There is no denying the popularity of Discovery Channel’s Street Outlaw series and one of its biggest stars is Murder Nova—aka Shawn Elligton and his 1969 Chevrolet Nova. The car dominated Street Outlaws by topping “The List” for three seasons.
For the past few years the car has been sitting dormant in the 187 Customs shop as Ellington focused on the “new” Murder Nova. Thanks to the downtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic he has readjusted attention to his beloved OG Murder Nova with plans to attack Limited Drag Radial and Pro 275 as well as select small-tire No Time Shootouts.
Decked out in an all-matte black appearance package, the OG Murder Nova is no slouch and the 3,200hp results on FuelTech USA’s Mainline hub-dyno proves it. A pair of Precision 88mm turbochargers is the main ingredient to the 48-psi of boost applied to the Pro Line Racing cast aluminum big-block Chevy that is bolted between the frame rails.
The traditional big-block checks in at 572ci and wears a set of Dart Pro 2 cylinder heads. The displacement comes courtesy of a Lunati crankshaft, Oliver billet connecting rods, and a set of forged Diamond Pistons. The valvetrain is courtesy of COMP Cams from the solid camshaft to the lifters and pushrods. Luis de Leon kept an eye on the data and calibration files of the FT600 as he dyno tested the Nova on the in-house hub-dyno.
The benefits of the FuelTech FT600 Engine Management System!
FuelTech Engine Management Systems has solidified its leadership in the market thanks to several drag racing features, which Murder Nova will undoubtedly rely on for his true 10.5-inch tire racing. A FuelTech FT600 engine management system was selected for the 3,200hp combination as the all-in-one unit eliminates the need to go to other systems, simplifying installation and streamlining the tuner’s workflow. Two key elements of the FuelTech FT600 for small tire racing are the boost control and traction control functions, both are incorporated in FuelTech FT600 engine management so the tuner doesn’t need to rely on an external system.
Lighting off the VP Racing Fuels M1 methanol fuel is the job of eight ignition coils that are controlled by the FTSPARK-8, a system capable of cranking out up to 750mJ (mJ=mili Joules) of energy and it has the ability to fire the spark with 125 Amps of current in the coil primary.
Stay tuned to FuelTech USA social media to see how the OG Murder Nova performs in class racing for 2020!