Old School: Turbo LSX with Carburetor Runs 7.65@199 MPH
Posted at 2:42 PM / August 9, 2009
Like many performance enthusiasts, the drag racing bug bit Jim Filipowski in high school. Although adulthood intruded and he has a family, he’s still hitting the drag strip 25 years later. Like most drag racers, Jim has owned a number of cars, but was well known in Michigan racing circles for his sano 1967 Nova. Jim bought this car in high school and it went from running 10’s on the street to running 8’s on the track. His interest in cars led him to get a job with GM as a development technician for ten years and then open up his own shop, Jim Powski Racecraft in 1995. After having hit 8.6’s with a blown combo in his Nova, Jim had plans to get into a torque arm car and take a break from the world of leaf springs and CalTracs. Having been racing in various series for ten years, Jim was no stranger to the potential of the GM fourth generation cars. So back in 2002, after a little looking around he found a clean 1993 Camaro still sporting it’s factory 3.4 liter V6 engine. Jim drove the car in stock 16 second trim for the following year while he finalized his plans for his next personal car.
Most fourth gen drag fans recall how well Jim’s Camaro performed once he debuted it in 2004. Racing in NSCA Traction Advantage and some local classes, the car eventually sported a 101 mm G-Trim turbocharger from Precision, and a 23 degree headed 368 cid small black combo that ran 7.72@191mph back in 2005. A year later, Jim was kicking around the idea of going LSX or big block Chevy, and decided that the GM’s newest generation of small blocks would make the most sense and might be more interesting.
Jim turned to longtime friend and engine build Chris Uratchko to devise a new engine combination. They decided to skip the probable issues with trying to run major boost with 4 bolt LS heads and blocks, and went straight to the newly debuted GM LSX block. As was the case for other builders at the time, the new blocks gave them new challenges and so the engine took longer than was anticipated to spec, machine and build. The new engine comes in under 400 cubes, and is a 398 cid engine. Using a Rody Machine 3.900 custom crankshaft and Bill Miller rods, Jim’s combo runs less stroke than has been popular in the LSX scene. When asked why he pointed out that “some classes pile on a bunch of weight once you hit 400 cubes.” Topped off with AllPro cylinder heads and custom-modified Ford Motorsports intake manifold, Jim’s combination also runs a CSU carburetor. Wait… a carburetor? What’s the story here? Well Jim was limited to blow-through carbureted setup in his earlier NSCA days, so he decided to stay with that approach and see what would happen. An air-to-water intercooler custom built by Jim keeps the air intake charge nice and cool.
The rest of his driveline did not change much from his prior combo, so his Proformance powerglide transmission, Neal Chance bolt-together torque converter, and DTS Dana 60 rear end were all kept on the team. Jim’s Turbo 101 mm turbocharger was again pressed into duty, but this time to work in concert with his new LSX engine. Jim fabricated some new headers, and wired up his MSD 7531 ignition. Jim’s car also runs his own front and rear suspension parts, including k-member and motor plate. His car has a 25.5 certified roll cage that he built. The Camaro rolls on a set of Weld Racing rims of which the rears are beadlocked.
Jim and crew were highly pleased to run 7.8’s after a handful of passes, though the new combo was different. “The new motor makes a lot more power with less boost. I used to leave the line on 12 lbs with the old motor, and the new motor only leaves on 5 lbs. It’s a lot easier to stand this car on the bumper.” Jim also noted that the new combo is running almost ten more mph with the same turbo. As is the case for most extreme combinations like these, the trick to tuning the car at the track is figure out how much power you can run before the 330. Also swapping from BFG drag radials over to similarly- sized Mickey Thompson 315-60-15’s forced Jim to retune his suspension since the new tires hooked even better. Recently in testing Jim cranked off a blistering 7.65@199mph pass with just a boost controller swap. He’s confident that more work with the controller will net him some 7.5 passes without any additional changes to the car. Jim regularly runs the Milan Dragway Drag Radial class once a month which is a class that he highly enjoys.
Jim plans to run the third annual LSX Shootout held by NMCA and hopes to bring home the crown in the Drag Radial class. While the class is highly competitive and racers like Steve Turley plan to re-attend, Jim is old school and has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Jim-Powski Racecraft: Link
Uratchko Racing Engines: Link
