Which parts for rebuild?

September 29, 2007, 05:01:25 PM

I need to pickup a .030 bore/.010 rod/main over kit for rebuilding a HO motor (machine work and balancing starts on it in about a week, its been at the shop for 2) but not sure which route to go. Summit carries the Federal Mogul kits that come with everything but the water pump that we'll also be replacing. Looking at forged pistons, the ones included are rated at 10.13:1 compression with a 58cc head (I know the E7 heads are supposed to be 60-62cc, but we all know that doesn't mean much when they push thousands of these things out all the time. They can be anywhere from 58~64cc), but this would drop off much if the heads are closer to 62 to 64cc.

My plan is to switch over to the larger chamber gt40 heads a year or two down the road and push 6psi into the motor via supercharger to obtain a healthy 350+hp at the crank with good economy (rear will remain 2.73). Depending on the heads, the compression of this motor can be anywhere from 9:1 to 10:1 with the above pistons. This car isn't to be a high performance vehicle, just something enjoyable to drive on the street - it already has new A/C equipment and enough sound deadening to make everything but the top of the doors whisper quiet.

Basically, the short block will have balanced new, reground, or reconditioned parts to support a long life of the motor and shouldn't have any problems with my goal power output. I'd like to keep the cost of all thats included there (pistons, rings, bearings, gaskets, oil pump, etc) around $600 so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I need to order something Monday or Tuesday.