I would like to build a dirt cheap 383.

The 3.75 stock cast cranks I see from Eagle and Scat all say in the description
requires a 400 balancer.

I know that the stock LT1 is a externally balanced motor, but the balancer
is neutrally balanced and the flex plate has the counter weight.

Has anyone build a 383 using one of these cast cranks?
Or is there a cheap cast 383 crank better suited for the job.

I'm not looking to make a 1000 hp, I'm just trying to put a fresh motor
in my daily driver and add a few cubes for a little extra kick.

 

You want to avoid buying components from different sources and then trying to make them work. If you intend to use a block and buy components to do it yourself. Buy a balance rotating assembly. Trust me. I did it the other way and learned the hard way.

 

Any suggestions

 

Eagle and scat both have a cast crank rotating assembly.

 

from what i've read and researched, Scat has better quality cast cranks than Eagle.

 

Eagle cast has become rather failure prone in recent years.

Cubes don't add much in the way of kick. AIRFLOW does. You do a cheap shortblock and it will be weaker than stock, less reliable then stock and probably not make the power the same topend would have on a stock shortblock.

Put your money into the topend, if you do the topend and drivetrain well you will have more torque than you can use on the street anyway.

I am not saying strokers are bad, just that worthwhile stroker can't be built cheap and that there is a HUGE amount of room for improvement before you should be looking at such a thing.

 

sorry to steal thread im in the same boat as you. whats the difference between forged 4340 and forged 5140? i noticed the 5140 is cheaper and is the 5140 better then cast.

 

A cast crank doesn't worry me from a strength stand point. I've run stock cast crank
350's with good rods and forged pistons deep into the 10's in a 3800 lbs car before.

Back in the mid 90's I run a 360 Mopar with a stock cast crank and stock rods with forged pistons for 3-4 years running 9.40's.

I just need to know if it will balance without a ton of maly metal.

The reason a 400 has a counter weighted balancer is that the rods are so short
that the counter weights can not provide enough counter balance so the remainder
of the balance weigh was add to the flywheel and harmonic balancer.

The one peace rear main seal motors got a counter weighted flywheel because
the flange was removed so GM made up for it on the flywheel but the balancer
remained neutral.

I will call Scat on Monday it see what they have to say.

I was board and thought I would see if I could pick up a quick part# to play with over the weekend.

I've got a extra LT1 that has a rod knocking. I will need a crank and at least one rod.
It will be allmost as cheap to buy a new set of scat I beam's and a cast 3.75 stroke crank.

I know it's not going to set the world on fire but 33 extra cubes for nearly the same money won't hurt a thing.

 

In Summit alone, there are 66 different choices between the 2. Be cautious when you look at these. The first few are not balanced at all. The next few are internal. It's not till you get to near $800 that it's correctly balanced for your application. Remember all 1 piece rear main seal engines were external balanced from the factory. You can change it, you just need to prepare for it.

Let's face it at some point in time, you're likely to hear something bad about any company. I remember when I was starting my 383. The machine shop told me not to buy Scat. At that time they had a bad wrap. Then I heard bad things about Cola. Blah blah blah. Yoddy yoddy yoddy . I think most common folk run into problems that they themselves created and then incorrectly blame the manufacturer.

If you deal with a good company like Summit or Doug Herbert. They stand behind what they sell. Jeg's on the other hand, I could live without.

There aren't that many suppliers of rotating assemblies. Ask your nearest trusted machine shop what they recommend. Or a supplier like Summit. Or more importantly, what they avoid.

 

Well, unfortunately, a distributor or reseller standing behind a product is an indication of a quality supplier, not a quality product. It's more about collateral damage than just the failure if a single component. Having seen the carnage left behind by three eagle cast cranks, I can only recommend staying far away from them. Sure, they might have been from a single bad batch but considering the timing of these failure that seems doubtful. The failure on all three was a complete break right behind the front main bearing journal.
It's false economy to use a cheap crank and then end up having to replace it later....even if your labor is free.

Comparing a stock cast crank to an aftermarket piece is equally risky. The stock crank seems to be well and truly over-engineered, designed for years of abuse by customers who believe a minimum of maintenance is more than enough.

 

Listen to Dwayne. You would be better off with a well-built 355 and the stock crank, than using aftermarket cheapie parts to build a low $ 383.

 

I hope this isn't another one of those posts about people who come on here looking for advice only to ignore it.

Listen to Dwayne and Fred.

 

I'm not ignoring anybody, I'm 41 years old and I learned a long time ago that I don't know it all. If the cheaper cast cranks won't hold up it's only another $400.00 for a forged unit.

If the cast fails it will cost more than $400.00 just to replace it with another cast crank.
That's why I asked.

Thanks for taking the time to post you thoughts on this.

 

The stock cast crank is a very good unit, but the cheap eagle or scat cast (chinese) cranks are not. So that is part of what they are trying to tell you. Some of the guys who responded to your post are the most knowledgeable and experiences guys when it comes to these engines, and they give good, honest advice. Good luck with your project.

 

If your looking to save some money but your parts at flatlander racing they have great prices.