--- title: Czar Racing’s Burly Engine Masters SBC Build Rattles The Dyno description: When it comes to domestic competition engines, it's hard to best the venerable Chevy Small-block in terms of practicality, affordability, and capability. image: ?t=1511292667841#keepProtocol --- [![diamond-pistons-logo-2.png](https://blog.diamondracing.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/Global/Diamond%20Pistons/diamond-pistons-logo-2.png?width=451&height=114&name=diamond-pistons-logo-2.png "diamond-pistons-logo-2.png")](http://www.diamondracing.net/) - [Home](http://www.diamondracing.net/) - [About](http://www.diamondracing.net/about/) - [News](http://www.diamondracing.net/news/) - [Products](http://www.diamondracing.net/products/) - [FAQ](http://www.diamondracing.net/faq/) - [Customers](http://www.diamondracing.net/customers/) - [Contact](http://www.diamondracing.net/contact/) - [Blog Home](https://blog.diamondracing.net) - [Engine Tech](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/engine-tech) - [Features](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/features) - [Car Features](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/car-features) - [Interviews](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/interviews) - [Videos](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/videos) - [DP Youtube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/diamondpistons) - [News](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/news) - [New Products](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/new-products) Search the blog # Diamond Pistons ,[INTERVIEWS](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/interviews) ,[VIDEOS](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/videos) ,[CAR FEATURES](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/car-features) ,[RACING NEWS](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/racing-news) [Keep Racing on Instinct: Behind the Wheel Episode 2](https://blog.diamondracing.net/behind-the-wheel-video-series-keep-racing) ,[INTERVIEWS](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/interviews) ,[VIDEOS](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/videos) ,[CAR FEATURES](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/car-features) ,[RACING NEWS](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/racing-news) [Behind the Wheel Video Series Kicks off with James Miron](https://blog.diamondracing.net/behind-the-wheel-video-series-kicks-off-with-james-miron) ,[FEATURES](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/features) ,[INTERVIEWS](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/interviews) ,[CHEVY](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/chevy) ,[CAR FEATURES](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/car-features) [East Coast Outlaw 10.5 Standout Brian Chin Keeps Upping The Ante](https://blog.diamondracing.net/east-coast-outlaw-10.5-standout-brian-chin-keeps-upping-the-ante) ![Hero Image](https://blog.diamondracing.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Diamond/Tech/Engine%20Masters%20Chris/001-engine-masters-diamond-pistons-czar-racing.jpg?width=1000&name=001-engine-masters-diamond-pistons-czar-racing.jpg "Hero Image") # [Czar Racing’s Burly Engine Masters SBC Build Rattles The Dyno](https://blog.diamondracing.net/czar-racings-burly-engine-masters-build) November 21, 2017 / by [Bradley Iger](https://blog.diamondracing.net/author/bradley-iger) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) *When it comes to domestic competition engines, it's hard to best the venerable Chevy Small-block in terms of practicality, affordability, and capability. *   Built with the help of [Global High Performance](http://globalhighperformance.com/), an engine shop in New Middletown, Ohio that specializes in GM-related builds, this 400ci small-block Chevy is a classic recipe for big power in a relatively small package.“We expect it to make peak power somewhere a little over 600, with averages in the 500s and the torque curve in the mid-500 range,” says Chris Pelczar of Czar Racing. [![](https://blog.diamondracing.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Diamond/Tech/Engine%20Masters%20Chris/002-engine-masters-diamond-pistons-czar-racing.jpg?t=1475023575990&width=640&name=002-engine-masters-diamond-pistons-czar-racing.jpg)](“https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2297913/Diamond/Tech/Engine%20Masters%20Chris/002-engine-masters-diamond-pistons-czar-racing.jpg”) **The Czar Racing team, captained by Chris Pelczar, brought this 407ci, small-block Chevy to do battle at HOT ROD Engine Masters 2017.** Introduced in 1955, the Chevrolet small-block V8 has been an institution for engine builders. While its original configuration offered 265 cubic-inches of displacement with a top-spec output of 195 horsepower, it didn’t take long for the engineers at General Motors to find ways to coax more power out of the mill. Less than a decade later, the small-block Chevy could be had with nearly double the horsepower straight from the factory in 327ci L-84 guise. Punched out to 407 cubic inches when all was said and done, Czar Racing team’s entry into the Traditional Muscle class of HOT ROD Engine Masters 2017 featured a Callies Performance crank, Diamond pistons, Dart Platinum-series cylinder heads, and an Edelbrock intake. It’s the kind of straight-forward, proven combination that has made the Chevy small-block such a time-honored standard in the realm of domestic high performance. [![](https://blog.diamondracing.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Diamond/Tech/Engine%20Masters%20Chris/004-engine-masters-diamond-pistons-czar-racing.jpg?t=1475023575990&width=640&name=004-engine-masters-diamond-pistons-czar-racing.jpg)](“https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2297913/Diamond/Tech/Engine%20Masters%20Chris/004-engine-masters-diamond-pistons-czar-racing.jpg”) **Inside the first-gen small-block is a set of Diamond Pistons with a -18cc reverse dome design. A thin, .043/.043/3mm ring pack reduces friction for maximum horsepower.** “The pistons are a reverse dome that come out to about 18cc,” Pelczar explains. “They’re side gas-ported, and we’re using a .043 / .043 / 3mm ring pack. I’ve used Diamond in the past and I’ve liked the product.” With the popularity of the SBC, sometimes it can be tough for a traditional build to stand out in a crowd. But Czar Racing’s approach blends a great old school casting with some of the best modern tech available for this icon of muscle car performance, and that results in a no-nonsense build that generates some impressive horsepower. Topics: [FEATURES](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/features), [featured](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/featured), [ENGINE TECH](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/engine-tech), [Tech](https://blog.diamondracing.net/topic/tech) ### Related posts [East Coast Outlaw 10.5 Standout Brian Chin Keeps Upping The Ante](https://blog.diamondracing.net/east-coast-outlaw-10.5-standout-brian-chin-keeps-upping-the-ante) [Chad Anselmi Is An Outlaw 632 Racer Who Refuses To Be Counted Out](https://blog.diamondracing.net/chad-anselmi-is-an-outlaw-632-racer-who-refuses-to-be-counted-out) [Ryan Milliken’s Oil-Burning Chevy II is Turning Heads in Radial Racing](https://blog.diamondracing.net/ryan-millikens-oil-burning-chevy-ii-is-turning-heads-in-radial-racing) #### Written by [Bradley Iger](https://blog.diamondracing.net/author/bradley-iger) Top Blog Posts Subscribe to the Diamond Pistons Newsletter FOLLOW US - - - [![dp-ad.jpg](https://blog.diamondracing.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/Blog/Diamond%20Pistons/dp-ad.jpg?width=800&name=dp-ad.jpg "dp-ad.jpg")](https://www.youtube.com/user/diamondpistons) Copyright © 2026 Diamond Racing Pistons, All Rights Reserved.