This article was first published in the February 2019 issue of Street Machine

The 408ci stonker is built off a cast-iron LQ9 GM block, with a Callies crank and rods and JE pistons. A custom-grind BG solid-roller cam commands the valves, mounted in a pair of CNC-ported LS3 heads, teamed with Jesel rocker arms and PAC valve springs. The Pro Billet intake manifold is made in-house at BG, supporting an 8/71 blower topped by an Enderle fuel injection hat.

The coolest part of the build is BG’s innovative Pro Billet products range, in particular the custom sump and oil pump mount. While the Peterson oil pump does come with its own mount, the BG mount allows the boys to run the fuel pump with the oil pump on the same pulley, so that if the belt lets go the engine will stop and save it from serious damage, while keeping the dry sump and fuel system humming along nicely.

The new package will spin all the way up to 7400rpm and 1200hp, with nothing being left on the table during the build process.

“The owner came to us after having a bit of trouble with previous builds,” says Mick from BG. “He’d already bought the blower system from us and decided he may as well go all out, telling us he wanted the biggest and baddest engine in all of Tasmania!”

Owner Scott Sevil confirms this. “I’d spoken with Damian at BG, and I decided to just send it up to them in Sydney. The local Tasmanian guys like David Best have really stepped it up in recent years, so no expense was spared on this one,” he says. His previous donk, which had the BG intake set-up on it, was also an LQ9, but the old 427ci mill let go and Scott decided to start over again with a brand-new LQ9 block.

The engine was finished just before the Chrissy break, and at the time of writing is being slotted into Scott’s VY SS ute. While the ute started life as a wreck that Scott intended to take drag racing, things have progressed a fair bit since then.

“The aim with the new package is to get a ticket to the Burnout Masters at Summernats,” Scott says. “The car’s first outing will be at Powercruise Tasmania this year, and hopefully we’ll get a few solid years of burnout action out of the thing.”

TURNING PRO

BG Engines screws together some tough mills, but its Pro Billet division also designs and manufactures a host of hardcore hardware in-house. Pro Billet parts featured on this donk include the blower manifold, the beautiful custom sump and the trick new oil-pump mounting bracket for the Peterson dry-sump pump. Not only is it functional, it looks pretty trick, too.