Tuned In

Drive nearly a thousand miles cross country, sit in traffic for hours, and spend your days laying down five and six-second ETs at the drag strip for a week solid? ‘Drag and drive’ events are a unique form of torture for some of the world’s fastest street cars. In this episode, Steve of Steve Morris Engines is on the podcast to tell us how he builds a 4500+hp motor that can handle that kind of punishment.

Use “STEVEMORRIS100” to get $100 OFF our HPA Engine Building Starter Package: hpcdmy.co/enginepackageb

Steve Morris is one of the true legends of the drag engine building scene, and in this episode, we start by getting an interesting look into the convoluted path that his career and business took to get where it is today.

That business is best known for its extremely high horsepower boosted V8 packages — especially the all-billet SMX and SML engines. One of the biggest selling points of these insane engines is that they’re street-capable, and have proven themselves time and time again in tortuous drag and drive events across the States.

These events require a car to be able to carry all its own spares (usually by towing a small trailer) and drive large distances between race venues within a one-week period — occasionally sitting in traffic for extended periods of time. Steve goes into detail on the unique challenges this form of racing presents and how he builds engines for it that are up to the task, giving up some tasty engine-building insight and knowledge carved from years worth of research and development.

With some great conversations around the age-old superchargers versus turbochargers debate, favoured ECU options for this type of racing, the usefulness and reliability of electronic wastegates and more, this episode is well worth a listen.

Don’t forget, use “STEVEMORRIS100” to get $100 OFF our HPA Engine Building Starter Package: hpcdmy.co/enginepackageb

Follow Sam here:
IG: @stevemorrisengines
FB: Steve Morris Engines
YT: Steve Morris Engines
WWW: stevemorrisengines.com 

DCT considerations, GT-R vs Huracan, horsepower vs car setup, this interview has it all.

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

Competition between the Audi R8, Lamborghini Huracan and long-established Nissan R35 GT-R platforms has been heating up in the drag racing world for some time, and our next guest is no stranger to being at the pointy end of the time sheets in more than one of these packages.

Jordan Martins Prime Cuts Chop Shop Lamborghini Huracan, the @AMSPerformance  Alpha Omega 'dragbo' is an impressive car, and at @semashow he gave us some insight into this specific package which at the time of filming saw it being the 2nd fastest Huracan on the 1/4.

Sporting twin @GarrettTurbos G42-1450 pushing 37-39psi of boost through the 5.2-litre @Lamborghini V10 has gone from 600hp (naturally aspirated) to well over 2000hp while retaining the stock block, and bores with a factory rotating assembly even seeing solid reliability up to the 1200-1300hp range. Some comparisons around this and the VR38 in the R35 platform are discussed along with when a billet block might be considered down the line.

Also touched on is the importance of the @MoTeCAustralia traction control setup for helping launch the car, ideally without wheeling which this platform is inherently prone to doing, along with the chassis, tyre and JRZ suspension setup vs just dumping more and more power into the equation in the quest for faster passes. Drag racing with a dual clutch transmission (DCT) is also a topic we get into again drawing some comparisons to the R35 platform with a nod to John Reed Racings polished development in this area.

The goal for Jordan and the team are to get into the 6's with this platform, and we have no reason to believe they won't reach this goal and beyond.

You might not know the name, but you’ve probably seen Sam Albert’s Subaru WRX online. Powered by a screaming 4.3-litre Ferrari V8, Sam’s flame-spitting AWD rally car is fast, it’s cool, and it sounds amazing … But why go to all that trouble when Subaru’s own EJ drivetrain — the one that this car uses from the factory — has proven itself a capable championship-winning setup since the late eighties?

Use “SAMALBERT50” to get 50% OFF our HPA Race Driving Fundamentals course: hpcdmy.co/driverb

This episode of Tuned In kicks off with a look into Sam’s history with cars and rallying — something he first competed in back in 2010. He’s also spent time as a driving instructor for DirtFish, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to discuss driving techniques like weight transfer, left-foot braking, handbrake turns, and much more. Sam also gives us some key tips on how someone new to the sport of rally is best to get into it and start building their first race car.

