Race Engine project planning
- Thread starter 1961BelAir427
- Start date
Sold another carb, some 400 sbc pistons, and an LT1 custom grind roller cam....together with the Ebay coupon.....bought the Scat crank and ARP head bolts tonight. 
Thank you to everyone for their input and help making this decision. More stuff listed on Ebay.....so hopefully the parts will keep coming in. I am so EXCITED!!!
Thank you to everyone for their input and help making this decision. More stuff listed on Ebay.....so hopefully the parts will keep coming in. I am so EXCITED!!!The problem I see with those 3 is the smallest measurement it will read is .050-.060.
Here is one down to .030
But $367.00.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Ult...460?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4612bdd12c
This would be a good one.
$296.00
Has optional transducers also.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-M...205?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2573bd4aa5
I saw that too....and it was mentioned in another thread, but when they compared it to a professional sonic tester on the same blocks....it was right there with it. The tested blocks did not get down to the .050"-.060" thickness range. I'm thinking as long as your block is thicker than .060" it won't matter that you can't rely on it to read below that accurately. All we'd be concerned with are numbers higher than that. Hopefully in the .100" range and above......at least .080" on the non-thrust sides.
If your block measures close to .060" then it's pretty much junk from what I've read. (The KEY TERM here is "from what I've read." I am not trying to pass off information as being correct....just what I've found in my own studying on this subject and make no claim to have experience on it.)
If your block measures close to .060" then it's pretty much junk from what I've read. (The KEY TERM here is "from what I've read." I am not trying to pass off information as being correct....just what I've found in my own studying on this subject and make no claim to have experience on it.)
Models mentioned that I might want to look into a head gasket other than the Fel Pro's to help meet my compression goal. What are some of ya'll using? I know of Victor Reinz, Cometic, Best brand ??
Any others worth looking at?
Any others worth looking at?
Yes, I had read that some people got some bad measurements with the cheapo ones I mentioned and couldn't figure out why. Then they found out that the testers have a way to calibrate them and zero them out. One guy couldn't get a good reading because the probe was flat instead of curved like the bore.....again....calibrating the tester solved that. Others had modified the tips to correct it, but I don't think that would be wise....especially considering that it isn't needed. Sometimes we just have to man-up and read the directions. LOL
I use Cometic MLS. They are pricey but you can re-use them 3 times so I consider them more of an investment
I need that tester. I want to know how much room I have in the heads before I hit water.
I'll put you in line behind Ronnie when I get one. Just don't kill me if it's wrong and you grind through a wall. I'm going to be as much of a guinea pig as you are with it. If it passes even barely with .080"....I'll be using a 348 block that is bored to a std 409 bore somewhere down the road.
Thanks for the heads up on the Cometics. Where did you buy yours?
.080 seems awful thin to me but what do I know?
I always thought .100 was about minimum and .125 better......haven't really found much in writing on the subject though.
If .080 is OK, then maybe I won't have to sleeve my 61 409 block.......then again, I probably will anyway, at least on the 3 thin ones.
I always thought .100 was about minimum and .125 better......haven't really found much in writing on the subject though.
If .080 is OK, then maybe I won't have to sleeve my 61 409 block.......then again, I probably will anyway, at least on the 3 thin ones.
Here is some info on the subject of sonic testers and wall thickness.
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0512phr_engine_building_tech_how_to/viewall.html
Later I can post info on who David Vizard is.
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0512phr_engine_building_tech_how_to/viewall.html
Later I can post info on who David Vizard is.
Cecil, yes .080" is usually considered too thin, but I already have a block that was bored to std 409 so I figure if it has that much then I'm going to take the gamble and build it instead of scrapping it or relegating it to mock up use. It would have to be a budget build for me to take the chance and it's not a valuable block by any means. There is no way I'd build your true 409 block as thin as .080"....especially not a 1961 block.
Yours is at least .100" everywhere so if it doesn't need further boring.....IDK what I'd do. Looks like it's either build it, or sleeve 3 cylinders. I think I'd build it.
Yours is at least .100" everywhere so if it doesn't need further boring.....IDK what I'd do. Looks like it's either build it, or sleeve 3 cylinders. I think I'd build it.
The other 5 look to be plenty thick. If it's .060" already and you go to .070" over that is only .005" more on each side. I've heard it wasn't good to sleeve ALL the cylinders in a block. Not sure if that is an old wive's tale. My wife's too young for me to ask her. 
There's a lot of guys that know more than I here, but here's my 2 cents if I went that large on the bore I would solid block the bottom half at least just to stiffen things up. Mines solid blocked to the freeze plugs and still doesn't get over 180 degrees unless it's near a hundred or my fan belts not on.
I have done several SBC's where we sleeved all eight cylinders and then offset the bore centers to unshroud the intake valves. We never had any problems with them. On small blocks, the block was considered to be stronger when all cylinders were sleeved, then it was stock. What will happen when you install one sleeve (or three), is that the adjacent bores will become distorted a couple of thousands by the slight interference fit of the sleeved cylinder. The cylinder diameter is usually increased by about .005" by the time the hone makes it round again.