440 source pricing is going up.

[Oldiron440]

440 source has said that as of 1/1/2019 there prices are going up 25 percent across their entire product line.
So a $2200 stroker kit will be $2750.
So if your thinking about one get it now.

 

[Greg55_99]

Chinese tariffs taking hold?

 

[Duke5A]

Brandon posted this on Moparts a couple weeks ago. I wouldn't concerned with it to be honest. These tariffs are being put in place to bring Xi to the table. After everyone has had enough and some concessions are made things will go back to normal.

If course it's easy for me to say this as I already bought my kit.

 

[volare 77]

tariffs, imo i would not count on prices ever going back down

 

[Oldiron440]

440 source is saying the costs for them have already gone up about ten percent but they have been covering it. So I would not count on prices not going up.

 

[Duke5A]

tariffs, imo i would not count on prices ever going back down

If they don't after tariffs are repealed and people are still buying their product then they weren't charging enough to begin with. All things being equal the market should push the prices back down to pre-tariff levels.

 

[Oldiron440]

Over the years I have bought so little from them it will not matter to me, but every thing else from all the automotive chain stores will go up also. It's hard to repair anything without parts from china.

 

[Aspen500]

I got my 500" stroker kit from them. At that time (mid 2000's) it was $1,895. As with everything, prices always eventually go up, regardless of anything else.

 

[BudW]

About five years ago, or so, I bought two sets of stroker kits from them.
Prices were $1,999 each about a month earlier - but when I went to make the purchase (along with 2 pair of stealth heads and a bunch of other stuff), the prices were $2,199 (US) each.
The prices posted today is $2,249 (US), so $50 in five years isn’t too bad.

I’ve been wondering about the China tariffs and such, but sense I have most of what I need, I’ve not been too worried about it.
Well, let me take that back . . . I've been eyeballing their main stud girdle and main cap sets – but not decided about either, yet.
BudW

 

[Oldiron440]

Bud what stroke did you get?

 

[Oldiron440]

I stopped by my buddy's shop yesterday and heard this. Another machine shop in town was trying to balance a stroker crankshaft, they were drilling a counter weight when the drill started to hop. After inspecting they found that they were drilling a chain at the bottom of the hole.
High quality China parts!

 

[BudW]

I’m not looking for all out power. My goal is tons of low end torque for trouble free daily street driving. I even want it, so engine will rarely exceed 5,000 RPM. Also looking for quietness if I want to make long distance trips (and yes, I know strokers are not quiet, by design).

I have three 400 blocks, two of which are NOS. Diamond made me two sets of coated pistons, so I could retain the OE bore. I also wanted to keep the rod/stroke ratio at 1.65 or less.

A picture of one of my pistons.

What I got was a pair of their 400>>470 kits.
3.915” stroke/6.535” length rods.
That gave me a 1.66 rod ratio – which is a tad more than I wanted.
My calculated (not yet measured) compression ratio is 9.486:1, using the Diamond pistons and aluminum stealth heads.


Unrelated, I do have two pair of new 440 Source 0.010 over 400 piston sets (w/pins & rings) that willing to almost give away - if anyone is looking for a set (or two). As in give away – I mean for the cost of freight and boxing up and such. They came with part of the “400.470.5060” set – which is about ½ way down on this web page http://store.440source.com/Stroker-Kits/products/3/ .

BudW

 

[Oldiron440]

The reason I ask about the stroke is I have heard two theories about torque, rpm and block strength.
The first is conventional, the more power and rpm you need to stabilize the block with better main caps and a girdle.
The second is that more torque in the lower rpm puts more force on the block than high rpm torque. I don't know if it's time on the power stroke versus number of power strokes or what, but low rpm torque is supposedly harder on the block and mains.
Now I have never used a girdle and my 4.15 stroker has seen 7200+ regularly.
That said the last time it was apart I had a front main cap that needed replacement, it was out of round. We did Magnafluxe and line bore the block. Now with the smaller cam I will not turn the motor over 6500 so I passed on the girdle once again. I'm not sure that the 440 source girdle at 1/4" thick is worth the effort concittering everyone else has girdles that are over 1" thick.
I don't think you're going to need one on a 400 block, but to have one and not needing works too.

 

[XfbodyX]

Is one girdle steel and one AL. or both the same material?

 

[Oldiron440]

Apparently over the last two years even Mancini has gone to the 1/4 girdle but here's one I like.
http://www.bcrproducts.com/images/girdle2023.jpg
I have enough parts less pistons for a 440, I'm thinking of going back to the high rpm motor for one shortblock, I like this style of girdle.
BCR CNC MACHINED MAIN CAPS - MOPAR

 

[jasperjacko]

I’m not looking for all out power. My goal is tons of low end torque for trouble free daily street driving. I even want it, so engine will rarely exceed 5,000 RPM. Also looking for quietness if I want to make long distance trips (and yes, I know strokers are not quiet, by design).

I have three 400 blocks, two of which are NOS. Diamond made me two sets of coated pistons, so I could retain the OE bore. I also wanted to keep the rod/stroke ratio at 1.65 or less.
View attachment 32056
A picture of one of my pistons.

