building a bbc

[michigan maniac]

I'm in the process of building a block, and just currious as to what heads everyone runs in thier boggers, aluminum/ cast, stock with port work, after market...

[J.C.]

I bought some aluminum heads off ebay. 320cc intake runners, 2.30/1.88 valves. $950 delivered to my door. Springs good to whatever specs you give them. Hopefully get to use them in the next few weeks

[michigan maniac]

What brand are they ? I've seen some in there also that don't look bad, just concerned about quality

[J.C.]

I want to say pro star? I don't think they were procomp. Place out of virginia. Best head you can buy imo is AFR. Costly, but man do they make power.

Edit* can't find the place, I'll have to fire up the laptop and see if I can find it

[J.C.]

Skip White

[Jthomas]

Afr makes a nasty head! But I just couldn't afford them... Brodix  is runner up in my book. And they have great coustomer support, and I have bought tons through them. They can repair anything you give them. And you might be able to get a set on the cheap if they have a cosmetic blemish they can't sell.

But try to match your top end. Don't just scatter your parts. Get a cam to match the heads, get springs to match the cam, get the intake to match the heads/cam, and a carb to match the cfm requirements of your engine. You will be much happier doing that.

[Jthomas]

Ps. Fill out a forum, or email them. Ask for a recommendation, they will tell you exactly what to use. Then just cross reference the specs to a cheaper head if you are on a budget.

Once you have the head specs, message a cam company for a recommendation for a cam/spring combo.

Boom. You have all your specs, then just cross reference them to other companys to get the best deal

[michigan maniac]

What brand of rotating assembly do you prefer ? Scat, eagle, seen lunati too


Was looking more at this kit http://m.ebay.com/itm/331264880955?nav=SEARCH

[Jthomas]

Well I can't say much about them.

Yes, you can buy some of the same spec rods cheaper than others. Then you see and identical rod for $1,500

I pay more, because company's like crower, Ohio cranks, Callie's, Oliver, diamond, ect. Don't make junk. Most of the rod company's are actually Chinese and different company's slap their logo on it. Say that when they were pouring your rods in their foundry, and the metal was off a bit, they are still going to use it. When you use a high dollar company like above, they are all made in house, and if they get a bad batch of steel, they won't pour it. They start over. And ensure that you have the highest quality part that they can produce.

I've seen Chinese rods come from the factory +/- .002" as their spec for taper/out of round!!!



But back on the subject, eagle seems to be very popular, and they seem to be stepping up their game, as far as a true quality part.

[Jthomas]

But as I say all the time, engines are personal preference. It's all about what you want it to do, and how long you want it to do it for. The main thing is, just be realistic. Everyone wants "as much HP as possible" and wants "10,000rpm" and wants the thing to last, but they are on a "budget". There is no such thing...

There are trade offs when it comes to motors, you have to choose what you want the most, and build your engine around that. So say you want a torque motor, build it with heavy parts, and a long stroke, and keep the rpms low.  Trade off being you loose wheel speed, extra weight, and if you don't have a rev limiter you have to be careful not to over rev .

[michigan maniac]

Yeah I agree you get what you pay for, and I would love to know I have a good quality part, but I'm also on a budget lol  

Also when looking at them should I look for internally ballanced or external?

[Jthomas]

Once again, personal preference.

I order all my stuff internally balanced, then have the whole rotating assembly balanced at a shop. But the reason I use internally balanced is because all my motors are, I can swap flywheels, crank hubs, and dampeners and know I'm not mixing.

[Jthomas]

Ps. If you have a mild engine your building on a budget, my opinion would be eagle.

[michigan maniac]

Yeah I was leaning towards internal, then I know its ballanced in shop and its good to go

[Jthomas]

Yeah I was leaning towards internal, then I know its ballanced in shop and its good to go

It's perfectly fine to have external. Just don't mix them

[marshall]

Brodix aluminum on my 489, eagle rods and crank. I trust my builder, he picks the parts.