aftermarket blocks?

[bn69stang]

Jon what exactly are you try ng to do , a certain cubic inch range , a certain hp range ? ... Bud

[fe66comet]

Both, the current trend is toward 500 plus crate engines ( GM) and in this are are dominating the street and track. For my Comet I am looking to do something with big cubes and hp with monster torque. I am aware of 4 supercharged 502 Chevy powered cars plus a large assortment of normally asperated ones. How can I possibly compete with that? It would seem beyond the realm of an FE unless you went SOHC and big boost.

[bn69stang]

Jon i think you re-think that , go all aluminum 482 -500 inch , forged internals and go for 600-650 on motor and give it some spray , say 250 shot  of squeeze and have 800 plus on tap when you want it . or feed it some boost .... build a turbo d  fe . There is a guy here with an 1100 hp supercharged 502 chevy , he was running his mouth bout fords being slow , and a 393 inch windsor with turbo left him like he was on the brakes in a match race . I loved it , was fun to watch . My long term goal a force feed all aluminum  482 -500 inch its very doable .. Bud

[fe66comet]

I know Jay is pushing big numbers with his SOHC but he has nearly unlimited resources at his disposal. I would do a Roots from Gary Dyre but I am not big on juice. On the other FE I have going I think I will do the stage 3 port job and let that one be. I would like to proceed. With the Comet now armed with the knollege I have gained about Ford big blocks as my health is failing and I would like to enjoy the vehicle while I still can.

[bn69stang]

Jon sorry to hear about your health , stay focused on your project and go after your goal and keep us posted , I lost my best friend - brother 2 years ago and it was an eye opener , and i understand budgets  lol to many wants not enough money .. Bud

[fe66comet]

My cars are all I have to mess with it keeps me busy and keeps my mind off things. I have always been a gear head since I was a kid with my errector set LOL

[bn69stang]

Yep you have to have a hot rod of some sort , i always want more , more hp , more brakes , more gear , more carb .. Bud

[chilly460]

Graphite yuck plastic, I hate plastic. I know composite is supposed to be better but after 10 years or so a glock pistol is garbage. I guess if you are going to run the engine for one season filled with epoxy it might be ok but not for me.

Parts of this thread have been entertaining, but this is the best. 

It's not "plastic", it's Compacted Graphite Iron. 

Quick info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compacted_graphite_iron

It's what Ford uses in their diesel blocks, similar to when they used Nodular Iron where high strength was needed. 

I won't even touch the statement on Glocks

[fe66comet]

I am aware of the material used in Diesel blocks. Heavy trucks have been using it for years. Compacted anything is material that is a mix of ground base material and a binding media such as epoxy or urethane that is pressurized into a composite. Unfortunately it deteriates as heat and stress is applied it deforms and stresses. It works as a lightweight alternative but becomes unstable over time.

[rockittsled]

CGI is still a molten alloy of cast iron that is poured into molds, cooled, then removed from the molds to be machined.  The graphite is used to align and modify the crystalline structure of the casting.  It is not a sintered metal, nor is it a powdered metal.  What the description above sounds like is the quartz countertops being used in lieu of granite in the kitchen

[fe66comet]

Call me old and set in my ways, I'll stick with good old fashioned iron. I have a friend that is a machinist and sees a lot of semi tractor engines come through as that and forklifts is all he does. We have discussed this in depth before and in his industry the general consensus is the main reason for the change is weight reduction and the metals required such as nickle and other metals are becoming expensive. Weight reduction is a plus but at a cost, graphite is not exactly heat resistant and it does deteriate over time. Of course  so does iron but at a much slower rate when expose to elements like UV, heat exposure and solvents.

[TomP]

A 502 Chevy is a weak dog. Any FE in the 430-460 cube range can handle that. No need for getting a custom block cast to chase those.

[fe66comet]

I was just thinking that the trend on all sides seems to be bigger is better. Bigger bores, strokes and heads does in any case equate to more HP and torque as long as it is done in a logical way. Hemi and BBC engines work, I have Ford, Chevy and Chrysler engines, they all are good, dependable stuff. For my Comet it gets a Ford, just where to start is the question?

[machoneman]

It's not what you think. No plastic in cgi. 

Try this: 

http://web.archive.org/web/20071219013840/http://www.competitiveproduction.com/features/default.aspx?article_id=1388&volume_no=3&issue_no=2

Graphite yuck plastic, I hate plastic. I know composite is supposed to be better but after 10 years or so a glock pistol is garbage. I guess if you are going to run the engine for one season filled with epoxy it might be ok but not for me.

[fe66comet]

I used to buy into the latest and greatest, I have two E85 carburetors but all the E85 gas pumps in the area no longer exist. I read the article and yes it does sound great but I will just stick with good old nodular iron. It is proven, dependable and you can find people to machine it. I see a lot of trends come and go but engines are still made of the same stuff, I remember back in the eighties engines by now were supposed to be made of ceramic with no cooling systems and run at extreme temperatures for efficiency. I haven't seen a ceramic engined flying car yet, but when I do I'll let the neighbors buy it first LOL.