David Vizard's How to Build Horsepower (SA Design)

High-performance street and race engine builders are always looking for the latest techniques and combination of parts to build a better, stronger, more powerful engines. Building an engine is a complex, demanding process that requires careful planning, bulls-eye parts selection, and exceptional attention to detail. If someone is building an engine for the first time, they need the information contained in this book.
Extracting maximum torque and horsepower from engines is an art as well as a science. David Vizard is an engineer and more aptly an engine-building artist who guides the reader through all the aspects of power production and high-performance engine building. His proven high-performance engine building methods and techniques are revealed in this all-new edition of How to Build Horsepower. Vizard goes into extreme depth and detail for drawing maximum performance from any automotive engine. The production of power is covered from the most logical point from the air entering the engine all the way to spent gasses leaving through the exhaust. Explained is how to optimize all the components in between, such as selecting heads for maximum flow or port heads for superior power output, ideal valvetrain components, realizing the ideal rocker arm ratios for a particular application, secrets for selecting the best cam, and giving unique insight into all facets of cam performance. In addition, he covers how to select and setup superchargers, nitrous oxide, ignition and other vital aspects of high-performance engine building.
This all-new edition of Vizard's top-selling How to Build Horsepower explains the latest and most effective engine building techniques and strategies. The reader is treated to the secrets and methods for building virtually any automotive engine. Vizard's unique and entertaining style of writing clearly explains the key principles and provides extreme detail and uncommon insight, so at-home engine builder can realize their performance goals.

Customer Reviews:

Great book by a great writer

By D. Stamper - November 5, 2010

If your interested in small blocks just buy it. David Vizard is one of the best writers out there and this book has so much useful information that it is a "must have" for any SBC fan. I borrowed and read twice in a week it before decided that I had to have a copy of my own. Its that good! His book, Building SBC's on a budget is another one that everybody needs to have. I would say buy it first and this one second though. David is a Writer, Engine builder, Racer, Machinist, owns a dyno and has done it all his life. Not like most books that are written by Geeks that have never got there hands dirty. This guy speaks to us,,, the gear-heads. He is the modern day Smokey Yunick but instead of drinking, smoking, and chasing whores, (not that there is anything wrong with that), David has spent much time writing what he has learned so that we all can use it. Order it and don't look back. If all the Small Block Chevy books out there these are the first two that you need.

PLEASE! DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!

By Bobby Jr. "Bobby Jr." - November 23, 2011

Please don't buy this book because then I will lose any and all advantages I might have over you now when it comes to our hot rods! This is the first book by this author I have ever read and his writing style is so intelligent and easy to understand and definitely NOT boring, that I have just pre-ordered another title by him! He tells you in everyday, plain speak how to do it all, and also explains why to do it the way he shows, explains how to make your own inexpensive versions of some very pricey tools and how to use them to beat the other guy! The other title by Vizard I just purchased? It is called "How to Port and Flow Test Cylinder Heads", and please, don't buy it either!

Great book, and I don't usually build V8s

By Bob Holmes - September 22, 2011

I've read David's work for years, mostly in the popular automotive magazines. Given that most of his recent work has been in US domestic V8s, and I build turbocharged 4-cylinder Fords, I was pleased to see a book that would apply across the board.

The graphics and illustrations in the book are as good as they get. Very easy to read and help to illustrate the text's points.

I participate in Popular Hot Roddings Engine Masters Challenge and have seen the results of applying many of the concepts. One exhaust change netted more than 50hp on a 385ci naturally aspirated engine. There is no substitute for testing concepts on a dyno, something that David has done extensively for 50 years.

Read the book and apply the concepts, it'll make for a better performing combination. I can't wait for his new airflow book!