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I know the old saying you get what you pay for, so my question is would this 496 crank for sale on ebay work well? Or does anybody have a suggestion as to what I should use? I have a 1991 (I think) 454 marine engine that I would like to stroke to 496ci.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHEVR...spagenameZWDVW
Don't have any experience with Cat cranks, but I have heard of them..... I've used Eagle cranks in a few engines, pleased with the results. 4340 is good material for a shaft, but the manufacturing process and the quality control they have in place is equally important..... Maybe someone else has experience with Cat cranks.....
well here is the low down on the china cranks .they. scat. cat .ohio eagle etc all are coming from china. now the billet scat and maybe ohios are not? scat makes there hi rent 300m and 4340 cranks in house and i have used all of them. some are they say ground here? but the forging are ALL coming from china so it boils down to. who.s name you want to buy. i have had. cats .scat .ohios all in the shop at the same time and they are all the same forgings and used them all they are very nice for the price. but they may fall short of a crower or brc? i have seen them used in and i have put them 850+hp big blocks when this stuff was first out some of it was bad but now it is good and have seen it go thru some tough burn downs and had them reground and put back to use but i check all of them i do not care who makes the crank US or china:D
Yes, you do get what you pay for. I dont have any first hand knowledge, so this is what I have picked up from the guys who know these products. I have heard a lot of negative stuff about Cat products. I personally know an engine builder on the west coast who used Scat cranks all the time, as well as Eagle, but he will not ever have a Cat crank in his shop...based on his experience, he said they are not up to the quality of the other two. Just passing on what I heard!
I will agree with what Pat says here.Quote:
Originally Posted by pat mccarthy
One area that is often over looked is balancing.
It is not a bid deal if you balance external but when you go to balance internal on the Cat cranks you may use some more malory.
well i use scat BUT i had have two 4.3/4 cranks in the shop on the same table side by side one ohio and a cat .The same crank. one was not better than the other . did some 4.3/8 cranks two scat one ohio and one comp crank all the same forgeing and many 4.1/4 all the same . but the 8 plate ohios. so how can you say that one will not balance better than any ones else crank when they are the same?i have balance some of them and they do not all the time balance out with out some drill holes or a plug.i have used all the scat cranks they sell for a big block and used some ohio.s and some no names but were the same forge numbers .the quality is were who sell a good crank i have talk to cat they say they sell to some other crank companies and scat will tell you the same. i am not much for b.s and my mic dose not lie. cat is as good as any thing i have used. like i said there was some bad stuff but they lost big money . some tried fix them and sell them . and alot of cranks were sent back to the makers of the cranks in china. i have been told ?so after this they have been better ?so if some one had a bad time with one send it back i have done that. i have paid 1600 for a crank a was not happy with what i paid for.i could of got 3 china cranks for that and a bag of chips:D that is funny jonny o i have seen and heard more bad think about eagle?????? than cat and have used what i have posted on first hand?? so it is hard to say? who builds the best on a bad day? . but use what you want like said they are not 1600.+ cranks:D OH i would add this the machines that they make the cranks in china are as good if not better then machines to make cranks made here?? so it then is the steel??? alot of steel like many things are not made in the USA ? any more ?crower now is selling a import rod i am thinking china H beam that gets machine in the us?? yes the steel must be no good ? i have soild and used many of the china rods they work very good for the money
It only cost a little more to ride first class.:D
I would rather pay the extra 150-200 for good old American parts,and piece of mind ,but thats just me.With my experience I don't like China quality,just seems lower.You do make some good points though Pat,seems like you have experince wth cranks:LOL: . Seriously, what American cranks do you recomend over China, if any?
I plan on using this is my boat. Marine engines have to run high rpms for long periods of time. I need to use something that will hold up. Now, since the original is cast, and this forged crank it should at least hold up as well... I will probably go for a stroker kit that is all there, crank, rods, pistons etc. And, it looks like you can buy a balanced kit right from CAT...
Anyhow, I think i have a 1 piece main seal since my engine is 1991... I will have to uncover the boat and crawl into the engine compartment to try and find some numbers.
well they would be more than $200? crower brc howards callies or a (8 plate ohio china )?. all the 4340 china cranks are better than you think:D some one is buying them and using them?? they still are selling them with no sign of stopping .like i said they may fall short of a USA 4340 crank at $1700. that,s is bit more than $200 . all the drag guys and one pull truck and some mud guys run them that i have work with. on your best day you could not do what they are doing to them:D if for steet and strip use they work very good but if you are loaded buy all first class USAQuote:
Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver
Pat,the Cat crank I balanced was 3-4 years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by pat mccarthy
If I remember correctly the crank weights seemed to have more material in them then the other cranks.
I am able to buy the Procomp cranks very cheaply and have been using these in a lot of street cars and tow vehicles.
Okay, now I'm confused, the above add says scat in it, but the box says CAT. Anyhow, like I said this would probably be seeing relatively high revs for for long periods of time. Basically I'm asking what would be the best stroker kit to use in the marine 454. I'm guess forged material is better than cast.... flat top pistons for pump gas. I should probably get rid of my peanut heads... etc.
