By Sam Logan

In his youth Richard Maskin was a race driver with a reputation for finding engine power in areas denied to others.

As an entrepreneur he pioneered and produced dozens of successful race engine components, and in total has accumulated a 50-year devotion to motor sport. Even his most grudging rivals will tell you he possesses a distinctly original mind—a man whose potential should never be underestimated.

Maskin (66) established Dart Machinery in the early 1980s and introduced aluminum Hemi cylinder heads that dominated drag racing’s Top Fuel and Funny Car categories. With these purpose-built heads they provided the power that ultimately broke drag racing’s 300mph barrier and produced the first four-second Funny Car elapsed time.

Further, his engines have won NHRA Pro Stock championships and hundreds of national events. Today his company continues to lead in aftermarket cylinder head, intake manifold and engine block designs. Here is Dart’s latest block: the SHP 400 for small-block Chevrolets.

Dart introduces new SHP 400 engine block

• 2.65in 400-style main journals
• 4.000in or 4.125in cylinder bores
• Siamese cylinders with 0.230in minimum wall thickness at 4.165in bores
• 0.625in thick decks with blind head bolt holes
• True priority-mains oiling system ensures reliable lubrication at high rpm
• Compatible with stock components

Troy Michigan:  Dart Machinery has introduced a new SHP 400 engine block. An aftermarket replacement for the Chevrolet small-block, the SHP 400 is a high performance cast iron block, featuring the larger diameter (2.65in) 400-style main journals.

Developed for hot rodders, oval track and drag racers, off-roaders and high-performance marine enthusiasts, the SHP is created as an affordable high-performance block. Priced hundreds of dollars less than a full-race block, it eliminates the time and expense and all doubts associated with rebuilding a junkyard core.

Tailored to the most popular performance and racing applications, the SHP range (special high performance) now offers the options of 350 (2.45in) or 400 main journals and 4.000in or 4.125in cylinder bores.

Moreover, Dart’s new SHP 400 features Siamese cylinders with 0.230in minimum wall thickness at 4.165in bore diameter. Further key features include a true priority-mains oiling system that ensures reliable lubrication at high rpm and ductile iron main caps with a splayed four-bolt arrangement on the three center mains. Beyond this the SHP is endowed with 0.625in thick decks with blind head bolt holes and clearance for long-stroke crankshafts.

Manufactured in Dart’s in-house CNC machining centers to precise tolerances, the SHP 400 is compatible with stock components, including OEM-style hydraulic roller lifters and camshafts, steel and plastic timing chain covers, side and front motor mounts, clutch linkage pivots, and mechanical fuel pumps.

For more information contact:

Dart Machinery
353 Oliver Dr.,
Troy, MI 48084
Tel: (248) 362-1188