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Here is the Level Motorsport surge tank installed. The fabrication work on it looks good.
Here is the Level Motorsport 1.5-liter surge tank installed with its cover on. We're looking above the right-rear wheel well here, and that's the right support to the large rear wing. It's a clean install all together indeed.
The engine itself is a stock 2.8-liter, including the pistons, rods, crankshaft, and rings. On here goes a Cometic 0.80-in head gasket, which is near-stock if memory serves me correctly (some boosted E36s would go to 0.140-in to lower compression). This will keep Rocco's compression higher for much better engine response.
Upon first glance of the car's notes, I was a little surprised to see a near-stock short block, given the fact this car is boosted and still retains stock compression. But, the more I think about it, the more I realize this car is actually just fine. After all, superchargers don't make that much torque, and since he's also running E85, which has very high octane and burns much cooler than racing fuel, this gives his tuner, Alex Fuller of Bimmer Life Tuning, plenty of wiggle room when it comes to avoiding detonation. Ethanol is a beautiful thing.
Also, it seems that ARP studs in the block and Supertec cylinder head upgrades are enough for the car to withstand its 7500 RPM redline (which about 1000 RPM more than stock), as seen by its dyno graph on Page 7.
The crankshaft is also stock but several engine components have either had WPC, metallax, shotpeening, or cryo treatments to promote greater strength and durability. The only things modified in this engine block are an Achilles Motorsports oil pump shaft kit (on a rebuilt OE oil pump), an Ishihara-Johnson teflon-lined crank scraper, an in-house made oil pan baffle, King Race bearings, and ARP 2000 head studs, as well as ARP rod bolts. The latter perhaps are what allow this engine to spin up to 7500 RPM. So how much power do you think this 2.8-liter should make at just 11 PSI?