Oh, I've seen the CAT stroker kits come balanced already, so should just be plug and play right? I am not a mechanic or a machinist, just a back yard hack so any answers would help.
did you read my post #9?or #6? you can get it ready to go but i like to do my own. i know they are right . for what your are doing .scat cat ohio eagle will work . i would add that alot of shops will kick you out the door. if you come in with all your parts .they like to use what they like .and make money selling parts so you. better find some one good first before you buy any thing and ask if they will use your stuff or just send it you me i will short block it:)
Pat, I read all the posts... but just trying to figure if scat and cat are the same damn company LOL.
I will take the block apart and take it to a machine shop to get looked over and bored out to whatever size I need. I will hopefully be able to rebuild it myself, considering I have all winter. I have worked on SBC, but never took apart a BBC. Hopefully, an engine is an engine is an engine...
PS, I'm all about saving money, but being on the boat and breaking down is a little different than being in a car and breaking down. I had to get towed in once (and was taking on water), and it wasn't fun and was very expensive. Luckily my home owners covered the bill.
PAt, If I lived closer to you I would definitely bring you the block. The machine shop I used to use is closed, and now I will be shopping around I guess.
I first have to rig a way to pull the engine, have to build a engine host out of 6x6's to get the motor up high enough to clear the boat... the last time I had an engine pulled at a marina cost my $1800 for a $90 oil pan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pat mccarthy
well i do not think crank will fall out. no like i said all the raw cranks are all coming from the same place china it is like fast food stands you know the mac whoppers they all get there hamburg from cows:confused:lets hope so:eek:
Pat, do you think 781 heads with the proper valves will work with a 496 stroker? Or what do you prefer for heads in a marine setting?
them heads will work fine with the right cam you can use ss valves i would run the 2.250 intake and 188 ex and you could go 11/32 on the stems you could run inconel ex valves may be a bit over kill has alot to do with how long at wot but they may be cheap insurance in the long run at 36.00 a valveQuote:
Originally Posted by AdamB
Okay, I'll look around for some cheap used 781's and see what I can come up with. I might remove the heads in the boat and see what the current pistons and bore look like. Maybe I'll just rehead (is that a word) it and run a 850 holley marine carb (to get rid of the auto carb on there now) and possibly do cam change too this spring. Then, after running it this summer, will know if I need to stroke for more power...
No, Scat and Cat are not the same co...Cat did that just to confuse people, and it works!:D
Okay, thanks. That's what I was trying to figure since in the ebay add I posted it says scat is title but cat in the description. Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1JohnnyO
I happened to take a close look at my new craftsman air ratchet, and the muther says"made in china".DAMN!:CRY:
hey do not feel bad . have you seen the big jet washer on E-bay?? made over sea.s they are $2700. or so i had this brain storm :whacked: buy some thing good i wash blocks and heads and parts all the time need some thing good :HMMM: buy snap -on they make great stuff and built in the good old USA . they take payments :) great for me so i get one . the big snap -on jet wash JUNK the door is bent hang down will not shut .the door had to be cut off reset and welded back on. a big dent in the side this thing was painted with a spay can in spots :mad: $10.000:CRY: told them i would fix it if they gave me back $1000. they said NO. i said send it back THEY TOLD ME THE NEXT ONE WOULD BE MUCH BETTER AND IT WOULD DO A GREAT JOB FOR ME AND WORTH 10.000 . BOY HOW DID I GET SCREWED THE BIGGEST PILE OF DOG $ITH IN MY SHOP AND COST ME the most of any machine i have. i did get one that was not much better not happy at all this thing is a big pile of junk told the snap-on guy i am not happy with it had it for less that 5 month and look and works like $hit i told him i would love to go to court over it .so i have not to much love for the made in the USA any more and think one of them e -bay china jet washer would have been betterQuote:
Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver
And this is party why I have been shopping more and more at Harbor Freight lately!! My money goes a lot farther.Quote:
i have not to much love for the made in the USA any more
I also shop there.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1JohnnyO
You can buy three sets of wrench's for the price of the Craftsman or eight sets of wrench's for the price of the Macs or Snap-ons. it really makes the look good.
They really make good back up wrenches.
I don't know if I would try and make my living with them.
I've been eyeing a harbor freight parts cleaner...
Yeah, I have been eyeing that up too...looks pretty good. Im a mechanical contractor, so I agree with Eric, I dont think I would depend on their products for day to day hard use, but I use a lot of their things pretty regularly in the garage and around the house, it actually holds up pretty well, with a few exceptions!!:p For the most part, it's OK. I just bought one of those little hand held belt sanders....not the regular belt sander, but one that uses a small, about 3/4" wide belt...you can get into some really small places with it...on sale for half off! $19.99 How could I walk away from that one! I'll waste 20 bucks on DunkinDonuts coffee in less than a week, so I figure if it doesnt burn out in a day's time, it's worth it!! John