Big cubic inch question....
 

This might be a silly question but, can someone explain to me how do people make big cubic inch motors? Do you bore out a 454 block? Do you use a bigger block? Example: I have seen numerous listings of 509 and 540 cubic inch motors.

:confused:

509 is a bored 502 a 540 is a stroked 502....4.25" stroke!

Very large engines use blocks like the Merlin special tall decks along with large bore and long stroke. (I was at a friends yesterday and he has 6- 611 cubic inch engines. 2 supercharged + 2 spare supercharged + 2 naturally aspirated)

Ok,, next question then,,,
 

Why does it cost so much to have big power?

I am the IT guy for a large sales and service facility. We have block work, head work and all kinds of machine work performed daily and there is not that much cost involved.. Where does the cost come from?

I can understand the billet stuff,,, but where does the cost come in when you use OEM equipment,, and just fine tune it?



:confused:

Speed costs money. how fast do you want to go?
OEM stuff isn't going to put you in the 800 horsepower bracket, and for the regular guy that has to pay to get quality high-performance machine work (the operative word here is quality) done, as well as trial-assembly and final assembly, this is a substantial cost.
Then there's the cost of superchargers, intercoolers, fuel injection, aftermarket heads,,,,,,the list goes on.
I'm not saying that people aren't having any success with OEM engines and parts. It all depends on how much power you want to make and how fat your wallet is. My wallet ain't very fat so I'm usually at the back end of the pack on the COPS runs.

how big is big???you can buy an Eagle assembly to make a 540 out of a 502 for $2k.....

454 blocks won't give you a "big" motor.

502 block is good for 540 motor.

572 and larger need to use a tallblock, but the GM Truck tallblock can't be bored big enough so you gotta go aftermarket.

Generic stuff you'd find in a rebuild shop can be used with an inexpensive crank to make a 496, and you can expect to pull 600 horses out of it.

Bigger and more power than that gets into expensive aftermarket parts. It's just a matter of production components not having enough metal there to support the large bores, and standard deck blocks not having enough room for large cranks and long rods. This doesn't even take into account the beefier block webbing and reengineered cooling passages, etc..

Eagle Cranks are made in China........really.

Thats why I enjoy this board,,,
 

There is more knowledge lurking around on this board than in the encylopedia...


:D

Yes,

Eagle-san has nice Amellican-looking bird logo but is made by barefoot unwashed refugee child feeding raw forgings into CNC crank grinder on dirt floor. Grinder runs off of bundles of extension cords a quarter mile long where power is being stolen from local hospital. Refugee gets paid in soured leftover rice. If he does good job, they only rape his sister every half hour.
Their quality control is less than optimal.

There are good value priced American cranks for only a few bucks more.

(and I'd rather pay a little more and give an American supplier a $50 profit for a quality piece than to save a few bucks and pay a Chinese slave driver a $300 profit for a questionable component).

I know but when its my money I look for the best deal I can get....I'm never going to build anything over 650 hp and the Eagle stuff is fine for that.

mcollinstn
Wow, very descriptive.
BTW, while a siamesed, tall deck, BBC can be bored and stroked to a little over 4.5" X 4.5", that wont make 600 cid. Who manufactures the blocks, cranks, etc for bigger engines, ie up to 700 cid.
Gary

Another question
 

When you say 4.5" X 4.5",,, does that mean the width of the piston at the top and the stroke of the crank?

Sorry Dude didnt mean to hit a nerve!!but if I have to buy the American components I cant build the motor...it doubles my parts budget and I cant swing that!

6 611 motors...who is it, I think I have found a new hero

I know, he's my hero too, but just being around his stuff makes me feel underpaid.

I don't want to steal his thunder so won't say more, but I'm sure you'll be seeing this guy and his boat soon. It, the running gear, and his trailer are awesome.

A 540 is a stroked 509 which is a .030 over 502.
The 4.25" stroke is correct.

Tall deck blocks can be clearanced for 4.75 stroke for 632 CID with 4.6 bore. Merlin's superblock has 11+" deck height and will clear a 5.375 stroke for 715 CID with 4.6 bore. Rods are 6.7" long and up. You can buy complete rotating assemblies, short blocks and engines from drag racing suppliers like Scott Shafiroff, but are these good boat engines?!

Beyond this you have to go to blocks that have wider bore spacings to get the cubes without ridiculous stroke. But the real answer is the Torque (now Sterling) V-12. It has 4.5 bore X 4.5 stroke x 12 = 860 CID.

My bowtie talldeck is stroked to 4 5/8" which equals 604 cubic inches. Cally crank. 755 hp, 761 ftlb.

Re: Another question
 

SinkorSwim you are correct.

later

i ead that you had your boat at cpr at the lake ive heard it is off D rd tried to find it the other weekend but did not see a sign. is it the brown buildings that sit up a gravel rd with a small house?

There is no sign
 

Its about 3 or 4 miles on D and then on the right you will see Ballard Rd... crappy old ozark gravel road,,, but it will lead you to the mecca of HP at the LOTO...:D

Once you find Ballard road its less then a !/4 mile.. Can't miss the 2 HUGE buildings with fence....

Last time I was there; there was a real nice 40 or 46 Skater that you would look real nice in...:D

Sink or swim, the nice thing about big-block Chevy engines is that you can make a good amount of horsepower for a reasonable amount of money. The members here on OSO have tried just about every conceivable combination and are willing to share that information, as well as letting you know how well it worked.

6 611's, still thinking about that deal from the am

I have a 4.600 bore with a 4.500 stroke which = 598,2 inches less than 600 :D :D :D Tripps

I run a 4.75" callies with 4.60" bore Merlin 2 tall deck. 900HP @6500, 820 ft/# @5100 on pump gas with Dart 360 Heads and 2X775 Race Demons. Build this motor for Pontiac heads and find another 125hp+ on pump gas. Oh yeah, Dominators and more Rpms would be sick power...but not exactly a pleasure boat motor at that point.

Actually, this is a pretty small motor. A buddy of mine runs IHRA pro stock, 815" motor but very exotic. 10K for the block, 20K for heads, split Dominators, a lot more, 1600+HP on fuel.

Just remember there is no substitute for cubes....

Re: There is no sign
 

i heard that they were putting some motors in the wild horses 40 skater

later

ps
thanks for the info i thought that was there shop on ballard rd.

Thats you .... always thinkin about makin it faster.:crazy:
Its in you blood...you need this to survive...you will have to do it...you will make the decision soon...you can take control now. :D

Re: There is no sign
 

it is the little shack in the back, where all the magic happens........:D you must provide ID to the guard at the gate and perform a retina-scan before you entering their compound. you are thoroughly searched before exiting, to ensure you are not leaving with any secrets! ;)

if you manage to get in, check out Jean's "Slow Down Ed" button on Wild Horses!!! LOL!!!

jbk