I built a KILLER 301 out in CA about 14 years ago. I was really putting some tracks down and then - I BROKE THE FRIGGIN BLOCK!
I had always heard about the cranks being weak, so we used a 350 Pontiac crank and some junkyard rods (from a Buick, I think) and we thought we'd be okay. With our combo, we had around 390 cubic inches out of that 301. We used real Pontiac heads (from the 350, again) and had to hack up a used pontiac performer intake and weld on it to make it fit the narrower block width. We were stoked and it ran great! We spent more time in the machine shop making parts fit than running the engine, though. We were spinning more than 6000, and then the engine just locked up. When we pulled it out, you could see where the block had broken AROUND THE MAIN SADDLES and let the crank get off center.
Maybe next time I'll use a block girdle; WAIT A MINUTE! THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A NEXT TIME!!
Try to keep yours together!
I had always heard about the cranks being weak, so we used a 350 Pontiac crank and some junkyard rods (from a Buick, I think) and we thought we'd be okay. With our combo, we had around 390 cubic inches out of that 301. We used real Pontiac heads (from the 350, again) and had to hack up a used pontiac performer intake and weld on it to make it fit the narrower block width. We were stoked and it ran great! We spent more time in the machine shop making parts fit than running the engine, though. We were spinning more than 6000, and then the engine just locked up. When we pulled it out, you could see where the block had broken AROUND THE MAIN SADDLES and let the crank get off center.
Maybe next time I'll use a block girdle; WAIT A MINUTE! THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A NEXT TIME!!
Try to keep yours together!
