SBM 383 3.79 Crank At The Crank Shop...

[Krooser]

Well I finally made one baby step in rebuiding my 'blowed up' 360... took the crank into a local shop today to get it repaired.

The shop owner measured the crank and we saw it was bent .018... looks like the one journal that is burned can be repaired and turned to .020... He will do all the rods the same but the mains should be ok at std. size. I'll know soon enough.

He told me I'd have it back in three weeks... Then I'll have four of my newly purchased 340 rods resized to match the other four that were fresh 30 laps before the engine blew...

Next up I will be getting a new cam ground by Mike Jones and maybe have the block mag'd, cleaned and honed in preparation for the four new slugs I'll have made to match the others that survived the explosion...

Film at 11....

 

[subcom]

Please tell more. Can't wait till 11!
I've read a few times about using chevy rods in a SBM. What's the rest of your recipe? What rods, pistons, etc?

 

[Krooser]

This has W-2 heads nicely ported, kinda heavy 3/8 stainless valves with Crower springs and Ti retainers. Ross pistons. 13 1/2 to 1. BG alky carb. Head and main studs. 340 bushed rods. Some fancy oil pump with a billet cover.

Had a Crower cam until the PO loaned out the motor and it came back with a bad lobe...got freshened with a purple shaft solid cam then spun a rod bearing and tossed two rods and boogered two more and three pistons.

I bought it after it blew and am repairing it to use in my dirt late model.

 

[Krooser]

Please tell more. Can't wait till 11!
I've read a few times about using chevy rods in a SBM. What's the rest of your recipe? What rods, pistons, etc?

Today rods are pretty much an interchangeable item...match the length to the big and little ends and you're golden. I have two sets of ex- Nascar SB2 rods for future projects...6.2 length...1.88 Honda size journals and an .827 pin... Very light and strong... A custom piston and a little grinding on the crank and they will likely go in a Gen III Hemi project...

The 383 was in a dirt modified back in the 90's but sat under a bench for 12 years before being loaned out and broken TWICE!

 

[Krooser]

Please tell more. Can't wait till 11!
I've read a few times about using chevy rods in a SBM. What's the rest of your recipe? What rods, pistons, etc?

Ahh....I was wondering about the reference to Chevy then I spotted my typo saying "350 rods".... I'm using 340 bushed rods. This deal was built before all those aftermarket pieces became available way back in '93. I even have what we believe is a USA made Mopar Performance crank...cost $1800 back then according to the PO.

 

[Unconventional]

Krooser? Tell me it ain't so. Something besides a Chebby in a Dirt Late Model? You da man! Must drive the tech guys nutz. I love it! Years ago in the IMCA Mod beginnings, when they had their "Claimer" rule. A truckin' company owner I knew had his grandson in an IMCA Mod. He got all bent because this one particular car kept kickin their ***. He decided to "claim" the motor. Went through the propper procedure, claimed the motor. It was 351 Ford. " do we do with this thing?"

 

[Krooser]

This will be the first Mopar I've driven since 1970... won my first race in one the first night behind the wheel. But I've been a fan since I worked at two Mopar dealers from '69 until '72. I raced Fords for many years. One Pontiac.

Wissota and IMCA, the two big sanctions here in dirt racing, all make rules based on the SBC and, to a lesser extent, the SBF. Mopar's are just a thorn in their side and they have zero interest in having them race. The late model division at my home track isn't sanctioned and they allow any engine to run... open, big cube engines rule the roost but half the field is mostly low buck guys running 362 ci or less.

I have an older Mastersbilt chassis... it raced for about 5 years with two owners then was put in a shed and left to vegetate. I bought it in the summer of 2015 and did some rehab to it that winter... did what I could on a social security income.

I went back to work in '15 and bought some spares but I had a knee replacement in 9/16 and that kept me out of the shop last winter. Now I'm back working a little and am gathering some of the big stuff I need to run next year... tandem fuel/PS pump that drives off the clutch, rear mount starter, Bert two speed trans and, of course, the engine re-do.

I'm no big threat to anybody to win a bunch of races... a top 10 in the a-main would be a victory for me... just going out to have some fun and stay out of eveybodys way. Some guys say this deal is too expensive to have fun.... I say if you arent having fun stay home.

 

[Unconventional]

We had Late Models last night at the track here. Good show. They let the big motor guys run with the "Limited Late Models" I'm not real sure what the differences in rules are, but when they do run together, the "Unlimiteds" have to carry a substantial amount of weight extra. Late Models are getting hard to come by in this part of Ca, so anything to get them on the track is welcome.

 

[Krooser]

The guys are pricing themselves out of business... familiar tune!