Dart Vader
08-04-2008, 08:28 PM
Part two of the Dart Special High Performance block Q&A. Get down to the nitty gritty as the full details of the SHP block and assembly parts are revealed. Dart will soon be releasing a full line of SHP blocks and components for small block Chevy and Ford.
PowerTV gets the lowdown on Dart's new SHP lineup.
What does Specialty High Performance mean?
We decided on the "Special High Performance" name because we felt it was representative of the intent. The new block, short blocks and other products which will be marketed under the SHP name are designed as high performance components, whereas traditionally most of Dart's products have been associated with maximum effort racing. The SHP block is priced hundreds of dollars lower than a race block, and brings a lot of value to hot rodders, bracket racers, restricted circle track classes and others.
I don't see a Dart stamp on the block, is SHP its own division?
SHP, or Special High Performance, is a component of Dart intended to serve a specific market segment. It is not a separate company or location.
The reason there is not a Dart logo on the block is because we wanted to allow engine builders to be able to market their own branded engines based on this block. Dart has always supported the local engine builders and speed shops; the SHP program is an important part of that support.
Who came up with the original idea behind the SHP block and why?
Richard Maskin came up with the idea for the SHP block as a way to support the aftermarket manufacturers, and give local engine builders a way to be competitive with factory crate motors. The local engine builders and mom & pop speed shops built the performance aftermarket through hard work and innovation. Without them you would have no other choices than a factory crate motor, and that would not be a good thing for performance enthusiasts.
How long as this block been in R&D?
About a year and a half. After seeing the increasing presence of factory crate motors at the PRI show in 2006, Richard Maskin realized there was a need to enable the independent engine builders to compete, and a viable block would be essential to do this.
What problems did you face when designing and producing the SHP block?
One of the biggest challenges was that we were determined that the SHP block would be an American made product. That meant we had to really put some ingenuity into the design of the foundry tooling and the machining process in order to produce a block which lives up to Dart's standards and make it at an affordable price.
How did Dart figure out what features to cross over from the higher end blocks?
That was really the easy part. The priority main oiling system, siamesed cylinder bores and 4-bolt mains were essential to making a true high performance block. Things like provisions for dry-sump oiling and billet steel caps are not needed in the applications the SHP block was designed for.
It is a budget performance block, so how is the block made more cost effectively?
This was a challenge, to be able to produce a very high-quality block at the price we were targeting. When we designed the foundry tooling to make the castings, a lot of thought went into simplifying the entire process. The castings incorporate many features which are machined in our race blocks. The way the blocks are machined was completely re-thought as well. We made new fixtures which allowed us to reduce the total machining time without sacrificing the quality of the finished product. The entire manufacturing process was thoroughly re-examined.
The block looks like a different color compared to your normal Iron blocks, is there a different Iron used?
The iron alloy differs somewhat from our race blocks. We evaluated the requirements of the SHP design and looked at all the factors which could help reduce the cost without compromising the quality. The alloy used was one of the changes which allow us to bring this block to the market at an affordable price.
Will there be an SHP version in a Ford block?
We are looking at the Ford blocks, but due to the fact that there are several versions it is more of a challenge than with the Chevys. We may go down that road in the future, in the mean time we will offer SHP short blocks for Fords based on our Sportsman blocks.
Is there anyway people need to treat the SHP block differently then your higher end Iron blocks (machining, power, assembly) ?
The SHP block is not intended to accommodate the kind of horsepower levels which are possible with our race blocks, 600 HP is the recommended maximum. The SHP block is finish machined and only requires the engine builder to final hone the cylinders to suit the pistons before assembly, while race blocks are frequently subject to a variety of customized machining options.
PowerTV gets the lowdown on Dart's new SHP lineup.
What does Specialty High Performance mean?
We decided on the "Special High Performance" name because we felt it was representative of the intent. The new block, short blocks and other products which will be marketed under the SHP name are designed as high performance components, whereas traditionally most of Dart's products have been associated with maximum effort racing. The SHP block is priced hundreds of dollars lower than a race block, and brings a lot of value to hot rodders, bracket racers, restricted circle track classes and others.
I don't see a Dart stamp on the block, is SHP its own division?
SHP, or Special High Performance, is a component of Dart intended to serve a specific market segment. It is not a separate company or location.
The reason there is not a Dart logo on the block is because we wanted to allow engine builders to be able to market their own branded engines based on this block. Dart has always supported the local engine builders and speed shops; the SHP program is an important part of that support.
Who came up with the original idea behind the SHP block and why?
Richard Maskin came up with the idea for the SHP block as a way to support the aftermarket manufacturers, and give local engine builders a way to be competitive with factory crate motors. The local engine builders and mom & pop speed shops built the performance aftermarket through hard work and innovation. Without them you would have no other choices than a factory crate motor, and that would not be a good thing for performance enthusiasts.
How long as this block been in R&D?
About a year and a half. After seeing the increasing presence of factory crate motors at the PRI show in 2006, Richard Maskin realized there was a need to enable the independent engine builders to compete, and a viable block would be essential to do this.
What problems did you face when designing and producing the SHP block?
One of the biggest challenges was that we were determined that the SHP block would be an American made product. That meant we had to really put some ingenuity into the design of the foundry tooling and the machining process in order to produce a block which lives up to Dart's standards and make it at an affordable price.
How did Dart figure out what features to cross over from the higher end blocks?
That was really the easy part. The priority main oiling system, siamesed cylinder bores and 4-bolt mains were essential to making a true high performance block. Things like provisions for dry-sump oiling and billet steel caps are not needed in the applications the SHP block was designed for.
It is a budget performance block, so how is the block made more cost effectively?
This was a challenge, to be able to produce a very high-quality block at the price we were targeting. When we designed the foundry tooling to make the castings, a lot of thought went into simplifying the entire process. The castings incorporate many features which are machined in our race blocks. The way the blocks are machined was completely re-thought as well. We made new fixtures which allowed us to reduce the total machining time without sacrificing the quality of the finished product. The entire manufacturing process was thoroughly re-examined.
The block looks like a different color compared to your normal Iron blocks, is there a different Iron used?
The iron alloy differs somewhat from our race blocks. We evaluated the requirements of the SHP design and looked at all the factors which could help reduce the cost without compromising the quality. The alloy used was one of the changes which allow us to bring this block to the market at an affordable price.
Will there be an SHP version in a Ford block?
We are looking at the Ford blocks, but due to the fact that there are several versions it is more of a challenge than with the Chevys. We may go down that road in the future, in the mean time we will offer SHP short blocks for Fords based on our Sportsman blocks.
Is there anyway people need to treat the SHP block differently then your higher end Iron blocks (machining, power, assembly) ?
The SHP block is not intended to accommodate the kind of horsepower levels which are possible with our race blocks, 600 HP is the recommended maximum. The SHP block is finish machined and only requires the engine builder to final hone the cylinders to suit the pistons before assembly, while race blocks are frequently subject to a variety of customized machining options.