bigblockcamaro

Here's what I have so far

638 block (1 pc RMS) bored .030 over, decked 0.010, cam bearings and freeze plugs installed
601 casting heads, 2.02/1.60 valves, 56cc chambers, 172cc intake runners, 62cc exhaust, screw-in studs, guideplates
Crane 1.6 ratio roller rockers
Felpro gasket set
Double roller timing chain w/ cover
650 cfm Holley 4bbl carb
700r4 trans w/ 2500 stall
3.23 ratio 10 bolt (stock)

This will be a street/strip car. It will not be my daily driver but I'm plannning on driving it as much as weather permits. I'm hoping for 12's at the dragstrip. I "may" throw a 75-125hp shot of nitrous on this motor in the future.

Here's the items I need to decide on
Connecting rods - competition products has reconditioned GM rods w/ ARP bolts for $109. For about $180 I can go aftermarket connecting rods - which route should I go?

Will the stock crank be fine or do I need to go aftermarket cast? aftermarket forged?

Pistons - S/P Hyp. 9.7:1 ok with pump gas Or go with KB forged? how high CR can I go on pump gas?

Camshaft - Comp xe274h - .487/.490, 274/286 or Lunati Voodoo 60103 - .489/.504, 227/233 or Lunati Voodoo 60102 - .468/.489, 219/227

Intake - Edelbrock RPM or Air gap?

Any opinions outside of what I have listed are acceptable. Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

ede

decide now if you are or aren't going to run nitrous. it's hard to make parts work well in every condition.

there's a fair amount of differance in gm rods, so which ones is a big question.
for a power adder i'd look at a forged crank and for sure forged pistons. if not then i'd spend my money on making sure the crank i had was straight and run and run hyper pistons. i'd run the 103 lunati cam and i wouldn't run anything from edlebrock.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

those pistons are advertised 9.7:1 with a 64cc head, even with a .041 gasket, your going to be in the 11:1 range...that's too much for a carbed, iron headed pump gas motor.

if your stuck with those heads, look at the speedpro dished piston,(the ones with the -21.1cc dish) with a .015 steel shim gasket, it will net you right around 9.8:1 (i've done the calcs already, which is why i'm so confident in my numbers) and that would live fine on the street with 93 octane fuel.

as far as connecting rods, OHIO Crankshaft has a great deal on forged ibeams. i might check them out

the cam, i don't know that your heads will flow the cams you have listed, i might call comp and ask them for a recommendation.

holley street dominator intake, all the way baby!

you may want to look into getting some better gears (in the 3.73 range)

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Have the heads been cc'd? Have the valves been unshrouded?

Those are big valves for small 305 chambers. It would be well worth your time to unshroud them if they haven't. Then cc them to know exactly what you've got. The pistons will have to be chosen based on the outcome of the chamber volume, and gasket based on piston deck height. I ditto the forged, by the way, although it wouldn't hurt to use them even if you don't end up spraying it.

I just got a BBC RPM Air Gap intake, and it is a great piece. I honestly don't know if Edelbrock had some quality issues in the recent past (many reports to that effect), but I couldn't find any with this one. In 1997, I got a Weiand Action+ for that engine that apparently was pulled from the scrap line to the shipping department - almost ruined any respect at all I had for them. The next one I got in 1998 was fine, though (after I gasket matched the peanut ports it had). What that has to do with your choice - don't know, just thought I'd put in my about Edelbrock intakes. I do agree about Edelbrock cams, however.

You'll probably want more stall with the cams you listed.

firebird45331

as far as connecting rods, OHIO Crankshaft has a great deal on forged ibeams. i might check them out

I'd stay away from them They're in my home town and the dealership where I used tp work used to send stuff to their machine shop. They do good work, but when they mess something up they're quick to blame someone else and they refuse to stand behind their work

bigblockcamaro

On the heads, the valves have been unshrouded, and the were cc'd at 56. All the work was done by a reputable performance shop in southern Indiana that has been dealing primarily with SBC head work lately.

The pistons that I were looking at were S/P -21cc dish. I have to stay in a dished piston in order to keep the CR low enough to run pump gas.

How much nitrous will hyper. pistons hold up too? forged?

I looked up Ohio Crankshaft and they seem to have pretty good deals.

Thanks for the help so far guys. I guess if I'm going to a bottom end, I might as well do it right the first time.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

do you have personal first hand experience with dealing with these guys? i do, and i've talked with several of their representatives and i've been pleasently greeted and treated by them. anyway, i ran their ibeams in my 305 for 40k with probably 200 or so passes on it and tons of beating on it on the street. it saw NUMEROUS 7200rpm burnouts, when dissassembled, they looked great, and i'll be reusing them in my new build.

hyper pistons will hold up as long as you have the tune spot on. if you have the slightest chance of predetonation, you'll shatter them. it's just worth it to go forged. the speedpros are only about $120 more for their forged dished ones than a hyper dish.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

I'd recommend the lunati voodoo 103 cam you were thinking of. Got that in my plans with 416/601 heads on a 350 as well.

I'd also recommend a performer RPM or RPM air gap, I think edelbrock makes the best manifolds out there.

Irockz

iTrader: (1)

A good aftermarket I beam rod is always money well spent.I'd stay away from Keith Black hypers,in my opinion the Speed Pros are twice the piston.However,unless you are very experianced at nitrous tuning,or know someone who is,go with forged.

firebird45331

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mw66nova
[B]do you have personal first hand experience with dealing with these guys? i do, and i've talked with several of their representatives and i've been pleasently greeted and treated by them. anyway, i ran their ibeams in my 305 for 40k with probably 200 or so passes on it and tons of beating on it on the street. it saw NUMEROUS 7200rpm burnouts, when dissassembled, they looked great, and i'll be reusing them in my new build.

have I personally? not directly. would never give them any business after seeing the problems the shop had when they had problems with heads that they sent there. I did try to give them an opportunity when I was looking at getting a Garrett T-3 rebuilt. The guy behind the counter caught attitude and I told him I'd rather buy a new one then have them rebuild it.

I will say this, the head situation occured when it was still a Stan Ray & Sons auto parts store with a machine shop they were running in an adjacent building. Maybe their quality has improved since they got out of the carquest franchise and dealing primarily with machining.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

well, they have INCREDIBLE deals on forged I-beams (i think they're like $120ish) and they've held up GREAT in my application, and i think they would do the same here...better than any GM rod would anyway. whether the guy behind the counter was a dick to you or not is irrelevant. they put out good products.

firebird45331

I suppose i'd buy parts from them, but I'd never take anything there to be machined. I talked to some people at work about whether or not it's the same ownership as it was when it was carquest and they said it was.

bigblockcamaro

Ok, who has the biggest selection of S/P forged pistons?

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

the -21.1 cc dished speedpro power forged pistons are available at both summitracing.com and jegs.com

jegs has them listed for $39.99/each then 35.99 for the moly rings.