Not really much to chose between them at this point. As I posted earlier, the crank selection used to be a lot better for the old style 2-piece rear main. Still is at the very high end and if you are looking at boneyard cranks. But there are lots of 1-pc. cranks out there too. And the 1-piece seal is less prone to leak, which is why they changed. I guess the 2-piece would still be preferred for extremely hi-po motors as the flange is larger and there (I assume) stronger.

Overall, if you find a decent motor to start with I wouldn't think it makes any significant difference. Production blocks from '86 and newer have the one piece seal. Bowtie and aftermarket blocks are usually 2-piece as are the older production blocks. A book I recommend is "How to Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy" by David Vizard.

Rich

 

i'll second that book! great book, helped me and my buddy the whole way through the engine build up, this was our first one. another book i'd recommend is How To Build Big-Inch Chevy Small Blocks by Grahm Hansen. its all about building small block stroker engines, gives great insight on all the parts you'll need, tools you'll need, and gives great product reviews too.

good luck with the engine, like everyone else said, take your time, and stick to your budget! keep us posted on how it goes.

 

yeah! i looked up on both of those books im gonna buy them this week so i can read up on them. also i have a 350 block in my car right now and if i wanted to build this motor soon i could use that one, but i would like to drive my car while i build this motor. Also building this motor from ground up would probably could give me lots of experience. But from what other people told me, it gets very expensive. So im now thinking about just using the 350 i have in my car. even though it would be unoperational for a while. I still have lots to think about though, because its the only car i have to drive right now! if not ill prob end up going with a used short block, its sounding good to me right about now because its sounds like a cheaper way of building the motor i want. Thanks again for all the help guys ill post up later and let u guys know what my plans are gonna be!

 

The newer blocks also have factory roller cam gear while the older blocks do not.

 

i wanted to know if i just got the block, does it need to be machined for clearance of the stroker crank?

 

i actually just finished my 383 stroker motor last night and i plan on bolting it in my 83 Z28 tonight and i lucked out and did not need to clearance the block at all, i barely made it, but i did. you can't clearance anything untill you have the crank and pistons because you have to partially assemble the short block and turn the crank by hand to see where things hit. usually its not the weights on the crank but its the connecting rod bolts that rub on the block. you do not need to spend all the money to have this done either if you dont' want to. you can just get a dye(sp?) grinder and do it yourself whereever the bolts would hit and if you're as lucky as me then you won't have to do it at all! that said, now i'll probley get extremely unlucky tonight and ruin something on my motor the first time i crank it over! hehe good luck though. after tonight it will be exactly 6 days since i took the motor out of my car, being a 355 at the time and replacing everything that i did. keep in mind i spent atleast 5-6 hours a night on it every night since i got it out of my car. i just do it all after school since i also am still in highschool. i had fun and learned alot though so i'm sure you will too! also, last night i tallied up my bill on this rebuild and its just under $2500 so with that in mind, have fun!

 

aright thanks for the info

 

Any old block in good shape will do, look in summit they have a great stroker kit....i bought one, worth every cent