WashingtonRacer

Okay I am in the looks for a World or Dart block, looking for one with a 4.125 bore with the standard 350 main. Anyways for the first time my local shop quotes me 1,941.00 for a WP Race block "splayed billit 4 bolt mains". Anyways the came out cheaper than even Summit "the standard in which I compare all with". But here's the catch. The guy said I NEED to have it heated and something, then the mains honed and block honed.. blah blah blah.. price up to 2,600 bucks... kinda hurt my budget since the difference in price was to help towards the purchase of a eagle rotating assem. So perhaps I will have to wait another couple months.:( Anyways who has purchased a "race prepped block" and did you do the "need to do" prep work to make it good to install?

I am willing to spend the moolah, I just want to make sure I don't throw money into something I don't need to throw it into.

81vette

Don't know what your plans are, but the 400 main version is $1699 at Summit. I was able to get mine with their last 10% discount, so it came out to $1530 or so.

mark

97Z

Go with a motown, and bore it as big as you can go. VERY nice blocks.

WashingtonRacer

I have been leaning towards the motown as they look to offer some great specs, the only thing that gets me is they are a fully cnc machined block, which I would think they would have pre stressed the block at the plant, now the guy at the shop says that it really needs to be baked so it can distort so when everything is installed it won't move. He said he had a WP block once that they didn't do that and ended up having come bearing problems, when they looked into it, the measurments were all changed.
I have to give this guy alot of trust, cause he is the man that did alot of the building on Merlin's engine.

I see summit has their standard blocks for 1,700. But I don't think those are splayed billet caps. Which the one I am looking into is. I can't find it on their site though hmm... But I do have the part number in my car. gonna go get it.

norvalwilhelm

If you start with a brank new block it is green like lumber it will start to move after heating and cooling cyles. They prefer old blocks that have been used so they have taken a set. Now all machining stay put. If the block wants to twist or change shape all this has already happened.

norvalwilhelm

My block had all frost plugs and oil gallery plugs removed then hot tanked. After hot tanking all threaded holes were inspected and had taps run through them to guarantee a good thread, oil holes were chased with long drill bits, the oil passage between pump and filter opened up and radiused. A hole was also drilled to oil the back of the cam gear. The block was bored .030 over, decked and line honed, it was then torque plate honed. All surfaces in the oil gallery were polished and deburred and finally painted with a special armature motor paint to aid oil return. The motor was assembled, deck height measured then taken back to redeck to 0 deck height.
For the final assembly new cam bearings installed, threaded plugs in all oil galleries, new frost plugs then completely stud the block with ARP studs.
I think that covers the block.
Forgot a good washing with hot soap and water then oiled and bagged.

WashingtonRacer

So then yes it is very essential that I have it done. I was just wondering if they did it already.