Norm Drazy/PSI blower 1st Engine Test

I came across a couple of videos from March 1988 that include the very first time a drag racing engine ran with a PSI blower. The first video (March 5th) shows the Norm Drazy built engine with the 14-71 blower installed. Norm sets the valves and we start this engine right up in Norm’s backyard. His neighbors we not happy at all!

Next, we unbolt the 14-71 and load the engine into the back of Norm’s little blue Datsun pickup. Patricia Alexander helped swap over the pulleys. To avoid any further noise complaints we drive out to an industrial area on the south side of the Salt River bed. This is where Tempe Town Lake is today.

As you can see in the second video, Norm and I start the methanol fueled, PSI blown hemi engine for the very 1st time (March 20th) in the back of his Datsun. A couple of days after Clark Mutschler shot this video, Norm drove the engine over to Billy Williams’ shop in southern CA for dyno testing.

I hope you find this interesting.

Patrick Hale
www.DragRacingPro.com


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHUK51hsmlo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e7gRYAk0Bw

 

That is too cool! I have to ask, what is the little box that looks like an alarm clock with the wires and the buttons? Did Norm give the entire engine to Niver to test or did he only get the blower and the fuel system?

 

The little box was for measuring the manifold temperature and a couple of EGTs. We didn't have sophisticated data recorders back in those days.

This engine was only used for the engine dyno test at Billy Williams. The PSI blower and fuel system were then put on Mark Niver's Donovan a couple of weeks later for the April 20th 1988 on-track debut at Firebird.

Norm put the 14-71 back on this engine and sold it complete after the dyno test. He needed the $$$ to continue with the PSI blower development.

Patrick Hale
www.DragRacingPro.com

 

this is very cool. I wish only the best for Norm. He did so much for us.
Dale

 

How fast did the Datsun go??

 

That's a piece of Drag Racing history right there. Thanks to innovators like Norm Drazy, the sport is where it is technologically right now. Good luck Norm, and thanks for the footage Mr. Hale.

Paul Shackleton

 

Very cool to see history being made!

 

Nitro Tuner Demo Software - FREE

One of the reasons Norm and I were so interested in manifold temperature was for calibrating some air-fuel system tuning software I was writing to help with the PSI blower development back in 1987. Today, I have just completed the task of converting the old DOS software to Windows and have a free demo version of the Nitro Tuner software that I can e-mail. The demo works for all Roots and Lysholm style (PSI & Whipple) blown gasoline, methanol and nitromethane engines. Just send me your e-mail address if you would like a copy.

Patrick Hale
PHale@DragRacingPro.com
www.DragRacingPro.com

 

I had almost forgotten the old SPE style starters until i watched this

 

SPE starters

I still have two of them, they work pretty good on a roots blower engine.
Does anyone know what sprag they had in them?

Ken Lowe
ken@kenlowe.com.au
www.kenlowe.com.au