NO JOKE, GLIDDEN AND LEONARD TEAM UP Written by Bobby Bennett Thursday, 01 April 2010 10:00
What happens when you put an engine builder who subscribes to the theory of bigger is better and a drag racing icon who has always felt an engine can do the best with the least together?
The Extreme 10.5 community will find out in a month when Sonny Leonard and Billy Glidden join forces on an engine kit prepared specifically for the narrow tire class.
Leonard has built engines in the range of 900 cubic inches in displacement while Glidden has won championships and earned a nice living with engines categorized as small blocks.
“This engine will be a higher rpm than the average Sonny Leonard piece – it was a real tug-of-war to get him to come down to that small. I wanted more along the lines of a 550 or something in that range. I guess you could say we kinda met in the middle. If we’re in the 630 range, I ought to still be able to turn 9,000.”
According to Leonard, the engines Glidden runs will be available in a kit package. They will be available in both Ford and Chevrolet applications. The engines will be available in both 5-inch and 5.3 inch bore space with the symmetrical Wedge heads. The data they glean from the kit will be implemented into future kits.
Glidden recently recorded his personal best with a 4.05 elapsed time in Houston. Once the new combination is tested and up to snuff, both believe low-3.90's aren’t out of the realm of possibility.
“It will definitely get him closer to those guys putting out 3,000 horsepower,” Leonard said. “We won’t be making that much power, but we will be lighter and more consistent. I’m sure we ought to run low 3.90s.”
Glidden added, “If I can figure out how to get the combination down the race track, it should run considerably better than anything I have presently. I think it should make a couple more hundred horsepower than the Hemi. Couple hundred horse on top of what I already had ought to put us well into the ballpark. But, there will be a lot of work. It’s not like you can just throw stuff together and go out there and run incredibly fast off of the bat.”
Glidden estimates it will be another month before the new kit engine will be ready to begin testing.
“Sonny has a lot of years with this stuff. With his technology and a good working car, we can make this work good. If I had my way, I would have much rather ran Pro Nitrous.”
Yes, you read that right – Pro Nitrous.
“I was planning to run Pro Nitrous until they [ADRL] came out with that full floater rear-end deal,” Glidden admitted. “That put the brakes on that happening.”
While this program might have appeared to materialize overnight, the relationship has been in the works for nearly a year.
“I feel like working with Billy will be a plus and hopefully he will benefit from our involvement as well,” Leonard said. “Billy is a hard-worker with a championship work ethic.”
Glidden’s counting down the time until he can take delivery of the first kit.
“This will be a more current engine than I am accustomed to running,” Glidden said with a smile.
http://www.competitionplus.com/index...eonard-team-up