A Georgia shop uses electronic fuel injection on this carburetor-only muscle car to reach new horsepower heights.
Tuning a car to make 1,000 or 1,500 hp for the track is no longer an earthshaking occurrence these days. But tuning a muscle car to pump out over 3,000 hp on the dyno should make you sit up and take notice. On the YouTube channel FuelTech USA, one man’s muscle car shatters records at FuelTech’s Georgia shop.
Find out how this 1969 Chevrolet Nova roars its way into the dyno record books in this video.
Putting It All Together For A Fast Run On The Dyno
Florida-based racer Jon Bitler has owned his Nova since he was 13 years old. He’s done quite a few mods on it, including a conventional cylinder-head supercharger and the blow-through carburetor that works with it. In recent years, he’s been shaving time from his eighth-mile time. But he knows that increasing ignition efficiency will produce the kind of horsepower he’s hoping for.
Better fuel injection seems like the obvious solution, but a conventional fuel injection system probably won’t provide power consistently. So, Bitler opts for using an electronic fuel injection system (EFI) instead. The FuelTech shop installs its proprietary EFI system, which allows him to monitor and manage the engine’s power.
FuelTech also installs its own ignition module with Individual CDI racing ignition coils mated to the module. Doing this will help handle big swings in ignition timing.
Careful Tuning Of The Chevy Nova Yields Astounding Results
Bitler’s Nova packs a big-block 557 cu. in. V8 with an Edelbrock intake and 24-degree cylinder heads. It’s clear this car is plenty fast before tuning. The shop team puts on the hub dyno for several runs to find out if they can make the car even faster.
During testing, the Chevy emits heart-thumping rumbles as it pounds the dyno. One of the early runs results in a hair over 2,700 hp, so Bitler and the FuelTech team know they’re getting closer to the results they want.
After repeated tests and adjustments, the Nova maxes out at an unheard-of 3,093 hp using 39 pounds of boost. This number breaks the record for the most powerful conventionally-supercharged car. It also is a new record for the most power using a single blow-through carburetor.
These results thrill Bitler. He believes the newly-tuned Nova can go for low four seconds or possibly high threes in the eighth mile. Hopefully, we’ll get to see a video of the racer pulling off these numbers in the near future.
