[lust4speed]

Originally Posted by PAUL K

Some of the stud lengths are custom made, not an ARP shelf part.

Glad ARP is stepping up, but eight years too late for me to avoid hand picking ARP studs for my aluminum block and first gen Edelbrock heads. Was definitely on my own back then and Frank was kind enough to loan me a big box of studs to sort through. I made it work and was able to finally get full thread engagement into the aluminum block, but it still required some odd sized hardened spacer/bushings because a few of the spots required a stud length that wasn't available back then. Normal thread engagement for a stock cast iron block is something on the order of around 1" and the aluminum block has threads right around 2" deep.

My 525ci aluminum engine now has a bunch of hours on it and no problems with the standard cam tunnel. Running .721/.723 lift up to 7,500 RPM with 280 on the seats and roughly 600 open.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by lust4speed

Glad ARP is stepping up, but eight years too late for me to avoid hand picking ARP studs for my aluminum block and first gen Edelbrock heads. Was definitely on my own back then and Frank was kind enough to loan me a big box of studs to sort through. I made it work and was able to finally get full thread engagement into the aluminum block, but it still required some odd sized hardened spacer/bushings because a few of the spots required a stud length that wasn't available back then. Normal thread engagement for a stock cast iron block is something on the order of around 1" and the aluminum block has threads right around 2" deep.

My 525ci aluminum engine now has a bunch of hours on it and no problems with the standard cam tunnel. Running .721/.723 lift up to 7,500 RPM with 280 on the seats and roughly 600 open.

Sounds like a great build. ARP isn't stepping up, PKMM & All-Pontiac is. ARP is making all the money.

[Formulajones]

I guess it's just me, but if I'm paying $5000 for a block, I'm not going to be worried about trying to save $100-$150 on studs. I'd just get everything from Frank, one stop shopping. Frank is a super nice guy, love talking to him. Doesn't bother me he's making some money.

[Skip Fix]

What bore/stroke are you guys using ion the 500+" aluminum motors?

[92GTA]

4.500" stroke and 4.350" bore on mine.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by lust4speed

Glad ARP is stepping up, but eight years too late for me to avoid hand picking ARP studs for my aluminum block and first gen Edelbrock heads. Was definitely on my own back then and Frank was kind enough to loan me a big box of studs to sort through. I made it work and was able to finally get full thread engagement into the aluminum block, but it still required some odd sized hardened spacer/bushings because a few of the spots required a stud length that wasn't available back then. Normal thread engagement for a stock cast iron block is something on the order of around 1" and the aluminum block has threads right around 2" deep.

My 525ci aluminum engine now has a bunch of hours on it and no problems with the standard cam tunnel. Running .721/.723 lift up to 7,500 RPM with 280 on the seats and roughly 600 open.

Hi Mick any power numbers or quarter mile times. That seems like a very nice engine.

As you know about the additional thread engagement needed for that aluminum blocks the thought of using standard head bolts with an aluminum block is pretty scary.

Almost every round port engine we see nowadays has at least one heli-coil on the exhaust head bolts from a previous builder not realizing the round ports use longer bolts.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

What bore/stroke are you guys using ion the 500+" aluminum motors?

Hi Skip we usually start out with a 4.28 or 4.31 bore unless something else is needed. Big power turbo build start at 4.25x4.25.... We change the Stoke as needed if it "has" to be over 500 cid. Absolutely no concerns going to 4.35 with the latest blocks and probably a bit bigger.

[77 TRASHCAN]

I wonder how “thick” the walls of the sleeves are @ 4.350?

[younggto]

Frank told me the aluminum block is 3.380” max bore.

[AG]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

What bore/stroke are you guys using ion the 500+" aluminum motors?

Mine has a 4.320" bore x 4.21" stroke for 494 ci.

[slowbird]

Originally Posted by younggto

Frank told me the aluminum block is 3.380” max bore.

Assume you mean 4.380?

[Skip Fix]

My iron block is a 4.350x4.21. I have an extra 4.25 forged crank I was planning to use in the aluminum block, but seeing the sleeves at 4.24 wasn't sure how big they would go. Not looking for any specific CI.

[younggto]

Slowbird; yes, 4.380”.

[lust4speed]

Originally Posted by PAUL K

Hi Mick any power numbers or quarter mile times...

Engine is in the strip/street '67 GTO. 91 octane pump gas only and built accordingly - then the clearances all stacked low on us at final assembly with our zero deck ending up .005" down in the hole and the RaceTech pistons arriving with an additional 3cc's. So ended up lower than planned at 10.32:1. Figured we'd correct that on the freshen but haven't needed to get back into it.

Engine initially dyno'd at 702 horsepower at Westech and four years later on a chassis dyno it was 566 HP at the rear wheels. Race weight with me in it is 3,640 and the neither car nor I are certified under 10 and get yelled at every now and then for sneaking into the 9's.

