well guys, i got my motor back and didnt notice it till i got home. 2 cylinders had a stright line scratch and i figured it was gonna hurt the motor w/ blow by and loss of compression. so i brought it back to him and he said it was ok and by the time the rings worn in it would be pretty much gone, a guy at the dealership i work at said the same thing.(metal from the bearings apperantly did some damage) there was also ring scratches from pulling them in and out to file and fit but i couldnt feel them w/ my finger so i knew there wasnt a prob there. but i happened to try andbolt the oil pump on and what do you know, the oil pump hits the girdle and the stud on the main cap hit the oil pan so hes gonna get me another girdle. it was a PRW girdle.
i got a few pics of the motor: LINK

 

that girdle will work just needs minor modification i have the same one and had to grind in the girdle and oil pump to get to fit

 

your wasting your money, I have a 347 going in with no girdle...

 

sorry but its nota wast of money i have seen engines come apart with out a girdle and it damaged the heads and also it keeps the main caps from "walking" and trying to separate adn break under high stress loads

 

the blocks dont split down there, they split down the lifter valley, theres is nothing you can do to beef up a stock block.. sorry waste of money

 

well y did mine break between the 2nd and 3rd main caps did no damage up top just down low. i wont build an engine without one! jsut personal preference i guess!!

 

I've got a lot of money invested in my 351. For added insurance i did use a girdle. I figure the block is stronger than a 302 and probably wont ever bust it, so my girdle is not used to strengthen block but for it's intended use which is to prevent crank from walking. Like said above, i'm not sure of how effective it is in a 302.

 

http://www.theturboforums.com/stockblock.php








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will a girlde help......mayb a little bit.....is the block still going to slip around the 500 mark...probably


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It wouldnt hurt investing in a girdle, I know I am going to on my 351w once I build it up