Everyone wants to build big power for their ride. You can select parts from the best the aftermarket has to offer, but if the combination of components doesn't play well together, you might as well stick with that stock, tired power plant your ride is using now. Choosing the correct parts has been done by guessing, taking the advice of a friend, and even choosing the biggest, raciest parts available. Hey, if that camshaft will make power up to 7,500 rpm, it must be the one I want. we were after a good package of performance and reliability that we could build into an engine, and not get caught up in the bigger-is-better train of thought. Did we mention our horsepower goal? Well, since this would be a respectable "street" car, we figured somewhere a little north of 400 would be sufficient.
Plan Of Attack
We began by laying down some guidelines. First, we wanted to build a small-block, but not break the bank. Second, we wanted an engine we would not have to spend countless hours tuning and adjusting before we could simply go for a drive. Finally, that drive had to be possible by using any readily available 90-93-octane fuel. Luckily, we had a '71 vintage 360 block lying around the garage, so it was decided that would be the foundation. We delivered our well-seasoned block to Stan Kafouse in MacClenny, Florida, and discussed our guidelines with him.
With the plan underway, it was time to gather the pieces we would need. From the beginning, we wanted to keep costs as low as possible, and decided that we would build our engine without doing any "trick" machine work. we did not want to even touch the ports in the heads with any grinders or polishers. Well, we wanted to, but we decided to see what would happen if we didn't.
Basic Bottom
we had the block, but without the rest of the parts, the block was useless. We decided we were not going to build a stroker-style engine. We wanted to keep it simple and retain the standard 3.58-inch stroke. Since we're going to keep the stroke stock, and we weren't planning on spinning the engine any faster than 6,500 rpm, it was decided that a replacement cast-iron crankshaft would suffice. We started by checking with Mancini Racing and found they sell a replacement cast crankshaft (PN MOPP5007259). This Scat-built crankshaft is definitely suitable for what we had in mind, so we got one. On the front of the crankshaft we decided to hang an ATI Superdamper (PN ATI918282E). A good damper is vital in making sure the harmonics of the engine do not make it destroy itself. ATI has been building dampers for a long time, so they know a thing or two about doing it right. On the rear of the crankshaft is a centerforce flywheel and dual-friciton clutch setup. Now, we needed connecting rods. We could have scoured the swap meets, found a decent set of stock previously used rods, and spent the time to refurbish and polish, but it was cold out, and there weren't many swap meets going on. So once again, we checked with Mancini Racing to see what they had in stock. we were in luck, we found a good deal on a set of Eagle H-beam pieces (PN EAGCRS6123C3D). The Eagle rods feature 4340 steel construction, ARP 71/416-inch bolts, silicon bronze pin bushings, and come packaged in matched sets.