Hey guys,

Looking for some engine tech advice for my rebuild. First I will layout my current combo:
350 4 bolt main block .040 over
400 stock crank
6" stock rods
SRP forged Pistons
SLP 51008 cam .509 lift
Canfield 23-500-65 heads
Mini-Ram TPIS Intake
SLP 1 3/4 headers
Fidanza Flywheel

I am looking to freshen up my motor and I want to internally balance my engine. My question is What could be the better Crank to have my engine internally balance with? I have looked at Eagle, Callies and Scat, and I am at a loss for the best value. I have been told that lighter weight is better for quicker reving, but is that as durable as a regular crank? Also, any advice on a cam would be appreciated

Motor will be used for autoX and some street/strip drag racing. I plan on keeping the car so durability and endurance is what I am looking for.

thanks in advance,

 

Nobody builds a 383 with a stock 400 crank anymore, and there are no 6" stock rods.

 

Eagle makes some good forged kits that are already balanced. I can't find the cam specs, but from the look of the heads I don't think this will be for the street. If streetability isn't a concern I would try a larger cam... if it is, then smaller heads. AFR's have better low-mid. With a good solid roller, it would be possible to get 500hp out of the motor, but it would be hard on the street.

 

I built my engine about 8 years ago and got a stroker kit from VSI. I believe Wheeler was the MFG. Anyway it is a 400 crank with the journals cut to fit the 350 mains.

So if no one makes 6" rods anymore, who makes a stroker crank that will allow my to use my 6" rods? I am really looking to get a aftermarket crank that will not require much to internally balance the motor.

Is anyone familiar with the Callies magnum, dragonslayer, and compstar? Or the Scat ultralight cranks?

Just looking for some guidance,

Thanks

 

of course you can reuse your 6 in. rods he only meant that your rods aren't stock

and any aftermarket crank designed to be internally balanced will work.... as to lighter... that depends on your school of thought and your wallet... any weight removed from the rotating assy. will produce quicker revs... however that lost weight will also decrease the inertia of the rotating assy. which in turn decreases torque output...

so do you want to spend the money trying to make a stroker survive in the 5k-7k range or where it really shines on the low end

 

That's an aftermarket 383 crank, it never had 400 journals to begin with.

For your application you don't need any magic parts, a typical stroker crank would be fine.

 

Dragonslayer??? You see the price tag on those? Crap man, I bought my entire car for less then that.

What's your HP output desired here? I think with a mini-ram and a mild hydraulic cam (.509" hydraulic is fairly mild to me, since I know no other specs on that cam), i'm guessing you're not shooting for over 450HP, so a cast steel stroker crank should be fine.
I'm talking about an Ohio crankshaft $300 crank type of thing.

 

Thanks Sonic,
As for my HP desire I plan on making at least 400hp N/A and possibly a 150 shot or small turbo in the future. I would like to overbuild it a little to allow for more power in the future. I was thinking a 4340 steel crank from Eagle or Scat, but I did not want it to need to much balancing out of the box, since I plan on having the engine internally balanced. I have heard that cast steel cranks sometimes need lots of heavy metal to balance them.

my cam is a SLP 51010 with the following specs 220/230 dur lift is 502/510 on a 112 split. I plan on a upgrading the cam when I freshen up the motor.

What cam do you think would help reach my goal with my combo and still keep it streetable? I have a FAST engine management system, so tuning will be easier.

Thanks again,

OSC

 

no no, you can't add a turbo to an NA motor, and you don't add a small one. Build it NA or build it turbo, but don't half a** it for either. Sounds like a good NA motor, so lets stick with that.
You don't need a 4340 crank, not until you're looking 800HP of block splitting HP in the face. RPM is what requires more strength in the bottom end, and it doesn't look like you'll be needing that.

A crank that's internally balanced is designed for such, it's not like you'll be slugging up an external balanced crank until it will become internally balanced. I doubt you'll need to buy a whole pile of mallory to balance any crank you buy.

That cam should work well for now, will give you a lot of grunt. Down the line you can upgrade it, but I think it's a pretty good setup for now. Any recommendations would only take away from the street-ability.

 

Cool,

So I can get by with a stroker crank designed to be internally balanced and I should be good then. If I want to get a bigger cam, what lift and duration do you think will be some what streetable? The car is a weekend driver only, so i can live with a less streetability. Plus with the FAST I should be able to tune it relatively easy.

 

The XR276 or XR288 are both quite popular. Look up specs on those. I wouldn't go much bigger than an XR288 or else it will be sketchy. It's not that it's driveable or not (you got a stickshift, so no biggie), i'm just not sure how tolerant FAST is. I'm not wise to any FI systems really.

 

Cool, thanks for the advice and info. Think I will go with a eagle or scat stroker crank and then have it balanced. Any preferences? Thank you Sonix.

Osc