thunderchicken
Grandmaster
Well here’s where I’m at, the build we’ve got going is basically a stock-ish rebuild. Around the 400hp mark. Super affordable, reliable, and tons of fun. Ridiculous bang for your buck. And I’m 99% for sure this is the right direction for me.
But....
Should I do some extra investment up front. It’ll take longer (probably a lot longer) to get together but I’ve got a running motor already in it. Forged pistons aren’t THAT much more expensive. Better flowing heads aren’t THAT much more expensive. The biggest expense would be going full roller on the cam/valvetrain. Maybe start knocking on the door of that 500hp mark. All that buy once cry once stuff.
I think you are on the right path but I think an engine is one of those areas you need to build a little stronger than what you currently want, especially the rotating assembly. So I think it would be wsie to invest in the forged pistons. For the minimal price increase there is no way I would ever just use cast (aka hypereutectic) pistons. I would also be looking for some H beam rods (Eagle rods are quality & reasonably priced). You can build plenty of HP with a hydraulic cam and you won't have to mess with adjusting lash all the time. A cam swap on a sbc is fairly easy down the road if the cost of the roller cam is an issue. Likewise the heads are a pretty easy bolt on upgrade down the road too. So I suggest spending a little more on the rotating assembly now and you can upgrade the heads and add the nitrous as you want more power and the budget allows. But don't forget with more HP comes the need for a beefier transmission and then to apply the power you will likely need some suspension upgrades. The whole package has to work together.