So come spring, I would love to rebuild my LT1. As of now its a heads/cammed yadda yadda....

I have been doing some research in machine work, and its prob gonna be the same price to do either a 355 or 383. I would love to be able to re use the stock crank and build a lightweight tough little 355, BUT to be able to make it a 383 for the same price (roughly) is killing me. Problem with that is, I need an after market crank...

So anyone recommend a decent crank for me? I wanna set up a 150 shot on top of it too. So as much as I would love one, a dragonslayer is a bit overkill for me.

Horror stories, love/hate certain brands would be much appreciated.

 

I would just say that if you buy a chinese crankshaft, let the machine shop order it as part of the build in case there's something wrong with it. In other words, don't try to save a buck and order a eagle from a discount place and deliver it to them to build and have them give it back to you because there's some problem with it, then you get to ship it back or have more machining done to bring it to spec. and pay for all that yourself.

 

Not eagle, I went with Compstar (aka callies) $600.
No clue how a 383 is going to cost nearly the same as a 355. Granted, if you are already buying all new parts, it will not be bad.

 

If you are buying a crank the cost is similar. If you reuse the heavy but strong stock crank a 355 can be cheaper.

 

Well I would be buying new pistons/rods either way, so I am torn. Whats the compstar crank rated for? And 600 is a good price I think?

 

Compstar crank will hold whatever you want to throw at it.

 

Compstar is a great crank. If you are on a budget have the stock crank inspected and polished. Re-use it if it's in good shape and put the $$$ into the top end, which is where the power is.

Rich

 

I am running LE2s up top.
And its not a strict budget, but I don't wanna be spending a huge amount on a strict DD. Just wanna feel safe spraying it and spinning it higher to take advantage of the heads.

 

The Compstar would be my choice for anything other than a low budget setup.

Still, any crank failure is rare unless you are talking about high-boost or BIG nitrous shots. They start to develop cracks in the fillet area due to fatigue and eventually will crack there. The good cranks, like the Compstar, are not only made of superior material but they have a large fillet radius which diminishes the chance of failure in this area. Another area for failure is the snout when using a centrifugal SC at high boost with a ribbed belt - a lot of tension is needed to avoid belt slip and this can lead to cracking of the snout.

Another difference in the good cranks is the quality of the finishing and the inspection. The dimensions are much more precise and the chance of a bad crank is vanishingly small. However, a stock crank will take lots of abuse if it's in good shape. Inspection including Magnaflux and polishing should be in the $75 dollar range.

Rich

 

Ok, so basically, talk to the machine shop and explain what I wanna do.
And this is a dumb question but what can you make with the stock crank other than a 355?

 

I think you need to decide. What a good shop can tell you is if your stock crank is in good shape and polish it for you. It sounds to me like you will be happier with the Compstar, though it may not be absolutely needed.

The largest practical overbore for a stock block it 0.040", which is a 357 with a stock 3.48" stroke. 30 over (a 355) is better because you can go 10 more over if needed at a later rebuild.

Rich

 

I just am stuck because I really would rather get the most out of a rebuild but at the same time would not like to spend a lot of money on it.

I will look into the compstar cranks.

 

Compstar cranks are the best bang for the $$ spent - I have used them quite a few times, including in my own 383. The stock crank is a strong piece, but it sounds like you may be pushing it pretty hard later on down the road, so the forged crank is money well spent up front.

 

Ok one last question, where do you guys get engine parts? Through an online store or through a machine shop local?

 

Before I was able to get them at dealer prices I would have the machine shop get the parts. Usually abut the same cost as a mega-mail order house and better for a variety of reasons.

Rich