I am getting ready to build a fully forged 355 with ported AFR 195CC heads setup for daily-driven, high boost duty.

My question is, at what point would I need to upgrade from an Eagle forged crank to a Callies Dragonslayer? Also, should I upgrade to the HD JE blower piston, or stick with the standard Je blower units? What piston upgrades should I be considering?

Also, how much boost will the motor be able to safely handle? The car will have a custom turbo cam ground, and it will be intercooled. I will also of coarse upgrade the fuel system as needed.

 

Eagle crank should be fine up to 900-1000FWHP. Get the heavy duty pistons. Your rods will determine the boost.
With good rods ya should be able to handle 24-26PSI of boost provided ya have the block and heads "O" ringed properly.

 

I was planning on going with the normal 5.7 Eagle H Beams. I don't think I would be over the 20lb boost level as this car will be on pump gas (although that would be nice). The block will be an LT1 with 4-bolt splayed mains.

Would I need to have the heads O-ringed at the porter?

 

Those rods are not rated over 700FWHP I don't think...
Before ya "O" ring anything make sure ya can get a gasket that will work, without using copper.If ya can't ya might be limited to 10-12lbs of boost. Check with Cometic also(call them).

 

I'll have to check on the gasket part. What rods would I have step up to then? How much more will I be looking at price wise?

 

There are I beam's rated to 800FWHP. If ya go over that an H beam would be in order. They would be in the neighborhood of $6-700 for a set.The Eagle H beam rod's may be OK without clearance problems on a 3.5 stroke.
Don't worry about RPM's either.

 

Connecting rod power ratings are a guess at best by the manufactuer. How you make your power and where is the really important part. Forced induction is easier on connecting rods than either nitrous or naturally aspirated as the rpms are generally lower and the rods are under compression most of the time. The bolts are generally the weak link as well as maintaining the roundness of the big end. I for one have never seen a small block Chevy face a catastrophic failure in the shortblock that wasn't either fastener or lubrication related. This includes crankshafts, maincaps and connecting rod beams. H-beam rods are generally pretty heavy and not speced for high rpm drag race stuff but a great for forced induction.
If you are considering new pistons then turbo or supercharged pistons will generally have the top ring moved down a bit to put more thickness in the land to reduce the chance of pinching the ring under detonation. Pin oilers are a good idea as well as a heavier and wider wrist pin. Heavier pins reduce flex which can distort the piston and affect ring seal. Light weight really isn't the goal in a full effort FI engine. Durability and sealing is the main focus. O-rings aren't necessary on non LSx engine at your boost level. The standard Chevy head has 5 bolts around each hole that does a good job keeping the gasket in it. While there are new ideas and companies making good products remember that what used to work....still does. Honestly your engine needs a fuse anyways. Detonation will kill a gasket in a hurry, but that's a good thing. 20-25 psi of non detonating boost should be fine without extraordinary sealing measures. If in doubt call Kenny Duttweiller and ask for his recommendation. I am sure he would be willing to give you a few minutes of his time.
The same can be said for your Chineese clankshaft. It should be more than suitable for your turbo motor. In the mid 80's the trick material was 5140 for max effort engines, such as prostock. Things have progressed but lesser stuff still works well.

 

Isn't the BIG secret,not to rattle the engine?????
A little extra protection never hurt concerning the "O" ring's

 

If it detonates under boost hard you want something to fail and preferrably not the pistons. Its a real issue with 20+ psi. I for one would like to learn my lesson and replace some gaskets instead of build another shortblock. The pressure needs to go somewhere. Each to their own though.

 

I generally sneak up on the timing and boost rather than put it on KILL the first pass,then ya know.

 

You should look at the scat crank too. Heard they are very good.
Don't skimp on the rods. They are the most stressed part in the motor.
I've had no trouble with the stock LT1 crank, H-beam rods, and speed pro aka trw blower pistons.
Also, don't run too much boost. It will cost you.

 

A very proven combo: Callies Dragonslayer, Lunati "Pro-Mod" rods, JE HD "blower" pistons, Hellfire rings.

Rich

 

Also, when I said normal Eagle H beam 5.7 rods, I meant forged 5.7 h beam rods. Should those be sufficient?

 

What is the normal difference in price between those components and the normal Eagle forged crank, Eagle forged H beam rods and JE pistons?

Although this motor will mostly be driven on the freeway, I don't want it to break when I decide to beat on it since it is my transportation.

 

They should be fine and able to handle all the boost,RPM's,and HP ya can throw at them. Eagle 4340 forged crank is good. Look into some Probe Industries pistons and pins,it's good stuff. They may be able to get ya the whole set up pretty cheap(well nothing "forged" is cheap).They have their own rods and can get ya any crank. It ain't junk either.Have run their stuff for 10+ years without a failure.