Jon Kaase, left, of Kasse Racing Engines and Judson Massingill of the School Automotive Machinists–both winners last year in the Engine Masters Challenge–look over the new 2016 rules package during a press conference at the PRI Show.

A spec small-block class that will include a 200-shot of nitrous will be introduced at the 2016 Amsoil Engine Masters Challenge as the competition again features five different classes over the week of racing dynos. Returning will be the popular Vintage class with a new twist, and the remaining three classes include Spec Big Block, Coyote Motor Showdown and Small-block Shootout.

Lonnie Grim, judge and event manager, announced the classes and rules for the next Amsoil Engine Masters Challenge.

Jeff Dahlin, publisher of Hot Rod Magazine, and Lonnie Grim, event director and judge, announced the lineup at a press conference during the PRI Show in Indianapolis. Attending were many of the past winners, including Jon Kaase, Tony Bischoff and Judson Massingill representing the School of Automotive Machinists.

The event will staged October 3-7 with the teams bolting the engines up to the SuperFlow dyno cells at the University of Northwestern Ohio. The rules package will not be finalized until January 2016 but the basic direction of five the classes were outlined in the press conference. Here are those highlights:

Nitrous Power Adder

The class is open to specified engines, such as the Ford, Chevy and Mopar small blocks along with other popular pushrod engines from the musclecar era. There’s a 365ci displacement limit and induction is limited to a single 4-barrel carb and a 1.5-inch thick nitrous plate. The metering jet for the nitrous plate will be provided to the teams at the event but organizers say it will be in the 200-horsepower range. The teams will decide on fuel jet size. Some other rules include:

Competitors in the Nitrous Power Adder division are limited to a single plate and one 4-barrel carb.

• Cast block and heads, all OEM or commercially available
• Solid lifters permitted, unlimited valve lift
• Two .043 minimum compression rings and 3mm oil ring
• Steel connecting rods
• 11:1 compression ratio
• Mechanical water pump

Competitors will test on VP 101 fuel and will be required to run from 3,500 to 7,200 rpm.The engine builder will manually trigger the nitrous system within that rpm range but scoring will take place from 4,500 through 7,200 rpm. This class will be run in a heads-up format with no displacement factors added in.

Spec parts–including heads, headers and intake manifold–for the big-block class will be announced in January.

Spec Big Block

Open to popular Ford, Chevy and Chrysler big-blocks along with AMC, Buick, Olds, Pontiac and Cadillac pushrod V8s. There’s a 497ci maximum displacement, and blocks must be OE parts. The cylinder heads, headers, and intake manifold, however, will be spec’d by the organizers when the final official rules are released. Either 4150-style carbs or fuel injection–both with some restrictions–will be allowed. Other rules include:

• 11.5:1 compression ratio
• Steel connecting rods
• 1/16-1/16-3/16 ring pack; no gas ports
• Mechanical water pump

Competitors will test on VP 101 fuel and will be scored from 3,500 through 6,500 rpm in a heads-up format.

Vintage

Engines are limited to 1954 and earlier models from domestic passenger cars, including inline-6 and inline-8 engines. Also included are Flatheads. There is no displacement limit, and there are very few parts limitations. Engines must be built around an OEM block and replacement cylinder heads must be commercially available, although heads cannot be adapted from another engine family. Fuel injection is allowed but with a 65 psi limit. No belt drives for the camshaft–only gears or chain. The engines will be tested on VP 101 fuel and scored from 3,500 through 6,200 rpm. In one other twist, winning engines from the previous year will not be allowed to return.

Ford 32-valve V8 engines will be welcomed back to the Engine Masters following a 2-year ban.

Coyote Motor Showdown

This is for 5.0-liter Coyote engines with cross-plane crankshaft. Builds will be restricted to OEM-style parts and specs, including journal diameter, bore, stroke, maximum compression ratio and hydraulically adjusted valvetrain. Port fuel injection (8 injector maximum) with 65 psi maximum is required and must be commercially available. No ram tubes or stack injection. Steel rods with factory pin diameter must be used but pistons and ring selections are unlimited. Headers are limited to 1.75-inch primary and must chassis-fitment specified. Competitors will test over 3,500-8,000 rpm range on VP 101 fuel in a heads-up format.

Tony Bischoff of BES Racing Engines has won the last two years in different classes with his Gen III Hemi engine. Will he enter the small-block shootout?

Small-block Shootout

Open to domestic V8s with a maximum displacement of 409ci. Most of the rules are open with an emphasis on commercially available parts. Cylinder heads are limited to two valves per cylinder, and compression piston rings must be at least .043. Also, the intake manifold must be cast. Compression ratio is limited to 11.75:1. Either carbs or EFI with the latter restricted to 65 psi. Chassis-style headers must be used. The engine will be tested over 3,500 to 7,500 rpm on VP 101.

As with last year, each class will be staged in a single day, and the top finishers will be torn down. Amsoil products will be supplied to the teams for the competition, and organizers were also pleased to announced that Amsoil signed a 3-year extension to sponsor the competition. In the 2015 competition, total prize money was $77,000.