The Ultimate Small Block Stroker Engine Build -- Part 4 

Robert Plescia I feel the same way bro!

I agree... I have built 100's of SBC 350's ..327.....ect..ect working in High performance engine shops since I was a teenager... building a 350 is pretty boring these days.. My son is 5 years old and I can give him my credit card and he could go online and order all the typical SBC parts by ordering from Summit...ect... he can even bolt it it all together with some instructions... Building big strokers requires a bit more thought especially if your starting from scratch without a kit... The only short-coming I see in Part-3 video, is that he used those heads out of the box.....sure they will work, but your easily giving up some 35 to 60 HP.... The valve seat run-out as well as seat width contact area are never good out of the box.... I can see atleast 5 issues with the bowl areas just from the video.... We live in a new era these days where pump gas is at beast 92 in most places and not many race tracks like there use to be.... The 327 , 350 motors needed higher octane 14 to 1 compression and to spin 8000 RPM min to develop any serious HP back then.... and higher failure rates..not to mention all the tricks needed to have any substantial air flow at those RPM levels...4500 stall converters are not fun when a cop pulls up besides you at a light.... These days I more about the cubes and less about the RPM...

Chris M 👍 I had a 355 sbc now I have a 496...major difference

Ive built plenty High horse power motors. There is no replacement for displacement. My last build was a turbo 383 .I originally was going to use my stock 350 block ,ordered a forged 383 kit. Then found out I needed another block. I was upset but already purchased everything for a 383 build . I would of switch to a 400 block in a heart beat if I could. There is no reason to use a 350 block if your starting fresh.

Mark Rich 👍😆

Both are excellent--and very correct--points.

The Edelbrock RPM dual plane has the plenum cut down across the middle for this very reason.

Dyno'ed it in part 5. You can see it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sOZaDFlBSXo.html . Thanks for watching!

286HR any day with 10.5to1 static compression with AFR titon tall single plane manifold =wall of torque and good high end hp. 304HR could work with those cubes and 314HR with some more compression like 11.5:1 static would be right in the inzone. they could have the same huge wall of torque along with some high end hp. don't need tons of race cam lift like .650" or .750" here , the cubes draw in mix through a small cam. also they could be saving their engine from exploding with power. they got all forged with hbeams even. why not go to 600 /650hp. theres probably a lot of attention to finer details and different material bearings that would be changed more regularly i'm guessing. although you could build a 600hp 427, it could be done , yeah.

Hagget414 Awesome! Let us know how it turns out.

@@TheHorsepowerMonster lol bit of a delay but she dynode 595hp@6800 and 550tq. She back out built for boost and a single GT45R

dynodon100 he was correct years ago.

its best. I have brodix heads on my 408.

has nothing to do with head material

Mike V. Could you expand? What does it have to do with?

@Doug Cook The LSX engine comes from the factory stock with aluminum heads and head bolts. Needing studs has nothing to do with the material. I wasnt there for the conversation to say why they where needed but its not just because they where aluminum. Only thing I can think of is most aftermarket heads have a thicker deck needing a longer bolt .

Wow

Thanks! We hope to have it running on the dyno soon and can't wait to pass along the results.

Thank you

Thanks!

dynodon100 anti-seize?

On spark plugs, so the threads will not strip out when you take them out.

Not enough if you have to back out of the throttle at 7200 RPM up hill you'll need piston to valve clearances😅😢

If nothing else people should knock casting flash off, and verify runout on all valve seats. There's almost always a bit of flash to remove in the pushrod area, and sometimes more. I don't complain about this as it's easy to do and... it's a stupid expense to make a machinist do that finish work. If the valve runout is garbage however, that is something to give feedback on.

Stupid supply chain crisis has screwed everything up! I didn't realize they had gone up that much

No shit

rottysaurus Waiting to get time on the dyno.

The Horsepower Monster I cannot wait to see the numbers!! If they are in the vicinity of what Im after Ill def look at piecing one of these babies together...

@@TheHorsepowerMonster 4 years?

Brett B. Most people that use that word dont know what a billit is

Get a real truck.