What I got was a pair of their 400>>470 kits.
3.915” stroke/6.535” length rods.
That gave me a 1.66 rod ratio – which is a tad more than I wanted.
My calculated (not yet measured) compression ratio is 9.486:1, using the Diamond pistons and aluminum stealth heads.
so why aren't you using the pistons from 440 source?

Unrelated, I do have two pair of new 440 Source 0.010 over 400 piston sets (w/pins & rings) that willing to almost give away - if anyone is looking for a set (or two). As in give away – I mean for the cost of freight and boxing up and such. They came with part of the “400.470.5060” set – which is about ½ way down on this web page http://store.440source.com/Stroker-Kits/products/3/ .
View attachment 32057
BudW

 

[BudW]

Jasperjacko – I wasn’t sure what you were trying to say (if anything) on post # 16.


I’ve not decided – but most likely I won’t need a girdle, but I only want to go into the engine once. Well, maybe again when I get a lot of miles on it. I just only want to go into it/them (sense building two engines), this one time – so weighing all the options.

My thinking is, the stroker kit does make the con rods do more than factory made them to do. Also, the piston speeds are more than I’m used to – so there are all of these theories and ideas floating around in head that bump around, at times.

Some good main caps and a girdle looks good on paper – but not sure for my application. I might take car to the strip once, just so I know how it does. I might take car road racing a time or two – for that sounds kinda fun. I’m just not looking for a racer – but a good reliable street driven car that will give me the occasional kick when I hit the gas (more than a 360 can give me).

The only problems I have seen, in "non race car" big blocks, are crank bearing failures/crankshaft journal damage. Aftermarket aluminum rocker arms also seam to be a problem, as well, at times.

Sense I won’t be using any radical camshafts nor high RPM, the stock valve train should work fine for me. I’m also planning on sticking the largest oil pan that will fit (more about this later) – for a 4-quart oil system for a big block is “just not enough” – which is my theory to crankshaft bearing failures (no proof of this).
BudW

 

[4speedjim]

IMO and only an "O"pinion, because I dont know, the high low end torque of Buds stroker must put more stress on everything related. On the street, with an auto, you probably leave every light and stop sign off idle as the 'verter grabs and pulls the front corner up. So that twist, strong twist, with every stop go will twist the car and probably the block, but to a finite degree. Almost nil with rubber mounts I would think. I think its all a fraction of a blond hair. And the short B block even less. The block itself doesn't "twist itself" Right or no? Its a pretty tough, high nickel iron block. Its only job is to hold everything together and wet with oil and cool with water. All the force is exerted on the body and frame through the bell housing and motor mounts. A max effort motor launching on stickys might be different, but for a 500lbft 470, I would think the block and bearing would live as long as a 180 hp 230 lbft stock 400. Or am I wrong?

 

[Aspen500]

BudW, you mentioned strokers are not quiet by design. You are correct on that one. Mine has always sounded kind of rattly(?), like something is loose but it's all fine. My guess is piston slap, especially on cold start and for the first couple minutes of running. With the high silicone forged pistons (from the 440 Source kit), the skirt to wall clearance is (IIRC) .006" which isn't all that much but with the short skirts, it's going to make noise. I did send my pistons out to an outfit in the south east and had the skirts anti-friction coated. I'll be darned if I can remember the company or state but they were awesome when I called and did an excellent job, in a reasonable amount of time.

Funnily enough, I didn't start out to build a stroker. I was going to overhaul the engine using the old rotating assy, minus pistons of course. I got talked into the stroker kit and after adding up what it would cost to refurbish the stock rods and crank and then still have 40 year old stock parts, the cost of the stroker kit made a whole lot of sense. In the end, literally the ONLY parts of the entire engine, right down to every bolt and piece, that weren't brand new were the block and head castings and I have no regrets and the person that told me I should build a stroker (you know who you are), was dead on the money. What is it they say about the snowball effect?

 

[Oldiron440]

BudW, you mentioned strokers are not quiet by design. You are correct on that one. Mine has always sounded kind of rattly(?), like something is loose but it's all fine. My guess is piston slap, especially on cold start and for the first couple minutes of running. With the high silicone forged pistons (from the 440 Source kit), the skirt to wall clearance is (IIRC) .006" which isn't all that much but with the short skirts, it's going to make noise. I did send my pistons out to an outfit in the south east and had the skirts anti-friction coated. I'll be darned if I can remember the company or state but they were awesome when I called and did an excellent job, in a reasonable amount of time.

Funnily enough, I didn't start out to build a stroker. I was going to overhaul the engine using the old rotating assy, minus pistons of course. I got talked into the stroker kit and after adding up what it would cost to refurbish the stock rods and crank and then still have 40 year old stock parts, the cost of the stroker kit made a whole lot of sense. In the end, literally the ONLY parts of the entire engine, right down to every bolt and piece, that weren't brand new were the block and head castings and I have no regrets and the person that told me I should build a stroker (you know who you are), was dead on the money. What is it they say about the snowball effect?

What heads did you use.?