power/durability limit for 392

[wud73]

Working to get a hemi in my old battlewagon. 

USE - Bracket type, oldy racing.


CAR - 1960's altered, hardtail, 125".  Using  powerglide.
       - Most the cars in the club have about 700 hp.

I need the engine to be as dependable as possible  (I just don't  have the time or money to blow up even one hemi)

ENGINE STUFF I HAVE -

      - .060 392
      - Couple good std. cranks
      - HotHeads aluminum heads
      - Good blown alchohol roller cam
      - vertex
      - 6-71  non-stripped
      - Bugcatcher

SO HERE'S MY QUESTIONS:

1- What's the horsepower limit of a 392 w/ 4bolt caps and stock crank?  By that I mean what's the limit where it is still very dependable?


2- To produce 700 hp do I need to concern myself with a stroker crank  or fancy blower?  (although an offset grind w/ Chevy rods is easiy enough).

3-It seems every hemi guy I've ever talked to says that race engines must have aluiminum rods.  Go to a doorslammer site and they make a lot of power on steel rods.   At 700 horsepower is there any reson I can't use the K1 steel rods?  What about even Eagles? 

4-If aluminum really soaks up shock then what about alumimum main caps and steel rods?  Do you even get that much shock and vibration in an engine that's not nitro?

I know that's alot but I appreciate the help. 































     

[GlennLever]

Working to get a hemi in my old battlewagon. 

USE - Bracket type, oldy racing.


CAR - 1960's altered, hardtail, 125".  Using  powerglide.
       - Most the cars in the club have about 700 hp.

I need the engine to be as dependable as possible  (I just don't  have the time or money to blow up even one hemi)

ENGINE STUFF I HAVE -

      - .060 392
      - Couple good std. cranks
      - HotHeads aluminum heads
      - Good blown alchohol roller cam
      - vertex
      - 6-71  non-stripped
      - Bugcatcher

SO HERE'S MY QUESTIONS:

1- What's the horsepower limit of a 392 w/ 4bolt caps and stock crank?  By that I mean what's the limit where it is still very dependable?


2- To produce 700 hp do I need to concern myself with a stroker crank  or fancy blower?  (although an offset grind w/ Chevy rods is easiy enough).

3-It seems every hemi guy I've ever talked to says that race engines must have aluiminum rods.  Go to a doorslammer site and they make a lot of power on steel rods.   At 700 horsepower is there any reson I can't use the K1 steel rods?  What about even Eagles? 

4-If aluminum really soaks up shock then what about alumimum main caps and steel rods?  Do you even get that much shock and vibration in an engine that's not nitro?

I know that's alot but I appreciate the help. 
     

You might consider copy and paste this over in Matt's Shop, or I can move it for you if you wish.

[wud73]

ok Glenn, thanks.  I put in the general FED mailbox because there's so much more activity here.

[GlennLever]

ok Glenn, thanks.  I put in the general FED mailbox because there's so much more activity here.

There is, no problem, my thinking was you might attract the correct knowledge in that category??

[AF150]

We ran a .060 over 354, non-Teflon 6-71, powerglide, aluminum 4-bolt mains in a 1700lb car.
I used good Al. rods because I had about 11:1 compression ratio. Car ran 7.30s in the 1/4 with no
reliability issues. Blower was never more than 10% over. Good steel rods would work also.
Takes about 850 hp to run those numbers. I backed it off to run 7.50 or 7.60 index stuff.

My buddy has a .060 392 with the same set-up we ran as quick as 7.03 @ 198 with no problems.
I don't think you will have durability worries til you try to run way into the 6s. Don't run any junk
used parts and pay attention to every detail. Old Chryslers are great engines.

[wud73]

I got a couple replies in the engine  section, here and a PM as well,  thank you everyone.

Sounds like reliability won't be a problem running 8.50's / 700 hp.

Let me ask this question about Mickey Thompson rods............WAIT!!  I know that old souvenir rods are paperweights...but .this is a different story here.

I have 16, honest-to-goodness- brand -new, uninstalled MT rods.  If they were once good for 1000 hp and the pounding of nitro  .........any reason why they wouldn't be OK for a 700hp, low boost alky engine today?

I spoke to a guy who was in on the design of those rods with MT.  He said that two sest would last a "romperrooml" low-power program (like mine) a long, long time.  A friend told me that ARP even catalogs a bolt for the MT's  (and he suggested a modern bolt).


Uhhhm...does that make any sense?

Wayne

[GlennLever]

I got a couple replies in the engine  section, here and a PM as well,  thank you everyone.

Sounds like reliability won't be a problem running 8.50's / 700 hp.

Let me ask this question about Mickey Thompson rods............WAIT!!  I know that old souvenir rods are paperweights...but .this is a different story here.

I have 16, honest-to-goodness- brand -new, uninstalled MT rods.  If they were once good for 1000 hp and the pounding of nitro  .........any reason why they wouldn't be OK for a 700hp, low boost alky engine today?

I spoke to a guy who was in on the design of those rods with MT.  He said that two sest would last a "romperrooml" low-power program (like mine) a long, long time.  A friend told me that ARP even catalogs a bolt for the MT's  (and he suggested a modern bolt).


Uhhhm...does that make any sense?

Wayne

Do you know where there are any M/T Pontiac Hemi heads?