Ken: Sounds like a plan! I was not sure if stock rods would be up to the task, sounds like they are. These guys would know, as its always best to seek expert advise when in doubt, as they build racing engines for a living, and have vast knowledge and experience from years of building strokers.
Seems like you touched bases with them on your rod needs. Be sure to tell them all your needs and concerns about the blower, cam, induction, etc. I think, with there resources and knowledge, they will be able to get you going. You may want to just send them your crank and block too. And maybe have them assemble short block for you. I don't know quite where you are into all this, so I only suggest.
If you are going to pick up your piston/rod assemblies from speedo, you might want to check with them on having ceramic coating applied to piston tops/domes. This helps deter detonation and heat build up on the piston. When under high heat stresses like blower use and abuse the ceramic helps insulate heat build up, and heat transfer from the head. This is the problem that guys experience when they use cast or hyper pistons against high boost/blower pressures. The increase in dynamic compression causes fractures of the piston tops and/or ring areas. Forged pistons kinda get in a "plastic" state under very high heat or detonation, whereas cast pistons will "blow" holes in the tops. Hyper pistons have a little better tolerance than cast, but they "reflect" heat, and that causes dome/skirt expansion differential problems, and fractures. Forged pistons are sure the way to go.
On your blower set-up, are you still married to the idea of using a positive displacement unit? Or would consider a centrifical blower? What about a turbo? Maybe you might want to check with speedo on this too.
I know that to drive a PD unit like a whipple or roots on a inline, does take some ingenuity and thought. The front bearing will not hold up well. On blown inline engines that I have seen, (they were both 261's by the way) they had a support bearing, mounted on a plate that covers block front that was cut out around chain cover. I think the plates were bolted to the lower front mount holes and the water pump bolt holes. Can't remember been so long ago! Anyway, the engines were mounted off the side mounts so this freed up the use of the front of the block. The plate hung below the front of the block. There was a large piece of pipe, maybe 8 or 10 inch, welded to the plate surrounding the damper, and it had top 1/3 cut out so it kinda resembled a "horseshoe" shape. The pipe was about 7 inches long with a flatbar 3/8" by 6" welded to the outboard end. The bar had a 1 1/2" hole in center. Short flanged stub shaft (I had made the shafts for this guy), that mounted on front of HTD/Gilmer hub. Shaft plus flange was 6" OAL. Used a 4 bolt flange bearing mounted to pipe plate. This gave the additional support needed for the front main. The blower belt hub bolts directly to the damper bolt pattern. But the problem is that when mounted, the belt centerline is about 4.5 or 5 inches outward of the front main, and this causes the crankshaft snout to flex a bunch and causes terrific side load on the main. This outboard shaft arrangement, cured all that with the outer bearing taking the sideload. Anyway, if you go with a huffer, this kind of arrangement or a close variant will be what you will have to use. Talk to speedo, they will get you squared away. Glad I could be of help to you. Hope all work out well!
Think Chevy!
:rolleyes:
