491 HP from a Junkyard 5.7 Hemi: Blackbird & Knox County Dyno Put Simple Upgrades to the Test

But before we get to those results, let me set the stage for what is the long overdue continuation of our work on the 5.7l. We say continuation because as it turns out, the first G3 Hemi we really worked on and raced, was a 5.7l in NHRA Super Stock back in 2010.

At Blackbird Performance, regarding full time employed folks, we are a small team (3, including Jena and I). With our long list of things, we'd like to pursue for the G3 Hemi faithful or curious, we are so thankful to have the benefit of the many contributions of some great folks and talent, helping to explore and push G3 Hemi performance capability and develop cost effective parts where needed most. It's a group of contributors and partners, we lovingly refer to as the Band of Hemi Brothers and Sisters.

At the top of the list in that group, a primary driver of why Blackbird Performance even exists, is a man many know as Uncle Robin, officially Robin Lawarence.

To say he was a colleague of mine while I was at Holley as the COO, is a hugely misrepresenting understatement. Robin, a Holley guy I met at the track, who was a racer and who very successfully led their EFI program into the market (and later, into all as delivered Drag Paks)… this man is the reason the OG Blackbird, went from the Big Stuff control that it was equipped with, like all as delivered 2015 Drag Paks, to the Holley EFI in early 2017. And then the Holley EFI took the Blackbird to the first 7 second pass in a 'Factory Racecar', getting there ahead of any of the supercharged COPO Camaros and Ford Cobra Jets that had been at it for a good while before Blackbird showed up. Not only did that get us $10k, Robin knew I was doing consulting and asked for my resume, to go present me to his leaders as an option to come in and help create improvement in several areas. Starting as a consultant led to my full time role at Holley and that role, is where I met Jena, I owe Robin A LOT.

Robin, not only my old coworker, my good friend is now also the owner of Knox County Dyno up by Galesburg, IL, a shop equipped with both an engine dyno and a chassis dyno. As a hardcore, accomplished racer and one of the most knowledgeable Holley EFI guys in the country, and regardless of your control system of choice, all around very knowledgeable tuner, it's a great place to consider if you need some help testing and tuning your ride and/or engine.

When Robin asked me why we weren't doing more with the 5.7l NOW and I explained our desire and constraints, he almost immediately asked if he could help. Given what has happened in the past when Robin helped me (7 Seconds, $10k, Holley gig, JENA), of course, I said "HECK YEAH".

Robin happened to have a junkyard, out of an old salty Illinois truck, 5.7l and took off on the journey to explore firsthand what it could do and how would it compare to the wide range of engines he's worked on including the usual suspects, LS, Coyote, BBC, SBC, BBF, SBF, etc. He knew the G3 Hemi was full of potential from his prior work, but I'm not sure he expected how easy it was to get to an awesome, streetable 5.7l making 500 HP ish.

He began by taking the old 5.7l, putting on the Holley low plane intake and throttle body, and then tuning it with a Holley, controlling the VVT. The old truck motor as configured responded with the new intake, dyno headers, and made about 435 HP.

He then put our recommended PSI 1515 ML valve springs with our BPP TI retainers on the heads and installed one of our BPP Mach 1 cams with our phaserless VVT Timing set, degreeing it in to make sure he got it all together correctly. After a few pulls, he had it dialed in right at 491 HP, or +54 HP. Right at the hoped for 500 HP from a 5.7l well-worn engine, with a few changes. Drop it in an early model hot rod, and you've got reliable, good power with excellent street manners that is only a junkyard 5.7l and a few parts with some reasonable work, away.

While many folks have already shown this kind of easy and cost-effective potential of the 5.7l, it was a starting point for us to begin to further explore and develop other performance enhancements for this venerable, but sometimes overlooked, readily available G3 Hemi.

We started here in 2010, and of course raced the first 5.7l for a few years and then later all the 354 CID Supercharged variants that followed, but thanks to Robin, AGAIN, and the always excellent work of Knox County Dyno, we are finally back at it with these smaller displacements G3 Hemis... a huge thank you to him, lots more to come.