[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Of course your right Sal, but what about the guy who has a limited budget? THATS the point. I did all of the above on mine, did it need it? Well as hard as I drive the car, in my case, it did. Don't forget to have the rotating assembly balanced, which ran about $300 on mine (including the pressure plate). Had I used the original pistons I would have considered NOT doing the balance, for instance. With an unlimited budget perhaps I would have gone with a new crank, theory being the 30 year old crank was 'weak'. You just got to draw the line somewhere.

For a mild build on a budget and driven within reason theres a lot of "stuff" that could be left out.

Believe me, I know about limited budgets. That's the main reason I have a 390 in my car right now.

And honestly, doing it the "right" way really doesn't break the bank. I'm not talking about $2500 billet cranks or exotic parts or what not. H-beam rods cost barely more than buying a set of originals and having them reconditioned. Boring/honing with a torque plate is only a few bucks more as well. Hell, even buying a new SCAT cast crank costs only a few hundred bucks, and it way better than an original. You don't need to break the bank to do it right.