im almost ready to begin my build. I should be pulling the original motor out of it in the next month or so. Still trying to decide which direction to go with the bottom end. I was thinking a 355 with:
stock turned crank,
forged rods,
forged nitrous ring gapped pistons, etc.

So, what would be the ideal rod size on a sprayed e85 355? I was thinking 5.85 in. No?
Forged I beam or h beam? What's the lightest forged rod available?
Ideal C/R ? Would 12.5:1 be enough? Or go 13-13.5:1 since I'm running e85?
What brand piston do you guys recommend for spray? Ross JE SRP etc etc

I already have my top end bought.
TEA CNC machined/ported lt1 heads, (heads flow around 275 @.600 lift) 2.00/1.56 Manley valves, 54 cc chambers, 3* valve job, comp springs, 7/16 studs/ trick flow CM pushrods comp roller lifters, 1.6 pro mag rockers
My cam is thunderchicken's old custom grind Comp Cam 287/299, 236/248 @ .050 Dur, .520/.562 lift, 110 LSA (.555 int / .600 exh. lift with 1.6 rr's)
Fully ported/powder coated intake, mono blade t/b, stock ss ram air induction.

Car is a 96 slp ss rebuilt 6 speed, new spec 3+ clutch, resurfaced flywheel
Stock rear with 4.10 gear and rear end cover (12 bolt coming soon) BMR torque arm adjustable, control arms, adj panhard rod, is my current suspension.

would this be enough fuel to support E85 / 200 shot?

340 LPH aeromotive in tank pump
racetronix hot wire kit
60 lb high impedance siemens injectors
stock fuel lt1 fuel rails
TUNE

Does this look to be enough to feed the beast? im hoping i dont have to go to a dedicated fuel system for the nitrous. What do you guys think? My main questions I need answered are about rod length, ideal C/R, & what brand piston. Let's go

 

I have no useful information on the subject, but Ill bump it to the top for ya! Good luck.

 

I can't help with the nitrous part, but with E85, definitely go high compression! I just finished a 13.5:1 385 on E85 and it does great with the compression, throttle response is great!

 

I would be 13.5 for CR. Any of the stated piston manufacturers will do just fine. As for the N2O hit, I'd use a dedicated system. Rod length is a much debated topic in the SBC world. Common consensus as of late is to figure out what compression height piston you want to use (the thicker the better in the N2O application) and get a rod that fits the bill. In you're case, I'd use a 5.7" rod, just to get a little bit more meat up top. But if your tune, and N2O tune-up are good, then go with the 5.85" or 6" rod since it'll just make for a lighter piston. I would discuss your concerns with your builder as he will probably have a good idea what he would like to do. Good Luck

 

to add on to the E-85 thing, iirc an e-85 car takes about 31% more fuel. Got a friend with an LS2 goat that did a lot of e-85 tuning on his car

 

Thanks for the replies I'm anxious to begin this build! And yes I'll run 13.5:1 for compression since it will benefit from the e85. A high quality forged piston should hopefully be able to handle a 200 shot with a 5.85" forged rod. Unless you guys think I would benefit more from a 5.7" rod.

 

Only useful info I have is that is a huge undertaking. IMO I'd just run nitrous and race gas and be done with it.

 

If he can get good pump e85, why run $16 a gallon race gas? Sounds counterproductive to me.

 

Do you understand what's all involved with running e85?

 

That is still an option, I just wanted to run e85 since it is supposed to burn cooler, making it beneficial for n20. My only thing is finding a good place to tune it. I was thinking Speed Inc. Unless there is another place closer to Nashville Tn that does good work?

 

Larger injectors and fuel pump, new tune, not too much extra needed really.

 

Not to mention higher compression to take full advantage, the lack of gas stations carrying it, the increasing prices and gas mileage equal to a 25' long U-haul, non-diesel moving truck. If the car is purpose built for the track and short jaunts here and there then sure, e85 may be the right choice, however if this is driven every day and maybe taken on the occasional road trip, forget about it.

 

it would be a hassle, thats for sure

 

E85 isn't a hassle when comparing it to race gas??!! sure not everyone has e85 as an option but for those who do i say go for it. Sure when you compare price of e85 to regular gas it sounds really bad; but when you compare it to 93 in price things look much better. Not to mention the increase of compression you can run. While i only have 91 as my highest option E85 for my weekend cruiser makes me salivate. And really only a fuel pump upgrade and injector upgrade is required for the switch. If you already are going to be tearing into the motor increasing compression is simple.

 

^True. Since my car is a weekend/autox car and not my daily, and I was building a new 385 anyway, and E85 is plentiful in my area, E85 was a no brainer for my build, likes higher compression, detonation resistant, broader tuning window. Bigger fuel pump, injectors, and retune is the only difference, but then again you need those anyway when building a higher hp engine.