Built it for a long lasting bracket car with no intentions of going any quicker than 10-0's and it has worked really well. Was feeling a little tight on finances as the build progressed so we tossed the old solid roller in the new engine. The cam is a long ways away from being optimized for the 525, but figured I'd eventually change that out - haven't got around to that either. Full GTO interior with carpet, console and bucket seats, and a full 12 point roll cage which was getting harder and harder for me to get in and out of. A good friend in our GTO club made me an offer I couldn't refuse on Christmas Eve day and it is now his. He has already done a lot of cosmetic work on it, and I'm going to work on him for a little more need for speed. The bad is I won't race it, the good is I will still be wrenching on it and he gets to pay all the bills for improvements.

Video at Pomona at the Hotrod/In-and-Out anniversary event in 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBN4_lYou5Q

[nmoreilly]

Originally Posted by lust4speed

Engine is in the strip/street '67 GTO. 91 octane pump gas only and built accordingly - then the clearances all stacked low on us at final assembly with our zero deck ending up .005" down in the hole and the RaceTech pistons arriving with an additional 3cc's. So ended up lower than planned at 10.32:1. Figured we'd correct that on the freshen but haven't needed to get back into it.

Engine initially dyno'd at 702 horsepower at Westech and four years later on a chassis dyno it was 566 HP at the rear wheels. Race weight with me in it is 3,640 and the neither car nor I are certified under 10 and get yelled at every now and then for sneaking into the 9's.

Built it for a long lasting bracket car with no intentions of going any quicker than 10-0's and it has worked really well. Was feeling a little tight on finances as the build progressed so we tossed the old solid roller in the new engine. The cam is a long ways away from being optimized for the 525, but figured I'd eventually change that out - haven't got around to that either. Full GTO interior with carpet, console and bucket seats, and a full 12 point roll cage which was getting harder and harder for me to get in and out of. A good friend in our GTO club made me an offer I couldn't refuse on Christmas Eve day and it is now his. He has already done a lot of cosmetic work on it, and I'm going to work on him for a little more need for speed. The bad is I won't race it, the good is I will still be wrenching on it and he gets to pay all the bills for improvements.

Video at Pomona at the Hotrod/In-and-Out anniversary event in 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBN4_lYou5Q

Very cool 😎

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by lust4speed

Engine is in the strip/street '67 GTO. 91 octane pump gas only and built accordingly - then the clearances all stacked low on us at final assembly with our zero deck ending up .005" down in the hole and the RaceTech pistons arriving with an additional 3cc's. So ended up lower than planned at 10.32:1. Figured we'd correct that on the freshen but haven't needed to get back into it.

Engine initially dyno'd at 702 horsepower at Westech and four years later on a chassis dyno it was 566 HP at the rear wheels. Race weight with me in it is 3,640 and the neither car nor I are certified under 10 and get yelled at every now and then for sneaking into the 9's.

Built it for a long lasting bracket car with no intentions of going any quicker than 10-0's and it has worked really well. Was feeling a little tight on finances as the build progressed so we tossed the old solid roller in the new engine. The cam is a long ways away from being optimized for the 525, but figured I'd eventually change that out - haven't got around to that either. Full GTO interior with carpet, console and bucket seats, and a full 12 point roll cage which was getting harder and harder for me to get in and out of. A good friend in our GTO club made me an offer I couldn't refuse on Christmas Eve day and it is now his. He has already done a lot of cosmetic work on it, and I'm going to work on him for a little more need for speed. The bad is I won't race it, the good is I will still be wrenching on it and he gets to pay all the bills for improvements.

Video at Pomona at the Hotrod/In-and-Out anniversary event in 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBN4_lYou5Q

Thanks Mick very cool and I gave the video a thumbs up.

That is a great deal getting the "offer that can't be refused" and being able to still be involved with the car.

[Speargun]

I talked to Frank the other day and WOW, what a difference. Not only did he answer any questions that I had, he answered questions I didn't know to ask! I learned more in a 15 minute phone conversation than I did after several weeks of emails & a phone call with butler.

The one thing that I'm curious about is when we were talking about clearances, static CR, etc..., he said that he adds .8 to the target CR on aluminum blocks because thermal expansion will cause the CR to drop about .8 once the engine is at operating temps. That works out to be like dropping the piston about .038" more below the deck which seems a little high to me.

[lust4speed]

You're going the wrong way lowering the piston. Adding .8 to the target compression would have the piston moving up in the bore and/or reducing piston dish size. This is one of the lessons I learned and mentioned that we would fix at the next freshen. We didn't allow for the block growing so much which is why my actual running compression ended up at 10.2 instead of close to 11 where we thought we were going to be. Basically if you are zero deck when cold, when things heat up the block grows the piston ends up below deck height. Frank was just saying to counteract this simply do your calcs using an addition .8 of compression. So shoot for 11:1 and not 10.2:1 or whatever figures you are comfortable with.

[KEN CROCIE]

"All Alloy Indian" Feb 2012 CarCraft.

[mysticmissle]

I wonder if the block expansion is the reason a lot of aluminum block builds are thought to under perform. if they are loosing almost a full point in compression over what was expected, it would explain some of the ''missing'' power