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496 rotating Assembly

9K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  Rarerat 
#1 ·
Hey guys, just curious what you all think of this kit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/330963969758?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I am about ready to start on my old 427 for my 68 and I know it needs bored, & the crank needs turned etc.. so now I am thinking about maybe going this route. I still want to use my 840 heads & 163 factory intake, & I have been running the repo of the factory 396/375 solid so a cam swap maybe.. :)

Anyhow what's everyones thoughts on this rotating assembly?
Thanks in advance,
Nick
 
#3 ·
Hey Nick,

I don't know much about the assembly you posted the link to, but scat stuff isn't bad at all. I don't know much about the pistons or balancer in the kit, but I'm sure they would be ok, but like I said, I've never used them. Everything else in the kit seems pretty good.

When I built my 383, I used an eagle Stroker kit and really liked it. You can get the kit with coated mahle pistons and it can come balanced from them as well. You can also get them without pistons and have it balanced by your machine shop.

I would like to build a 496 as well in the next year or two for my 69 vert. I saved this article from super Chevy online ( http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/project-cars/sucp-0901-496-chevy-big-block-build/ ) that I plan on basing my build off of. These guys use one of the eagle kits. It's a very good article.

I'm not sure if I helped you out and gave you what you were looking for, but figured I'd pass along my experience.
 
#4 ·
Seems like a really good deal, especially considering the price of the below linked kit only includes a cast crank. The linked kit doesn't include a balancer or flex plate either. I think the linked Scat kit would include the same pistons as the ebay kit. Do your own research on Probe pistons. I have seen some bad things written.

http://www.summitracing.com/dom/parts/sca-1-91610bi/overview/

I am a big fan of Scat's gear. I think they are very good value for money. I have 2 rotating assemblies which include their cranks and con rods and I am impressed, though I have only installed one set so far. I can't comment on the balancer or bearings included in the ebay kit.

I have this SBC kit awaiting installation. My other assembly wasn't a kit.

http://www.summitracing.com/dom/parts/sca-1-90150bi/overview/
 
#5 ·
Nick, read the jumbled print or call Skip White. This kit does not come with a forged crank but it must be a Scat 9000 cast iron crank. It has Probe forged pistons and comes with good rings, bearings, flex plate and balancer. It says you can pay a little more for a Scat forged crank.
 
#6 ·
Thank you guys for the info I am still kind of undecided on which way to go with this build. My original plan was to just freshen the 427 but after thinking about the cost difference I was leaning towards the 496 build. I know 11.16 compression is a bit much for the street these days but I am kind of dead set on keeping my 840 Rectangular port heads & factory 163 intake as I want it to appear stock under the hood. The 427 was an 11-1 motor and I was able to just pull some timing out of it and seamed be livable with todays crappy 91 octane gas.


Doug,
What am I missing here.. isnt a 4340 Forged crank a steal crank? I have been out of the loop for a while & not really kept up with things. I am mostly just looking to build something that ran as good or a shade better than my old 425 horse 427 on a budget. My 427 block needs to go .060 so that is whay I was looking at the 496 potential build.

Thanks you again guys any and all advice on this is greatly appreciated.
Nick
 
#7 ·
I think Doug is saying the wording in the ad may be misleading. I copied and pasted the text into Word where I could read it and I'm still not sure if the 4340 forged crank is included for the advertised price or not. I wouldn't pull the trigger on this one without calling the vendor as Doug suggests.
 
#9 ·
I guess the key to this rotating assembly is if the piston pin height will match up properly with the deck height of your block after adding in the crank/rod lengths. If so, then you're good to go. If not and you're looking for 0 quench, this is the problem I've encountered looking into the kits. Just something to think about for your application.
 
#10 ·
I would not overlook your local machine shop if they are a dealer for Scat stuff. Mine was able to beat the price for my 383 assembly that I would have paid at any major online/parts place/etc. In addition, by ordering it through him he took on all the responsibility for QC, allowed me to spec my own pistons, etc. Also if there is an issue you have somebody local. I have bought a few things from Skip White and have been disappointed in the quality every time (I went in knowing what I was buying, but his photos made the parts look much better). Also, getting ahold of someone for returns and/or questions was a severe test of patience.

I saw someone on this board post that the more text an ad has, the more suspicious you should be and I think that applies.

I asked about Probe pistons when I was building my 383 (as I couldn't find an off the shelf forged slug of the correct dish for my setup other than Probe) and my shop said that quality had been hit and miss in his experience. He didn't say they were terrible and I have heard of many running them, but he wasn't a fan.
 
#11 ·
I have a internally balanced scat forged rotating assembly with H-beam rods and 12cc dome forged pistons. That put the comp ratio at 10.1:1. I am very happy with it. I would definitely check to make sure you are getting what you pay for. Always gotta read the fine print carefully. It's a good price if it is true.
 
#13 ·
Nick, I can't see how that they can sell an all forged rotating assembly for that cheap. I bought an Eagle 496 rotating assembly about 18 months ago and paid $1740. Like I said they talk about two different kits and all the words are jumbled up in the ad making it hard to read. I looked up the Eagle kit this morning and it is selling for over $1900 and the same for Scat. There is nothing wrong with the Scat 9000 crank it just cast iron. If I was going to build a 496 I would buy that kit as it sure is a good price. If you do decide to purchase a kit ask them if they have a kit with flattop pistons or -12cc dome pistons if you have aluminum heads. Your compression would be in the low 9's with flattops and around 10.5 with the -12cc dome pistons.
 
