[WCFBwheezer]

I want a near stock cubic inch engine for my 56 Chevy drag car. A 305 block with an .040 overbore and a 3 inch stroke crank sounds like the ticket. Finding the large journal crank is one tough part. Probably custom pistons. Does this project have any possibilities? Suggestions?

[68NovaSS]

For one thing, it appears you want around 265 ci, so why bore it .040, making it a 269? A 305 stock bore of 3.736 with a 3 inch stroke is 264 ci, opening it up .010 gives you your 265.

[ap72]

Originally Posted by WCFBwheezer

I want a near stock cubic inch engine for my 56 Chevy drag car. A 305 block with an .040 overbore and a 3 inch stroke crank sounds like the ticket. Finding the large journal crank is one tough part. Probably custom pistons. Does this project have any possibilities? Suggestions?

Yea, pull a 4.3l "baby lt1" out of a junkyard. Install. Done. You can find them in mid 90's caprices. Total cost wil probably be about the value of scrap as no one is buying them.

[Valkyrie5.7]

Originally Posted by ap72

Yea, pull a 4.3l "baby lt1" out of a junkyard. Install. Done. You can find them in mid 90's caprices. Total cost wil probably be about the value of scrap as no one is buying them.

+1, no backwards engineering from the crank, comes with a roller cam and decent heads for a small motor. By far the easiest option.

[WCFBwheezer]

Perhaps I rushed the original post to the group. I'm a nostalgia racer of sorts. So a stock looking SBC is the goal as I run the old 1X4 and 2X4 Rochester and WCFB carbs set-up. I'm not against a 4.1L Chevy, but I know absolutley nothing about them or their potential. But on that I'll commence a study on the 4.1 to get educated. Thanks on that point, that's why I asked to get educated from the community.

[ap72]

4.3L not 4.1. Its a smaller version of the lt1, if you're after a certain look you can drop on an older intake and even a distributor if you want to. Or keep efi.

[vinniekq2]

I dont see why scat/crower or any other crank manufacturer cant supply a large journal crank?Have you ever talked to a 56/57 chevy super stock racer about buying a complete era correct 265?They are also the guys to get the twin carbs from.

[troutman2]

I have a crank out of the 4.3 v8. It is a one piece seal cast design and i think it is a 3.25 stroke. May be out of a 96 Caprice. Stoot me a pm if you want it.

[ap72]

Originally Posted by troutman2

I have a crank out of the 4.3 v8. It is a one piece seal cast design and i think it is a 3.25 stroke. May be out of a 96 Caprice. Stoot me a pm if you want it.

3" stroke.

[WCFBwheezer]

My recent learing says the 4.3 liter is a 6 cylinder. I would be laughed off the dragstrip property showing up with that in a 56 drag car, even if I could build and come up with all the needed engine appliances. No 4.3l sixes are in my future. Thanks for the info. Probably need to bother some of the stocker and SS crowd albeit I don' run NHRA/IHRA. They are an elite crowd. Besides I'm not trying to spend 10,000 to 15,000 to accomplish this project.

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by WCFBwheezer

My recent learing says the 4.3 liter is a 6 cylinder. I would be laughed off the dragstrip property showing up with that in a 56 drag car, even if I could build and come up with all the needed engine appliances. No 4.3l sixes are in my future. Thanks for the info. Probably need to bother some of the stocker and SS crowd albeit I don' run NHRA/IHRA. They are an elite crowd. Besides I'm not trying to spend 10,000 to 15,000 to accomplish this project.

Look up L99, Baby LT1 or just LT1. There is a 4.3L V6, but the L99 is a V8, very similar to the LT1 engine externally (not to be confused w/the earlier Gen 1 LT-1 engine, no dash separating the T and the 1 on the new engine, also called a Gen 2 SBC). It doesn't look like an 'old school' mill to me. Sure, you can change this and that and it'll fool a fool but not a gearhead.

I would opt for at least a 283. Old school as it gets, and back in the day anyone who could used a 283 (at least until the 327 came out). The only guys running 265s were either bucks-down to the extreme or were racing a class requiring the 265 for the power to weight break.

[vinniekq2]

I used to talk to Richard Johnson,BC SS in a 56 chevy.He was 2 to 3 tenths under the index for a long time before moving to a new class a few years ago.He was approachable,very knowledgeable and helpful.I bought a coupme camshafts off him for a very very fair price.As long as you are a customer,most SS guys are good.People that look for free anything or are the competition do not get as much help. They are good at sourcing stock heads also.They are not allowed to port their heads so lesser castings are available from them,usually cheap.They are carb experts in their class,,,etc,,,try them.

[junior stocker]

There are aftermarket 3" stroke large journal cranks on E-Bay cheaper than a 68-69 302 Z-28 crank brings. Boring a stock 305 .014 takes it to stock 55-57 265 bore, add you .030 or .040 from there; don't think it'd go .060 + .014. There is your large journal, forged bottom end, 265. Your difficulty will be getting decent pistons, but anything is possible with $$$. Maybe you can get lucky and find a Canadian truck 305 4 bolt block; I did, but it was only worth it's weight in scrap; scale rust big time, and missing the main caps. Butch/junior stocker.