Questions, answered straight

Sam's Performance is a family-run high performance workshop in Greenacre, in Sydney's south-west. Sam Baghdadi founded it in Padstow in 1990 and runs it with his sons. It specialises in LS engine builds and strokers, Harrop supercharger packages, in-house cam and head packages and hub dyno and engine dyno tuning.

Sam's Performance is at 80 Rosedale Avenue, Greenacre NSW 2190, near Bankstown in Sydney's south-west. The workshop is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and closed on weekends. Call (02) 9708 3333 before dropping in.

Mostly LS-powered Holden Commodores and HSVs, from the VX and VY through the VE and VF, including the GTS, GTSR, Clubsport, Maloo and Monaro. The workshop also works on Fords such as the S650 Mustang GT and the Ranger Raptor. Call to discuss other platforms.

Published results include Jamie's SP427 at 1080hp on the engine dyno, a built 427 with a Harrop 2650 at 1000+ rwhp, a VF SS 416ci stroker at 800+ rwhp on pump 98, and a VF GTS at 750 rwhp on E85. The full list is on the Sam's Performance dyno board.

Call Sam's Performance on (02) 9708 3333, email info@samsperformance.net.au or send your car, current modifications and power goals through the website enquiry form. Every combination is different, so the team will talk through what you want before pricing it.

Yes. Sam's Performance has sent engines and tuning programs as far as the USA and the UAE. Call (02) 9708 3333 to talk through the build, freight and fitment.

Yes. Sam's Performance fits and tunes Harrop 2300 and 2650 superchargers and Harrop boosted pulley and airbox upgrades, and its builds carry a plate reading "Harrop enhanced by Sam's Performance".

SP Built is the name Sam's Performance gives the engines it assembles in-house, from standard-capacity LS engines to forged 383, 402, 416 and 427 cubic inch strokers. Each one is built, tuned and fitted by the workshop.

Sam's Performance usually closes over the Christmas and New Year break; for example, after Christmas 2024 the workshop reopened on 3 February. Check the Sam's Performance Facebook page or call (02) 9708 3333 for this year's dates.

Sam's Performance builds LS strokers in 383, 402, 416 and 427 cubic inch combinations, along with standard-capacity SP Built engines, using forged components such as Callies cranks and rods and Diamond pistons. Each combination is specced to suit the car, the fuel and whether it will be supercharged.

Results from Sam's Performance builds include a VE GTS with a 402ci stroker and Harrop 2300 supercharger making over 700 rwhp on 98 pump fuel, a VF SS with a 416ci stroker and Harrop 2650 making 800+ rwhp on pump 98, and a built 427 with a Harrop 2650 making more than 1000 rwhp. Power always depends on the full combination and fuel.

Yes. Sam's Performance has an engine dyno at its Greenacre workshop, so engines can be run in and tested before installation. Jamie's SP427 with a Harrop 2650 made 1080hp on it. Finished cars are then tuned on the workshop's hub dyno.

Yes. Sam's Performance has sent engines and tuning programs as far as the USA and the UAE. Call (02) 9708 3333 to discuss your build, freight and fitment.

It depends on the supporting parts. At Sam's Performance, a VF SS with a Harrop 2650 supercharger and Sam's cam package made over 700 rwhp, and a VE SS with a Harrop 2300 made 620+ rwhp. A stock-bottom-end combination is tuned to suit the engine's limits.

Both are Harrop superchargers for LS engines. The 2650 is the larger unit and suits larger-capacity strokers and higher power targets. Sam's Performance has used the 2300 on a 402ci stroker for over 700 rwhp and the 2650 on a 416ci stroker for 800+ rwhp.

Yes. Sam's Performance fits Harrop boosted pulleys and airbox, its own cam and lifter packages, ported heads and full Hurricane exhausts to LSA-powered HSVs. Builds in this style have made 640 to 750 rwhp, the top figure on E85.

A Sam's Performance cam package combines an in-house specified camshaft with matched valve train components. Variations include the cam and LS7 lifter package, the cam and spring package and the heads and cam package, each installed and dyno tuned at the Greenacre workshop.

A VF SS with the Sam's Performance cam and lifter package and an upgraded stall converter made 440+ rwhp on the workshop's hub dyno. Results vary with exhaust, fuel and the condition of the engine.

Yes. Many Sam's Performance customers start with a cam package and add a Harrop supercharger later. Tell us your long-term plans so the camshaft can be specified to suit boost from day one.

A hub dyno bolts to the car's wheel hubs and measures power at the wheels with no tyre slip, so it is used to tune the finished car. An engine dyno tests the engine on its own before it is installed. Sam's Performance in Greenacre has both.

Yes. Sam's Performance tunes for both E85 and 98 pump fuel. A VF GTS with the workshop's heads and cam package, Harrop pulleys and a full exhaust made 750 rwhp on E85.

Car results published by Sam's Performance are rear-wheel horsepower (rwhp) measured on the workshop's hub dyno. Engine dyno figures, such as the 1080hp SP427, are measured at the crankshaft and labelled as engine dyno results.

Most of Sam's Performance's boosted HSV and Commodore builds run a full Hurricane exhaust system, often paired with Harrop pulleys and airbox and the workshop's own cam package. Builds in this spec have made 640 to 680+ rwhp.

For automatic cars with a bigger camshaft, an upgraded stall converter usually improves drivability and launch by letting the engine reach its power band sooner. Sam's Performance specifies the stall to suit the cam and how the car is driven.