WATER PUMP: ROAD RACE SETUP
With his racing background, Dave knows the pros and
cons of using specific parts for his builds. On Big Red
with the Road Race engine setup, a mechanical Edelbrock water pump is used. His reasoning is to not have another possible electrical situation at an event with an electrical water pump. Using a mechanical water pump, if the engine is running, so is the water pump. The standard Edelbrock Victor series water pump needed extensions to have clearance from the timing chain cover; the extensions also helped in pulley alignments. A couple of different pulley diameters have been used to help the Edelbrock-machined impellers increase the flow rate of fluids through the water pump, which helped to cool the engine even better. The smaller the engine pulley, the faster the impeller spins in the water pump, increasing water flow; but too much and it will cavitate, defeating the purpose of a smaller pulley. The pump used for a standard big block has a removable plate on the back for rebuilding. There is also a top plug for a temperature sensor.
The choice for what fuel rails to use on the Road Race 555 Beast engine really was dictated by using the Edelbrock Victor Jr. EFI intake manifold. A basic Edelbrock
fuel-rail kit for big-block Chevys was ordered, and Larry installed eight Bosch Injector Dynamics 60mm injectors. Edelbrock makes the rails from extruded aluminum, machined with the standard 9/16-inch bore.
For the rebuild, Dave welded vertical aluminum brackets to secure the fuel rails onto the manifold. This prevented the fuel rail/injectors from lifting out of their mounts. And to go the next step in safety, the fuel rail bolts also were wire tied.