MILL OF THE MONTH
IJON KAASE RACING ENGINES, GEORGIA, USA
N DISCUSSIONS of ground-pounding Fomoco engines, one name always comes up: Jon Kaase. The Georgia, Usa-based engine builder has taken more Engine Masters wins than most of us have had hot dinners, and he was the number-one choice for Hunter Valley resident Chris Lewis when he went shopping for a new donk.
“My car is a ’74-model XB Fairmont GS coupe, which was originally white with a 302ci,” says Chris. “I didn’t have the original motor, so I started wondering what I could fit in there. I didn’t want solid lifters or a really revvy race-style motor, or anything that was going to need a lot of maintenance. I’ve followed Jon Kaase for a while and I had the cash there for one of his engines, so I decided to pull the trigger.”
What Chris ordered is a seriously wild piece of kit, polished front to back and top to bottom and making 1000 naturally aspirated, pump gas-chugging, electronically portinjected ponies. It is based around an iron
A460 Ford Motorsport block, which Chris had specced to his individual requirements.
“Jon asked me heaps of questions about exactly how I wanted my motor,” he says. “It is a crate motor, but it’s essentially custommade, as I wanted it built to go into a car that is a real street driver, and I’m putting a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual behind it. This meant Kaase had to change some of the specs to suit, like opting for a hydraulic-roller cam.”
Inside the 10.30in deck-height Ford Motorsport block is a 4.5in-stroke forged 4340 Scat crank, Scat 6.7in H-beam rods and Diamond 4.6in-bore pistons pushing 11:1 compression. A custom-grind Comp hydraulic-roller cam works on Kaase’s own Z-bar lifters and Trend pushrods that glide in Kaase Boss Nine alloy heads.
Modelled off Ford’s famous Boss 429 ‘semihemi’ Shotgun heads (used to great effect in NASCAR) but improved with modern technology, the Boss Nine heads feature deep-breathing 2.30in inlet valves and 1.90in exhaust valves, with WW Engineering 1.75:1ratio shaft-mount rockers.
On top of the Kaase EFI intake manifold is a Wilson throttlebody wired for Holley EFI, with the whole package polished to a fine shine, including the front drive accessories and cast rocker covers. A Kaase aluminium oil pump and custom oil pan handle the black gold and ensure the big-inch Boss will fit in the XB’S engine bay – a task made easier thanks to Ryan Carter and the United Speed Shop boys fitting one of their trick Magnum IFS front ends. Behind the big-block is a triple-plate carbon Tilton race clutch in a Quick Time bellhousing, and it will have a heck of a job holding the Kaase Boss Nine’s monstrous output.
All up, the big six-hunge made 1000hp on the engine dyno at just 6800rpm, twisting out 860lb-ft. “It has heaps down low,” Chris enthuses. “I really cannot wait to get in and drive it, and that is what the whole car has been built for: to drive.”