428 build ideas

[cjetmech]

So I'm thinking of rebuilding my 428 and would like to hear some input on how I should go with it. I'd like to get 550 crank hp out of it on pump gas (93) if possible. I've got a CJ block that's +.030 and filled to the water pump. Untouched Edelbrock heads p/n 6005. A street dominator intake and all the other odds and ends to complete the engine. I was thinking of going with the largest stroker kit that I could. So at 4.375 stroke call it a 475ci engine. So is it possible to get 550hp out of this on 93 octane and what would it take to do it? It would be for the dragstrip mainly and I'd like to use a hyd roller. I'm not sure if I should stick with this intake or go with something else like a perf rpm. I would like to keep the max rpm to 6000 or so. Any thoughts?

[chilly460]

Kind of a quick response here, but very do-able. This is a "ballpark build", more info would be needed to really figure it out. All three B's have posted engine builds that fall in this criteria. 

In a quick nutshell, at ~470ci, a well ported set of Edelbrocks, 235/240 .600/.600 type hydro roller, 10.5:1 with a Performer RPM will do 550hp at around 5600rpm.  I'm assuming when you say 6000rpm that was max rpm, so you'd shift it at 6000rpm with a 5600rpm peak, give or take.

Key here is well ported Edelbrocks, a basic "bowl blend" type Edelbrock will not do it without more cam IMO.  The better builds use bowl blend Survival or BBM heads which are well ahead of Edelbrocks.  With the inferior chamber on the Edelbrock costing some power, may take a bit more cam to get there even if they're ported, the pros may have more to say on this. 

I don't have Jay's book in front of me to tell you how the SD compared to the RPM, but that data is out there.

[cjetmech]

I have Jays book and the Perf rpm did better on the higher hp engines but the SD wasn't far behind. He wrote that the SD would be good up to 550hp which is right at my goal. So I'm not sure which one I would go with. I haven't priced a different set of heads so I'm wondering if it would be worth putting the cash into the Edelbrock or just going with a different set like Barry's or BBM's. The car is a 3200lb Fairlane with a C6, 4500 converter (with my old 390), and a 4.56 rear. I'd prob go up to a 10.5 slick with cal tracks. I'd like to get the car to run in the 10's.

[MeanMofakee]

Having went thru the decision making process just recently for a 428 engine build for my 67 Fairlane, I can say that your expectations sound pretty reasonable to me. I went with a 4.25" stroke instead of 4.375". Decided on a forged crank, H beam rods and cross bolted program main caps for what hopefully provides some extra insurance, time will tell. Pistons will be flat tops that will put compression at 11-11.3, on the edge for pump premium. Going with a really good set of cnc'd heads(don't want to have to upgrade later) and a cam choice of one of the builders on here. I'm really hoping to see 600 hp! The only issue that I have is with intake choice also. Want a 2x4 set up to run dual throttlebodies with port injected efi. Getting a bunch of Jay's bling to put on it just because. From all the discussions that I have had 550-600 hp is very do-able, but like the previous poster mentioned it depends on heads cam and intake. Good luck!

[jayb]

I think you are on the right track with the big cubes.  If you have the Edelbrock heads already, with some fairly basic porting they will flow in the 300-310 cfm range which is plenty to hit your target.  My local shop does their "street/strip" porting job for about $600 on Edelbrock heads, and hits that flow number.  And I think I'd keep the Street Dominator, that intake is plenty good for what you are considering.

[unclewill]

There is no replacement for displacement - go big!  Since the heads are the bottleneck on all engines, I'd spend any additional $$ on the best CNC port/polish job I could afford.  For a race engine, I'd choose a high lift solid cam, high compression and rev it.  For the street, a milder hydraulic/hydraulic roller and focus on midrange torque...just some ideas...

[cjetmech]

Thanks for the replies. I thought it would be more difficult to do it on pump gas. But after doing a little more research, I guess it's common these days. I don't want to go the high CR route and I definitely want a roller cam. I'd like to have an easy to maintain engine that doesn't need race gas to get my Fairlane solidly in the 10's. Jay $600 sounds really cheap for a port job on these heads, I figured it would be like $1500. In which case I thought I might be better off just going with one of the newer heads. I might just ship them out there for that price. Either way, if I go with 475ci, my heads ported or a newer set, a .600 hyd roller, the SD intake port matched, atleast an 850 Holley, 10.5:1 CR at most, it seems I should be around 550-575hp. I think that'll get the job done. Is there anything else I should be thinking about at this power level such as crossbolting it or a certain valvetrain setup? I have HD shafts now with stands/spacers and HS rockers.

[bn69stang]

You could hit the 550 range with the 4.25 inch crank . and i would  go hydr roller comp has one at .594 - .598  ,, Bud