FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: AZ428STCKER on June 22, 2025, 12:06:37 AM
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Has anyone recently ordered billet main caps from the company "Billet Speedworks", having trouble getting a hold of them. Sent emails, called multiple times, no answer... its been 4 months since we ordered a set of billet cross-bolt main caps for a 428 block, can't get a hold of them. I have ordered a set from them before and did not have these issues. Hoping they did not go out of business...
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I talked to them about a month ago, and need to order a set. They were a little tough to get ahold of then, but eventually got back to me after I called, not sure they ever responded to my email.
Nice guy, easy to talk to, but doesn't seem to use email much. Wish I had more info
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Awesome, thank you sir. Glad we are not the only one, I'll keep trying by phone. Thanks again! :)
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I'll try again too, I am ready to order as well.
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i emailed them as well. just picked up 2 FE Blocks, one a 105 Mirror block. The other missing main bearding caps and i would need a full set including front and rear caps. Just need to get the block to machine shop to see if it can be rebuilt
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If anyone gets in touch with them, let me know. About ready to get a CAD drawing together and have my guy start making them, he's not excited about slowing the machine down, but I need 2 sets too
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I am PMing you guys, told him I ordered two sets of center 3, he said he can add more, 4 week lead time.
If you guys want to add to my order you can, reply to my PM or leave a voice mail and tell him Bullock's Power said to call if you want to deal directly
Sounds like he is a one man bad there
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Ross, could not reply to your PM ? Don't know why?, I will call BilletSpeedWorks
Thanks
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Sounds great! I got a reply from you, but regardless when you call leave a call back number. I understand he is the salesman CnC operator, and everything else. He called me back end of day
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Ugh, nice guy, but he is killing me with lack of communication. I think I have 2 sets inbound, but not sure. Anyone get a delivery date?
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I left voicemail couple of weeks ago and never heard back
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I got through to him about 5 days ago. He said he was going to do a run in about two weeks. I had him put me on the list and asked that he call me when they are ready. Chuck (S)
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Thanks, I assume he'll run them all at the same time.
What day and time of day did you call?
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Around 12:30-1:00PM. Please realize I have been to sleep several times since then so don't bet on the accuracy of my recall. Chuck (S)
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We are looking at making them on the CnC machine, will let you know how it goes in the next week.
If he would even answer his phone, or call back, I'd be happy enough, but if he isn't excited about it, its just a drawing and a few hunks of steel to get in the game.
More to come.
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Ross, If you start making them let me know. I've been calling him every few days leaving a message and phone number. No answers.
Thanks, Chuck (S)
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will you be making the rear main cap as well? I picked up a used block that is missing the rear main cap as well as a couple of the other main bearing caps
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I was only planning to do 2,3 and 4 but we can look into it
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So I’ve been watching this thread and wasn’t gonna stick my nose in it but… Ross contacted me about picking this up… I made a batch of billet Steel main caps before about 10 years ago now I guess it was already.. I was still in my old rental shop… time flys. Anyway, I listed them for sale and the only guy who really used them that I know of was Blair Patrick. One pair of my caps were employed on his winning engine masters entry, the last year they had the competition IIRC. So what I’m trying to say is they have been proven to hold up to at least 600 hp in competition. I have blanks to make another run of them and the same CNC milling machine to run them on as last time. I don’t know exactly what the price would be yet, but I can make it a higher priority than it sounds like billet speed is. I’d just like to know how many could be sold as soon as they are completed and how much interest there is in them. So I can gauge how many extra sets to make for the guys that are on the fence. Bigger the run I make the cheaper the price per set gets. I believe last time I made them they were around $100-$120 per cap, mind you this was well before the Covid plandemic drove prices up on everything. I was selling them in pairs for position 2 and 4 as those are the ones that tend to fail in the factory block. I can sell sets of three or 4 if need be but it would be up to the end user/machine shop to fit the thrust bearing cap to the block. If you guys are interested let me know and I can make it happen.
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I might be interested.
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I DEFINITELY want a pair as soon as you can make them. I've been in a queue at my machine shop since April and my turn is coming up soon. I don't want to lose my spot. I just left a message on your work phone. Chuck (S) 405 five one 9 six 98 zero. I'll pay in advance if you would want me to do so.
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I have a couple sets of originals if you're in a REAL hurry lol
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Cody, if you’re not interested in making them, I was starting to make solid models for them and can make them. Just let me know.
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Brent, I’d love to make another batch… designing/machining stuff is what I do almost everyday… bonus points when it’s for the FE engine platform. My design has already been done, and I’d believe if Blair liked the parts and bought the six or so sets I previously made it’s proven to me to be good parts. No news is usually a good thing in the world of production machining. I also have a few sets a factory 427 caps that don’t have blocks to go on currently so if somebody wants to go that route to get out of a pinch I can sell those as well I guess but if I can have caps done in a few weeks hopefully people would buy them? Just frustrates me the last time I put forth the effort to fill a void for the FE world and then nobody stepped up but Blair to use them. Anyway, yes I’d like to make the next batch, question is how many to make? I’m thinking if I make a dozen or so that should cover the people that have been waiting 6 months for parts? My business would never survive if I treated my customers like that.
