By Mary Lendzion
Bill Trovato has been competitive in NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street competition with the same engine for the past ten years.
The 440 cubic-inch LS bullet which he built at his shop, BTR Performance in Rochester New York, consists of a cast aluminum Dart block, Chevrolet Performance LSX-LS7 heads, a Mast Motorsports intake massaged by EIC Motorsports and a CFM carburetor. Paired with an Edelbrock nitrous system for extra energy, it helped Trovato trap a best of 4.63 and 152 mph in the eighth-mile in his gorgeous 5th Gen Camaro last year.
Ready for a change, however, Trovato is building a new engine for this year. It will be a 465 cubic-inch LS engine on a cast aluminum Dart block with a Winberg crank, Cam Motion camshaft, CP pistons, GRP rods, Edelbrock LSR heads massaged by Marty Zimmerman, a CID intake and a Dailey dry sump oiling system. Trovato will continue to use his CFM carburetor, Holley Dominator ECU and Edelbrock nitrous system, and will continue to put power down with his Turbo 400 by RPM Transmission and converter by Neal Chance Racing Converters.
The old engine was just outdated, and it was time for a new one, said Trovato. Because of the pandemic, it has taken a little longer to get some of the things I need, so the engine isn't done yet, but I'm confident that I'll be able to pick up to 4.50s when it is.
Also recently, Trovato who will start the race season with his old engine at the Whipple Superchargers NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem presented by Holbrook Racing Engines, March 18-21 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida sent his Camaro to Farks Supercars in Keyport, New Jersey. There, George Farkouh front-halved it, replaced the factory sheet metal nose with a carbon fiber nose by GlassTek and removed about 80 pounds of weight from the nose in the process.
When that work was wrapped up, the car was taken to American Racing Headers in Deer Park, New York, where Louie Filippides is fabricating side-exit headers for it.
American Racing Headers had built me the headers that were under the car last year, but my new engine will be taller than my old engine, so I need a new set of side-exit headers, said Trovato.
As soon as American Racing Headers is done with the car, it will be taken back to Farks Supercars, where Trovato will pick it up. His friend, Steve Scavuzzo of East Coast Collision in Rochester, New York who painted the car originally is ready to lay fresh paint on the new front end, and will join Trovato at the NMCA season-opener.
I'm planning on racing all six NMCA events this year, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like we won't be at a disadvantage with our old engine, said Trovato, who has a talented team in David Mitchell and John Costello. I really want to go after a championship.
Also recently, Trovato who will start the race season with his old engine at the Whipple Superchargers NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem presented by Holbrook Racing Engines, March 18-21 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida sent his Camaro to Farks Supercars in Keyport, New Jersey. There, George Farkouh front-halved it, replaced the factory sheet metal nose with a carbon fiber nose by GlassTek and removed about 80 pounds of weight from the nose in the process.
When that work was wrapped up, the car was taken to American Racing Headers in Deer Park, New York, where Louie Filippides is fabricating side-exit headers for it.
American Racing Headers had built me the headers that were under the car last year, but my new engine will be taller than my old engine, so I need a new set of side-exit headers, said Trovato.
As soon as American Racing Headers is done with the car, it will be taken back to Farks Supercars, where Trovato will pick it up. His friend, Steve Scavuzzo of East Coast Collision in Rochester, New York who painted the car originally is ready to lay fresh paint on the new front end, and will join Trovato at the NMCA season-opener.
I'm planning on racing all six NMCA events this year, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like we won't be at a disadvantage with our old engine, said Trovato, who has a talented team in David Mitchell and John Costello. I really want to go after a championship.