Compression Ratio Chart

The calculations below assume your pistons are at zero deck. Let's say your compression calculates out to be 10.50:1 for example based on having the pistons at zero deck (flush with the deck), but your pistons were going to be .005 in the hole, then the comp. ratio would only drop to approx. 10.36, and if left .010 in the hole, then it would drop to approx. 10.22 We do recommend having your block decked to allow the piston to set anywhere from flush (zero) to .005 in the hole for optimal performance. We used a 4.630 head gasket diameter, and a .040 head gasket thickness in our calculations to come up with our comp. ratio values.

Listed below is a complete breakdown of all the parts that are included in this assembly.

HEAVY DUTY FLEXPLATE INCLUDED.

HEAVY DUTY FLEXPLATE. This flexplate will resist cracking. One good telltale in identifying a low quality flexplate is the lack of welding on each side where the plate mates to the ring gear. They usually have a pale grey color to them, as they are not coated, and will rust quickly. Ours are welded on both sides, and are much thicker than an OE plate, and are either zinc dichromate or black powder coated. We would never use the thinner OE style plate on an assembly like this.

WARNING: the flexplate and crank have a dowel pin hole. You must align the flexplate and crank dowel pin holes, but do not use a dowel pin. The flexplate was aligned to the crank when we balanced the assembly, and must be installed the same way.

Our CWT 5500 Balancer.

We do our own balancing with our new state of the art CWT 5500 Series balancers. The CWT 5500 is the ultimate for precision balancing. We now have three of these in our machine shop. We consider this machine to be highly advanced compared to the Hines balancer we once used. We balance every rotating assembly we sell within 2 grams or less at no extra charge. A balance sheet is included with your assembly.

Three CWT balance machines under one roof is a rare sight.

Our crew wrapping up for the day. Pardon the mess.

Our thoughts on what the competition has to offer.

Many rotating assemblies we see on the market are not using the most suitable parts. We hope you can value the fact that we have put together an above average assembly. The failure rate with the parts used in our assembly is near non-existent. It was through trial and error in years past that taught us where to draw the line with low cost parts. We are out-priced by many others selling assemblies that include parts that have high failure rates. Many of these parts also pose a great problem with assembly due to the fact they require additional machining and can end up costing you a great deal more money and time. If you're going to have a machine shop build your engine, we strongly advise you get an opinion from them on the parts you're going to be bringing to them. Rest assured they will find no problem with the quality of our parts. We have also seen sellers offering parts that are not compatible with what most people are building. We have seen several sellers offering no-name brand rods with an assembly. These type of rods also have no-name bolts in them. It is our strong advise to avoid assemblies with these grade of rods. The low grade dampers and flexplates are also another problem. Another area of concern would be balancing. Not sure how much attention these sellers are giving the assembly in this area. We spend up to two hours balancing an assembly, and using the very best up to date balancing equipment on the market. If the assembly is not balanced properly, it will hammer the bearings out of the engine, not to mention there is nothing worse than an engine that lacks a smooth feel and sound when under load.

We offer this assembly with selected upgrades. Listed below are some of the most requested ones. Many not only improve performance, but further enhance the reliability and longevity of your engine, along with resale value.

SFI Certified Flexplate: This is a very low cost upgrade and may be required when racing your car at certain tracks. The flexplate that comes with this assembly is a heavy duty plate, but the SFI certified plate is one step up in quality and safety. This SFI plate is made in North America. We noticed these have much less run-out and warpage than we see with many other plates on the market. Plates with too much run-out and warpage can cause a host of problems for your transmission and starter, and affect balancing. The low cost to upgrade to this is well worth, it in our opinion.

Crank polishing: Extends bearing life, reduces oil temp, frees up a slight amount of average horsepower. This is a very low cost upgrade, and in the world of mass production, most cranks do not come with a true polished finish. This is why most machine shops have a machine to do this. The difference is dramatic between a crank right out of the box and one that we have polished. Bearing companies claim that cranks that have better finishes on the journals will survive the break-in better, and have much longer bearing life. We do a two-step process and bring the RA numbers down in the single digit range. We have the most advanced crank polishing machine on the market.

Rod sizing: Sizing the big end and wrist pin bushing on the Sunnen machine saves a trip to the machine shop. All rods, regardless of brand, should be checked for sizing on a Sunnen machine, and corrected if needed. You will seldom see a complete set of rods that have perfect sizing on both ends right out of the box.

Race balancing: This is for those who want the engine to operate virtually vibration free at high rpm. Extends engine life and frees up a few more horse power. This is a somewhat labor intensive procedure and is not required, but the feel of an absolutely vibration free engine at high rpm is desirable by many. The standard balance job that is included with this assembly at no extra charge is certainly sufficient. With a race balance job, all pistons and rods are match weighed to within 2/10's of a gram or less, and the final balance is brought down to around 1 gram plus or minus. An ultra smooth engine at high rpm has a noticeable feel and sound to it. If you do not opt for this upgrade, the assembly will still be fully balanced. We spend a good hour and a half doing the regular balance work, and it will certainly meet your needs.

The upgrades above are all available in our other listings. Some of these are often requested by those building an engine without a machine shop. We find most of these upgrades very valuable for those wanting to take longevity and durability to the next level. They are all bottom end related, and that's an area worth investing a few more dollars into, in our opinion, especially if you’re planning on running long and/or hard. These upgrades are also valuable for your build history on your engine, and would certainly increase the resale value of your engine, should you ever sell it.

A note from Skip White, company president.

Many people have asked how is it that we can sell this assembly for such a low price. To answer this; we buy our products at master WD (warehouse distributor) level for all of the items in this assembly, and we are selling direct to the public. We are a volume sales based company. Our profit is based on sheer volume, with a very low markup. It is this large volume purchasing that allows us to buy products at a much lower price and we simply pass these savings on to our customers. This is our main competitive edge.

Skip White