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whats a NASCAR motor?

5K views 21 replies 18 participants last post by  fast34me 
#1 ·
Whats the difference between a mid-race motor and a full out nascar motor? I've heard a few people say "Im running a NASCAR motor". Just wondering what all they change or do different?

Thanks
Sean
 
#2 ·
And they are probably "full of it".........................Nascar motors are designed and built to last the length of the race weekend, and thats about it.

The average guy isn't going to get one, unless he has more money than brains............................
 
#6 ·
This is the funniest thing I`ve heard in a while "i`m running a nascar motor" nascar little league maybe. As said, there endurance engines, made to last for the 500 mile or less race at RPM ranges over 6000, since that`s where they make there power, they use thin piston rings that are not made to endure everyday street driving, there made for continuous high RPM use and not low RPM torque a street engine requires.
 
#8 ·
whats a NASCAR motor? hell, there all kinds of levels of NASCAR racing from claimer & crate motor engines, & spec engines up to all out Cup engines. technically a person with an LS1 from a camaro could say hes got a nascar engine. Nascar has a class that uses spec engines like the LS1
 
#10 ·
A NASCAR engine for the big leagues, the NEXTEL cup, will cost something near $100,000 dollars. Makes it very unlikely that anyone will have one in a street car. The block is a special casting, not like a stock Ford, Chevy or Mopar, except in the bore spacing, and probably the main bearing diameters, but not necessarily. The crank is also special, very light, and very expensive. The engines run for 400, 500, up to 600 miles at over 9,000 rpm, and can approach 10,000. The carburetors cost $1,100, and don't idle well, have no cold start provisions, and aren't easily tuned to meet emissions standards! The engines are built with 12.5 to 1 compression, which makes gas expensive and hard to find at the local station. There are other differences, too, in oiling, cooling, exhaust, ignition...
 
#12 ·
Another thing to consider is that Nextel Cup engines are built for each track.Next time somebody tells you they have aCup engine,ask them which track it was built for.If I'm not mistaken,the crank,block and heads for a Cup engine have to come from factory stock,but they do a lot of work on them before they hit the track.:thumbup:
 
#13 ·
Not to jump on the band wagon of laughs and slams but most racing caliber motors of that type run an external oil pump that require a tank to hold the oil (these systems are referred to as dry sump systems) and a special pan. Most Cup engine blocks have been machined to hell in order to maximize these systems which results in big $$ even for used stuff. They have more money in to oiling then most people have in to there entire engine. This is the most extreme situation and who ever said this to you might not have meant a Cup engine. Present day Cup cylinder head will not work on a bolt together 350 Chevy for example without major part upgrades such as piston designs and lifter configurations either, plus all the other short life stuff others mentioned in this thread. However to stick up for the person that mentioned the original comment to you and the gentlemen that mentioned the stock LS1 motors (which I think is used in ARCA), it's very possible that old 23 deg headed Chevy stuff has trickled in to this persons hands and he considers it a NASCAR motor?? Technically he'd be telling the truth. I hope this over bloated post helps...

:smash:
 
#14 ·
About 3 years ago, Southern Rods of Greer, SC, a mail order street rod vendor and rod builder had a then Winston Cup motor in the showroom for sale. It was supposedly from Sterling Marlin's #4 Kodak Chevy, The most recognizable item was a huge Holly Double Pumper, but the spec sheet said that was not the Cup carb. The external plumbing for both oil and coolant was a rats nest. The motor itself looked as though it had been a faithful gladiator and was ready for a new and less strenuous home. My old memory is getting bad, but an $18,000 price tag is lingering there. My thoughts at the time was I would not have that piece of junk in my car, even if they were willing to give it to me as well as install for free.

Trees
 
#17 ·
Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm more of a suspension/chassis guy than an engine guy, but we're talking 8k redline range and that means things like titanium in the valve train, does it not?

Also.. do they not use restrictor plates any more?

Generally speaking, yep a NASCAR engine would be tuned for the higher RPM range. Like the article says, it would have a hotter cam. In general.. alot of the things that are done on hotrod engines that are generally left out on production (balancing, porting heads, matching air passages etc.) would be done. Forged cranks are used, at least I know that's a difference of NASCAR engines of yore..
 
#18 ·
What Makes A Nascar Motor Different

Read with interest, some know what they are talking about.
I built a Grandstock (Street Stock) in Virginia in 1984 & we raced it at Langley Track for two seasons. Experience & reading the Pro Tec's good stuff taught me how to keep a 351-Cleveland together. Race motors only like 104 octane fuel, race mortors like lots of extra clearences in their guts parts i/e the motor is three forths worn out the first time you light it off. Race motor don't like low rpm, as in 3,000 rpm and less. Bottom line, Race Motors ain't gonna work in a steet rig.
 
#20 ·
I race circle track, once we had the bright idea of dropping one of our spare engines in a friends nova, big mistake we didnt "cruise" for more than 30 min before we fouled out the plugs and ended up towing it back, along the way we also flattened out the lobes on the cam from too much low rpm, so the idea of having a "nascar" motor in a street driven car, even if you could get around all the other problems mentioned in all the previous posts, isn't a very good idea, I'm sure by now the person that wrote the original post has a better understanding. just thought I'd tell my little story to show that everyone has some "weak" moments!!! LOL......steve
 
#21 ·
LOL steve! sure sure I gotta Nascar motor too! It takes me to work everyday and idles good and dont overheat when I am stuck in traffic. Oh yeah Its also real fast! I can do 180 when my automatic hits overdrive and the airconditioning compressor is the only limitation to high rpm!
Seriously gang this i gotta nascar motor fib is almost as prevalent as the 3/4 cam story! hmmm with the cost of inflation 3/4 is now what? maybe the guy was trying to say he had an endurance type engine. who knows? I sure dont! I can imagine a real nascar motor would last about a day in real driving assuming if it could even have a torque range under 4500 rpm.
 
#22 ·
GM part # 12370848 Busch Grand National Engine Handbook

This book contains all the specs and clearances, bore and bearing, and recommended parts to build a "competitive" Grand National Engine.

If you'd like one, you could build it from their lists. I'm not sure how well it'd do at 3krpms in stop and go traffic for a daily driver, but I'd like to see how it does in a quarter mile with the right gears. If it's built to last for 500 miles, that's about 2000 quarter mile passes. Force doesn't build any that last like that..... LOL
 
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