Yesterday it was an 800hp, 301ci, naturally aspirated V8 engine and today it is a 500hp, 216ci naturally aspirated four banger. I guess I am on an NA kick these days or like every day I am on an awesome engines kick. There’s a guy selling a absolute boatload of Pontiac SD4 racing engine stuff. The SD4 was a “Pontiac” engine that was sold through what was then GM Performance Parts and was designed primarily (as we understand) for racing in midgets and stuff like that. They have also been used in drag racing in lightweight cars competing in classes like Competition Eliminator and others. They are neat in the fact that they’re built like anvils and make big power for what they are. Take this little sucker for example.
With an SB2.2 spread power head, a stubby little straight shot intake/injector bolted to the intake ports, dry sump oiling, and cylinder head modifications done by the well known Head Up! cylinder heads, this sucker is racey and boy it looks about the right size to be shoved into a suitcase and carried around. There were a few versions of the block made to accept different head bolt patterns and guys have run them with overhead camshaft heads as well. The big names in midget and sprint car racing have been around these for decades. You can actually see the names Gaerte and Rodeck on the side of this aluminum block. If you don’t know who they are, welcome to your first day on Earth.
We’d love to hear this thing run, screaming through a tube header and making all the glorious noise that the little motor could make. If you are into the SD4 engine, check out this ad because the dude has LOADS of stuff for sale as a friend is liquidating his collection of parts and pieces. Camshafts, blocks, and more components than you can shake a stick at.
eBay: Check out this 500+ horsepower four banger – stuff it in something weird!
216 C.I. = 3.5 L, getting up there for a 4 Cyl….untill I remembered that the Isuzu Cabover Trucks (often seen with a box or a roll back on them) use a 5.2L inline 4 cyl diesel.
I know that in the teens thru the thirties there were plenty of big 4’s, but they didn’t RPM like anything made in the last thirty years:):)
It’s too bad all they run locally is 360 Sprints, no Midgets or USAC stuff around here.
But I bet they sound good!!
Really want to slip that into a 1st gen Fiero. Those bad boys aren’t cheap though.