Ben Strader doesn’t do things halfway. That much was clear back in 2015 when he launched an engine build dubbed “Project Spinal Tap,” a tongue-in-cheek nod to the cult film This is Spinal Tap where the volume knobs on guitar amps went all the way to eleven. The engine-building world may have chuckled at the joke in the name, but Strader wasn’t joking about his goal to build an LS small-block that revved cleanly to 11,000 rpm.

Fast-forward a few years, and Strader, the owner of EFI University and 10K Technology, is back with Project Spinal Tap 2.0. This time, he’s not just aiming to make an LS engine run at 11,000 rpm, but he wants it to actually make significant power in that lofty range. Naturally aspirated. From a 360 cubic-inch V8. And while the original was impressive in its own right, if he is successful, this version will be something else entirely.

He’s not quite ready to burn gasoline yet, but engine wizard Ben Strader (shown here tuning one of his drag racing engines) is back at it again with a new project known as “Project Spinal Tap 2.0,” where he hopes to make 1,100 horsepower at an astounding 11,000 rpm using a small cubic-inch LS.

“It was a joke at first,” Strader admits. “Back in the day, the [Pro Stock drag racing] sanctioning bodies started mandating lower RPM limits — like 10,500. So we joked, ‘You could probably make an LS do that,’ and then, well … we did.”

The first Spinal Tap was an engineering experiment that made waves in the engine-building community. But while it survived sky-high revs, it wasn’t actually making significant power that far up the tach. Version 2.0? That’s a whole different animal.

Right now, Strader is still in research mode, doing endless Spintron runs on different valvetrain combinations in his search for the first LS setup that actually makes close to peak power at 11,000 rpm. As expected, airflow is a big issue. Check out those giant head castings from CHI.

Spinal Tap 2.0: Going to Eleven for Real

Strader’s mission for the second go-round was deceptively simple: build a naturally aspirated LS that not only survives at 11,000 rpm, but thrives there. To get it done, he called on a dream team of collaborators with industry-leading expertise, including CID Heads, Tony Bischoff of BES Racing Engines, and Driven Racing Oil, Total Seal, and P1 Manufacturing. Strader says they’ve all been critical as he works to develop the engine package.

And every single component in the engine package has to be intentionally designed. “The problem with pushrod V8s is always the valvetrain,” he explains. “If you can’t reliably spin it that fast, there’s no point in designing an induction system to go there. So nobody really has.”

BES Racing Engines helped come up with these optimized ports. Incredibly, the intakes can flow over 500 cfm at 1.200 inches of lift. The exhausts are just a tick over 310 cfm at 1.000 inches.

But Strader has an ace up his sleeve with unlimited access to a Spintron test rig that most shops can’t afford to tie up for weeks or months at a time. While there are some fantastic engines that come out of his shops, Strader isn’t a full-time engine builder. His business is teaching race engine development and tuning via EFI University, and race parts development through his 10K Technology company. So, he doesn’t have to keep a constant flow of engines going out the door in order to stay in business. As a result he can do what others can’t by spending practically unlimited amounts of time refining each component until it is optimized for the application.

“We don’t have to bill our Spintron by the hour,” Strader says. “The school keeps the lights on. That gives us the freedom to chase this without watching the clock.”

The whole thing started with a phone call to CID Heads. The idea was to revisit Spinal Tap using a serious set of race heads from CID’s LSR platform. Tony Bischoff and his team took on the port design, while Jesel helped with the rocker system. Getting the airflow and valvetrain sorted for 11,000 rpm was no small feat.

Jesel steel rockers with a 1.85:1 ratio activate the valves. To be able to maintain valve control at the stratospheric RPM levels this engine will live, Strader has been experimenting with several different triple valvespring setups.

“We weren’t just making an engine that could survive past 11,000 rpm,” Strader says. “We were making one designed to live there and make power.”

They settled on a 360-cubic inch combo with the same 4.200-inch bore and 3.250 stroke as the previous variant. But the rotating assembly got a full rethink. For the crankshaft, Winberg made a custom billet unit. Interestingly, there is no reluctor on the back of the crank because Strader says the factory reluctor style struggles above 9,500 rpm — a problem a lot of engine builders have never experienced.

The engine timing is handled by a racing-style magnetic reluctor wheel bolted to the damper at the front of the engine. Callies, meanwhile, supplied custom rods made from an exotic lightweight steel alloy called PremoMet that’s incredibly strong. The rods were so specialized that Callies wasn’t exactly thrilled about selling more of them. They’re difficult to produce and require a heat treatment process under vacuum that only a few places in the country can handle.

This photo doesn’t have a lot of technical value, but we included it just to show some of the valvespring combos he’s already tried over many hours on the Spintron. And he’s still looking.

To bolt it all together, Strader turned to P1 Manufacturing for a specialized set of cobalt-alloy fasteners with zero iron content. And for pistons? A full custom set from MAHLE Motorsport, using experience drawn from NASCAR and F1 to handle the speeds and stresses. “The first time, I just threw some good parts in it to see what would happen,” Strader laughs. “This time, we did it the checkbook way.”

