Our friends Judson and Linda Massingil over at the School of Automotive Machinists are well-known for their propensity to teach interested students the finer points of engine building, from block machining and cylinder head machining classes to their CNC Machining classes, and they offer Associate Degree programs for interested students.
One such student, John Rossello, put together this sweet AMC engine just a short time ago, using a bunch of stock parts and the education he’s received at the SAM school.
The 410 cubic inch engine was constructed with a stock AMC block and cylinder heads, a stock crankshaft and connecting rods, and a set of Wiseco 10.5:1-compression postons.
A Bullet Cams hydraulic flat tappet bumpstick was installed, and Rossello used his newfound machining experience to retrofit the engine with LS1 rocker arms. On 93 octane pump fuel, with a Holley 950 cfm carburetor, the engine pumped out 536 horsepower at 6,100 rpm, with 502.1 lb-ft of torque at 5,000 rpm.
Click the play button, and listen to one angry AMC rattle the SAM Racing Superflow dynamometer. Sweet vid!
The students at the SAM school get a full education, not only on how to machine and assemble an engine, but also how to function as a member of a race team. Many of their students go on to positions within the racing industry with companies like Airflow Research, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Hendrick Motorsports, Pat Musi Performance, ProCharger, and Roush Yates Racing among others.
For more information on the School of Automotive Machinists and the classes they offer, check out their website.