New block for SBC

R

rlphvac

solid fixture here in the forum
Grumpy competition products is selling a fully machined seasoned 4 bolt main block for $795 its supposed to be ready to go with freeze plugs & cam bearings what do you think about this
 
rlphvac said:
yes that's the one it seems to me that I would have that much in machine work
Click to expand...
Its a Seasoned GM casted Block Ralph.
That means the block sat for a minimum of 4 months before final machining.
Any major molecular metal movement takes place in this time period.
GM did the same for every single Big Block Chevy engine made at St. Catherine's Niagra Falls- Canada.
The blocks sat for 4 months to 2 years before final machining.
What helped make them Legendary Durable and still running strong today

The Price is right new.
I would not be afraid to buy it from Competition Products.
 
I always thought "seasoned" meant previously used and it has been through
running heating and cooling cycles. I have never seen the word seasoned used
with NEW blocks.
 
Any Solid object Has some degree of Molecular movement still Mike.
The longer Cast iron sits the more Dimensional stable it is.
Even if turns Rusty Crusty.
 
Final maching removes all light rust if it occured sitting .
 
Id point out the FACT that most OEM chevy production, small block, block castings were made as thin and light as the manufacturer thought they could make them to save on materials, darn few will take over a .040 over bore without leaving the cylinder bore walls thinner than ideal!
think about that! a bore increase of .040" is only .020" off each bore wall, the O.E.M. blocks are NOT cast with uniformly thick, and rigid walls
most were designed to operate at under 400 hp and under 6000 rpm stress levels, yes we all know guys that have built 500 hp engines using O.E.M. blocks but its a crap/shoot and gamble as the castings are significantly weaker than the aftermarket blocks like DART sells that use both a stronger metal alloy and thicker castings, if you plan on building an engine with north of 550 hp that might frequently be run at over 6000 rpm with a 3.75" or longer stroke crank, I would not even consider an O.E.M. production sbc block
I'm fairly sure many of the guys reading through this don,t or have not dealt with, or built enough engines, and been involved with enough of the engine builds to realize the various manufacturers approach building components with a great many different objectives in mind,
component parts vary and careful research and selection is required!
I've always found SCAT and CROWER parts seem to be a good value!
keep in mind the "weakest link in the chain" concept,
Any logical engine builder needs to sellect components with a firm goal in mind and recognize the intended power band and rpm limitations.
need there's not much sense in selecting a rotating assembly that is built to easily handle lets say 1200 hp and 7800 rpm, at 4500 fpm in piston speeds,
if the block main caps walk at much lower stress levels, or if the block your thinking of using it in,will most likely have the caps walk well below that stress level.
nore would it make sense, using such a high dollar rotating assembly if your going to match it with a valve train and hydraulic roller cam that floats valves at 6400 rpm, or heads that reach port stall at 6700 rpm

yes almost all the time everyones damn reluctant to spend the cash on a DART block, (the first time they build a serious engine)
but after you get done with the machine work costs, at your local machine shop, and realize what you spent on a stock SBC OEM block,
and get a detailed report showing the exact meassurements on the stock blocks bore wall thickness and total the bills ,
you had to pay out, youll have a far different perspective on the cost of that dart block
yeah! I know you see all the posted links below and figure ,
youll skip reading them....probably a big mistake


http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-1210-chevrolet-350-small-block-comparison/

https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/engines-bare-blocks?SortBy=Default&SortOrder=Ascending&tw=blocks&sw=Engines, Bare Blocks

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/some-sources-for-engine-blocks.439/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/splayed-main-caps.1014/#post-24525

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/checking-blocks-heads-for-cracks.3363/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/sbc-cylinder-wall-thickness.7646/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/engine-block-cylinder-wall-thickness.976/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-prep.125/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/blueprinting-a-block.49/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/which-dart-shp-4-0-or-4-125.3219/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-choice.10472/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/blocks-from-summitt-or-comp-products.10174/
 
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I am wanting a Pontiac 389 casted in 1960.
Looks like Sheet.
But I know it won't change shape when Abused hard again.
 
87vette81big said:
Its a Seasoned GM casted Block Ralph.
That means the block sat for a minimum of 4 months before final machining.
Any major molecular metal movement takes place in this time period.
GM did the same for every single Big Block Chevy engine made at St. Catherine's Niagra Falls- Canada.
The blocks sat for 4 months to 2 years before final machining.
What helped make them Legendary Durable and still running strong s . . . . . .
Click to expand...

Excuse me, . . . . . . . .I was laughing so hard I craped my shorts!
 
My Late Bud Bill had A tour a St. Catherine Niagra Falls With GM Tech School in the 1960's.
He seen how the Big Block Chevies were made 1st hand.

The Top Student he was at Hisdale GMI.
He was invited to Dt. Catherine to tour it.

What were you doing in the 1960's Richard besided smokimg Pot ?
 
My Sister is a Chemical Engineer.
I bet knows more than you do Richard
 
87vette81big said:
The Top Student he was at Hisdale GMI.
Click to expand...

I was accepted to GMI (General Motors Institute) in 1985. I would have worked at the same plant
as my father, New Departure in Bristol, CT. The woman that was responsible for setting up the sponsorship
dropped the ball and myself and 3 other students never got to go. I think she got fired.
 
I don't think McKinnon built any Big Block Engines??

I think Tonawanda built them all??

Prefix codes: Flint- F or V: Tonawanda -T: McKinnon -K

The casting date is the date a block was cast.

I believe "select seasoned" means good used in this case.

Thanks
Randy
 
yes "seasoned" generally refers to a "USED" block thats been heated and cooled while in use for some time,
this constant and repeated, heat cycling of the casting,
tends to stabilize the block for later machine work tolerances,
reducing potential shifts in dimensional stability, this may make the block noticeably, less likely to change dimensional after its machined , but the much thicker and much stronger cast iron alloys used in a DART or similar aftermarket block make those blocks much stronger

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...s-why-doesn-t-anyone-ever-ask-or-check.11532/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/sbc-cylinder-wall-thickness.7646/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/engine-block-cylinder-wall-thickness.976/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-choice.10472/
 
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