Rod Penrose Racing Blog

Elizabeth and Sue wanted a new engine for their split window restoration and after detailing the available options, they decided on an RPR Turnkey dyno tuned 2276 cc engine that produced 104 HP at the rear wheels (130HP at the engine) with a little over 180 ft./lb's of torque. They wanted something that would be fun to drive and be reliable. The engine is fitted with some CNC ported heads, Engle W110 cam, Magnaspark ignition kit, RPR 40 mm IDF carbs and is fitted with a new RPR ceramic coated exhaust system and HD heater boxes. The compression is set at 8.7:1 and the engine is supplied with the external oil filter, external oil cooler and was shipped to them and installed direct into their Kombi.

Christian (from Goulburn) contacted me wanting one of my RPR Signature Series engines that could be fitted to his 1959 Kombi and provide him with a smooth and powerful driving experience whilst providing him with torque at lower RPM's........he settled on the RPR Signature 2054cc engine. This engine is one of my Signature series engines and is complete with heaters, external oil filter and cooler. This engine was assembled with 100% brand new components complete with heaters, external oil filter and cooler and was fitted with pair of my RPR 40mm IDF carbs (that I have made for me), along with the new ceramic coated RPR Quiet Pac exhaust system. The engine was also up-graded with the full Magnaspark electronic ignition kit. We dyno'd the engine and it produced 90HP at the rear wheels which equates to around 112hp at the flywheel. This engine is made to make maximum power and torque at lower rpm's and will be nice to drive with 8 people aboard pulling up a hill!

This engine is proudly sponsored by RPR and is fitted to Jason's Drag Car (located on the Gold Coast)  and has previously run as fast as 11.02 seconds on the 1/4 mile and after some modifications is now making an additional 17HP. The engine uses a magnesium case, Wedgemated crank, CB conrods, AA forged race pistons, "hand ported" Super HO heads and has 51mm IDA carbs and makes just over 213HP at the rear wheels which equates to almost 250HP at the flywheel. Jason is hoping this engine combination will see him running in the 10 second bracket real soon.

This 1916 cc engine was built for Ray in Townsville and and was fitted with an Engle 110 camshaft, has 8.5:1 compression, CNC ported heads with 40mm and 35mm stainless valves and is fitted with a set of my RPR 40mm IDF carbs. The engine was tuned using our new TriMil ceramic coated 1 5/8" sidewinder exhaust system and has been fitted to his Karmann Ghia. The dyno report was 75.9hp at the rear wheels, which equates to 96hp at the engine. This engine has a low compression ratio for longevity and cool running in the hot climate of Nth Qld.

This 2276cc engine was built for Jason who lives on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Jason wanted a cost effective engine for his drag car so I utilised a lot of high quality re-furbished race parts and was dyno tuned on a Monday, delivered to Jason and then fitted to his car so that he was able to race the following Saturday. This engine made 151hp at the rear wheels which equates to 191hp at the engine and ran 12.2 seconds @ 108 mph . The engine has a set of welded and ported standard VW heads fitted with 42mm and 37.5mm stainless valves, a custom grind camshaft similar to an FK 89 from Engle, a compression ratio of 9.5:1 and is using a set of my RPR 48mm IDF carbs. The exhaust system is 1 3/4" and uses a stinger tailpipe.

We are pleased to announce that we now have our own RPR brand of high quality made in the USA exhaust systems!

This great post explains in simple terms bearing sizing.

How to properly run in a brand new engine to ensure that it has a good and long life!