View Poll Results: I would rather have:
383 aluminum block ls1
133
37.57%
408 iron block
221
62.43%
Voters: 354. You may not vote on this poll
If you had to pick a short block...
Originally Posted by Wnts2Go10O
414 budget stroker...go figure
yea, a bigger bore would be better, but i still havent found a good reason to not put the biggest easily available stroke in there.
383 for me but it was really proximity of the shop that swayed that decision along with their reputation. If I was going to get real crazy, I probably would have gone iron instead of aluminum.
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build an alum motor, boost/spray it just as hard and have no problems.. and save 100 lbs off the nose. You knwo hoe much more power it takes to push the extra 100 lbs? Enough... and you won't make an ounce more power with an iron block then you will with the alum.
I have yet to see an alum block fail because too much power was being made. Sure, if you break a rod or whatever... but if that happens in teh iron block, you're just as fucked. Oh, and the price differnence beetween a 408 iron and a 402 alum, is 500 bucks. Figure out what you'll need to buy for LW parts to remove 100 lbs off the nose, ( assuming you have all the free removable stuff done, and now have to spend $ to get lighter ) and I promise, it's gonna cost you alot more then 500 bucks to pull 100 lbs off the nose. Hell, a k member is that alone, ad so are the lower a arms, and the LW brakes, are anywhere between 600 and 900, depending on which you go with, and all 3 are needed to remove 100 lbs from the nose.
Iron block guys won't agree... but this is the facts.
Personally, I was gona build an iron block setup, but changed my mind due to the weight, and am not gonna rebuild my alum setup.
I have yet to see an alum block fail because too much power was being made. Sure, if you break a rod or whatever... but if that happens in teh iron block, you're just as fucked. Oh, and the price differnence beetween a 408 iron and a 402 alum, is 500 bucks. Figure out what you'll need to buy for LW parts to remove 100 lbs off the nose, ( assuming you have all the free removable stuff done, and now have to spend $ to get lighter ) and I promise, it's gonna cost you alot more then 500 bucks to pull 100 lbs off the nose. Hell, a k member is that alone, ad so are the lower a arms, and the LW brakes, are anywhere between 600 and 900, depending on which you go with, and all 3 are needed to remove 100 lbs from the nose.
Iron block guys won't agree... but this is the facts.
Personally, I was gona build an iron block setup, but changed my mind due to the weight, and am not gonna rebuild my alum setup.
FormerVendor
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,065
Likes: 6
From: Houston, Tx.
The iron blocks are much better as far as everything except weight and we have to work on both but the iron block's cylinders are always much nicer. A .001 hone will usually clean up a 4.030 bore engine that's been put through hell. The aluminum block's cylinders move around and you can see the results when you first run the hone through one. Also I don't think the aluminum block is 100 pounds lighter! You also have the problem with all aluminum blocks of the blocks expanding more than the caps and the crank and the lifters etc. when hot. This causes lower oil pressure and more windage and more cap walk. The iron blocks don't have those problems.
I will have a freight scale in another week or so and I will try and weigh them both for real for you guys.
I will have a freight scale in another week or so and I will try and weigh them both for real for you guys.
Originally Posted by JL ws-6
build an alum motor, boost/spray it just as hard and have no problems.. and save 100 lbs off the nose. You knwo hoe much more power it takes to push the extra 100 lbs? Enough... and you won't make an ounce more power with an iron block then you will with the alum.
I have yet to see an alum block fail because too much power was being made. Sure, if you break a rod or whatever... but if that happens in teh iron block, you're just as fucked. Oh, and the price differnence beetween a 408 iron and a 402 alum, is 500 bucks. Figure out what you'll need to buy for LW parts to remove 100 lbs off the nose, ( assuming you have all the free removable stuff done, and now have to spend $ to get lighter ) and I promise, it's gonna cost you alot more then 500 bucks to pull 100 lbs off the nose. Hell, a k member is that alone, ad so are the lower a arms, and the LW brakes, are anywhere between 600 and 900, depending on which you go with, and all 3 are needed to remove 100 lbs from the nose.
Iron block guys won't agree... but this is the facts.
Personally, I was gona build an iron block setup, but changed my mind due to the weight, and am not gonna rebuild my alum setup.
I have yet to see an alum block fail because too much power was being made. Sure, if you break a rod or whatever... but if that happens in teh iron block, you're just as fucked. Oh, and the price differnence beetween a 408 iron and a 402 alum, is 500 bucks. Figure out what you'll need to buy for LW parts to remove 100 lbs off the nose, ( assuming you have all the free removable stuff done, and now have to spend $ to get lighter ) and I promise, it's gonna cost you alot more then 500 bucks to pull 100 lbs off the nose. Hell, a k member is that alone, ad so are the lower a arms, and the LW brakes, are anywhere between 600 and 900, depending on which you go with, and all 3 are needed to remove 100 lbs from the nose.
Iron block guys won't agree... but this is the facts.
Personally, I was gona build an iron block setup, but changed my mind due to the weight, and am not gonna rebuild my alum setup.
Erik,
All the points you make are valid ones from what everyone has told me, yourself included, but for the goals that I have and the power I plan to make, the reduced weight will be more of an advantage then the iron block stability.... when you're only trying to make 500 rw on motor and about 650 give or take on the gas, I don't think I'm pushing the alum block to a point where the block strenth is going ot be an issue.
All the points you make are valid ones from what everyone has told me, yourself included, but for the goals that I have and the power I plan to make, the reduced weight will be more of an advantage then the iron block stability.... when you're only trying to make 500 rw on motor and about 650 give or take on the gas, I don't think I'm pushing the alum block to a point where the block strenth is going ot be an issue.
With what I'm trying to get my car to run and the kind of power I want to make ( so it is still streetable, I could go bigger in the HP dept. but the sacrifice of what streetability is left isn't something I want to do ) removing the 100 lbs is going to be a large step in the right direction.
Originally Posted by racer7088
If you need the weight off I don't have any problem with the aluminum blocks it's just that it is not better in any other way than that though.
the aluminum blocks are plenty strong for even high boost applications...its the 900+ HP wild setups that really require the iron. but if you dont care about the extra weight, go iron.
for those of us who already have nose-heavy cars, the extra 100lbs of the iron block just is not the best option.
for those of us who already have nose-heavy cars, the extra 100lbs of the iron block just is not the best option.
FormerVendor
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,065
Likes: 6
From: Houston, Tx.
Originally Posted by DAPSUPRSLO
Erik, it seems that in sbc the aluminum blocks really do have issues and move around causing not quite as good seal in the ring/bore interface from what i've read. I'd imagine this is an issue as well with the stock sleeve found in the ls1, ls2, and ls7 also. Question though, is this still an issue with the wet sleeves, they seem to be more stable judging by an article in engine masters on a 427 wet sleeve motor that Steve did which saw some of the lowest blow by figures ever seen when measured (all according to that article ofcourse)?
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (5)
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 626
Likes: 0
From: Rain Island, NY
So, the iron block would be about 100 lbs more. As far as track times go, that 100 lbs would add .1 to your time? or more? Would it effect weight transfer a whole lot?
