I was just thinking, heads for instance to have them in aluminum are quite a bit more. Goes for other parts as well.

Is this because it's harder to make? or because there is more demand for them?

 

The difference is in the cost of process and how the parts are casted. Alloy is more expensive than that of cast iron.

 

Lets see, cast iron scrap price, 2 cents a pound, aluminum 18 cents a pound. :P

 

They CNC machine so many parts nowadays, too. That adds considerably to the cost.

 

Even in raw form, alumnium costs more than iron....(and gold costs even more ye). Add to that the smelting process to make the alloys and then the heat treating process and finally the testing of the alloy to ensure the process was through.

 

thanks for all the input.

anyone ever priced an all aluminum 350, just the block??

 

Scoggin Dickey....

GM Bow Tie Aluminum Blocks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part # Part Name Price
10185075 SB Chevy Aluminum Block 350 Mains $4,689.95 More Info Add to Order
10134400 SB Chevy Aluminum Block 400 Mains $3,995.00 More Info Add to Order
24502495 SB Chevy Aluminum Block for Big Displacement $4,895.00 More Info Add to Order
12370850 BB Chevy ZL1 Aluminum Block $5,095.00 More Info Add to Order

 

Got to get me one of those...

 

Holy crap

Looks like that will have to wait till after college.

 

A guy that races at the local track bought a aluminum bowtie block and swapped eveything out of his iron block motor to the new one. Everything was the same except for the block. He picked up about 1 tenth. That was just from the weight. So I figured he got little if any hp gain and was out all that money.

 

stainless steel threads an't cheap.

A smallblock cast iron block is probably about 80-85 lbs heavier than an aluminum one.

 

100lbs=1/10 is what Ive always heard.

 

I dont think the real advantage of an aluminum block is less weight. Its an added bonus.
Aluminum transfers heat better than cast iron and down there were it gets really hot, less heat=longer engine life.

 

true and more hp as a result

 

i always thought the LS1 crate motor package was so overly expensive for what you got, didnt realize an aluminum block was so special. but after seeing those prices on the aluminum blocks alone, i no longer look at it as a bad price anymore lol

 

LS1 isnt a 350 tho...its a 346 IIRC plus way different.

 

hey

I work in a CNC machine shop, we make Rods for Chrysler 3.3, 3.8, Ford 2.0liter Jags, we used to make iron 454 Marine heads(those were no fun, try lifting an 85pound head into a machine 2-300 times a night) and we also make some stuff for the Abrams Tanks(turret brakes mostly)

I dont understand the Aluminum price either

whenever we run aluminum, the stuff is so much easier,the machine bores, drills, cuts, etc etc all the parts much quicker. The parts are more user friendly, as burrs come off with almost no work.
Aluminum is generally easier to work with, its like a dream.
I dont get why its so much.
I understand that it costs more in the smelting and actuall casting, but cmon, it cant cost 400$$ more for a set of heads...

 

from a performance stand point it dissapaits heat better than cast iron.

 

Q:<br>
A:<br>

 

Well if ya want to get technical then "pre ls1" 350s aren't 350s either, they are 348s hence the 3.48 stroke.

 

uhhh to my knowledge all 350's have a 3.48 stroke..... and the ls-1 has a 3.62 stroke with a 3.9 bore...... so i dunno maybe im missing something but i dont see what u were getting at with that post

 

that's what I was thinking. Eventhough they have a 3.48 stroke, they're still 350s to my knowledge.

 

oops, my fault. I don't know where my head was at on that one.
2*3.14*2(radius of bore) =12.57
that *3.48 (stroke) =43.73
and that *8 (number of cylinders)=349.8 rounded to 350.

Give me a little slack. Its been one of those days.

 

LOL.

 

GM high performance has a article this month on heads and the aluminum vs. iron argument.
they said aluminum is better but iron is cheaper, and the performance gains, on equal type heads is not that different.
later
biker

 

80 pounds of cast iron at 2¢ a pound = $1.60

50 pounds of alumnum at 18¢ a pound = $9.00


so where is the extra $$392.60-----> Heli-coils!

 

heh, you forgot the labor costs for actually casting the heads, and the costs for making the molds....