#14 ·
Thank you Doug, I contacted them and they said it is for sure a 4340 Forged crank. They said they do not stock the 12cc dome pistons so for the 1580.00 shipped price I went ahead and ordered the kit today with the 18cc domes. I will let you all know how this plays out. I am kind of on a tight budget and we all know how that turns out when doing things like this. lol..

Anyway it looks like with my 840 heads it will be at 11.16 which is higher than I would like but right about where I was with the old 427 and it seemed to happy on super unleaded with conservative timing.

So my next question is.. What do you all like for a camshaft in an 11-1 496? I was thinking about something like this..http://www.ebay.com/itm/201090298785?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Am I way off base here? I figure the extra cubic inches will tame the cam a bit but I would like it to pull to 6-6200rpm. Is 500-525 horse power realistic out of this combo with my stock 163 intake & a 750 DP?
 
#15 ·
Nick, do yourself a favor, like me your spending a LOT of $$ on a 496 build, dont let it all fall short with the wrong cam for your intended use and the details of your car (trans, rear end, wheels, vacuum etc) call Chris Straub and have one made specifically for 'you'

You will NOT be disappointed
Cheers
Steve
 
#17 ·
Thank you guys, I will give Chris Straub a call and see what they suggest on this. They marked the rotating assembly shipped yesterday, so I emailed them for the tracking info & I just got a reply today that says my Kit is inline to be built & they are 20 business days behind schedule so it looks like that is one question I should have asked before making the order. :yes: Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter as I am about a year away from wrapping up this restoration anyway. Sad, a one year restoration has turned into 6 years :eek: but it will be worth it once it's completed and my old friend is back on the road. :)
 
#18 ·
... They marked the rotating assembly shipped yesterday, so I emailed them for the tracking info & I just got a reply today that says my Kit is inline to be built & they are 20 business days behind schedule so it looks like that is one question I should have asked before making the order. ... :)
Hmmmm - what is that waving rouge rectangle of cloth I see on the horizon ... ;)

Saw a set of their 'special' lifters a few months back someone purchased based on the hype - one look and it was easy to see they were the standard Sealed Power 'rebuilders' sets. Good for a WHOPPING "6500" RPM, same as base GM units ...
 
#20 ·
Nick, The 496 rotating assembly is a good deal for forged crank, rods, & pistons. I prefer the H-Beam rods but the Scat I-Beams are good for a 500 hp motor spinning 6500 rpms. Just be careful and measure all your clearances twice. Make sure all the ring gaps are correct. Follow the instructions for installing the head gaskets and intake gaskets. Don't cheap out on your oil pump. Use the correct tool for priming the oil pump. Turn the engine over a couple of times to check if the lifters are turning in their bores.
 
#21 ·
Update..

Thank you all for the advise.. It's been 20 days now and still no parts. :( I got thru on the phone today and the gentleman said they are still waiting for pistons. When I asked how much longer and he didn't really know & thought at least a couple more weeks. I have been getting a bad feeling about this whole transaction for a while now so I asked to cancel the order and get a refund. He processed it while I was on the phone with him so I guess no harm no foul, but now it looks like I am now back square one. I guess just a little frustrated now and thinking maybe I should just say screw it build one of my 396's or just go thru the old 427 that has been in the car the last 33 years. The car is an original SSRS 396 car but like an idiot I let the block get away from me in 1981. :(
 
#23 ·
I agree, thank you. I bought a 454 block to build this 496 with and the more I think about it, I might just stuff my 427 crank & rods in it with some new .060 11.1 pistons, and call it a day. I have damn near drove myself crazy stressing over this stupid engine build and maybe with the ebay deal falling thru, it's just a sign from above to stick with what I know. lol..
Thanks again
:beers:
 
#24 ·
Sorry Nick, I should have chimed in earlier ... I was warned to stay away from Skip by a reputable cam designer (remain anonymous) and was told to deal with White performance and Machine, these guys where great, had my 496 rotating kit in less than 2 weeks shipped to me here in Canada. My engine builder was very impressed with the quality and the price...

http://shop.whiteperformance.com/Rotating-Assemblies_c40.htm

Steve
 
#26 ·
Are Skip and Fred White not related? Just asking. There appears to be a connection.
 
#27 ·
I am not really sure, this was my first time dealing them. I tried to be very open minded on the whole deal even though I wasn't real happy with the way things went, but even still I left them positive feedback since they refunded the 1580.00 back to me with no issues. I am guessing they did not like the positive feedback I left for them that said "canceled order after 20 days because parts were out of stock prompt refund" so left me nothing in return. lol.. Honestly after this deal, I am done dealing with unknown companies and the more I thought about it I've decided to go just back with a 427. I've run a 427 in the car since 1981 and I have always happy with the way the car preformed.

I think I just saw the deal on the 496 and figured for that price it was a no brainer. Well it looks I indeed had no brain for falling for the hype of their add. :eek: Today I ordered a new set of 060 pistons this afternoon and I think I am going to just build back just the way it was only do a cam swap from the repo 396/375 factory solid to a 294 Comp solid & call it a day. I have always liked & ran solid lifter cams, so running the valves when they need it is no problem. :)

Thnks again
:beers:
 
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