsepower over three pulls and 510 lb-ft of torque.

For more on the event, follow the Amsoil Facebook page and the Hot Rod blog.