Yes. Not sure if it was necessary after all, but when putting together my plan before the build I didn't want to chance having to start over if a rob bolt intefered with a cam lobe. Thanks

They will get more lift than advertised because of the 1.6 rockers. However I probably wouldn't have chosen a cam from the thumper line if I was serious about making power.

Just send CERTIFIED funds in advance.

Good question, there was actually a very personal reason for that. I plan on using this engine to hopefully test lots of different parts and mods in the future. When you use head studs, a removing a cylinder head with the engine still in the car can be murder compared to head bolts where you remove the bolts and pull the head straight up. So that was the main reason to use head bolts instead of studs--making my life just a bit easier in the future.

roasted

The Horsepower Monster that makes sense

to hard to remove head besides not any stronger

Head studs are not used for "strength" , they are used for increased clamping force with the same diameter fastener. Just thought someone should let you in on that info1

Part 5 is up! Thanks for your patience.

Hi this is Eric from Rescue technician mobile repairs South Florida if anybody is able to throw any 350 small block Parts my way I appreciate it I need to build one up for the next Race season and make some new money

Changed the stroke.

@@TheHorsepowerMonster ok was the block a dart or gm 400 sb or a speedmaster block did u use a 4 inch stroke crankshaft i know the.dart block has a raised camshaft not sure if speed master has that I'm gonna be building a destroke 400 sb comes out to be 377 built one back in 1994 it was a bear but I'm intrigued on the 427

It was a Dart block. Handled the stroker crank no problem. But if I had to do again I would never use a standard deck height small block. Too difficult to get the counterweights on the crank cut down enough so that the piston pin bosses don't hit at bottom dead center.

@@TheHorsepowerMonster i see thats good information i guess they is no way to externally balance enginor crank u know like the Gm 400 small block I'm curious i built a 377 d stroked gm 400 talking about working ur tale off grinding to make aluminum rods pass use a calies crank and chils albert rods 12.5 to 1 wiseco pistons my only thing was i couldn't afford good heads used 041 gm heads 202 160 valves it would turn 8500 like nothing i may go back to the 377 anyways thanks for the information enjoy ur show i would love to work in a race shop and build engines port work

Honestly, I thought about it but decided to use head bolts because studs usually make it about impossible to remove the heads with the engine in the car. I hope to use this engine as a guinea pig for testing lots of different things. Head bolts may come back to bite me, but the block is new and the threads are all good, so I hope not. We'll see!

oh ok i know u guys put the best of everything in your engines and when u said u where going to use a power adder i figured blower or turbo or something but i know u used arp bolts so i am sure they are still stronger than just factory bolts hopefully they will hold up cant wait to see the dyno results and good luck love your page!

The Horsepower Monster ARP studs have Allan head recessed to remove them, not fast, but easy

Asswipe Cornholio Aw

If your hear for music.....go someplace else....building an engine, not an album...idiot

into my 81.

Lol you have a lot to learn, get outta here

To get technical , drop your spinning weight will get you quick and cheap advantage.

2 and 3/4 s. Exactly!!

You do know this is a Hydraulic Roller... Right ????

John Caprai lol, John, weather hydraulic or solid a roller lifter is a roller lifter. They have needle bearings between the roller ball and axle support. Those tiny needles take a continuous beating because of the aggressive ramp profile of the roller cam. Are you following me?

+kevin S he doesnt know all the tiny lil needles might go everywhere one day. but due to a hydraulic lifter and roller cam the stress put on those components are much less than the average flat tappet below. .600"

True, but still... Once you've lost an engine, your never quite the same. No more needle bearings for me, ever!

I imagine you lost some over the years. China parts i tell ya

+Midwest UTV the only guys who dont like holleys are guys who dont have the patients/intelligence to tune them, instead they will go with the afb carter/edelbrock or some efi system...

Yeah and the only guys that like everything else actually appreciate driving what their carb is on rather than tuning the damn thing all the time, not hating on Holley as a whole their EFI systems are actually pretty bomb stuff but their carbs are aweful about staying tuned.

Midwest UTV they really arnt that bad

Blake Knutsen They probably aren't I just haven't had any luck with double pampers or any thing with Holleys carbs.

