Charger Build Advice

It'll be cheaper and easier to not follow strict fast rules. Things like using stealth heads, Holley street dominator intake, different exhaust, different tires. Very stock looking but not quite and significant performance advantages

furious70 said:

It'll be cheaper and easier to not follow strict fast rules. Things like using stealth heads, Holley street dominator intake, different exhaust, different tires. Very stock looking but not quite and significant performance advantages

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The 14:1 CR iron head is tough with pump gas

The only major component from the current motor to get reused for a stroker build would be the block(if you’re doing it right).
Take the stock motor out, strip the accessories off it, push in it the corner and cover it up........and start over.

@Curiousyellow71: Do you think I could hone it with a deck plate myself (with no experience but not a r'tard)? The thing is the machine shops around here don't have good reputations for non-racers and non-Chevys.

Well even if it is possible to get the pan to work (this guy couldn't with .040 off the deck and .030 off the heads: ), I am running the original push rods and there are no shims on the rocker shaft pedestals. As far as flow, Edelbrock 8X cc heads outflow the 75cc variant and I recall having seen other flow results, but I am just going off what I read and see and I don't have the building experience you sound like you have.

Who can modify the 346s to pump 500+ inches of displacement? I wish I knew who the FAST fellas use...

I went to the FAST website and I am blown away by what they are doing. It looks like they CNC their intakes, exhaust manifolds, and heads and the rest they do with cubes. I can't believe the cars have to have smooth idles. I really love their setups and it is probably what I really strive to do. I even like the idea of a stock idle ( at least I don't care the way many others do that over-cam just for a specific idle sound). They use roller cams too so I assume very aggressive ramps.

@furious70: I agree it would be cheaper and easier, but that's not necessarily my constraints, within reason. I would consider heads so long as I can get a stock appearance, but I would really prefer modifying mine even if it's more money.

@BSB67: I'd be tempted to suggest that with huge cams their dynamic compression might be low enough, but with smooth idles... I'm definitely intrigued!

@PRHeads: I would really prefer to build the original engine to the car. I don't want to store another engine in my garage. I only intended to reuse the block, but the FAST guys now have me reconsidering with the heads, intake, and I have always intended to use manifolds.

I have this same cam in my 383 in "Jigsaw". I did put new pistons in it to bring the compression ratio up to a respectable area.
Stock replacement pistons for my 383 would have put me at a calculated 7.85 to 1 ratio. Yeah, I checked my numbers several times and yes, those are correct. Most gasket sets come with the .039 compressed thickness head gasket while the stock engines used a .020 steel gasket. The pistons in mine were .076 in the hole, the heads had a 92 cc chamber.
The new pistons sit .015 in the hole, the heads have 83-84 cc chambers and my compression is at 9.2 to 1`. I have 1 7/8" headers and my car weighs less than yours. With the 3.23 gears, the car was pretty slow. With 3.91 gears, it felt much better.

@Kern Dog: Thanks for the info. So it sounds like compression isn't enough to make what I have work. Maybe this cam isn't good in the low deck motors.

That video cutting up the valley tray is frightening. The intake fits on there nicely if it's done correctly. All they needed to do was light silicone the corners and the intake "usually" bends the tray down and is a perfect fit.

Fyi....PRHeads can build you what you want.

The honing deck plate is several hundred bucks...its a little cost prohibitive. But you could certainly hone it without it.

Slapstik said:

@Kern Dog: Thanks for the info. So it sounds like compression isn't enough to make what I have work. Maybe this cam isn't good in the low deck motors.

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I see it as a matter of your compression being way too low for the camshaft. A smaller cam or a switch to much smaller chambered heads would help.
A switch to the 75 cc aluminum heads would make a 1.5 point increase in your compression ratio. If you're at 7.8 with the combination now, you'd be at approx 9.3 with the smaller chambers.

@Kern Dog: Do you think 9.2 with aluminum heads would be a little low? I think I am convinced (thanks to the fine knowledgeable fellas on this thread) to pull the engine and do a stroker. Do you agree that that's the best way to meet my goals?

@Slapstik as mentioned, talk to PRH about building the motor.

We all have opinions. Mine are mine and are worth exactly what you paid for them...
If this is a pleasure car, a toy, then you are free to make it however you want, limited only by your budget.
I went with iron heads simply because I wanted to try porting them myself. I had a set of recently rebuilt '346 heads that were milled about .050. I plan on a bigger engine for my car sometime later so the iron heads serve the purpose for now.
I'm not a professional. I am not a drag racer.
PR Heads has far more knowledge than I do.