stroked small blocks in the race cars?

[1795]

Originally Posted by MAStuart

My 1964 Mickey Thompson catalog lists stroker cranks for 289's.

Jim did your engine builder put the scare on you to upgrade? Depending on your tune you would be fine up into the lower 500 Hp range. Now if you were going 24 hour racing.....get a better block. I have an Jan 67 hotrod artical on the gurney eagle engines. Dan said that they had made as much as 448Hp with 271 HP cast iron heads on a 325 inch engine. So they were making them big before 67! Also the big numbers were 506 HP from a 289 with the gurney eagle heads on gas with webers. So they were making big number way back before 67.

How did your engine look wheen they took it apart? Any problems? There is a guy out east that has a progam to cnc port 289 heads that guys have been making in the 425 to 450 range with. I think they are also remaking the C6FE heads and cnc porting them. There is nothing like a real 289 making big power. I really like them when they use a factory 289 block ,heads and crank. Yes with aftermarket blocks and heads and cranks they might make a little more power. But I dont think they are as cool.

The engine builder was not trying to sell me on things that I did not need. When he had the engine disassembled he called me and had me come look at things. The block was going to need to be rebored and it was already .030 over; I did not want to risk going to .040 over as that starts to increase the risk of failure running at high rpms for extended periods as the water jackets get awful thin. It's one thing on a street engine or drag strip, but another thing on a road race engine. I do run our long sessions at times and that puts a stress on the engine.

Cobra Automotive (Curt Vogt) makes some nice engines, but at $30-$35 K they are a little out of my league, especially when after 20 hours you have to tear them down and replace parts. If it were a street engine that you probably would never tear down again, it's one thing, but every two years that is a lot of money.

I am trying to approximate what they do without the expense. Will not be at that level, but a little closer is good enough for me. Cobra Automotive uses Dart blocks, except for their FIA legal engines. Given that I am never going to be FIA legal, what they do for regular vintage is good enough for me.

I have met the guy in charge of their engine shop and like him, a real nice guy. I lost his card and cannot recall his name. We have talked a few times at vintage races.

My engine builder made his suggestions, but has left all decisions up to me. I have done my research and made my decisions. At this point, I want an engine that I can count on to be reliable. The crank needed work and when I built my first engine I would have gone with a forged steel crank, but they were not available. If I waited any longer Scat would not have been able to do this one for quite a while as their supplies were drying up.

Jim