| Re: LT1 Bolt Ons |
Subject: Re: LT1 Bolt Ons by bogus on 2011/12/3 21:34:08 Quote:
I don't agree. You can easily reuse the stock crank and rods with a 355. Unless you really plan to stress it, the OEM stuff should be ok. If you find the need to replace it, then go 383. At that point, the cost of parts is moot. Unless you are on a budget, then a used OEM crank might just get the job done. Either way, you will need pistons. That's a given. OEM pistons will not fill in that .030 gap. To be honest, ANY rebuild will have teething issues. It's all about experience and knowing what to expect. This 383 I plan on building, I will DIY it. I had planned on other options, but with the luxury of time, all I will need to pay for is machine work and balancing. I will assemble. If it takes me a month to get the mains bolted in, then that's what it takes. This is just an example... But it could take time, if the bearings fail a microgauge, then I will need to reorder bearings and regauge. Only when it is right will I be happy. But this part of the project is down the road. I just want to pick bolt ons that will be reusable on the new short block, too. Why repeat the effort. It's why I bought a DeWitt's radiator instead of some generic POS that will leak in 2 years... it's why I have gone to the hassle of doing the LTCC conversion. All goals to make the basic car better. Now it has 180k on it, and I need to make some decisions. I don't want to take on a car payment right now. Technically, we could afford it, but I don't want to tie up the money that way. If I have $500 I can spend this month, great, I will spend it, but if I don't, I won't be REQUIRED to do so. And in CA, a newer car costs more to register. With my personalized "VET GURU" tag, it costs about $120 a year to register, but if I had a newer Vette, say a late C5 or early C6, I could expect to see that reg fee double or even triple. At the same time, my auto insurance would go up about $600 a year. In short, my plan makes sense... and with time on my side, I can pick and choose. When I do my short block, this is my plan: Magnaflux block to be 100% sure it is solid! Forged crank, Calles or SCAT New rods (would love titanium, but that would be a waste of $$) Internally balanced Appropriate balancer for the front Hendricks racing pulleys - if you haven't seen these, they are the SHIT, yo. They are cogged, so the belt won't slip, ever. and if an LT1 kit exists!! Block machined - line bored for crank and cam Billet main caps Torque plate boring All internals ported and relieved, as required Deburring the valley - improves oil flow back (I doubt I will mess with the epoxy paint, I think I can clean up the metal enough so as to not worry about that) AFR Hydra-Rev kit - something about the product that makes a ton of sense LS7 lifters - this is currently the trick of tricks Headers and bullet cats - yes, I am going to flirt with CARB here, but if the cats are doing their job, no one will care. If I am doing the myself, some of the above is stuff I can do, porting and relieving the various fluid ports; cutting out the material on the block for the crank throws... things like that will save a few bucks at the machine shop. Using a seasoned block will go a long way to avoiding core shift and things like that. But this is 2+ years down the road. |
