I've been sort of reconsidering the crazy power figures. There's no real racing around here, legal or otherwise so it was sort of, dare I say, unnecessary. Having the blocks held up and sort of being cornered into using a cracked block, at least for now, gave me cover to back down without looking indecisive. I am indecisive as I'm sure everyone has noticed, I just want some cover. Sure, it's as sheer as a Victoria's Secret camisole, but it's still cover, dammit!
I went over to the shop to tell them the bad news. They weren't surprised; they've been burned too. I asked them to keep the drag head going up at Naprec, but to have the other quench pad cut out too. If that thing does get used it will be for a four digit power build. I started brainstorming with them about a substantially lower power build because of the cracked block. Turns out he had a cracked one just come back from the machine shop. Yup, it's cracked. They put sealer on the cracks and installed cylinder sleeves. I don't like those cracks, but if I bought five used RB26 engines, probably four of the blocks would have the same cracks.
The sleeves were bored for the model of CP piston they use in almost all their builds. It's no coincidence that my stroker kit uses the same size pistons, albeit with a higher pin height to compensate for the stroke and thus allowing stock length rods. He wanted to make me a "deal" on a rotating assembly for the block, but I squashed that, "we're using the stroker kit." I have amassed so many boxes of brand new parts for various projects that I never finished, nope, I'm not doing that again. If I thought I would be cornered into using a cracked block I wouldn't have bought the stroker kit, but I did, I'm using it. If I do build another engine I'll get an even better rotating assembly, but if I don't I don't have a $6K stroker kit and oil pump taking up space in one, read that ONE of my shipping containers. Yes, SHIPPING CONTAINER, you know, one of these.
I have two filled to the top with car parts NOT ONE MORE PART!. Well, maybe just the drag head, and, the new stock head, and the new block when it gets here, and, um, the other new block, SHUT UP!
Alright, what's the focus of this "low power" engine. If it doesn't have huge power, IMO, it should offset that by being brutally responsive, I mean a real neck-snapper with a fat torque curve that eats up windy roads and casual stoplight confrontations. I think 400whp with a really aggressive response character will make a really fun, highly streetable and still mean enough to bloody some noses kind of car. That should help keep the drivetrain together as well. The stroker crank is going to bring more torque, I've asked him to send a used stock head up to have the guides changed and he's going to clean up the ports, but the quench pads are staying in. This should give me even more grunt, but limit top end boost, but I think the block is already doing that. I asked him to round off the edges of the pads to prevent hot, sharp edges, but otherwise leave the chambers alone. A set of slightly higher lift, longer duration Tomei Poncams, some new lifters and springs and done up top. I'll use a stock intake instead of the big Greddy tank, again, for response and instead of the T78 I'll grab a GTX3582R turbo. That should spool up like crazy.
I'm rolling the dice bigtime with this block and I will have to keep an eye on my gauges and my oil and coolant for any signs the block has failed completely. I would argue strongly with anyone else about the foolishness of this course of action, but I understand fully the risk and I accept that I might roll snake eyes and be pulling this engine back out in a few months after it splits down the middle. I wouldn't wish it on anyone else, but I can handle the heartbreak if it happens. There's a nice gentleman down in New Zealand who be only too happy to ship me up a built RB30 to bolt my cylinder head of doom onto.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJatpnZglcg"]How We Create 1000 Horsepower Engines - YouTube[/ame]