4-30-20 day for the 430 CanAm aluminum big block Chevy

[big gear head]

I know a guy who has one of these Can Am engines. The block is damaged, but it might be worth looking into. I didn't know that they has a special crank in them. I need to look him up and see if I can buy it.

[JoeC]

here is something I found online ...... quote

Doug Meyer Shadow team engine builder
I was an engine builder for the UOP Shadow Team from 72 through 75 and built these engines almost exclusively. Engines I assembled were driven by Jackie Oliver, George Follmer, Vic Elford, James Hunt and Peter Revson. I was trained on them by Lee Muir who came to Shadow directly from McLaren. I've got loads of photos and, if I dig deep enough I can probably dig up my track/tuning notes.

In the early Can Am years only three teams had the Reynolds Aluminum blocks. McLAren, Shadow, and Chapparral. Later they became more common, but most of the teams didn't use the all-aluminum 390 blocks, but iron sleeved castings. All were Lucas injected.
McLAren did their own porting, as did we. The usual well known California head guys did most of the rest.

We rarely built 510's, almost always 495's. Race trim hp was about 735 with flat tappets. We bult some roller tappet that did about 775 hp. In '73 we built a 1200 hp turbo 495 (I could change those head gaskets in my sleep!) to compete with the 917K. We were faster at Laguna Seca but ran out of brakes. Vic Elford was driving- Donohue came over to Lee and I after the race and told us he'd NEVER seen anything accelerate up the hill like that beast. THe tires on that car were 24 inches wide and it would leave giant blackies all the way up the hill. I've built lots of engines but those are still my favorite. Nothing in motorsports sounds like 20 of those things at the green. I'll never forget it.


We got our parts directly from GM racing. The sleeveless blocks were all Reynolds since Reynolds was the developer of the high Silicon 390 alloy/iron plated piston technology. Could be that the sleeved blocks they got were Alcoa castings.


GM #'s
3992038..Block, 4.44 bore AL W/Liners

3993803..C/Shaft, 3.47 stroke

3963642..Rod, connecting 6.405 C/C

3992042..Sleeve, cyl liner (for 430 AL)

[EZ Nova]

Joe, thanks for bring this info out. I see around the internet you have been doing that for a while now.

Do you know if any of the alum YENKO crested blocks we siamesed and 4.440 bore? I think they were all standard style wet blocks.

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by EZ Nova

Joe, thanks for bring this info out. I see around the internet you have been doing that for a while now.

Do you know if any of the alum YENKO crested blocks we siamesed and 4.440 bore? I think they were all standard style wet blocks.

I don't know if the YENKO crested blocks were the CanAm blocks

I have seen a few different Yenko blocks , some have the Yenko crest cast in, some have the letters "YENKO" cast in , some were hand stamped

[Carleen]

Mike Fons had 430 Can Am Engine
Cars Magazine March 1970

[Carleen]

Draglist Mike Fons
Notes: Won the Popular Hot Rodding meet at Martin, Mich., with a 10.16 to 10.08 holeshot over Dick Oldfield. Ran 10.11 at Edgewater. | Fons had one of the strongest Chevy P/S cars in '70. Few Chevys could keep up with the domination of the Mopar Hemis in the first year of the class. Mike had one of them. At Beeline for the AHRA Winternationals, Mike beat the Camaros of Ray Sullins and Wally Booth in the first two rounds before meeting up with the Mopar of Dick Humbert. A 10.40 dispatched him and moved him into the final against Ronnie Sox. There was really no contest as Sox was about four tenths faster and in the final Fons' 10.54 finished far behind Ronnie's 10.08. Things got a little closer at Pomona for the NHRA Winternationals. There a 10.21 qualified #6 and he was now only two tenths behind Sox who qualified first with a 10.00. He lasted until round two before losing to the eventual winner Bill Jenkins in another Camaro. A week after the Winternationals, OCIR held its Pro Stock Championships. Unfortunately, Fons lost to Sox in the first round. His times continued to drop but so did everyone else’s. At the NHRA Gatornationals, his 10.14 qualified #11 and he improved to 10.09 in the first round but it wasn't enough to beat Don Carlton's 10.08. He was at Rockingham for the AHRA Pro-Am Championships where he beat Eddie Schartman in the first round before losing to Dave Strickler's 10.05 in round two with a 10.31. | Best known NHRA speed 135.33.

[EZ Nova]

Joe, the Yenko blocks to me would either be the crest of the raised letter YENKO. A stamped block I wouldn't trust.

Carleen, Those are about the ET I thought they were running on'70.

Here is some more info and cast #'s too

https://www.thesupercarregistry.com/...d.php?t=109810