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FOREWORD

by Terry Walters

During my 40-year career as an IHRA Pro Stock race driver and race engine builder, I have read the works of many automotive tech writers. Only a precious few come remotely close to carrying the technical credentials that David Vizard does, and there are good reasons why this is so. You don’t have to spend much time with DV to realize that high performance is an overriding passion with him. Also, he is a born engineer with innovative talents that landed him a job as a research engineer in the aerospace industry. He got into the business of producing performance magazine articles because a publisher saw the results he was getting on the race track. In other words, he is an engineer who kind of slid sideways into a second career as a writer.

DV claims he is no great talent when it comes to writing. He claims his work is easy to read because he has great editors to work with. If the average enthusiast thinks like me they probably don’t care that much about how elegantly DV may (or may not) be able to use the English language. What the enthusiast wants is tech that works, and if necessary can win races. Uniquely, that is exactly what he delivers.

There are many power moves in this book that, prior to working with David, I had no idea about. As a competitive Pro Stock engine builder I was sure that I was well past learning anything from a popular press publication! But DV’s credentials go well past innovation and theoretical analysis of data. DV can run virtually every machine in a well-equipped auto machine shop. He has done hundreds of thousands of dyno tests over a period of some 50 years and has more than 55 years of flow bench experience. Four of the many championships his engines have won were done so by winning every race. He holds many, many patents ranging from fuels and lubes to cylinder heads and turbo tech that has been used in Formula 1. That’s not all, but it is enough to make my point here.

Do you want to read a performance book written by a writer with a journalism degree or by a qualified engineer with more than 50 years of doing what race winning engine builders are supposed to do: win races? A lot of the advice given in this book goes contrary to current thinking because the tech concerned is truly “cutting edge.” Whatever you may hear to the contrary go with the book. Many others and I have learned over the years that things Vizard explains work just as he says they will. With this book, you have just acquired the most significant tool toward building an exceptional big-block Chevy, whatever your budget may be.