You don't have luck with nothing,you either know what you're doing, or you don't know shit!! Holley are great carbs. But people who don't know their way around an engine don't understand.

Or any engine.

You don't buy a cam for over all power. You buy the cam for the application you are building. You don't but a big over all power thumper cam for a tow rig. It would be the biggest mistake ever. You buy the cam for your application. So sometimes you will buy a cam with lower RPM and more Torque for towing at lower RPM. If you are building a race motor it will be higher RPM.

He did say 1100 for a set.

He did mention above that the bare head price was $1100. The assembled set was like 1800.00 at that time. Different manufacturers also price differently. I use AFRs and they are higher than some other brands, but I like them all, just get what you need for your application.

+Eric Johnston We primed it one the dyno right before firing it up.

not worth a dam ngk

ngk

The price you have is for a complete set of heads, including valves, springs, retainers, locks, spring seats and shims (if necessary). We got the heads bare from Brodix, and used our own springs and other components. The price for the bare heads is $1,100. Thanks

The Horsepower Monster But also to your point, a complete set of aluminum heads ready to bolt on for less than $1,800 that are the quality of these Dragonslayers from Brodix is also a really good value.

The Horsepower Monster and they flow good numbers

Randall Wyatt Buy your heads bare, And put them together with good stuff. And take your time doing everything meticulously perfect. You will be better off and still save money in the long run !!!!.

10.5:1. The compressed thickness of the head gasket is 0.040 of an inch.

The Horsepower Monster nice

perfect for premium pump gas

I think it is because such a high displacement squished into a small area. If the displacement was 350cu/in then yes the compression ratio might be a little low. I believe the formula for compression ratio is cylinder volume + clearance volume / clearance volume.

Depends on how the heads will flow.

@@garymcclanahan4344 Calculated compression ratio depends on head flow really? What is that equation?

AJ N and autolite plugs, junk

Mr. Gasket head gaskets.. LOL

@@stellingbanjodudeAutolite is better then Champions any day . I have never had a problem with Autolite or AC ever. I have had problems with every set of Champions I have bought. At least one plug in every set of 8 won't work. I haven't bought a set in probably over 15 years, but everyone I know that has still has issues with them. My brother bought a set a couple weeks ago, he didn't want them but the parts store said it was the only set they had. Puts them in and it runs worse then before he did. Back to the parts store and orders a set of anything but Champions. Puts them in and runs great.

yeah power robbing compared to other shelf cams .

no way, should have installed a hydraulic roller like comp 286hr or XR288HR or larger or the XR294HR or XR300HR with 10.5 to 1 static compression and an AFR titon tall composite single plane. they might be avoiding the 600hp range to save the engine as daily driver that can last a while. @540 MUDSTAIN

Who is (they)??

nathan riley I don't understand either! my 496 on 9.1:1 CR made 565hp and 600tq with gm iron heads

nathan riley because its cheaper then a ls or a bbc and a bbc has to have very specific parts or you choke them

I agree if your racing and starting fresh go the biggest block you can but sometimes people like me reuse or think they are going to reuse parts. Thats how my build started but fell threw. I was going to reuse my block to save money but ended up I couldnt so I was left with all 383 parts. SBC parts are also dirt cheap and efi guys dont want to retro fit stuff there direct bolt ins. I built a fully forged wiseco /scat complete aftermarket turbo mpfi fuel injected coil over plug gen1 6in rod 383 c/h/i/rr/intercooled-gt45/4150 tb/single plane efi intake for 5000$ thats why people still build small block. Their able to bolt up to LSX computers and be tuned likea standalone and still pass emissions. Its hard to beat that price and own a fully forged bullet proof turbo charged motor.

mainly because they rev up so fast i have a 454 and a 327 my 327 will out rev the 454 any day but its all about preference i love both

I will take a 800 hp small block over 1000 HP big block any day

+iconbadgta The Brodix heads are a little much for the street, they like high compression 13:1 or so , Afr's would be better on the street for the high velocity .. I agree that Cam is all sound, does nothing for cyl pressure and sucks all the way around but the Sound. If you love sound over performance then that crappy Thumpr cam is for you. A Comp Xtreme hyd roller would've been a better choice. With those heads and the ci the Brodix heads won't ever reach their potential, the should at least be around 600 lift and dur 256/ 266 @ .50 This build is a waste of time, street compression , radical sounding cam that takes away from compression, Heads that are meant for drag racing. This motor would be good for turbos .

