The COMP Cams Engine Builder Duel is a unique event that enlists two two-person teams in a head-to-head race to see which one can assemble and start a small-block Chevrolet engine in the shortest amount of time.

The catch? The teams must use only the tools supplied by COMP Cams to achieve the goal, and the completed engine must run for one full minute in order to be named the winner. COMP provides technical advisors to assist the competitors, but the audience must remain quiet–they can’t answer any questions the builders may have.

As you might imagine, to complete the feat successfully, it requires a lot of communication between the builder team to get the engine’s components assembled without fear of failure.

Calvin Lohring (left) and Dan Wereminski (right) display their COMP Cams gift certificates earned by winning their matchup of the Engine Builder Duel in Du Quoin, IL.

In this slick video, the COMP team wires Southern Illinois University Automotive Technology Organization student Calvin Lohring for sound at the recent Du Quoin, IL stop on the Engine Builder Duel tour.

Ford enthusiasts Lohring and teammate Dan Wereminski had never built a Chevy engine prior to the competition, but they took home the top prize in their matchup on Saturday, June 27 by completing the engine assembly and run process in 37 minutes and 46 seconds, defeating a pair of their classmates in the process.

It’s an interesting look “behind the scenes” at what it takes to get one of these engines assembled and built in order to take the top spot.

For more information on COMP Cams, check out their website, and for more information on the Engine Builder Duel, click here.