Engine Work

StarCityKid

Registered User
Looking to make 500-550hp with a turbo and need a reliable engine to support it. Who builds sc engines, and whats the going price for a built 3.8l shortblock?

I trust my local shop but prefer to have this motor built by someone who has the correct tools to machine this block and has done it a few times.
 
I read that thread earlier but I already have the turbo I plan to use and going to fab my own setup. I'm looking for someone who builds engines.
 
Dave Dalke is the guy. He does nothing but SCs for a living and has built more V6s for SCs than anybody I know of including my engine. I bought an engine from a guy who spent mega bucks on the engine and had to sell it. Got a good deal on it and sent it to Dave to disassemble and spec it out for clearances. Found it was poorly built. He reassembled it with changes we agreed to and I wouldnt take my engine work anywhere else. He has all the correct parts on the shelf as well. Guess thats my advertising speel for the year:D

Ken
 
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Does he have a website? Whats the going price for a fresh bottom end with some quality pistons, rods, and bearings assembled?

I checked out supersix a while back but sorry, $4000 for a v6 short block is'nt going to happen.
 
Does he have a website? Whats the going price for a fresh bottom end with some quality pistons, rods, and bearings assembled?

I checked out supersix a while back but sorry, $4000 for a v6 short block is'nt going to happen.


I think for all the goodies you'll get from David you'll be pushing close to that.

You can email him here
 
You can do well under $4k for a good short block from Dave, he just put together a 4.2 stroker package with custom pistons for me.
 
I checked out supersix a while back but sorry, $4000 for a v6 short block is'nt going to happen.

I'm sure Dave is competitive perhaps even better than that, but don't fool yourself. a 3.8 or 4.2 v6 is not a 302 small block. Everything costs more than what you could build a small block v8 for. Building on something that isn't as common as a small block you'll find is always a bit more, at the least.
 
prolly from thier 5.0 kit i assume
was it the upgraded precision turbo ??
i may be newto the supercoupes but i have spent the better part of the last 10 years building car`s mostly mustangs using a cheep chinesse turbo will almost always leave power on the table and more importantly quality and qaulity control ive had multiple cheep ebay and masterpower turbo`s go boom on me over the years. if your lucky the intercooler will catch the debris if it fails if not the cheep cast compressor wheels will scatter ina million peices and end up in that 4 thousand dollar engine u just paid for. spend the extra money and buy the best turbo you can afford when u build the kit it would be fine for mockup but id save yourself the trouble and get a good turbo before u try making much power

on the same token tho ive also had a few handle ~~~~loads of abuse and never fail on me after repeated high boost dyno pulls glowing hot and screaming for help from running lean but the risks jus tare not worth it to me
 
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i may be new to the supercoupes but i have spent the better part of the last 10 years building car`s mostly mustangs using a cheep chinesse turbo will almost always leave power on the table and more importantly quality and qaulity control ive had multiple cheep ebay and masterpower turbo`s go boom on me over the years. if your lucky the intercooler will catch the debris if it fails if not the cheep cast compressor wheels will scatter ina million peices and end up in that 4 thousand dollar engine u just paid for. spend the extra money and buy the best turbo you can afford when u build the kit it would be fine for mockup but id save yourself the trouble and get a good turbo before u try making much power

Good advice. I'd get the turbo up and running before considering a motor. A stock motor will hold 400rwhp easily and it seems to me that you have your work cut out for you getting to that level first - turbo - fuel system - tuning - etc.

Good engine parts cost the same - 5.0 or 3.8 except that the 3.8 stuff is x6 instead of x8 so technically the 3.8 is cheaper to build. I can build a 3.8L that will handle 600rwhp cheaper than you can build a 5.0 that will do the same. Most people prefer to build their 3.8's way better than the 5.0 guys seem to want to which is why they seem expensive at first. Most of the guys around here have motors what will handle 800rwhp at less than half that power level. Not that this is a bad thing, I'm just sayin'.

Certainly not trying to talk you out of a motor because motors are what I do, but most likely you have a few things to cover first before deciding how far you want to take the motor.
 
Thanks for the advice, and no offence, this isnt my first rodeo. I have the fuel and tuning capability taken care of. This turbo is th bb version and spool was instant on my brothers 306 and has run several 10sec passes at 130+ mph over the course of the past year. It was only removed because he built a better block with more ci and went 88mm.

Dave, could you please send me a pm and quote me a price for a short block and maybe a cam. Looking for something that peaks at 6500rpm with fast ramps, .55 max lift, and a tight lobe seperation since it will be a street car. Also the goal is 550rwhp and will be my dd. Want to be able to take it to the track and run 10sec without worring about grenading the engine but also need it to be reliable.

I am Ryan Farmer by the way.

edit...dont let the screen name fool you, I havent been a kid for many years, lol.
 
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