Today's Dyno Day is a little different than what you’re used to. Typically, you’ll find us out in the shop with a car strapped to the chassis dyno rollers. But not this time. For the first time ever, we decided to switch it up and run an engine dyno—something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.
Everything finally lined up for us to make it happen, and the goal was simple: test our SVE 170cc cylinder heads on a 306 cubic inch small block Ford and give you real-world performance numbers—horsepower, torque, and more.
Why This Build?
We’ve had a ton of interest in the SVE 170cc heads since they returned to the lineup, and we wanted to pair them with an engine that really complements what these heads are designed to do. We get it—there are a million ways to build a small block Ford. Everyone has their preferred intake, cam, compression ratio… the list goes on. For this test, we focused on an enthusiast-minded build using parts that are readily available on our site.
The Shop and the Setup
The dyno testing was done at Eaton Balancing, Ted Eaton’s shop. Ted’s a legend—an old-school engine guy with deep knowledge, especially when it comes to Ford Y-blocks. His shop is filled with vintage tools and components, and we probably spent as much time checking out his gear as we did on the dyno.
Engine Specs
Time to Make Power
Now, the moment we were waiting for: the dyno pulls. We made three runs, each progressively stronger.
Run 1:
- 355.5 HP @ 5500 RPM
- 362.5 lb-ft torque @ 4800 RPM
Run 2:
- 368.3 HP @ 5700 RPM
- 371.1 lb-ft torque @ 4900 RPM
Run 3 (Best Pull):
- 371.7 HP @ 5600 RPM
- 372.8 lb-ft torque @ 4900 RPM
These results gave us a smooth, usable power curve—exactly what we hoped for in a street-friendly engine.
Horsepower Per Cube and Final Thoughts
Ted predicted we’d see around 1.1 to 1.2 horsepower per cubic inch, and he was spot-on. At 371.7 HP from a 306ci engine, we landed right at 1.21 HP per cube. If you add back the estimated 12 HP loss from the water pump and alternator, you’re looking at 383 crank horsepower—not bad for an old-school, carbureted small block!
This build confirmed what we already believed: our SVE 170cc heads perform exceptionally well on a properly spec’d street engine. Best of all, almost every part we used for this build is available right now at LMR.com.
We had a blast doing this engine dyno, and big thanks to Scott Hubbard for putting together such a clean and capable 306ci small block. This motor will find a home in one of our project cars soon—and we can’t wait to show you what it can do on the street.
