Pete at HED is one smart engine builder and tuner, and after being asked all the time about the 481X engine, he decided to put out a video explaining how this thing is similar and not similar to engines you know and love. And once you see the details, hopefully you’ll have a better understanding of what is going on with this engine that changed the game in Pro Mod and more. After all, this engine is what started the Proline Engines brand and led them to incredibly success.
I first heard of a 481X when I was announcing the NHRA Unleashed Series back in the day and Eric Dillard was running a Pro Mod Corvette with one under the hood. He had put this combo together and was sure that there was a big need for it in the turbo car ranks. He didn’t invent this engine platform, but he was the one to push it out of the back corner of the shop and showed the world what it was capable of. This engine would become the basis for everything that would become the Proline engines that you know and love today.
It all started at Alan Johnson Performance Engineering (AJPE), when Alan took the stout bottom end of the Hemi platform and mated that with the top half of a Big Block Chevrolet/Pro Stock Oldsmobile platform. If you ask Ford fans, some of them say it is a big giant Cleveland, but Ford people are twisted in their thinking so you have to take that with a grain of salt. (Kidding! We love Ford people around here too!)
Watch at Pete walks us through all the features and specs on an HED built 481X combo.
