heres a question,would we be better off using 5''x5'' dart or merlin bbc engines then boring and stroking out to the limit reg bbc engs and getting only 600cu'',,would it be

1.cheaper in the long run
2.easier on parts
3.longer lives/more eng hours
4.bigger hp


any thoughts?

I am surprised more people don't use them. They make monster torque NA and cost about the same as some of the bigger FI builds. Longevity???

Don't they have super tall decks and therefore tricky to keep alive valvetrain geometry?

Also, you need to have a bilge big and roomy to handle their size.
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Anything over about 710 ci requires a wider bore spacing. That means custom blocks, heads and cranks. Con rods about 8 inches long. Prices I've seen are about 100,000 an engine for an engine from a good builder. It's a lot cheaper to put a blower on top of a 600 ci engine.

You nailed it.
There are a lot of specialized parts(translation...expensive) that are required to build an engine over 800 ci. It will be so much cheaper and easier to build a 598 with a supercharger that will fit in any boat. The parts are very common and can be had overnight in most cases. I would love to do a huge ci engine, but everytime I try to do it, it just doesn't make sense.
Eddie

ive looked up parts prices and talked to my friend an engine builder of 25+ years [pro stock drag racing,boats,road race cars],hes going to build a 800+cu'' eng for a street car for a customer and he's thinking to be in the 50-60k range,it will be n/a and 9,10-1 comp,,i'll keep asking him questions as the build goes along

I built some 730ci engines 10 years ago when they came out with the MERLIN 11.625 deck hieght block. Everything had to be custom made. We had Dart olds heads on it and a custom sheet metal intake for a 16:71 Littlefeild blower. We had Kinsler electronic fuel injection with 16 injectors per engine took almost 2 years to build back then and a hundred thousand dollars each to build. I would never use that combo again We had a 5.300 stroke so the longest rod I could use was 7.625 and the rod / ratio was not that good. It is hard on pistons and rings and did not like much over 5300 RPM. Then as the deck height goes taller the engine gets wider then you don't have any header room on a side by side engine set up.

were pricing out some combos,all prices are list from web sites,i'll put my prices in when i call things in next week

1.blocks $5,000
2.heads $3,000 a pair
3.crank $3,200
4.rods $1,000 a set
5.pistons $1,000 a set
6.rings $250 a set
7.cam $500
8.intake ?
9.oil sys?
10.ign?
11.carb or f.i.?
12misc?


i'll keep adding prices as i get them

Why would you go to all the trouble of specialized parts, when you can make 1300hp out of off the shelf parts like a 598 with a Whipple 5.0 on it?

Chris

Good Throttle body Injection alone can run 15K per motor. Don't ask how I know.

Here is an 815 inch Ford Boss Hemi motor from Jon Kasse;

They have been doing them for years. I believe they are all drag motors though. Lots of big everything to swing at 5-6000rpm for extended periods of time.

Threads need pics to stay fun!
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