http://www.adperformance.com/index.p...roducts_id=665


I'm learning so bare with me. I know I'll be running Lloyd Elliot Stage 3 heads and a custom grind cam (haven't decided which) so I'm not sure what to get. It will be a mostly N/A motor with a 150 shot for a few passes. I know that's risky for the cast crank but it's a scat/not eagle and I've heard of people running more so I'll take the risk.

I'm unsure of what length rod/type piston to get. They have an optional JE Forged and KB forged. Not sure why JE is so much more expensive but I know it's a popular piston. I'm also not sure whether it should be flat-top/dish/dome. I know the decision is usually based of the desired compression going with the desired heads CC so I have some research to do. Any input would be helpful, thank you

 

Like they say, you get what you pay for!! Why not just use your factory crank, some decent rods, pistons and ARP hardware? I'd trust that more than the kit your looking at. Does it have to be a 383?

 

I agree but......Scat cranks are supposed to be much better than stock cast and yes I'm stuck on a 383. Going with LE3 heads I would need to rev out higher with a non stroked version ie 355 which would put too much stress on the stock crank so utilizing a stroker could reduce the need to rev out higher.

A lot of people are hell bent on going forged but for what I want a scat crank would be plenty and cost effective considering I would have to pay to have a stock crank grinded if there was any wear on it.

My goal is to achieve as much power n/a for around 5k. The Scat kit with forged pistons, etc would be around a grand then consider the machine work (boar .030, possible line boar, deck, vat and clean, etc) would add another 750+. The Lloyd Elliot stage 3 setup with shipping is about 2 grand so that's already 4 grand. Add a new oil pump, electric water pump, gaskets, custom programming and I'm around $5,000 if not more.

The main reason I shot for 5 grand was because I KNOW I'll need to replace the injectors, I AM forking out the doe to get a 12 bolt/3.73's/New clutch off the batt. No reason too cut corners.

 

I'm confused... were you asking for opinons on the kit, or simply telling us you already made up your mind and are going to buy it?

 

IMO do a little more research. I'm assuming because of the price of the kit (since it doesn't tell us) that it's not for a 1 pc rear main motor. That adds cost. I'm assuming the JE option is more expensive due to the pistons being forged. That would be a good choice if you're going to toss a 150 shot at it every once in a while. Cast pistons will have a tendency to relieve themselves of your connecting rods if you don't......or melt, niether of which are fun. I'd look at kits from this place . You can specify what you want and that will be predicated by what you're overall goals are......race car, DD, etc. If I were going to do a budget 383, I'd look for a nice light cast crank, get some quality I-Beam rods and a set of forged pistons. If you do some weight matching, you should be able to spin it without an issue. Just make sure you don't cheap out of the fasteners, oil pump or bearings and you'll be nice and happy with what you've got for a relatively decent price.

This is just my $.02 though

 

i talked to guy at ad performance and the 1 pc seal is same price. 6 in rods are 25.00 more,not sure if 3/8 or 7/16 rod bolts but they are arp. the scat rods are 4340 forged stroker clearenced. i have read they are pretty nice.kb forged pistons 75.00 more. the kit price does not include rings or bearings. they can set you up with those items also. i was going to email back to see if the kb pistons use 5/64 or 1/16 rings. i have a spun bearing and for the price i was thinking about same kit. my block is getting cleaned and checked now.if i have to bore i will buy a 383 kit. i will not use any power adders, just for a nice street car.

 

Well if you have a choice, and it's a NA motor go with the 6" rod, better for N/A, but if spraying or FI go with the 5.7 rod, it leaves more meat on the piston. Look into the rings and bearings, most piston sets come with rings from the manufacturer.....find out where you's would be going. Most pistons now have the 3mm first and second rings now.....the aftermarket learned a lot from the LSx series motors. Spend the extra coin on the forged pistons, it'll save you headaches and worried if you ever toss a bottle on the car for fun. And do what you can to get the 7/16" rod bolts. Aside from that, you should be set. The clearanced rods are nice, since you don't have to do much grinding on the block to get them to fit and not hit. You may have to do a little on the pan rail, but it shouldn't be too much. And as long as you know what you want out of it, you should be able to put together a decent package.......as they used to say.....

Knowing is half the battle!!

 

I take it you already made up your mind about the strength of the cast Scat crank and the whole kit as it is. Do as you will, but I would trust the factory crank much more than that cast Scat crank.

 

This and what Injuneer said. I was thinking about getting my factory crank polished, adding good rods and pistons, and having a very nice setup with not alot of money invested in aftermarket stuff.

-Dustin-

 

cast cranks are cheap to buy. weather from the factory of the aftermarket. For the price why not add 30+ Ci. to a motor. if he really wants to be different, get a cast 4" stroke crank. It'll cost a little more, but not much. Then with .030 over it's a 408 and would be one hell of a street monster. Make tons of bottom end torque and you could put a huge by large cam and the Ci will knock it down and make it streetable. I'll be building a 408 with premium parts and looking for 8K RPM and a big hose job, with huge heads. My goals are a little different, but if pieced together properly, there is no replacement for displacement. And as for the recent issues with cast cranks.....there are failures everywhere, from every manufacturer. Every manufacturer has issues. There is no one that's perfect. Just make a smart decision when you make your purchase and have the machine shop look it over real good and you should be fine.

 

LE3 setup on a cast crank with a 150 shot on top scares me.

That is not a mild motor by any means and should have a forged crank, studded mains(preferably 4 bolt), forged pistons, and good rods.

The Scat Pro-I 7/16" rods are the best deal going @ $250 and will handle the power no problem.

The KB/ICON forged pistons you mentioned are good quality pistons, I actually have a set at the shop right now for a 351 Cleveland.

 

Well, assuming that scats 600 ratting is actually somewhat accurate (I'm a realist so I won't ASSUME it). LE3 heads, 383, etc would push around 425hp? Add a 150 shot and your still under 600 but then again that's pretty close for comfort.

 

Well we were assuming you knew a little bit about what you were doing. LE3 383 motor will make 425ish to the wheels meaning over 500ish at the crank. So 500ish + 150ish = More than 600ish.

I find it amusing that you don't even know how much power you'll be making

-Dustin-

 

at first i was going to build a street monster ,now i have put a lot of thought into what i really want to do with my car and this is what i want. a nice not high reving 383 with lots of low end torque.the faster you go the more money you spend. you have to draw the line somewhere, and the cost to get you there. by the time i was done doing everything i was going to do at first i would have been out of a LOT OF MONEY. now i want to drive my car not work on it all the time.

 

Personally I wouldn't go by what anything from the aftermarket is "rated" at. I've see 750 hr "rated" blocks making more than double that.....

I've also seen blocks rated to well over 1000 hp break well before that.

Either way it's how the motor is put together and how well thought out the plan is. I'd say......now this is all my opinion......That using a cast crank wouldn't be the end of the world, if you're not using the N2O on a regular basis, and you use a progressive controller (or put the solenoids under the dash) and limit how hard the juice hits the engine. The softer the initial hit, the more your engine will like you. From the sounds of it though, you may want to step up to a forging, just to err on the safe side.