340 stroker rebuild needed near Tampa, FL

[Exjouster]

Hi all!
I just picked up a '72 340 engine that is complete but hasn't run in a long while from the looks of it. looks yo be stock. I'd like to find a good engine builder near Tampa FL that can get this thing turned into a 350+ hp engine, or a 450+ hp stroker without totally ape-raping me on price. Anyone have good recommendations on who to go to?

 

[CFD244]

Machine shops are expensive......No doubt about that.

 

[273]

Pretty big difference between a warmed over mild 350 hp 340 and a 450 hp stroker, should narrow down what you want.

 

[fishmens67]

Sell the 340 and get a Blueprint crate engine, the most economical way these days for 450 hp.
I don't think a person could do it themselves for the price of a Blueprint engine with a warranty.

 

[dogbreath]

PM sent

 

[gzig5]

Take it to @NC Engine Builder up near Concord, NC. It is definitely worth the drive if you want the engine machined and built right. He was also very competitive, pricewise. I ended up with a stock stroke 340 with aluminum heads that he lightly massaged and it put out 460+ HP with no tuning on the dyno with a 242/247 solid flat tappet cam. Turn around was very quick as well.

 

[Illahe]

Take it to @NC Engine Builder up near Concord, NC. It is definitely worth the drive if you want the engine machined and built right. He was also very competitive, pricewise. I ended up with a stock stroke 340 with aluminum heads that he lightly massaged and it put out 460+ HP with no tuning on the dyno with a 242/247 solid flat tappet cam. Turn around was very quick as well.

This^^^

 

[4eighteener]

I don’t persobally know these guys, or their work, but they do a lot of mopar work and are over on your side of the state.
Might be worth a call

 

[RustyRatRod]

I'm telling you now, STAY AWAY from Odessa Cylinder Head/Clearwater Cylinder head. They are in your area and have a TERRIBLE reputation for crappy work, horrible customer service and being total crooks. I don't know how they're still in business.

 

[Newbomb Turk]

I don’t persobally know these guys, or their work, but they do a lot of mopar work and are over on your side of the state.
Might be worth a call

View attachment 1716494064

Just scrolling through their pictures can tell you a lot.

They have a very nice cylinder hone. I can’t see from the pictures exactly for sure but I believe they are using vitrified abrasives and not diamond abrasives. I say that for two reasons. One, they are using honing oil. You can use that with diamonds abrasives but there is really no reason to use honing oil with diamond abrasives but you can. With diamond abrasives you can use a water based honing fluid and it keeps the block cooler. That said, the hone is a good one and if you use a profilometer you can achieve a top notch finish with vitrified abrasives.

The other thing about water based honing fluid is clean up. I just say that because having used both the clean up time (short term and long term) is far more cost effective with water based honing fluid than with oil. Thats not an end user issue. It’s a shop money savings.

They have a very rigid surfacer. That’s a bonus.

What I didn’t see was how they do their valve jobs. I didn’t see a picture of their seat a guide machine.

I would say to the OP that Southeast Performance is certainly worth taking a look at.

Also, if already mentioned it’s worth noting again @NC Engine Builder right here on Fabo. Im not sure how close to you he is geographically but sometimes the drive is worth it.

 

[JDMopar]

The pics on their website scroll by pretty quick. Was that a Sunnen CK-21 hone? Those are nice machines. My buddy Ben had a CK-21 and a CV-616 before Hurricane Helene washed his shop away. He had a nice Serdi machine also.

 

[NC Engine Builder]

Just scrolling through their pictures can tell you a lot.

They have a very nice cylinder hone. I can’t see from the pictures exactly for sure but I believe they are using vitrified abrasives and not diamond abrasives. I say that for two reasons. One, they are using honing oil. You can use that with diamonds abrasives but there is really no reason to use honing oil with diamond abrasives but you can. With diamond abrasives you can use a water based honing fluid and it keeps the block cooler. That said, the hone is a good one and if you use a profilometer you can achieve a top notch finish with vitrified abrasives.

