Bill Kaglatzis from BK Race Engines might be better known for the outstanding results he has achieved with his small-block Ford-based combos, but he’s got a real soft spot for Holden’s homegrown bent eight, too.

First published in the August 2025 issue of Street Machine

“I’ve really grown to like them, because so many people make a mess of them,” Bill says. “I reckon if you can master building a Chrysler and a Holden, you can pretty much handle most V8s.

“We did the engine in Stuart Vale’s HB Torana back in the day – a nitrous combo that went 7.98@168mph with cast heads and a factory block nearly 20 years ago. That was the first Holden-powered sedan into the sevens, and we’ve done a bunch of street and circuit Holdens since. We’re looking for eights naturally aspirated with this one.”

Outwardly, this particular Iron Lion might not look like an eight-second package, but it ain’t no shrinking violet. We’re talking numbers like 14.9:1 compression, .800in of lift on the camshaft, and 814hp at 8200rpm. Yep, she’s a proper toughie.

The engine retains the factory Holden block, with the usual four-bolt steel mains caps and oiling trickery required of a high-end application such as this. Heads are Yella Terra Dash 9 alloy units, which, along with the Torque-Power Big Paw single-plane inlet manifold, were treated to a port job by Pete Murray.

The crankshaft is from Scat, the connecting rods are Compstar items, and the pistons are custom Diamond jobbies that were made based off a combustion chamber mould. Such measures are necessary when one wants almost 15:1 comp in one’s Holden V8.

The cam is a custom solid-roller specced by Bill, and as we’ve already mentioned, she’s a big ’un. It acts on BAM bushed rollers, Smith Bros pushrods and Jesel rockers.

A wet pan is retained, but the factory internal pump was swapped out for a belt-driven Peterson R4 item, which has a vacuum pump mounted on the rear. An Aussie-made Reidspeed alternator bracket helps keep the belt on when the motor is zinging to north of 8000rpm.

“This is the most impressive, dirtiest-sounding Holden we’ve ever built, and I’m keen to hear it out there,” Bill enthuses. “You need a minimum of 1300-1400rpm between peak torque and peak power to go fast, and with 814hp at 8200rpm and 579lb-ft at 6700rpm, we’re well and truly there with this engine. The goal is for our customer Joshua to be able to run an eight in the car and still be able to take it on a Sunday morning coffee run.”

HIGH IN CARBS

Bill opted for an APD twin-blade carburettor for this application, which retains a 4150 base plate but in performance terms bridges the gap between a 4150 and 4500 carb. “We’ve been doing a lot of testing with these lately, and in this application, it was well suited,” Bill says. “We’ve found that in that 850-950hp range, the smaller carbs aren’t quite enough, but a Dominator style is just that little bit too big. With these carbs, we’re not losing anything at one end of the scale to find it at the other, and the torque this engine makes is a great example of that.”

BK Race Engines
Bankstown, NSW
bkraceengines.com.au