Ok first question to get it out of the way... Does this add any kind of power or is it just to basically "reinforce" what you have so when you upgrade the engine can hold the power? Second a guy I talked with locally said that if I were to get a rotating assembly the engine would have to be sent out.. anyone know of any placed in the tri state area that do this work? I wouldnt mind transporting it places as I am sure it would save a lot in the shipping dept to help cut costs.. I talked with a guy from SSM who said that installation should be 700-800 for the rotating assembly including any machine shop prep work.. Anyone have any more input on how I might be able to go about this?

 

Well it all depends on how it is build and if the displacement will stay the same or not.

As far as performance builds go, you will gain power in stronger, lighter, ballanced rods and pistons. If you stroke it to a 4.2L of course you will gain more because of the extra cubes, 232ci to 255ci.

You WILL gain power in simply upgrading to lighter stronger materials even if your dont change your displacement.

Going with a lighter valvetrain also helps a lot too, dont just leave it at the shortblock.

If you are looking for someone to build your engine then I strongly suggest SSM, Tom is a great guy with loads of experiance and a great business track record.

-Eric-

 

Well they are the ones I am dealing with. They are in the process of getting the Stage 3 Power Pak to me.. I was thinking that at the same time I would go with a turbo but I am thinking maybe I should build the internals first.. Which they have a rotating assembly for.. I just emailed him to see what he recommends.. Maybe I should just buy their full stroker engine they have on their site.. I mean I already spend 3000 on the stage 3 power pak.. then if i get the rotating assembly that another 1500-1700...

 

It would save you a lot of time, headache and hassle to just buy an already complete engine. You are not doing any of the work yourself then? If I had the money then I would probably go ahead and buy a completely built motor for sure.

 

Well that's why I just emailed him again.. I am basically going to see.. Maybe he can take the 3355 that I already paid towards the Stage 3 Power Pak and then if I add in the 2500-3000 that I was going to spend on the turbo and then also include that 800-1000 that I was going to spend on installation for the power pak and gears and whatnot then I would have like 7355 total.. Maybe I can buy the 4.3 Long Rod Stroker that supposedly can put 390 HP naturally asprirated then I have the 75 shot of nitrous which can be boosted up to 200 they say... but would just have to find out if the swap is a simple engine swap or if there is a lot mroe involved.. if its something simple like an engine swap i have guy that might be able to do it free...

 

The 4.2/3L is essentially a 3.8 with a different crank/pistons and longer rods. You get the extra .4/5L of displacement from the crank/pistons/rods. Im pretty sure that it is a direct drop in with little to no modifications.

 

It IS a direct drop in with no mods, if he doesnt include an oil pan your will need a 2001 pan to clear the 4.2L crank.

If you are doing a turbo kit later you should ask Tom to send the crank out for full stress relieving, heat/cryo treatment.

So far the crank seems to be good for about 800hp, no one has broken one yet to my knowledge and some people estimate that it can handle upwards of 1200hp with proper prep and proper block strengthening.