- LS7 454 Experiment: Yunick tested GM's LS7 iron-block 454, finding it nearly identical to the exotic ZL1, but with a key advantage in durability due to its iron block; with his tuning (high-rise intake, 2-inch headers), it produced almost 580 horsepower, proving GM restricted factory performance.
- Twin-Turbo Indy Engine (1973): A radical, small-displacement (207ci) twin-turbo V8 with a flat-plane crank and synthetic oil, earning an engineering award despite technical issues in the race.
- Heat Management Secrets: Yunick developed theories on heat management, even creating a "hot vapor engine" with a 454 that achieved massive power with surprising fuel economy, a discovery allegedly suppressed by oil companies.
- "The Best Damn Garage in Town": His legendary shop became known for innovative, rule-bending (and sometimes rule-breaking) modifications.
- Focus on "Breathing": He prioritized optimal exhaust scavenging with custom headers (often 2-inch primary tubes) and improved water circulation within the block.
- Challenging the Factory: Yunick consistently demonstrated that factory engines (like the 427 and 454) had significant untapped potential, which GM often restricted.
If you follow this blog, you probably have noticed that I love motorsports. I can spend hours watching all kinds of races on TV, but I am not a big fan of NASCAR. First, I don’t like watching races on oval tracks in general, but what disgusts me the most is how they encourage drivers to play dirty on the track, which inevitably leads to fistfights or any other deplorable behaviour by the drivers.
NASCAR is the most popular form of motorsport in the USA. The list of things I despise about it is the very things that make thousands of fans go to the races every weekend. People want to see more than racing; they want to be entertained. From its beginning, deeply rooted in unlawful bootlegging in the 1920s and 1930s, to the unfair driving methods of the modern drivers, the good ol’ boys of NASCAR always provided good and controversial entertainment.
Some tricks indeed resemble the kind of stuff that would come out of Wili E. Coyote’s mind. These are some of the wild examples: using lightweight wood to build the roll cage and then painting it to look like steel, helmets and radios made out of solid lead, and casually left them in the car when they went onto the scales, filling the cars’ frame rails with shotgun pellets that could be dumped during the race through a secret hatch, and even frozen springs that would lower the vehicle below the legal height as they warmed up.
The master illusionist
A MUST SEE LINK‼️https://theclassicmachines.com/2024/10/29/smokey-yunick-the-wizard-of-nascar/
