Tom Lieb talked with Corvette Online to lend his rotating assembly expertise for a stroker build, specifically a street-driven, 600 horsepower, gen-I-based 427ci small block.
Corvette Online first asked if this should be built with a stock or aftermarket block. Lieb responded with, “The horsepower should not be an issue, the biggest obstacle will be machining the block without hitting a water jacket. To avoid the issue with possibly hitting a water jacket, I would recommend a Dart SHP block at a minimum, and the best block would be the Dart Iron Eagle. It is clearanced for the 4-inch stroke.”
As far as the rotating assembly goes, Lieb said, “A SCAT Excalibur 4340-alloy lightweight 4-inch crankshaft will work for normally aspirated applications. The Excalibur features straight-shot oiling, lightening holes in all rod journals, and bull nose counterweights for improved windage. The Excalibur is rough balanced to 1800 grams plus or minus 2 percent. If power adders are used, a SCAT 4340 Pro Series crankshaft is recommended. The Pro series features knife-edge counterweights making it a perfect crank for increased RPM and power.”
Lieb added, “We recommend using SCAT stroker-clearanced, 6-inch Pro Series I-beam connecting rods with 7/16-inch ARP bolts. These rods feature polished beams with a reinforced big end for normally aspirated applications. For power adders, SCAT’s Pro Sport H-beam connecting rods are suggested. We recommend a 4302-alloy forged piston and plasma-moly rings. The compression will depend on the fuel and heads being used, but a naturally aspirated application with an aluminum head, 10.5:1, should be fine with premium fuel.”
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