FWIW my SBF ford buddies generally view the girdle as a nice piece to keep the block together WHEN it splits (SBF splits somewhere above 500hp) and save the rotating assy. In that application it doesn't seem to help much one way or the other given the existing designs.
I would think that a worthwhile girdle design would help to prevent the main webs from cracking in the first place, and therein lies the challenge.
|