Crate motors
 

Be careful buying crate motors ..... just got my new 502 crate motor and they fired it up at the shop and the rod bolts snapped off on one cyl and the rod went out through the base pan LOL ...... had to turn one of the crank journals down 20k and replaced all the rods and bolts with higher quality ones. I guess it happens sometimes so before you start a crate motor it may be a wise choice to change rods and bolts .... they are junk from factory. :mad:

Re: Crate motors
 

Bad luck eh? But I question the decision to regrind the crank instead of buying a new one at only $200.

https://www.summitracing.com/int/par...ialty-products

Re: Crate motors
 

look up a crankshaft for a 502 on that site ..... they are 1009 dollars.
this is a big block.
Chevrolet Performance 10183723 - Chevrolet Performance 454 C.I.D. and 502 C.I.D. Forged Steel Crankshafts


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Crankshaft, 1-Piece Seal, External Balance, Forged 4340 Steel, 4.00 in. Stroke, Chevy, 502, Each

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Part Number: NAL-10183723 More Detail...

Estimated USA Ship Date: 6/23/2017 (if ordered today)
Estimated International Date: 6/26/2017 (if ordered today)

$1,009.80


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Re: Crate motors
 

Oops ...wrong engine. Try this on jegs.com at $273. Forged is always much more expensive than stock cast iron.
Eagle 104544250: Chevrolet 502 Cast Steel Crankshaft 4.2500" Stroke 2-Piece Rear Seal (Early Style) External Balance 2420 Bobweight | JEGS

Re: Crate motors
 

I have a forged crank with 1 piece seal .....
I would rather have a forged crank than a crappy 300 dollar cast crank.... it might be ok in an automotive application but not a marine application 4 bolt main 502 with rectangle port heads and a holley 800 carb putting out roughly 460 hp..... i just had a disaster happen to the motor so i am trying to steer clear of cheap internal components if you know what i mean

:wink_thumbup:

Re: Crate motors
 

Where did you get a crate engine with a forged crank?

Re: Crate motors
 

It came from ontario where a guy was doing a rebuild on two of these engines..... he ran out of money and i bought one of them. They were brand new crate engines never fired but he used the factory rod bolts when he put in the good crank.
it still has the same cam..... he put the rectangle port heads on and the holley carb which i had to get rebuilt because the diaphram was all cracked and rotted etc ....
I guess i should have mentioned all of this before to save the confusion eh.
I have talked to mechanics that get crate motors and they say to tear them down because sometimes they self destruct on startup. GM does not test fire crate motors.

Re: Crate motors
 

Ahhh. Guess he didn't spring for forged connecting rods also since you are replacing them. Bummer.

Re: Crate motors
 

when the engine self destructed 3 connecting rods took damage so i am replacing them all with beefier ones.
yeah i have been having some tough luck lately.
I only paid 6700 (CAN) ... 5000 (US) for the long block and carb and intake .... thought i got a deal lol.