+iconbadgta for 5k you wont be making much better then that and its a little more complicated then "a cam and some head" you gotta take into account duration from .050 and adv duration so you know how radical the cam is you also have to take into account cam lift and there are many different types of afr heads you have to find the right combination between rocker arm lift, port size from the valve, total displacement and even then you dont talk about what carb or manifold distributor or anything i doubt you would even know where to start. also i think you guys dont know the difference between an engine designed for racing, and an engine designed for the street. and dont get me wrong i understand the thumpercam was designed to be loud and streetable its more for show but used in the right application you can make good power with good sound and still have something streetable.

Do you or this video creator like me to make a list for a 355 or 383 build for under 5k that would blast this one away? I can make a list of every part and price to do it. Nothing but top of the line stuff! Up to you. Let me know!

iconbadgta how about you put the engine together and test it you cant just claim "i know how to do it better" and list off parts until its tested. and if it is tested this means you got the information from an outside source so its not like you just sat at your computer and figured it out lol. but yea send me a parts list id love to check it out, and again i agree i would rather run like a comp xtreme with some better flowing heads but when you say shit like 675 hp easy for 5k thats just bull the price tag adds up quick, just the set of heads alone would prob run you 1500-2000 the cam and lifter set probably 800-1000 bucks and you still need new distributor "atleast an msd' new forged crank reinforced rods, bearings, everything would have to be new and forged thats gonna cost you about another 2k and you still dont have an intake manifold carb, forged pistons, and all of tat could add up to another 2000-2500 bucks, so yes send me your parts list lets see if you take EVERYTHING into account and what ive listed isnt even scratching the surface, if you wanted to prove to me your theory you would have to write paragraphs just to get all of the evidence that goes with your claims dont just send me a list of parts.

iconbadgta so what ever happened to that parts list bud, cat got your tongue, or should i say fingers?

what I use 3926's

Better then a lot of choices. Champion is the worst plug on the market

Dam AC spark plugs made in fucking China. GM sold us out to Mexico, then turned around and sold us to China. We lost 17,000 jobs In Flint Michigan. They told us we wouldn't close. Dam traiders..y Family members and I worked there. Buy an American spark plug. Fuck GM China.

If it's made in America. Yes. AC spark plug is made in China. We lost 17,000 jobs in AC spark plug division in Flint Michigan. They sold it to Mexico then turned around and sold us to China. Now there is an empty lot where they told us we would never close. Fuck em

Uh, you just commented ...

But if it works keep doing it

+Ranjit Where are you talking about with the cutting marks?

+The Horsepower Monster yeah the matching where the valves hit the cylinder.

+Ranjit I'm assuming you are talking about the combustion chamber, if the "valves hit the cylinder" that's a bad thing. Anyhow, I think you've got some unrealistic expectations for the real world. Considering that you can get a Brodix Dragon Slayer aluminum cylinder head complete with a CNC-cut chamber for just $575, it's a really good deal. I've seen NHRA Pro Stock heads that go for a couple thousand each and they still have cutting lines in the chambers too--just not as pronounced. The only way to get them "smooth as a babies bottom" is with hand work and there really isn't a point because it doesn't make a real difference in horsepower.

I can appreciate your opinion when it comes to taking pride in your work on a cnc...the person with experience knows how his work would end up looking and preforming

+The Horsepower Monster ok fair enough, I was just wondering the reason why, I do know there's variables and unforeseen problems, where people from the outside can say this or that, after the work is done, then once they know why it's all good. I never worded my question correctly sorry.

Pretty sure they are just keeping it streetable. Most likely why they are keeping the compression on the low end. People seem to under estimate a hydraulic cam. However I wouldn't have chosen a thumper cam as they are just for sound. Between that and the duel plane I would guess that this is going in a street cruiser and they didn't want to bother with running valves.

crash32301 stfu

I used these heads all i had to do was add exhaust valve stem seals

I think you 're lying.