I was looking at some websites for rotating assemblies. I want to build a 383 and can't spend a fortune but don't want it to last only 5K miles either.

Eagle stuff seems to be pretty economically priced, can anyone tell me about some of the experiences they have had from Eagle products? I saw 383 rotating assemblies for $700-$900 and $1200 for forged. Should I be weary of these? My overall engine rebuild goals included the range of 550hp and forced induction.

Should forged be the only choice?

What is the hp/torque difference between 5.7 rods and 6.0?

 

Spend the extra money and buy forged components and make sure the piston you select will be suitable for your application later. Now is the time to get the compression right and if it costs you a little more today to do it you will be much better off. You can get by with the cheaper crank and rods but the budget pistons is where your 550 horsepower would make me a bit concerned. For the money and the difference i would just go all forged because one day you are going to want more than 550 horsepower and you will have to replace everything. Save yourself a trip and do it right the first time. You will NEVER wish you hadn't and I am sure others will chime in on this. Good Luck!

 

Do it as right as you can the first time, even if you have to wait and save to do it.


I am going through parts selection at the current moment and getting ready to pull the trigger on some parts, and I am still in the air about the crankshaft. Callies has nice stuff but I can't find any of there product anywhere......

 

Callies can be bought at tons of places but specifically from a very good engine builder. Check here and with other quality engine builders:
http://www.shafiroff.com/cranks.asp

 

I have all eagle componets in my 383.. I went with the 4340 forged and beat the living crap out of this thing 3 nights a week at the track in the summer months..

 

Mine is an Eagle 4340 forged crank too.

 

My new short block's got a 4340 Eagle stroker crank, lightweight 4340 Eagle 6" H-beam rods and lightweight SRP pistons. Total cost w/ quality rings and bearings around $1700. Obviously you can spend more or less too, depending on your requirements.

 

You can get 454 ci out of that block so do it!

 

Yeah that was the price range I was looking at. I know it i better to spend on forged stuff now so I won't be wishing later. I was just wondering about Eagle in general since they seem to be in my price range. Definitely 4340 forged is the way to go. So does the extra .30 of an inch on the rods make a big diffenence in displacement?

Which is better, internally or externally balanced?

 

454 on a SB? How so?

 

There is nothing wrong with Eagle stuff. Most don't like it because its chinese steal and made components. With that said, most of the American stuff is double the eagle - crower, lunati, oliver etc.

I have used Eagle Cranks for the last two motors I have built. And US rods in all of them. The rods are what take the beating in a motor, so I like to error on the side of safety. However with that said, I know of people running 1500hp setups with Eagle rods and cranks, only rated to ~450hp - these are serious setups with obvious serious power.

The bottom end of a motor is important, but not as important in terms of $$ as the topend. I see all too many times where people put mega dollars, crower cranks ~2500-3000 dollars, Rods 1300 - then they get to the topend and run out of money and put a junk set of heads on the motor which screws everything up.

My theory is build the bottom end with good componets 4340 quality - good rods, and pistons - then spend the dough on the topend; where the power is at.

Also a flip side of the coin is if something does happen to the motor, like what happened with mine, your not out MEGA money replacing everything. For under 3000 dollars you can be back in business with NOT too much lost sleep.

Buy what you can afford - if money is no object no doubt the crower and equiv are nice pieces, but you will PAY BIGTIME for them!

 

Rod length does not affect displacement, only bore and stroke does. For the HP range you mentioned, forged is the only way to go. Internally balanced is ideal and most of Eagle's better cranks are made for this. You'll need to upgrade to an aftermarket flex plate that's neutrally balanced.

 

Since I dont plan on racing alll the time or a power adder, I went with Eagles 3.75 Cast Crank, their 5.7 H Beams (added security) and then went with SpeedPro pistons. I had it all internally balanced and studded the mains. About 4K miles later its funning perfect. I have about 35 passes under it so far and a few 6800 ish dyno runs. Its all in how the motor is balanced and built as well. You can have forged parts crap out with a crappy balance and assembly job.

 

They have a 454 sbc in there asking alot for it though as a complete stroker engine, with enough clearance im sure you can get 454, I remember Smokey talking about making huge strokers.

 

If you are looking for a 454 small block they are everywhere. Ohio crank, Bill Mitchell/World Products...the list is getting longer every day.

Click this link and scroll down 4 from the bottom and you will see an affordable example: http://www.ohiocrank.com/short.html

Click this one and scroll down 3 engines. This engine can have any cylinder head and they will simply upcharge you selection. The lesson here is you can buy an engine built by a pro cheaper than you can build one yourself in most cases. http://www.ohiocrank.com/enginekits.html

You can buy a 472 small block chevy if you are willing to shell out the cash and these are street engines pumping our big power and impressive torque.

I am sure someone will think the 472 is a typo and I meant 427...it is not a typo...472. http://www.shafiroff.com/ultrastreet/472_675_engine.asp

 

But after buying a rotating assembly, getting the machine work done, having the head work done, wouldn't it come close to the cost of a crate motor?

 

Not with a stock block! You must use aftermarket to get the bore size for 454.

 

Yeah but i'd much rather research components and have someone I know is proven building it. It will make me sleep better at night when I am running 12lbs of boost through it

 

i bought my rotating assembly (as well as tons of other parts) from this place: http://www.midwestmotorsportsinc.com/

i did a little research on them and they seem to be a respected engine builder and vendor in the dirt track world. i believe ben was the guy's name i always deal with. was about the cheapest place i found for quality components- all balanced with a balance card. since i had never delt with them before and the price was so cheap- i checked the balance on the crank just to be sure- and it was right on.

although most here seem to like eagle- i am a fan of scat. for a h.p. goal of 550- i would think that a kit from eagle or scat would be fine- i wouldn't spend the extra money on callies or something like that. but that's just me and my $.02

*edit*
you don't have to order one of their (midwest's) "kits"- you can tell them exactly what you want. that's what i did- the components i wanted weren't in one of their "kits" on their site- i just called and told them what i wanted.

 

ski dwn it

the eagle stuff is made in china?

there's no way i would put that in my car, thanks for telling me, i was just about to buy a 496 stroker kit for my big block. i will go with ohio crank now.

there is something just not right about having the guts of your vet made in china, at least for me.