We then get to the meat and potatoes of the episode, as Sam gives us a full rundown of his incredible Ferrari-powered NA-AWD class build. This conversation covers all aspects — starting with why he decided to go down this route — with a car he bought off the lot brand new, no less — in the first place. Sam then discusses what led him to the Ferrari V8, how he worked around the rule book to build something unique, as well as the many challenges that came with fitting a motor like this into his Subaru shell.

It’s important to note that Sam doesn’t actually work in the automotive industry as a professional but instead learnt how to do things himself, including using HPA’s courses to learn how to wire his car. He’s also learning 3D modelling in order to design one-off parts for the Subaru — something that comes in handy for a one-off project like this.

With some informative conversations covering tuning around inlet restrictors, the pros and cons of other engines that were also considered, as well as a great explanation of what the car is like to drive and what gives it an edge, there’s a whole lot of interesting topics to dive into in this episode.

Don’t forget, Use “SAMALBERT50” to get 50% OFF our HPA Race Driving Fundamentals course: hpcdmy.co/driverb

Follow Sam here:
IG: @samalbertrally
FB: Sam Albert Rally
YT: Sam Albert Rally
WWW: samalbertrally.com  

CAD is the future, and the future is here, but is an engineering degree a necessity to break into this world for your own projects or even professionally?

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

As the man in charge of this side of the business, Dmitriy Orlov of BBI Autosport is no stranger to computer-aided design (CAD) and the manufacturing processes that take things from screen to 3D printer, CNC machine or even paper template.

Leaning on his years of practical experience in the industry Dmitriy covers a huge range of valuable topics to anyone interested in learning how to use tools like CAD themselves including where to start (small) and when you should be creative vs pragmatic in relation to design vs manufacturing as well as dealing with the old 'you have to be an engineer to make parts' statement many love to make.

Also discussed is some insight into the Hoonipigasus project which saw multiple people working on a range of software including Autodesk Alias & Fusion 360, SOLIDWORKS, & Siemens Solid Edge, all at the same time and in a very short time frame.

Tools like generative flow, generative design and the ease of adding constraints to match manufacturing restrictions as well as 3rd party manufacturing options are touched on as well as the general excitement of what is to come in the future. Remember, the best time to start learning a skill you are interested in is now, and the best applications are projects you are interested in finding solutions for/on.

More engine capacity, bigger turbos, wider rubber. As enthusiasts, we’re almost hard-wired to want more of everything. In the motorsport world, however, bigger often isn’t better and it sometimes takes experience — often gained through painful lessons — to properly understand that and to build a car right. No one knows this better than this week’s guest, Jimmy Assaad of Evolution Racing Supplies.

Use “ERS100” to get $100 OFF our HPA Track Day Package here: hpcdmy.co/trackdayb

Jimmy started off his automotive life like many Sydney kids of the era — with a love for Mazda rotaries. That all changed the day he lined up for a friendly race with a mate that owned a Mitsubishi Evo. After seeing what that platform could do against the RX-7 he owned at the time, Jimmy pivoted away from rotary life and dove headfirst into the world of fast Mitsubishis.

From that point on, he’s built a string of rapid Evos, running quick times at the dragstrip before deciding to try his hand at circuit racing by building a monster Evo VI RS, set up to take on the fiercely-contested Clubsprint class at World Time Attack Challenge. In this episode, Jimmy breaks down his championship-winning Evo, discussing the lessons learnt in the car’s development, as well as his decision to change up the build with a less-is-more ethos as the main driving force.

Besides building rapid Mitsubishis, Jimmy also decided to leave his profession as a plumber nearly a decade ago in order to turn his passion into a living, starting Evolution Racing Supplies. What started as a side hustle finding and dismantling Evos for resale to like-minded people has become a thriving business that employs numerous staff wrecking a range of different performance vehicles, as well as full workshop services and aftermarket parts sales. Jimmy is able to provide a really interesting look into the high-performance vehicle dismantling business — something that we’ve never really discussed on this podcast before.

There are plenty of great chats in this episode about all things Evo, covering all generations as well as all the great Mitsubishi acronyms — MIVEC, ACD, S-AYC — and much, much more.