The other thing about water based honing fluid is clean up. I just say that because having used both the clean up time (short term and long term) is far more cost effective with water based honing fluid than with oil. Thats not an end user issue. It’s a shop money savings.

They have a very rigid surfacer. That’s a bonus.

What I didn’t see was how they do their valve jobs. I didn’t see a picture of their seat a guide machine.

I would say to the OP that Southeast Performance is certainly worth taking a look at.

Also, if already mentioned it’s worth noting again @NC Engine Builder right here on Fabo. Im not sure how close to you he is geographically but sometimes the drive is worth it.

None of the equipment in those photos belong to southeast. In fact, there is no such shop. He is a "broker" he uses multiple shops and subs out the work.

 

[4eighteener]

None of the equipment in those photos belong to southeast. In fact, there is no such shop. He is a "broker" he uses multiple shops and subs out the work.

Wow!
Looks like the made up a Facebook page too!

 

[NC Engine Builder]

The guy is 70+ years old, hes retired, and he spends his days on the computer lining up jobs and then pays various other shops to actually build them.

 

[4eighteener]

I would love to find out who those various shops are. A real shortage of good automotive machine shops in Florida

 

[NC Engine Builder]

I would love to find out who those various shops are. A real shortage of good automotive machine shops in Florida

The last FABO member who went that route( southeast) found that Muscle Machining was the one doing his work. I know nothing about that shop personally, so no idea if they do quality work or not.

 

[4eighteener]

Yeah, I only saw southeast performance rt name listed in the infamous 14 page ban saw post as being a company that makes main bearing spacers for putting 318/340 crankshafts into 360 blocks.
The post that keeps on giving

 

[NC Engine Builder]

I would just suggest you visit the shop you intend to use, look around, ask questions, and trust your gut. The bigger and fancier there webpage, generally the bigger the level of BS in my experience. If you were local you could stop by and I'd give you a tour. There have been quite a few FABO members here before. Hell, I dont even advertise. I be happy to help if your interested, just shoot a PM

 

[NC Engine Builder]

Yeah, I only saw southeast performance rt name listed in the infamous 14 page ban saw post as being a company that makes main bearing spacers for putting 318/340 crankshafts into 360 blocks.
The post that keeps on giving

Yeah, those spacers came from RAMM racing engines in VA. Excellent shop, I have built a few of those combos, and used those spacers.

 

[Newbomb Turk]

None of the equipment in those photos belong to southeast. In fact, there is no such shop. He is a "broker" he uses multiple shops and subs out the work.

Thanks for that.

That changes my opinion of the shop.

 

[fishmens67]

That changes my opinion of the shop.

What opinion might that be.

 

[Newbomb Turk]

What opinion might that be.

It looked like they had at least decent equipment.

There is a BIG difference between a shop using its own equipment and a broker shipping **** out to have work done.

That’s a good way to end up with a bunch of finger pointing and who shot John if things get wobbly.

 

[NC Engine Builder]

It looked like they had at least decent equipment.

There is a BIG difference between a shop using its own equipment and a broker shipping **** out to have work done.

That’s a good way to end up with a bunch of finger pointing and who shot John if things get wobbly.

If you look closely, you will notice all the pictures are not even from the same building, it would be interesting if someone was smart enough to do a reverse image search. But I know for a fact a few of those are from a shop in NC, owned by a good friend of mine.

 

[fishmens67]

same building

Southeast and John's Speed and Custom are one in the same.
Google shows the address as a house with a white pickup in the driveway.

 

[RustyRatRod]

It looked like they had at least decent equipment.

There is a BIG difference between a shop using its own equipment and a broker shipping **** out to have work done.

That’s a good way to end up with a bunch of finger pointing and who shot John if things get wobbly.

Passon comes to mind.