Hundreds of new product announcements cross the desks of PRI editors each month. Following are our top picks for February.

409 W-SERIES BLOCK

Bill Mitchell Products
billmitchellproducts.com

The motivation for Bill Mitchell Products (BMP) developing an aluminum version of the Chevy 409 cylinder block was simple. “It gives the guy a reason to drag his car out of the garage,” said Bill Mitchell.

Before Mitchell teamed with 409 specialist Lamar Walden to design the block, early 1960s enthusiasts had to scour salvage yards for months to find a block that wasn’t cracked, then hit the swap meets to find NOS parts that fit. Now the restoration process is much easier.

“We wanted to simplify it because nothing parts-wise was available for some 50 years,” Mitchell said. 

BMP first tried to modify a traditional Chevy big block to accept the W-series parts, but it was apparent that completely new tooling was needed. “So, we decided to use BBC parts to keep it simple,” Mitchell noted.

The 409 block is constructed of 357-T6 aluminum and features billet-steel main caps and ductile-iron liners. It’s designed to accept a BBC crankshaft, bearings, rear seal, connecting rods, oil pan, and timing set while working with 409 cylinder heads.

Since the block was first introduced, BMP has changed foundries and upgraded the machining process.

“Lamar had been bugging me for years, but who the heck wanted a 409 block,” Mitchell recalled. “It sure has turned out to be a hidden gem.” —Mike Magda

VCU300 EV VEHICLE CONTROL UNIT

AEM Electronics
aemelectronics.com

The VCU300 from AEM Electronics is an extremely sophisticated and technologically advanced vehicle control unit for electric vehicles (EV) that gives the user a wide range of “tuning” capabilities.

“We developed, like on an internal combustion engine, different mapping strategies to allow it to have multiple power and traction settings,” explained Lawson Mollica. “You can control those using our eight-button keypad.”

The VCU300 is designed for EV motorsports applications and performance EV conversions. It works with a wide range of EV systems and components and can manage up to four inverter/motor systems. It will also communicate with three CAN bus networks, so systems such as thermal management and charging are fully integrated into the VCU’s management strategies.

“Our PDUs provide switched 12V power, which are programmed through the VCU300. These are a little different than your standard power distribution modules. Typically, power distribution modules need to be programmed separately from the controller unit. We make smaller eight-channel units that you can daisy-chain together, and mount closer to the functions they control, which reduces weight and wiring complexity,” said Mollica.

The VCU300 features 196-pin connector and a waterproof aluminum enclosure. Besides hooking up to the CAN keypad, it’s also compatible with the CD-7 logging dash display, giving the driver complete visual feedback and logging capability on all the systems. —Mike Magda

AUTOTEC II PISTON LINE

RaceTec Pistons
racetecpistons.com

An improved line of pistons designed for boosted applications is now available from RaceTec Pistons. Called the AutoTec II, this new piston series fills the gap between the competition-bred RaceTec line and the street-performance AutoTec line.

“Our standard AutoTec is good for small boosted applications, and the AutoTec II is for mid-line boosted engines,” explained Stacey Stone. “For extreme boost, we recommend our RaceTec line.”

The base AutoTec is forged from 4032 aluminum alloy, while the AutoTec II steps up to 2618 aluminum—same as the RaceTec series. The 2618 alloy has higher tensile strength and a higher melting point. It is also more malleable, all of which makes 2618 more suitable for high-boost applications.

“We also design it to be a little heavier than the standard AutoTec to withstand boost pressures,” Stone added. “The AutoTec II is good for up to 20 pounds of boost. Certainly, anything over 20 pounds we will recommend going with the RaceTec series.”

Current applications for the AutoTec II series include the LS, small block Ford, and Gen III Hemi. All pistons come with a standard 1.5, 1.5, 3.0 ring package. Check the catalog for available compression ratios with each application. —Mike Magda

ONLINE BONUS

M390HV and 10390HV Pumps
Melling Performance

Melling Performance has introduced high-volume versions of its M390 pumps for the 3.5L and 3.7L Ford EcoBoost engines. Designed for applications where the valvetrain needs additional capacity, these pumps offer 20% more volume and higher pressure versus the factory setting. Click here for our exclusive video.