Toss some of that "pocket change" my way please! 
What does a 383 consist of?
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 662
Likes: 2
From: Aransas Pass, TX
Yea, I thought about the balancer and flex plate after I posted that up. Not sure if they'll let you customize your kit. They have a kit for LT1's but it doesn't have forged anything...and thats a must for my combo. And I believe our engines are internally ballanced...correct?
Next question.
Ok, so I've figured out what crank, rods, and pistons I can use. What style balancer and flex plate will I need?
Next question.
Ok, so I've figured out what crank, rods, and pistons I can use. What style balancer and flex plate will I need?
Yea, I thought about the balancer and flex plate after I posted that up. Not sure if they'll let you customize your kit. They have a kit for LT1's but it doesn't have forged anything...and thats a must for my combo.
Next question.
Ok, so I've figured out what crank, rods, and pistons I can use. What style balancer and flex plate will I need?
Next question.
Ok, so I've figured out what crank, rods, and pistons I can use. What style balancer and flex plate will I need?
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 105
Likes: 1
You can get some pretty nice and affordable stroker kits out there. Eagle makes a popular kit with a 4340 forged 1-piece 3.75" crank, 4340 forged H-beam rods (already "stroker clearanced"), and whatever type pistons you want. I went with SRP's inverted dome pistons to achieve the compression I was after. Looking back I probably should have gone with a JE set (same company) as the forged metal is a bit tougher. My SRP's are forged also but intended for "mild" supercharged, turbo, or nitrous applications (still trying to figure out what that means).
I had dreamnt for billet Oliver rods and an exotic Cola or Callies Racemaster crank, but really I wasn't building a race car so there's no point. Actually I think now that the piston is the most important part (weakest possible link) in a motor. There's no way you are going to snap a cast iron crank before shattering a piston. I ended up getting a very nice 4340 Callies crank. It was their budget compstar (off shore forging) series which meh I heard some questions about... also went with their 6.0" 4340 Compstar H-beam rods with ARP 2000 bolts. Along with the SRP pistons the rotating assembly was internaly balanced and I think I paid something like $1500 for the entire setup (maybe a bit more - $1750? - it worked out to be a few hundred bucks more than a similar kit from Eagle). My engine builder had been preaching to me about a nice set of Oliver rods yada yada but he was very suprised when he saw those Compstar rods.
Funny but the rods had to be clearanced juuust a bit more for my block. One thing I've been told and learned since rebuilding my engine is that specs from manufacturer's don't mean squat. The tolerances and specs on some items can bo so far off what a dealer book says that its literally impossible to just order "LT1" stroker parts from a book and slap them all together.
I had dreamnt for billet Oliver rods and an exotic Cola or Callies Racemaster crank, but really I wasn't building a race car so there's no point. Actually I think now that the piston is the most important part (weakest possible link) in a motor. There's no way you are going to snap a cast iron crank before shattering a piston. I ended up getting a very nice 4340 Callies crank. It was their budget compstar (off shore forging) series which meh I heard some questions about... also went with their 6.0" 4340 Compstar H-beam rods with ARP 2000 bolts. Along with the SRP pistons the rotating assembly was internaly balanced and I think I paid something like $1500 for the entire setup (maybe a bit more - $1750? - it worked out to be a few hundred bucks more than a similar kit from Eagle). My engine builder had been preaching to me about a nice set of Oliver rods yada yada but he was very suprised when he saw those Compstar rods.
Funny but the rods had to be clearanced juuust a bit more for my block. One thing I've been told and learned since rebuilding my engine is that specs from manufacturer's don't mean squat. The tolerances and specs on some items can bo so far off what a dealer book says that its literally impossible to just order "LT1" stroker parts from a book and slap them all together.
Yea, I thought about the balancer and flex plate after I posted that up. Not sure if they'll let you customize your kit. They have a kit for LT1's but it doesn't have forged anything...and thats a must for my combo. And I believe our engines are internally ballanced...correct?
Next question.
Ok, so I've figured out what crank, rods, and pistons I can use. What style balancer and flex plate will I need?
Next question.
Ok, so I've figured out what crank, rods, and pistons I can use. What style balancer and flex plate will I need?
you'll want to get a balanced internal RA, you'll reuse the stock DAMPENER and just take the weight off of the stock flexplate
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 105
Likes: 1
For whatever reason at the time I purchased my compstar crank and rods (2 years ago?) they were a great new product for the LT1. I heard the LS1 parts (which I assume would only be the crank right, as the rods could work on any setup...) were not that popular yet. Most people say it is a step up from Eagle, which by its own right is probably a totally fine product for most if not all street applications; I had my eyes on the dragonslayer crank from callies or even the racemaster (all lighter) but the compstar was pretty well engineered and like I said those 6" H-beam rods were sweet. I've got some pics I will share later if anyone cares???
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,564
Likes: 4
From: Decatur, TN (N-W of Athens)
Cast Eagle smallblock crank is rated to 600hp while the forged eagle crank is rated to 1,000hp. Scat cast crank is rated at 500hp for smallblocks and forged is 900. Just those two brands cover pretty much all but the most unique race builds. I would only start looking into higher end stuff when runnign a lot of nitrous or boost - forged eagle parts are PLENTY for any all motor LT1 that you can dream up, and for an NA street engine rebuild on a budget Scat will get the job done.
ALL cranks should be checked and balanced before use, no matter what the label on them says. Scat and Eagle brands may cost you a bit more in machining and balancing, so factor in a bit of headroom into their costs.
IMO quality rod bolts like ARPs should always be used no matter what crank you are running. They are the most stressed fastner in an engine, and even if you don't go for the the huge L19 rod bolts(overkill for most builds) the ARP replacements have a higher tensile strength then what you would get in OEM style parts or lower end aftermarket.
ALL cranks should be checked and balanced before use, no matter what the label on them says. Scat and Eagle brands may cost you a bit more in machining and balancing, so factor in a bit of headroom into their costs.
IMO quality rod bolts like ARPs should always be used no matter what crank you are running. They are the most stressed fastner in an engine, and even if you don't go for the the huge L19 rod bolts(overkill for most builds) the ARP replacements have a higher tensile strength then what you would get in OEM style parts or lower end aftermarket.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
