97 6SPEED Z

And Good Luck! in whatever you decide.

trans9_5am

Lets say my pistons end up out of the hole and i get a thick head gasket to compensate, are there any negative side effects associated with running such a thick head gasket?

Steve in Seattle

Well you defintely don't want the top piston ring to come out of the hole so don't get any crazy ideas of pushing it up like Funny Car engines do

Presenting the crown about 0.010" is about the most I'd consider myself but I've heard guys going a bit more (0.015" on some AMC he was working on, though it was kind of a compromise due to available parts he had if I recall).

Just remember that whatever you do, you need a gasket that will be thick enough to cover both the crown AND the >0.035" quench... the more positive piston height you have, the thicker that gasket has to be. Without proper planning you could end up with a gasket thickness that may be too hard to find in stock (custom Cometic gaskets are pricey ).

rskrause

With all the good 3.75" cranks available with pistons to match, why are you so intent on the Cola crank? I have used Cola parts and they are fine (they used to make rods and I have a set in my race car), but unless the crank is a steal it is going to be more hassle than it's worth, IMHO.

Rich

trans9_5am

I actually did get the crank at a hell of a steal. NIB, i paid less than an off the shelf Eagle forged crank shipped to my door. I think its a nice crank and i got it for cheap so thats why i am so insistant on using it.

Steve,

Thanks for the great info. I will get an idea of where the deck height is now and i will go from there. I will continue to keep you guys posted and will let you know if i have anymore questions.

Brandon

rskrause

OK, that makes sense. It is much nicer than the Eagle. Good bargain! You can always get a piston with a custom pin height. It is not much more expensive than a shelf piece, for the better brands.

Rich

trans9_5am

Very nice to hear! When you say "the better brands", which ones are you reffering to?

Brandon

quickSS

Have you look at what it will cost to balance that "400" style Cola crank yet?

I have that same 3.800" stroke Cola GM truck 383 crankshaft. It has been sitting in a corner for 3 years now. Cost way too much to balance. One day I'll do it though.

By the way, it's for sale, NIB ($400).....is this a kosher thread jack? oops...forget I typed that.

Karl Ellwein

rskrause

JE, Ross, Manley, etc. You can always use an extermal balance lywheel/flexplate and damper if ti would cost a furtune in heavy metal to balance. Zero (internal) balance may be a better deal for very high rpm (8,000+) and is convenient but not in any way a necessity.

Rich

trans9_5am

The thread i posted above said it would cost around $300 to have it balanced. My engine will never see over 7K. Right now i have the factory flywheel and im using the ASP underdrive pulley. Is that an externally balanced unit? I see where it had been drilled in the back for balancing purposes.

96capricemgr

All LT1 dampers are neutral balance. I think the drilling you are seeing is them zero balancing the individual piece, much like you see cuts on the edge of brake rotors.

If you key the hub I suppose you could have an addon weight made to external balance it but given that hassle it may cost as much as going internal.

Since they are saying weight will need to be added I think it may be good to pay attention to picking light parts. Maybe spending $40 more on a set of lighter rods saves having to buy a slug of mallory and you get a better rod.
Competition Products has some pretty light "powder forged" rods, are an aftermarket powdered metal rod with fractured caps like the LT4 rods.

trans9_5am

I looked at the Competition Products rods and they seem very nice but a little pricey. I dont know that much about rods or how much a set of good rods cost but do they seem pricey to you?

I was also wondering something else about the crank. There are 3 holes drilled in the front of the crank for balancing purposes. Could i plug those holes with a shrink fit plug (pack the plug in dry ice over night so i can have about a .002" press fit) and then tig weld along the outside to insure they wont come out. The tig welding could be very minimal with such a tight fit on the plug. Has anyone done this? This would probably help save me some money on mallory to balance it for the Lt1 style damper. Do you think this is an OK idea or not? What are the disadvantages of doing this???

Thanks

Brandon

trans9_5am

TTT...I need to get rolling on this!!!

Would i get a better response in "Advanced Tech"???

trans9_5am

I have gotten some great feedback so far and i appreciate it but could someone please answer the questions i have in post #27. I would really appreciate any further help.

Thanks,

Brandon

96capricemgr

Maybe PM this guy.
https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/members/machinistone-45722/