building a new engine, need some help.....

El_Diablo · Feb 19, 2009

well im finally trying to piece together a new engine based on my stock 95 block.... now the main question is just that- what can i do about the mains? ive found a set of 4 bolt splayed main conversion caps but is that even an option or should i just stick with a main girdle? and if so, which one??

the plan is to keep the stock crank and rods but upgrade the rod bolts and maybe have the rods shot-peened.... hp goals are close to 500hp

im also of course looking for forged pistons but i have no idea which route to go, i just want to keep it a 306 so of course only a .030 overbore and low compression for the supercharger as this will be a street driven car, of course, with stock rods i will have to stick with a pressed fit piston aswell

any help would be great, thanks again for feeding the newb :tongue3:

LAFENATU · Feb 19, 2009

A girdle does nothing - biggest waste of money. If you lose the block everything is going to get chewed up. If you lose a rod its all going to be chewed up...a girdle just keeps the pile of mess in one pile of shit.

You might not need a .030 over piston. You never know until you get in there....it might just need a hone. Nothing over sized rings won't take care of.

My old 92 LX 140k mile block was fine when I rebuilt it a few years ago.

.02

El_Diablo · Mar 2, 2009

so then is it possible to use the 4 bolt main conversion caps on a 95 block?

i would imagine some stability is gained by the use of a girdle as many manufactured vehicles today use some type of perimeter system

im aware that i most likely will not need such a bore but i would like to upgrade to a low compression forged piston and most are in the .030 over range, any help in choosing the pistons would be great.....

Spyder · Mar 2, 2009

4 bolt main is going to be a waste of time and money.

You will split the block before the caps become an issue

94IVGT · Mar 2, 2009

Spyder said:
4 bolt main is going to be a waste of time and money.

You will split the block before the caps become an issue

+1 on that. If you really want to have a reliable 500hp motor I would recommend just waiting and starting off with an aftermarket block(boss, dart, b50, world)

red94gt5.0 · Mar 2, 2009

drop a 351 in it, why spend tons of money making that 302 at 500hp and risking cracking the block when you can spend the same money on a 351 and make wayyyy more power safely, im building a 418 stroker for my 94, looking to get 675 at the crank.....

LAFENATU · Mar 2, 2009

El_Diablo said:
any help in choosing the pistons would be great.....

Well there are a few things that come in to play here.

1.) what are your future plans ie: N/A or FI?

2.) what is your spending limit? You can got from $300-$1200 pistons.

El_Diablo · Mar 4, 2009

im already running a t-trim.....

ive got maybe $800 tops for pistons but the lower the better to be honest

as far as the 351, that would be great if i didn't have to buy a new top end which would add a few hundred atleast to the build, my upper and lower intakes would be trash with a 351, its to wide..... im sure there are other issues that im not aware of (my heads can have the sleeves knocked out and new studs aren't that expensive i guess)

Spd0lit · Mar 4, 2009

honestly i would just get some forged pistons and have a regular rebuild 302 or 306 and call it a day.

brad94GT · Mar 4, 2009

i would just buy a shortblock

LAFENATU · Mar 5, 2009

Ross or mahle.

If you wanna spend a little less, look at probe.

Spyder · Mar 5, 2009

JE or SRP make a good forged piston as well.

El_Diablo · Mar 5, 2009

i dont have tons of money..... this is a budget power build

what about a girdle and a partial block fill (shouldn't affect cooling much with an aluminum rad.)? should help strengthen the bottom end a bit... is there enough room to drill and tap for 1/2" head studs? then just add some arp rod bolts and some good forged pistons, what would you guys imagine it could hold?

i keep coming back to just using my 302 because it seems the best way to go for a budget blower build such as mine.... oh, btw, i'll also be using edelbrock 6025's topped with a performer intake and of course my T-trim feeding it all, im thinking of swapping out to long tubes while the engine is out aswell

fixthedoor · Mar 5, 2009

Everyone is on a budget. Have you totaled the cost of what you want to do yet? From what I have read in your posts (with respect to money) I think you are better off buying a 347 shortblock.

Spyder · Mar 5, 2009

El_Diablo said:
i dont have tons of money..... this is a budget power build

what about a girdle and a partial block fill (shouldn't affect cooling much with an aluminum rad.)? should help strengthen the bottom end a bit... is there enough room to drill and tap for 1/2" head studs? then just add some arp rod bolts and some good forged pistons, what would you guys imagine it could hold?

i keep coming back to just using my 302 because it seems the best way to go for a budget blower build such as mine.... oh, btw, i'll also be using edelbrock 6025's topped with a performer intake and of course my T-trim feeding it all, im thinking of swapping out to long tubes while the engine is out aswell

Girdle wont keep the block from splitting, it will just help hold the parts together when it does.

Filling the block will cause cooling issues for sure,e ven with an aluminum radiator.

Drilling and tapping for 1/2 in ch studs wont keep the block together any better.

Basically, with stsock block, stock rods and HCI and boost, your gonna be living on borrowed time anyways.

blackpony · Mar 7, 2009

id tear into it and get it honed out and miked if its still in spec then just buy a good set of used trw pistons from someone on the net and be done with it... those with arp rod bolts, main bolts, and head bolts will hold more power then the block.....