Take a better look at Jimmy’s Evo VI RS here: https://youtu.be/QEjaA1fwncg

Follow Evolution Race Spares here:
IG: @evolutionracingspares
FB: ERS Evolution Racing Spares
YT: Evolution Racing Spares Official
WWW: evolutionracingspares.com.au
PH: 0430 805 359

Don’t forget, Use “ERS100” to get $100 OFF our HPA Track Day Package here: hpcdmy.co/trackdayb

Laser welding in industrial environments is becoming more and more popular than traditional MIG welding and TIG welding methods, but why?

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

Serra Laser's Evan Shea runs us through some of the differences and similarities of a laser welder compared to TIG welding, including why a laser weld can not only be faster but also stronger and cheaper than a TIG weld.

Using the IPG LightWELD 1500 laser welder as the example, we take a look at what shielding gas is used between nitrogen gas and argon gas with a laser welder for copper, aluminium, titanium, steel, stainless steel & nickel alloys as well as discussing if back purging is still required.

Material preparation and fit up are also talked about, along with a laser welder's ability to put less heat into your material while being 4 x faster or more in some cases than TIG welding and at least 2 x faster than MIG welding while still being able to weld material as thick as 6.35mm (1/4") with good penetration.

While the price of laser welding machines is out of reach for most home welders for the moment, this is a technology that has already seen a significant reduction in price over just the last few years as well as the portability (not discussed) of laser welding units improving as well.

We're excited to see where laser welding continues to head in the future regarding motorsport fabrication across all levels, from local club racing to professional race builds.

While you might be able to get away with a little sloppiness when building an engine for a street car, that’s not going to fly when it comes to dedicated race engines. In this episode, we sit down with Tom Hughes from Hughes Race Built to discuss exactly why that is, how we can ensure we’re building our engines right, what makes a great naturally aspirated race engine build, and much more.

Use “HUGHES50” to get 50% off our HPA Practical Engine Building Course here: hpcdmy.co/practicalengineb

The conversation this week kicks off with Tom’s background and journey towards owning and operating his own high-end engine building business. Tom went through the apprenticeship route, first starting out learning the trade at a reputable race engine builder, before pivoting towards rocketry of all things.

After a few years spent building rocket engines for New Zealand’s Rocket Lab, Tom decided to put the house up for sale and bet it all on what would become Hughes Race Engineering, which focuses on high-end race engine builds. While the business spends plenty of time building monster RB26s, 3S-GEs, and even GR Yaris G16E-GTSs, Tom’s speciality is Toyota’s venerable 1UZ-FE quad cam V8. These four-litre alloy V8s have long been used in the popular speedway scene in New Zealand, and Tom is a wizard when it comes to squeezing big power out of them, all while sticking within the restrictive Super Stock class rules.

These engines are covered in great detail in this conversation, as is a wider discussion around what needs to be done in order to build dependable, high-revving, naturally aspirated engines that can’t hide any shortcomings behind a wall of boost. There’s also plenty of talk in this episode around tolerances, flow numbers, when to outsource parts of your process, and much more — so if you’re even remotely interested in engine building or starting a business in the industry, this one is well worth your time.

Don’t forget, use “HUGHES50” to get 50% off our HPA Practical Engine Building Course here: hpcdmy.co/practicalengineb

Follow Hughes Race Engineering here:
IG: @Hughsracebuilt
FB: Hughes Race Built
YT: Hughes Race Built
WWW: hughsracebuilt.com

Can you run a billet block on a street build? With 1650whp what 1/4 mile time can a full trim R34 do?

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

With 1650whp at 55psi of boost this R34 GTR Skyline is arguably one of Australia's fastest roll racers, and even more impressively this 1600kg car will do 8-second passes while retaining the full stock trim as Av from B2R Motorsports explains.

Running a 3.4l Bullet Race Engineering 'hybrid' billet block, this 3.4L RB has all the usual suspects covered modification-wise internally including a Callies Performance Products custom crankshaft, CP-Carrillo rods and pistons, Ferrea copper bronze valve guides & more, but interestingly retains a relatively stock cylinder head. The car runs pump E85 (ethanol fuel blend) with a 9.5:1 compression ratio, and like you would expect, the Nissan CAS is in a rubbish bin somewhere with a Ross Performance Parts 36-2 trigger kit replacing it.

