Contact Info
(817) 556-2434
(888) 774-8802
[email protected]
Frankenstein Engine Dynamics, LLC.
2410 Ranger Hwy.
Weatherford, TX 76088
Chris Frank established a reputation in the motorsports industry as a horsepower specialist for NHRA® NASCAR®, and IndyCar®. He began his journey at the young age of 14, when a chance encounter led him to become an apprentice for one of NASCAR®’s leading engine builders. Chris’s talent for induction systems became evident early in his career, and soon his porting work was sought by the biggest names in racing. The scientific and intuitive techniques he discovered and refined became the guiding principles for Frankenstein Engine Dynamics®. Chris set out on his own in 2005 to expand his ideas and services for clients from ProMod®, ProStock®, diesel, and exotic vehicles. It is a testimony in itself that many of these clients continue to rely on Frankenstein to this day.
These early years with NASCAR® shaped Frankenstein’s proprietary methods for employing bold creativity to nurture power out of an engine. The design principles were refined into a repeatable science when Jesse Meagher joined the FED team.
The quality and caliber of engineering processes he established allows FED to define and measure a myriad of metrics when developing new induction systems. These proprietary insights ensure new products meet internal performance standards.
Jesse also oversees Frankenstein’s iconic product design language, an intense attention to detail achieved by exploiting the limits of CNC machines and tooling.
The art of cylinder head porting is central to high performance racing and Brad Hall is at the heart of it all. In 2015 he joined Frankenstein adding extensive experience and specialized skills to the Frankenstein team.
A foundation built on 38 years of porting for ProStock® and ProMod® with several championships, and he was among the first to empirically demonstrate that today’s advanced porting methods far outperform flow bench predictions. Brad’s hands still touch nearly every head that leaves the shop.
He’s integral to quality control, developing new products, optimizing port programs and blending valve jobs on the production floor.
Creating the F-SERIES
The geometry of LS castings have some limitations but the platform has exceptional power potential. To reach their full potential Frankenstein knew the castings had to change completely. That’s when the baby went out the window with the bathwater and Chris, Jesse and Brad set out to build a new casting for a conventional LS cylinder head in order to establish a new class of power. The F-Series went on to become an extreme horsepower platform delivering ProMod® capabilities to the public.
Frankenstein designed a casting for the F-Series from scratch. Starting with a clean slate has advantages however, creating performance without compromising accessibility is a delicate balance. Frankenstein approached the F-Series design systemically with focus on each component. This strategy seeks to optimize the collective performance of the system to gain rewards measured in horsepower not flow bench numbers. In fact, CFM is never Frankenstein’s sole performance objective.
Cylinder head design has evolved since the flow bench came about 50 years ago. Flow bench CFM is still helpful, but it’s just a static measurement of air flow through a cylinder head. The reality is more bench flow does not mean more horsepower. Today’s advanced porting methods incorporate the entire induction system to achieve maximum air speed, pressure recovery and combustion efficiency. Frankenstein designed the F-Series using Reactive Airflow Modeling, a proprietary approach to engineer peak performance in context of the whole induction system for its intended engine application. Optimal cylinder head designs emerge from advanced methods which incorporate the dynamics of air and fuel, turbulence, velocity, pressure, recovery and density occurring throughout the combustion process. We knew how to breathe life into the LS, but it needed a lot more than a new port program to reach its full potential.
Frankenstein engineered the F-Series to run at such extreme levels that it pushed the boundaries of aftermarket components so we shared our prototypes and performance goals with partners like PAC Racing Springs® and Jesel®. They in turn stepped up and engineered new components compatible with the F-Series performance capabilities. Confident the F-Series could have a solid valve train, FED unleashed engineering to make our castings with the extreme airflow capabilities that we envisioned.
First order of business, was to exploit the raised runner design by raising the intake .250″ and raising the exhaust .200″. This substantial increase provides a more direct pathway for air but there was still room for improvement. So we repositioned valve locations and the push rods that caused a hump along the intake wall. Shifting the push rods off the intake wall effectively reduced interference and opened the airpath further. This also served a the purpose of improving alignment between the push rods and rockers. The F-Series exhaust ports were placed on center-line with the exhaust exit to improve purging and the spark plug was centered in the chamber, for cleaner burn and maximum combustion efficiency. For practical purposes, the intake flange was extended to remain compatible with most OEM and aftermarket intakes.
Altogether, the flow characteristics exceeded expectations and are unmatched in the industry. The F-Series enables higher rpm ceiling while achieving peak torque earlier than any existing cylinder heads. The pressure, increased VE requires less timing to achieve peak power and optimal tuning.
