like it says above i am going to do a bottom end rebuild to handle some boost, not much prollly 6 PSI. but i am not familiar with the bottom end. i imagine i need to mainly upgrade the pistons and rings, or are the stock pistons good and i need the rings only? and where on the web is there a bottom end rebuild manual i can reference? any help is appreciated.

 

The stock bottom end would endure that just fine. But I would be safe and use forged pistons and install high strength rod bolts. Might also be a good idea to lower the compression by 1/2 to 3/4 of a point.

A little boost is just like a little nitrous, it's never enough and you'll just want more.

 

I would definately go with forged pistons, good rings, and a good set of rods. Your can buy some good Speed Pro forged pistons for under $300 for your LT1 out of summit and I found some awesome forged rods on EBAY for a good price. If your are going to build it you might as well build it right! Put a blower cam in it too! Good luck.

 

I'm working on the same thing right now and what iv'e come up with is forged dished pistons (like -22cc or right around there to bring compression to 8.8:1-9:1) I-beam or h-beam rods (h-beams are stronger and don't cost much more), some quality bearings like clevite, arp hardware, and stud the main caps. From the research I have done, there is no need to splay the mains or do a 4 bolt conversion unless pushing over 600 rwhp. This is good new considering splayed caps are $250-$300 and the maching work for them is $500-$700. Also when the block is tore apart, you will want to bring it to a machine shop and have them hot tank it (super cleaning), inspect it, hone the cylinders, install new freeze plugs, and check the deck for warpage and have it decked to true it up. Also bring your crank to them and have it polished and inspected also. As for the pistons, I just found a set of -20.33cc dished forged Probes from http://www.cnc-motorsports.com/produ...408&CtgID=7124. They come with rings for $359. You can also get the rods from there too. They will cost $300-$350 for the h-beams. Just keep asking more specific questions about a certain part and keep researching, you will find more and more info. Also post most of your blower related questions about pistons, rods, heads, ect....over in the forced induction forum. It is a little slower over there but will answer your questions better it seems like. Also most of the people in this forum will ignore supercharger questions for some reason. Either ignore you or tell you to use the search button.

 

All I would upgrade for 6psi would be the pistons and fasteners. Keep your stock crank and rods if they are in good shape. Stock LT1 pistons and boost do not mix well.

Rich

 

1-bad-z28, those pistons are of the press-fit variety. Most H beam rods require bushed pistons. You would need to upgrade to the SRS pistons if you plan to run those rods. Some aftermarket I beams are press-fit and will work fine, just make sure your parts will match up and work together.

 

is there anyway to just get new forged piston heads and new aftermarket rings to handle the boost without maching the heads and rebalancing everything and stuff like that? cause i think thats where people say the flaws in our cars are, especiially for only 5-7 PSI.

 

Your new forged pistons will have a different weight than the stock pistons...you definitely want to have the rotating assembly balanced. For added insurance, you can have your stock rods shot peened to get rid of any stress risers that may exist. Depending on what shape your cylinder walls are in, you may need to have the cylinders bored .030" over (355 ci). When I did my rebuild, I found a low mileage block (8K miles) and just had the cylinders honed and used 4.004" forged pistons.

 

how much are we talkin? i found a 383 stroker kit on ebay for around 900

 

Give Brian a call at www.adperformance.com, he's got great prices on this kind of stuff. As for pistons, the dish you run will depend on if you're keeping the stock stroke, or going to a stroker (383, 396).

Check this link out for some info:
http://www.grapeaperacing.com/GrapeA...tech/index.cfm

Also, do a 'topic only' search on rods, crank, pistons, rings, bearings etc. and you can research each independently to find out the good and bad of all of it, in order to put togother a nice package. As stated I would DEFINITELY upgrade your rod bolts, but, see how much that's going to cost parts + labor, then compare the price of that to a decent set of aftermarket rods.

I would also definitely get your rotating assembly balanced, as you're going to be changing out pistons among other things.