A Precision GEN2 Pro Mod 88 turbo handles the forced induction side of things with a plug and play Link ECU G4X R34 PnP covering engine management. Fuel injection limitations in both the current setup and with this specific ECU option will see the team move to a batch fire setup in the future, which is a common and proven solution in situations like this.

An Albins Performance Transmissions ST6, Hollinger Engineering 9" rear and ETS-Pro torque split controller handle most of the drivetrain requirements with the standard ATTESA system still handling things for the most part for now when it comes to AWD.

The car is lacking in safety features for 1/4 mile runs and will need more attention in this area in the future for this use, however, for roll racing only at the likes of Sydney Motorsport Park a safety structure/roll cage is not a requirement.

And we’re back! After a few weeks away from the microphone, we’re jumping back into the Tuned In podcast with our longest and tech-heaviest episode yet — one that will satisfy even the nerdiest listeners.

Use “DIGGLES100” for $100 off our HPA Engine Building Starter Package here: https://www.hpacademy.com/hpa-engine-building-starter-package/

This week, we’re talking to Australia’s Ben Diggles. Ben is somewhat unique as a Tuned In guest due to the fact he doesn’t work in the motorsport industry — as an accomplished marine biologist with a couple of doctorates under his belt, he’s quite far from it.

That career choice hasn’t stopped him from being one of the smartest people in the engine-building world, though, as Ben has spent his weekends for most of his adult life tinkering with cars — more specifically extremely high-output four-cylinder engines.

Down in our part of the world, Ben is well known for his work pushing Nissan’s mostly-forgotten FJ20 two-litre four-cylinder to its absolute maximum, first by building a 9.1-second Nissan S12 Gazelle street car years back that still holds the S12 world record, before moving his FJ expertise to a rear-engined dragster that has so far run a best of 6.7 down the quarter mile.

In this episode, Ben and Andre go way deep on ultra-high performance engine building, discussing different types of abnormal combustion and their causes, compression ratio considerations, mixture preparations, included valve angles, and much more.

There’s also a whole lot of FJ20 talk, including a comparison with a more modern gold-standard four-cylinder Honda K-series, as well as some surprising chats about the future of motorsport and the ever-advancing world of EVs.

There’s so much to chew on in this episode that it might require a couple of listens just to digest all the golden tech nuggets found within. 

Don’t forget, use “DIGGLES100” for $100 off our HPA Engine Building Starter Package here: https://www.hpacademy.com/hpa-engine-building-starter-package/

Active aero, mid-mounted flat 6 pushing out 1400hp at sea level, 1100hp at the Pikes Peak start line and 900hp at the top of the mountain. What does any of that mean or matter?

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

NOTE: This was recorded before the sudden and sad passing of driver Ken Block in early 2023. RIP to a motorsport and performance industry legend.

Betim Berisha gives us the [TECH TALK] @semashow rundown on the @BBIAutosport 1972-ish Porsche SVRSR “Hoonipigasus” Open Class @pikespeakhillclimb1916 build which runs a modified Porsche GT3 R 4.0L flat 6 engine cranking out 900hp to 1400hp, depending how far up the side of a mountain you are.

Why an early 70's Porsche based design via Joe Scarbo @scarboperformance8623 was used is discussed along with some of the challenges relating to a mid-mounted engine setup as well as aero packaging advantages via the 6000 pound of downforce at 160mph via CFD goal @VerusEngineering had, and how that stacked up (well) in reality.

As discussed elsewhere the 2022 attempt at Pikes Peak sadly ended with engine failure which BBi and associated partners have not hidden away helping us all see that no matter the budget and level we're working at, sometimes things can and will go wrong. Importantly @gscpowerdivision5618 has since done the work to identify and solve 2022's weak link, with further testing to find and fix more planned.

Electronics wise the car runs two @MoTeCAustralia M142 ECUs and a @boschglobal PDM which are taken care of by Sander over at Obsidian Motorsport Group who we have talked with via the 051 Tuned In podcast on this build previously too.