should i hold out for a early 360 for my stroker?

kielbasa said
a lot of guys keep saying "get it sonic checked" (me included).....however, please post the acceptance criteria along with the obvious........

FYI, I have a '71 360 that is currently .060" over - however, I would not have punched it over that much prior to sonic checking AND getting the block in the cnc to find out how much it would take to REALLY clean up the bores (meaning get them centered over crankshaft cl) while maintaining at least .200+ on major thrust surfaces....

The acceptance criteria is entirely subjective. It depends on what the shop/tester has experienced and what is planned for the build. But, in terms of my specs: The minimum thickness on the major thrusts for me on something that makes under 500hp is .180". Anything expected to make more should be .200 Minor thrust minimum is .150, pin centerlines .090". In terms of blueprinting the bore centers, I am more concerned with centering the bore in the supplied casting core, then exactly where in relation to the center to center distance. IMO it's much more important to have the thickest most stable cylinder walls than to have the bores spaced exactly perfect. If you've tested more than a few blocks, you'll find it' s less common to find any year block that meets the " thicker than .200 on the major thrust" on all eight holes. Most have one or two that are thinner because of shift. You also want to make sure they are thoroughly testing each bore, and the that tester is quality and calibrated to the block in question. My test is 20 points on the bore, plus a scan along each compass point from the bottom to deck surface. I have found testing only points to miss casting issues and rust pits. So I also scan them and I've found rust pits on an otherwise great looking wall that dropepd the thickness from .220-.230 to .130. This was not picked up testing every inch up the bore. If one or two bores are failing, I'll just sleeve those holes because it's $100/hole to sleeve, or another $200-300 after aqusition cost to clean another block, mag, and sonic test.