DhirocZ and I happen to be in the same town, but I'm using a different machine shop. Balancing at the shop I'm using is $210.00 plus $80.00 per piece of Mallory. He thinks worst case will be three, but I'm budgeting for four, just in case which comes out to $530 for balancing. Need to come down south, things are a little cheaper down here. I just got off of the phone with my shop and he's pretty sure he can make it work, he wants me to be sure and get a counter-weighted flywheel because he thinks that will help.

I don't see why you couldn't get some weight on a stock hub, just key it so that it gets installed the same way every time. If you find a solution that works I'd sure be interested.

Mark.

 

cool thanks Mark.

I'll start looking into what I might be able to do to add weight to the LT4 damper. I called around just now and looks like what I'm paying is just a tad more than the going rate around here. $100 to $150 for a slug. Nobody is offering the mallory for the price you guys are getting. And this area of the country, Marland, I've always considered a reasonable area for cost of machine work and hot rod items in general.
I just talked to IHRA National Champion Eddie Bolton (my racing mentor and giver of free advice), for his opinion and he gave me the contacts to every good shop within 200 miles so I'm back on the phone.

Karl

 

Damn! That's alot for mallory. I was charged $50 per slug for mine and it took 3 slugs using 4340 rods and the stock pistons that come with the ZZ383. I asked about keying the hub and adding weight but my machinist didn't feel comfortable with the idea. The owner seemed very knowledgeable (who is the one who did the work) but one of the machinists didn't even know that LT1's had a 2 piece damper/pulley assembly and thought I had a spun damper but it's all good. Now the thing will take stock replacement parts front and rear. When I call him I can ask him if he's be interested in doing some more if you'd want to ship...now that he knows what he's dealing with, I'm sure he wont mind so much.

Since the heavier rods helped balance it, maybe heavier pistons would too...just a thought. I'm not sure, but I think my pistons are 405 grams. Pretty light. I'll have to check on that.

I'm now using 4340 Scat I beam rods with 7/16 capscrews. Bought them new for $160 shipped...can't beat that with a stick!

I guess it helps knowing people. I wrenched for a few years in this town, and even though I quit and joined the army I still know plenty of people who know people. Like I said, I could ask him if he wouldn't mind doing any more...he could use the work anyway and he does a great job! He's got quite a bit of nice equipment in his shop including an engine dyno.

I also looked into the damper thing. For awhile I was convinced that I saw a weighted damper for LT1 engines that sold with a keyed hub. Guess I was wrong. Would be a good idea though. I dont think the difficulty is adding material, I think it may have more to do with the diameter of the damper and it's relation to that much weight and the center of the imbalance. Might be something worth looking into fabricating.

 

And just as a footnote. These cranks are nice, and of course I was looking for a bargain. Doesn't seem like so much of a bargain now, not to mention that piston selection is a little shaky with that stroke. At any rate I think in hindsight that I'd rather have got a SCAT or maybe one of the Lunati Sledgehammer cranks. For the extra balancing costs I probably could have got into a number of premium cranks.

No hit on BigXMP. The product he sold is as described and of good quality for a good price, you're just going to end up paying more if you get away from any of the "standard" stroker setups.

You want to play you have to pay I guess. Hey it's only a car.

 

I agree. I got a good deal on mine so I definitely can't complain. It was in a crate motor that had a missing piston ring (how that happens I dont know) and somehow it twisted a rod an busted a skirt and junked a cylinder wall. Didn't hurt the rest of the engine but I replaced most of it anyway. I traded my burned up 4L60-E for it. They're definitely nice, but I think they're better left to the gen 1 crowd. I got a good deal and was able to make it work but you could step up to a 396 or another crank for less than the price of a new one. The average person is going to pay to get it to work properly in an LT1, but in an L98 it would bolt right in with no balance issues whatsoever. That's what I was originally going to do but I figured MAF TPI would prohibit the kind of power I was looking to make so I changed plans. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one to build at the right price...

Just for anyone's future reference, the stock HT/ZZ383 dampers are weighted identical to a 400 sbc damper. The rear uses the same weight as an LT1 flywheel or flexplate. The compression height on the ZZ383 is 1.396, but if you do the math a 1.425 CH piston (some 5.7" rod 383 pistons use that height) will put you at zero deck at a CR higher than the piston is rated for. Or you could use a 6" rod and 1.125 CH pistons...whatever works.

 

As an addendum to Dhirocz. A 5.85 inch rod with a 1.250 CH piston works as well. I found off the shelf pistons from JE, Diamond and CP that worked. Went with the CP's.

 

good info from all you southerners. thanks.
Thanks for the offer and idea to send the pile of parts down there. Probably is a very good option even with the heavy shipping cost.
I'm leaning toward putting this crank on the shelf and buying another crank set up for neutral balance from the get go. It is just a hobby and heck it's only money right. LOL. But I can ceratinly get another crank for the same cost of the balance job on this Cola. That's where I'm leaning.
This 3.800" Cola jobber is for sale. Make offer.
Best crank you can get for a 400 small block or other "custom" engine.

Karl Ellwein
www.karl-ellwein.org

 

I've got a brand new forged Cola 3.5 inch stroke crank for my buildup, I hope that I don't have any balance problems with it.

 

You'll be fine if your Cola crank is for a "350". If it's for a "400" then it will be light in the front like these GMPP ZZ383 Truck engine cranks. If that makes any sense? Or in other words, you'll be fine if the crank is neutral balance.

karl

 

Yeah, it's a 3.50 inch stroke, 350 mains crank.

 

Yeah you should be fine. The reason they do that is to bring the piston a little closer to zero deck @ TDC and to get a few more cubes out of it. Should take a neutral balance damper like an LT1.

 

Better late than never to respond, the GM 3.800 stroke crank was designed for a 1790 BW using a counterweight flex plate and dampner. Another words EXTERNAL BALANCED. The crank is also set-up for a 5.700 rod. Because of the stroke, short rod and if your bob-weight is average 1850 to 1940, it's going to take a whole lot of heavy metal to balance if your going internal, 4 to 6 pieces. Average cost to balance is $125.00 to spin it and $65.00 per slug of heavy metal installed. My advise is to go external on the back half of the crank and internal in the front, that should cut cost by 50%. Any question call Cola Tech Dept. @ 562-4641690
Thanx,
Raul Negrete, Operations Manager

 

Raul, thanks for chiming in and being kind enough to leave the number of the Tech Dept! I'm not going to have any problems like that with my Cola 3.50 stroke crank am I?

 

Hey, give me a call I need more info.
Thanx
Raul

 

I got my stroker up and running and it runs great. They put some mallory in the back (3 slugs I think) as well as 3 in the front to give it a front internal balance. With cleaning, checking, honing my block as well as fitting pistons, balancing, and all the little stuff that goes with it, it cost me $450 with the balance sheets. Runs smooth as glass, except at idle

A 3.8" stroke crank will also work with a 6.125" rod and a 1" CH piston designed for a 402 or 408 sbc for 382 or 388ci, respectively. This would give you a zero deck with an uncut block, a decent rod length to stroke ratio, and a lighter piston