Originally Posted by Doughboy692

Can somebody explain how you can get 383 cubic inches out of a stock crank? I have been racing for 25 years next spring and working as a professional mechanic and shop owner for almost as long and I have only seen it one time and that was a engine that was supposed to be 383 and when torn apart for inspection it was 355. The title of this thread does have 383in it and there is no replacement for displacment.
The stock crank in these cars is very good but you cant get too many extra cubes out of it.
As for the Eagle deal they work for me and I know many others with positve experiences as well. I have a 95 LT1 Firebird Footbrake car with well over 3000 mostly 1/4 mi passes in the low 10's high 9's in mineshaft conditions NA and some very low nines with a kit on it and it has yet to see a crank grinder. I did replace the Eagle rods after last season but it was more for peace of mind than anything else due to the number of passes. I also have a 98 GMC with a big block that has over 150K since installing a Eagle crank and rods pulling a 44ft GN Haulmark all over the place as well as being used almost every day on a farm. No problem there either. I am not saying that they are the very best crank in the world. But when I can buy a Eagle crank and rods a set of JE pistons with matching rings and King Bearings for less than 1700 shipped and install them an a properly machined block. And go out and put the kind of passes on it that I have without problems and regularly come home from the racetrack with a check I will keep on doing what I am doing. They are not that bad. In my years I have seen many more engines fail due to improper assembly than I have seen due to parts that failed.
As for the cost of machine work QUALITY COSTS MONEY. If you just want to just throw something togeter and say its a whatever CI engine go with the cheapest you can get. But if you want something that will last and have proper ring seal that lasts, can be assembled right the first time without having to take it apart several times , and just be right from the get go you have to have quality machine work which as I stated above cost money.