Forces acting on the valve train cause components to deflect and compress which will steal lift and duration, leaving horsepower on the table.
The valve train geometry was critical to support the capabilities of the F-Series. It was designed for high performance valve train components to transfer energy efficiently resulting in superior stability and durability. To this end, Frankenstein aligned the pushrods and rocker assembly in order to mitigate deflection of push rods, lifters and rocker kits. Frankenstein developed triangulated and doweled 6061-T651 billet rocker stands. An industry first, which improves system rigidity under high-rpm/high-stress applications when using stock-style OEM rockers.
During the development phase, Jesel® evaluated our prototypes and new billet steel rocker stands. The Jesel® engineering team designed a custom shaft-mount rocker assembly with 1.80/1.80 ratio with options up to 2.0. The F-Series shaft rockers are a solid body 2024 aluminum construction which resists fatigue, stress and heat. The rockers are lighter weight and provide superior rigidity which is ideal for the high cylinder pressures of the F-Series. Jesel® also mimicked the LS7 cup depth for close to stock preload and included a cup adjuster compatible with other Jesel® rockers.
Frankenstein also partnered with PAC® to develop a custom 0.700 lift dual spring kit to endure higher rocker ratios, reduce loft, minimize oscillation in extreme conditions. Custom valves, guides and titanium retainers were also added for durability and increased longevity.
In the final phases of development, F-Series was tested with assistance from EFI® University. EFI University® conducted Spintron® analysis at over 10,000 rpm and it revealed the most stable valve train they had ever recorded for an LS cylinder head.
Making a MONSTER
The street racing world was not as familiar with Frankenstein but that changed in 2018 when FED introduced the M311 MONSTER, an LS3 cylinder head on steroids. Chris Frank took the 6 bolt casting with 11° valves and improved the rocker height to achieve a flawless rocker to valve tip sweep which increased lift 10% to .660 from .600 and allowed for larger cams. The MONSTER was given new high performance porting and valve job programs, bronze guides and a custom spring kit. When the MONSTER came to life, street racers discovered horsepower potential never seen before at this price point.
The FED team designs for the highest echelon of racing and serves street racers with the same attention to detail, quality and performance capabilities. Chris Frank aptly captures what Frankenstein is about; “We take ProMod® engineering to the street“.
It’s a relatively small class of engine builders that discover Frankenstein Engine Dynamics® but those who do know the difference. Nearly every Frankenstein intake manifold and cylinder head has demonstrated FED’s performance through world record setting race cars.
Requests for custom projects usually start with few specifications beyond the engine block. Every new challenge invites the FED team to build on what they created before, a drive to produce the next most advanced induction system on the track today. Design concepts emerge digitally at first as the team establishes desired performance characteristics at key areas throughout the induction system.
Intake manifolds and cylinder heads are designed, prototyped and manufactured in-house. FED possesses a unique understanding of induction systems that govern our design principles to optimize airflow, compression and recovery. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) are employed to evaluate ideas and refine designs before producing a physical part. New concepts are measured against internal performance standards and refined for maximum volumetric efficiency, airflow velocity and distribution, etc. CFD insights help FED establish ideal intake manifold characteristics for its given application such as plenum volume, runner length, taper, and injector location. Once a design achieves performance targets via CFD, a prototype is manufactured and tested on its application to ensure it also achieves performance targets in the real-world.
FED employs an in-house Spintron®, to spin an engine while high speed cameras, lasers and sensors record when rpms induce valve train dissonance. The insights collected help isolate opportunities to address stress, deflection, lift and lofting. The test process ensures a system can mechanically endure and thrive at higher performance thresholds required by FED. In fact, when FED’s F-Series Cylinder Head and valve train were Spintron® tested with EFI University®, revealed one of the most stable valvetrains they ever recorded.
Some advancements stem from validating designs with the latest technology like the PCA-2000®, a data-logging and analysis system to collect info from combustion processes, air/fuel ratios and other FED parameters. The ongoing flow of performance insights from the track are a constant reminder that true product advancement is a never ending process.
FED culture includes a lot of shenanigans but behind the veil is an extreme drive to innovate and an intense focus on perfection. Frankenstein is meticulous with quality and performance details and will not compromise quality or performance just to deliver cylinder heads as fast and cheap as everyone else.
Relatively few companies possess the technical capabilities to make power for the highest levels of racing. The market is small and extremely demanding, but this is where FED thrives. Making parts for racers hell bent on breaking world records, which is also Frankenstein’s hotbed for inspiration.
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