Valvetrain Mayhem

As you might guess, keeping control of the valvetrain at five-digit RPM is an exercise in precision. Strader is working with Billy Godbold of Godbold Engineering Solutions on custom cam profiles but also found himself rewriting his own rules along the way. “I’ve said for years you don’t need triple springs,” he admits. “Well, I’m eating those words.”

After trying every dual spring configuration from both PSI and PAC that he thought might stand a chance of working, over dozens of Spintron hours, Strader finally gave in. The current best setup now runs triple springs to keep the intake valves under control past 11,000 rpm. On the exhaust side, they’ve seen stable behavior up to nearly 12,000 rpm. “It’s humbling,” Strader says. “But it’s also incredibly exciting. You get one hundred RPM further, and it’s a whole new world.”

The crank that will be used (center) is a custom billet piece from Winberg with a short 3.250-inch stroke. Notice that it lacks the standard LS reluctor wheel at the rearmost counterweight like the unit on the left. That’s because GM’s reluctor system struggles keeping up past 9,500 rpm and would be practically useless at 11,000.

To tame pushrod deflection, Strader’s using the biggest, gnarliest units he can get. Despite the added mass, the benefit of stiffness and accuracy far outweighs the weight penalty on the “slow” side of the valvetrain. “I’d trade 25 grams on the pushrod for five grams off of the valve tip any day,” he says.

So what does a camshaft look like when it’s spec’d for 11,000 rpm? Not as crazy as you might think. The custom cam measures out at 281 degrees of duration at .050 of an inch of tappet lift on the intake side and 302 degrees on the exhaust. Advertised durations are approximately 317 and 336 respectively, and lobe separation at 119 degrees. Valve lift is over an inch at the valve with a fairly high 1.85:1 rocker ratio. “That’s actually more than I wanted,” Strader admits. “But one of the ways we were able to calm down the opening ramps was just adding duration. So, it’s a compromise.”

Compression will end up around 16.2:1, and yes, it’ll run on gasoline. As this went to press the plan was to run VP’s 106-octane, oxygenated C45 blend.

The 6.300-inch long H-beam connecting rods from Callies look pretty standard, but they are constructed from a special alloy called PremoMet that is incredibly strong–but also a bit difficult to manufacture.

Induction Equation

Fuel delivery is another fun twist. The engine will run a Wilson custom-fabricated intake manifold with a large plenum, short intake runners and provisions for two throttle bodies up top for plenty of flow potential. While the intake is entirely custom, the two Holley throttle body units are right off the shelf.

Engine management is still up in the air. Strader may stick with Holley, or switch to the Emtron ECU from Australia. He’s run both and says it’ll come down to simplicity and dyno ease when the time comes.

At this level, everything is a system. From the cam to the combustion chamber to the intake length and taper, it all has to be tuned for resonance. And that’s how you keep volumetric efficiency well above 100 percent, even at 11,000 rpm.

To cut rotational friction, the MAHLE pistons have absolutely miniscule skirts. Vertical gas ports will help aid ring seal against the cylinder walls. And notice the highly detailed piston tops designed to control the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chambers.

“The airflow doesn’t care about RPM. It cares about timing,” Strader explains. “You can’t just shift a 9,000-rpm combo up to 11,000. You have to redesign the induction system so the resonant waves still supercharge the cylinder after bottom-dead center.”

With the right system, VE can hit 120 percent, or more, even at stratospheric RPM levels.

Coming Soon: The Scream Heard ’Round the Internet

So, where does it all go from here?

As we post this, engine combos are still being tested on the Spintron. Strader’s wrapping up final details, and once the valvetrain passes muster he’ll assemble the engine for dyno testing. If all goes well, you’ll see Spinal Tap 2.0 screaming on the internet sometime this fall.

Tie-bars on roller lifter pairs can create interference problems when trying to use truly large diameter pushrods. At the RPM levels Strader is planning for this engine, he’ll need some seriously thick pushrods to limit durations-stealing flex. The roller lifters from Jesel are actually guided by the super large roller wheel, which fits in a groove in the lifter bores.

And if he’s successful, you better believe he’s going to make waves in the engine-building community. That’s because the goal is 1,100 horsepower at 11,000 rpm. Even though the LS engine is still incredibly popular, this feat is especially incredible considering the platform is nearly 30 years old.

“This project is about chasing the limit,” Strader says. “We’re not doing it because it’s easy. We’re doing it because it’s never been done like this before.” So crank the volume. Turn the dial. Because this LS doesn’t stop at ten. If Strader has his way it doesn’t even stop at eleven. It starts there.

Keep in mind that absolutely everything is still in development and subject to change, but this is the custom intake from Wilson Manifolds. Super short intake runners are optimized to make power above 10,000 RPM, and provisions for twin throttle bodies up top maximize airflow into the engine.