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10-4
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Not to completely derail this thread, but want to know what everyone thinks....
I read a deal today about a company having better luck with billit aluminum main caps than steel. I'm certain the aluminum would be easier to machine. Has anyone done this on an FE?? Looks like 7075 T6 is a typical alloy for this.
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Mike - 7075-T6 aluminum can handle the stress, but it will eventually fail in fatigue. Unless you're going to be diligent about replacing parts on a regular schedule (like Top Fuel teams), I'd go for a good billet alloy steel. It will last forever.
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Not saying it's a good Idea or something I would do but the Mopar guys have been using aluminum main bearing caps for a while now...Cory
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I'd be down for 2 sets. We still haven't received our set of caps from BSW.
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I've been wondering about the aluminum main cap issue myself. In one of the other recent threads there was talk of bed plates, and at least one of those bed plates was made of aluminum, for an aluminum block production engine. I wouldn't think that a 200K mile intent engine would use an aluminum bed plate unless it was reliable over the long term. Are aluminum main caps somehow different than a bed plate application? I'm guessing the aluminum bed plate was used on an aluminum block to eliminate differences in temperature variation; a steel bed plate would grow less with temperature, and could put additional stress on the block.
All the aluminum FE engines I've used have steel main caps, which would be better in terms of "growing" with heat and maintaining main bearing clearance than an aluminum cap, but I'll bet you could run just a little tighter cold clearance with an aluminum cap and be fine at operating temperature. Sounds like this must be what the big block Mopar guys are doing...
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So the caps are being machined at Straightline Machine LLC right now. Just did a test fit of the first cap off the machine on a stock 330 MD block I got here . How much material would you guys like left in the bearing journal area? .005/.010/.015/.020? I can change the cutter comp and adjust it somewhat. I’m also wondering if I can add the reliefs for the bearing tangs for Cleveland and FE to the cap, I think they are located differently. First batch only had the tang relief for FE.
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Cody, I called and left a message. I still want a set. Chuck (S)
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.010" undersize for the main bearing bore is about right for most shops with line boring equipment...
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So I’m thinking I’m going to error on the fat side… the registers on these blocks seem to be close to the same size in width.. not so much for location. Swapping one cap between a couple different blocks and block registers seems to show variance on location. I can’t see leaving more than .020 or so but these blocks seem to be all over the place so that’s probably as close as I want to cut the caps without having the block on my shop floor to custom fit each one. Step by step they are coming along nicely! I wish I could still post pictures here. We will see if this link to Facebook works https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CxxYaRrQt/?
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Cody, I can see the post on Facebook, but I’m not seeing the pictures of the caps on any of the various pages. The pictures might be there, because I see somehow one of the commenters had a picture they referenced. Maybe a person might have to be friends with you?
Do you want to try sending me the pictures on Facebook messenger, and I can post them for you here?
Thanks for tackling the project, there’s definitely a need.
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Hey Kevin, if you want to post some pictures of this project that would be great, I can’t seem to find your email address or how to get to it on here.
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Hey Kevin, if you want to post some pictures of this project that would be great, I can’t seem to find your email address or how to get to it on here.
I sent you a message with my email.
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Here are Cody’s pictures of the caps. (They look nice!)
(https://i.postimg.cc/g05SVXsH/att-X3amxs3t-JYkos6Pm3z-UZf-AXZBXKVorm7y2p-W3DD0ew-Q.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/4K6QZ3rY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/FHv8nLjd/att-5Whtj-K-c4Wywjeph-Teqkkrl-E0EBP-d-Agm-UZDPPKz-Es.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/kBjT2DYq)
(https://i.postimg.cc/15BrsnLd/att-MLCB3q-C9FSfzzj-C3Kst-X1j-T-w-Df1h-Hc-STRu-yal-B88.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SJXMGsQL)
(https://i.postimg.cc/cL8CTPMP/att-Mq-H55Kip-XAFJt-fd-Pj-Mch-DQA53db-Hb-Qs-Fu-C3ct-Etl4Y.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/nXpnhRW1)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Kzh0RXQ6/att-5Sgqv-B5c-Zno7oh-PU4qu-Fq-RSw3CEhb4Qbzo-cmk69b-DQ.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/WDSGHHB8)
(https://i.postimg.cc/sxYdv9pT/att-Yr-Pf-Iwm-Evzg-Uqoq-Ir-GSKX7u3j7n1i-QMv1DSzm-A2i95k.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/4HxF0c2c)
(https://i.postimg.cc/6Qn0sjwk/att-23WUr-Ytf-Yoln-Wf-VLq-h-PF1Qc7Y-8Hlrv-BG5u-Ja-EM.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/nsV7B1X2)
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Last two pictures of the dirty fingers holding the bearings is the different tang placement between the 351 Cleveland bearings and the standard FE bearings. I’m going to try to land the tang relief to catch both. The Cleveland race bearing seems to be a bit narrower than the standard FE main bearing. These are both King brand bearings BTW.
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Post for the caps I’m making is up in the private classifieds section. I’m not sure if I qualify for vendor classifieds just yet so I located it in the private section. You’ll find more details and pricing there. Have a good weekend!