Hey everyone,

Sorry, I've been searching this to death lately and I'm still wondering a few things, so I figured I'd look for some outside advice

Anyhow, here's the situation. HTA35R, 4g63 block .020 over with 4g64 crank (forged one). I'm trying to figure out what to do with the rotating assy as to maximize relability and revability. It seems like the obvious thing to do is go with light rods + pistons and get it balanced really well. So... my current working idea is Carillo rods (seem to be the lightest from what I can find?) with JE pistons (tuff skirts + anondized ringlands). Now, my question(s) start there... is that an optimal setup for a 2.3L stroker? Obviously it needs to be built to handle 700awhp and ideally 8000 or so rpms. The head isn't necessarily of concern - it's SuperTech goods already. Also, how bad would it be to get some knife edging done to the 4g64 crank? 100% it will get balanced with the rest of the rotating assy.

I haven't been able to confirm/deny this, but can you use an OE HG kit with a .020 piston? I've been told that you need to get a matching .020 HG kit - i.e. Cosworth or something.

Really, at this point any input would be appreciated. The knife edging seems quite controversial... and with regarding to the rotating bits I can't find a solid answer anywhere. I don't want to substitute reliability - so if Manley Turbo Tuffs are the rod to use I'll do it. Just trying to clear up some questions at this point so I'll take any helpful advice about 2.3 strokers beyond what I've asked as well

Thanks for your help!!
-Trevor

 

No one has anything to say? I'm sorry if I missed the answers somewhere, but I swear I really have tried searching the topic. If there are answers specifically geared towards what I'm asking a link would be much appreciated.

 

the "to stroke or not to stroke" thread would be a good start. most information is covered there.
it's stickied

 

Thanks for the tip. I read through the entire thread and some of the kidzuku write up. Any chance you could clear up what the lightest/best piston/rod combos would be for this setup? Obviously they discuss the weight factor - but I was already going there with this post. From what I've seen it appears to be Carillos followed by Olivers, but I can't say for sure. And piston wise I keep reading good things about the Wiseco 1400HD, but am sort of a JE fan.

Kiggly suggests adding (unless I misread) weight to the counterweights on the crank to help out with the wear on the center main. Would knife edging help in the same way or will it just weaken the crank? Also, would .001+ mains be advisable in that instance? Granted he was hitting 9200rpms and 8k is the "goal" here, but obviously it'd be best to overbuild it for safety's sake.

 

As a point of mentioning, I believe that the Carillos are the closest to the figures used by the write up - he used eagle h-beams that he counted as 550g. And then allotted 336g for pistons. I guess I'm just looking for any confirmation regarding the strength/reliability/dependability/weight of the Carillos and JEs. Should I be trying to get 6 bolt rod bearings to help distribute load better? Are something like ACL coated bearings going to assist with the center main (obviously it seems a 280* slot is recommended)? And at that point is knife edging and removing weight from the crank better - or worse?

Then of course there's always the headgasket thing.

 

Did you port the head ? If not, you should for the 2.3 stroker, making that type of power.

 

Yep, it'll be ported. OE valve sizes though . I did read about the .4-.5mach vs. the .6mach in that article - and I'm 90% sure it was saying that the important thing is valve + port surface area to keep that figure down. Though there was also discussion about intake manifold plenum volume as well...

 

OE valves should work, but upgrading your valves for your type of power on a 2.3 stroker definitely wouldn't hurt. Easier for the tuner

 

you might also want to look into doing the balance shaft delete kit.
was recommended to me when i did my stroker build.

 

The current plan is to delete the one shaft and then get the AMS Race shaft (or equivalent) for the oil pump side. Should be the best of both worlds hopefully.

 

I was also wondering... I read Kiggly say the 280* grooved main (for the center) is a must with a bit of extra clearance?

Then of course I'm still working on figuring out what rods to run...

Carillos?
Olivers?
Crowers?

Everything else really starts getting a good bit heavier if I have my facts correct. Looking for as strong a setup as possible though.

JE # 270666 for the pistons?

 

Are 6 bolt rod bearings better than the 7 bolt ones? Or does it not matter all that much? Or does the rod manufacturer decide ultimately?

 

Rod manufacturer decides. You put what bearing fits the rod.

 

Right, but hypothetically a 6 bot rod bearing could be put on any rod with a tiny bit of modification? Anyhow, I've read that the 6 bolt bearings are better due to the increased area... is it worth it? Can they safely fit the journals anyhow?

 

6-bolt bearings only fit on a 6 bolt crank. The journals on a 6-bolt crank are a few mm wider than the 7-bolt/evo crank.