fireguywtc wrote: Interesting, I wasn't aware of the 428 being used in any ag applications. Perhaps it is regional because I don't see a lot of irrigation in my area (central TX). I will be keeping an eye out for one, but I am not going to hold my breath. My feelings tell me most would likely have been replaced by now.
There was a guy on the FE Forum a few years back that bought a few (6 or 8?) and come to think of it they might have been 427's... honestly my memory isn't what it used to be, so you are probably right...
fireguywtc wrote: My only concern now is going .06 over and any future complications that may come from that. I have been told before that the FE is good to be bored up to .08in over and still be reliable, but I have not be able to verify this.
I personally would not go over .030 without a sonic check. Some 390 blocks will go .080 and some have paper thin cylinder walls at .030 due to core shift. The "Reverse 105" blocks usually have a better chance of going to a larger oversize safely...
To some extent what is safe depends on the intended use and precisely where the thinner areas are, you need a reputable builder familiar with FE's to help you...
fireguywtc wrote:Has anyone dealt with tough dawg engine buildings out of Arizona? They are all over Ebay and seem to be a pretty good deal for about the hp I am looking for.
While I don't know anything about Tough Dawg in particular, my poignant experience with buying a crate FE taught me these lessons:
Take your time and carefully evaluate a number of engine builders before choosing one. Talk to all of them on the phone and ask lots of questions. Considering the money involved and how long you'll have the engine, it would not be unreasonable to spend a month interviewing different shops before choosing one. (I chose the first one I talked to.)
There seem to be very few engine builders that really know FEs, while all shops will claim to know them. Make sure to buy your FE from one of these unusual builders. Perhaps you could ask how many FEs they've built so far--also ask what type of engine they build for their own project cars. Do they have more experience with FEs or with Small Block Chevrolets? Do they truly know and love FEs? (My first crate FE was built by a shop that didn't really know FEs. Their project car is powered by a Small Block Chevrolet.)
You may want to go with a roller camshaft setup to completely avoid the notorious camshaft break-in failure troubles. (I went with a non-roller camshaft and had the worst possible experience with it.)
Be skeptical of any FE advertised to produce 400 horsepower without either Edelbrock heads or extensive porting, port-matching work and over-sized valves. Ask to see printouts from physical dyno machines that show the performance of FEs they've build just like the one they're advertising for sale. If they have no such printouts, they may not really have the specialized knowledge of FEs required to make an honest 400 horsepower with one. (My crate FE was advertised to make 400 horsepower, but wasn't built to honestly achieve it.)
Ask them to explain everything they do to rebuild the crate engine, in detail. Test their patience a little bit. If they're the slightest bit impatient before the sale, you can be pretty sure they'll be much more impatient after the sale! (The shop that did my original crate FE became hard to reach on the phone as soon as they had the money in-hand.)
Bill, good luck with your investigation!
Robroy
Last edited by robroy on Tue Apr 27, 2010 4:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
One more: if you're going to go with a crate FE, try to avoid buying it until your truck is 99% or 100% ready for it. I'd read that suggestion before and thought I was following it, but I really wasn't, because I'd comically underestimated the amount of time it would take me to get #50 completely ready for the engine.
Having plenty of time to test the engine out while it's still in warranty is a great luxury!
