engine block main caps

[mcversch]

hey guys, i've got a 75' 500 and i was wondering if there are any main caps on the market to beef up the reliability for the crankshaft. i'm new to the 500 and haven't even taken one fully apart yet, i was just wondering if they are a possibility for this engine, or if they are even needed. i plan to drag race this motor with a lot of horse power. just want to play it safe too. i was also wondering, new pistons and rods are a must for me because of compression and higher rpm. should i replace the crankshaft also or is a reground one sufficient enough and just change the bearings?

[Terrible One]

You will DEFINITLY want a aftermarket cam setup if you are drag racing this thing. E-mail Al from MTS and tell him about your project and what you plan to do, so that he can recommend a cam for your application.

[Caddycarlo]

there are no aftermarket caps that I know about but good studs and a girdle will help a lot ...... the crankshaft is a good part as long as it is in good shape ...... how much hp are you shooting for ?

[mcversch]

well i'm an all motor kind of guy, but right now i just want to go the fastest i can for the least amount of money. i built my own headers and tunnel ram etc. so basically i want around 650 hp which is easy for this engine, then i want at least a 300 hp shot of nitrous. i want to spend the money on the most important things like the valvetrain, cam, etc, so it can take the rpm. i just wasn't sure if i should replace the crankshaft, it has about 100,000 miles on it.

[DOC]

Your crankshaft will handle the horsepower, but keep max RPM below 6500. Al @ MTS has a real good forged piston/rod combo. There is a ton of head work and cam R&D already done, so you should be able to buy 650 hp off the shelf. Good luck and enjoy!

DOC

[Nashalac]

I've got a new set of forged I beam rods and Ross 10 to 1 forged pistons (for 76cc heads) I'll let go for $800 inc. shipping. These cost over $1000 but project changed. The rods are good for at least 650 horse and 6500 RPM. The crank will take most everything thrown at it but the studs and girdle really help to stabilize the caps and block. Several Cad shops offer these along with some nice pans with windage control and scrapers.

[mcversch]

wow thanks for the offer, but i'm not quite ready for those yet. i'm in my last year of university and need to pay for that first haha. i'm just trying to plan this engine out in as much detail as i can. right now i've just finished my junkyard dragster motor. it's a 500 also, i made some things for it like a dual 4bbl tunnel ram and headers because of my budget right now. once i'm done engineering i'll be able to fund my nice motor. thanks a lot for the offer though, you probably wouldn't want to pay shipping, i'm up in thunder bay canada.

[Nashalac]

The shipping would need some compromising between the parties. That engine is sure GREEN. That's an odd color. Any reason??

[DOC]

Hey mcversh,
Things look like they are a little slow in Thunder Bay. You have way to much time on your hands. Just kidding! Have you fired that sucker up yet?

By the way, why do they call it Thunder Bay? Sounds like a noisy place to live...he he he :lol:

[mcversch]

well it's green because that's the only high temp paint i had kicking around the place so i just used up the rest. i'm obviously not going for looks haha. yeah i've fired it up, it runs pretty good for a scrap yard engine that i didn't put any money into, just gaskets. i'm running two quadrajets off my stock cars that i'm parting out. i rebuilt the turbo 400 last summer and drilled out the restrictor plate and stuff. i'm just going to bolt this thing right up to the rearend of one of my stock cars and rip the body off the car and mount my seat over the rear wheels. this thing is purely for fun, i'll be lucky to get into the 14's i think.