To stroke or not to stroke......
Interesting read... As my wife would say " Anyway..."
I think (again, only opinion, but one BJR and I share from his posts) that the majority of enthusiasts know a lot about their car. They know a lot about a lot of things. But, when the science of a certain assembly in that car needs to be addressed, they may not know as much. The "jack of all trades, master of none" deal. Some know more than others. Some know the theory (the math). Some know the hands-on (the experience). That's why it's so important to have open dialogue such as here. One thing some better machinists know (and I am not a machinist by trade) is that the operator AND the equipment make the job. If one of them is off for any reason, the minimum result is lost power. It can get worse from there. Breakage, loss of $$, even injury depending on the incedent. (ever seen a "good" fueler crank making "only 870hp" as opposed to thousands come apart at 6K in 3rd? An exiting rod took the RF tire off the rim at 100+mph) The math never lies, if the inputs are correct. To accelerate 2800lbs to 114mph in the 1/4, one must make about 330hp to the tires thru the whole run. Those calculators assume that the rest of the system is optimized for 0-60+ acceleration. No tire spin, very limited torque convertor slippage, no trans slippage. The part BJR lists, and the small to medium cam he lists, can easily make that number (420ish at the crank) when the ring seal is right (the plateau honing), the balance is good, the valve job is good (the single biggest spot for power loss in my experience). I have an aquaintence who just spent $10K+ on a 500" race motor from a "reputable" local mopar guy. It's the 3rd one for him in 3 years. In a full race (2600lbs with driver) A body, it has managed a best of 10.30. It's barely making 1hp per cu inch. It just broke again. From what I've heard, the owner's remark was "For 10Gs, why do I have to adjust the valves?". I know of a 383 that's had more $$ tossed into it than I've spent on all the customers' stuff I've done in the past 3 years combined. That fellow hasnt smiled about that car in 3 years. But he still spends to get faster (mid to high 12s now). The last set of heads I did to replace exisitng ported ones due to a crack that developed, picked up .2 on a 11.60s 440 B body. It cost him 2/3s of what the first set cost 3 years earlier, and $300 less than a set of Edelbrocks. Most people dont have the experience to knowledge to know how good "done right" can be. So they rely on the $$ spent for the indicator. I've always used results to point me in the right direction. When I won a race over a bigger $$ setup, that was just the proof. When I watched my buddy's stock Cleveland Ford run 11teens, I knew who to ask and listen to for my questions. It's a long sales pitch really, but a good book to pick up is "How to Tune Demon Carburetors". It's loaded with basic info on engine theory, tuning, and physics. In addition to putting down "the industry" and elevating BG systems ;) .
"To Each, His Own"