Main Stud Girdle Kits

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breadman839

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has anybody used one?
are they worth using?
i'm building a .60 over 360. 4" stroke.
 
I really wanted to, but money, time, yada yada. Best thing you could do is get a good sonic check at .060 over. I guess some blocks just can't get there safely.

Mine's an early '74 block and I had plenty of meat left at 4.060. Machinist said it's all done after this, though.

My mains showed no signs of walk, or weird wear after 3 summers of pounding over 500 ft lbs at it...

All that said, when I start a new stroker someday, I will definitely use the girdle. Piece of mind. Maybe I just fall for the hype sometimes.....
 
I use a girdle in EVERY build I do period. I think they are worth every penny. I have one in my 340 with a crank scraper (up and down stroke) and could've stuffed a windage try in there if I wanted.
 
i guess after spending all the money to build a stroker.
$280 is pretty cheep for the added strength..
thanks guys............
 
Not worth a dime IMO. Stock caps with studs will live just fine at 500hp, studs with steel caps will live to 600hp and beyond. Beyond that you are better served with a better block.
 
It seems block flex is what kills small block Mopar and I don't see a girdle helping that. We need better blocks.
 
When all is said and done, I really think Moper and Justin hit the nail on the head. I stiil think if money permitted,,,,I might use one someday.

Unless I bump into the right R3:twisted:
 
it sure help

it keep the parts together when the block split in half:blob:

just joking

sure it do help but to witch point
can you make 800 horses because you instaled one in a stock block

I dont think so
 
unless somebody does an ABA test to see the effect of a girdle, I think it's all just speculation that they are a waste of $$$ (or a benefit for that matter) - I certainly can't see it hurting anything??? Seems pretty bold to say they don't do anything - I would love proof either way - I keep reading that one should just get a better block if going above 500 hp...well, where do you get those? in this day of halfway decent heads, strokers and roller cams, 500 hp is a cakewalk, so for the few extra hundred bucks, why wouldn't you install one??

ok, I just looked - I didn't know you could still buy new r3 blocks - duh.......3+ grand though - ouch...
 
I'm going way over 500hp on my 360 build. It's been bored out to 4.100" with still around .160" in the walls. Has been hard blocked (street fill) and I'll use a stud girdle. With a 4" stroke makes 422ci.
Will it survive? lol.
 
You can't do an ABA... Unless you want to pay for the block machining twice, then you can't go back to "a". Girdles are by design meant to tie the main caps to the main webbing. When was the last time you saw a small block break at the webbing? That's a big block thing. On small blocks the caps flex and walk. A stock 340 can have cap walk - so you use studs. At about 550hp, the caps flex, so you replace the caps. Somewhere over 600hp the bores start to distort. How and when things break is always the sum of the parts and the labor. So there's nothing but generalities and personal history. The numbers and issues above are what I've found. So the question comes down to cost vs reward for the end user. The top three biggest snake oil salesman lines involve having to use girdles, HV oil pumps, and running "chevy" cams. At least IMO...lol
 
I'm running MLR billet main caps, and a Hughes stud girdle. I have a ton of money in my motor and figured if it helps great, and it won't hurt anything if it doesn't. My stroker dyno'd at 605hp, and now has 2500 miles on it, probably a 100 red line pulls(7000rpm) in 1st and 2nd, and two full quarter mile blasts. No issues to report.

Forgot to mention I'm using ARP studs of course, and block has no fill.
 
Rodzilla said:
I'm running MLR billet main caps, and a Hughes stud girdle. I have a ton of money in my motor and figured if it helps great, and it won't hurt anything if it doesn't. My stroker dyno'd at 605hp, and now has 2500 miles on it, probably a 100 red line pulls in 1st and 2nd, and two full quarter mile blasts. No issues to report.
Click to expand...

if you look and think at a r/b mopar, there is about no other block that will benefit more from a girdle. that being said, hughs has reliably got over 900 horses using a girdle on a stroker. read up on it . I had a 406 chevy w/ 4 bolt mains that had cap walk too . it ain`t just mopars. jmo
 
kielbasa said:
ok, I just looked - I didn't know you could still buy new r3 blocks - duh.......3+ grand though - ouch...
Click to expand...

Several places advertise them but no one I've found has them or a firm date when they will.

My 408 has stock caps and ARP studs and no fill, upon teardown it showed signs of cap walk on a couple caps and one cap is loose in the registers. The main and cam bearings showed odd bearing wear from the front to back. The main bearings were worn on the bottom in the front and the wear moved more to the top at the #4 journal. This indicates to me that the block was flexing and I consider myself lucky it didn't bust a cylinder and ruin everything.

A girdle MAY have helped with the cap walk buy IMO would do nothing to strengthen the block.


My current build uses a R1 block, when compared to a production block it's easy to see why the R series blocks are stronger.
 
1970Duster said:
I use a girdle in EVERY build I do period. I think they are worth every penny. I have one in my 340 with a crank scraper (up and down stroke) and could've stuffed a windage try in there if I wanted.
Click to expand...
1970Duster, by chance do you have any photo's or detail on the scraper set up please, I have a Hughes girdle on my 408 and am a fan of windage trays so I'm just trying to figure out my best plan of attack before I zip it shut
 
justinp61 said:
Several places advertise them but no one I've found has them or a firm date when they will.

My 408 has stock caps and ARP studs and no fill, upon teardown it showed signs of cap walk on a couple caps and one cap is loose in the registers. The main and cam bearings showed odd bearing wear from the front to back. The main bearings were worn on the bottom in the front and the wear moved more to the top at the #4 journal. This indicates to me that the block was flexing and I consider myself lucky it didn't bust a cylinder and ruin everything.

A girdle MAY have helped with the cap walk buy IMO would do nothing to strengthen the block.


My current build uses a R1 block, when compared to a production block it's easy to see why the R series blocks are stronger.
Click to expand...



I have a friend who makes 560hp n/a, and another 250 on the plate. It's a street car, steel cage, mild gearing, etc. With Program caps and studs, no fill. IMO that's at the limit for a factory block. Using one on a Mopar is kind of like putting a girdle on the 5.0L ford... the crank and caps will be fine until it cracks accross the cam tunnel.
 
This reminds me of the story Don Garlits told when he first got the 426 Hemi to run. He was always afraid to run much over 30 degrees timing in the early Hemi because the cylinder walls wouldn't take the pressure. The 426 was such a dog with the 392 setup he decided he was gonna blow it up and crank in a **** load of timing. So he was all set to blow up the 426 with timing and ended up running his first 200 MPH pass! That wasn't good enough so he cranked it up to 50 degrees and backed up the record with something like 212 MPH.... Sorry I got off topic a bit....
 
I have a theory on these. If they're not doweled to the caps and the caps to the block, what good are they? Theoretically they could walk under the girdle.Maybe my thinking is flawed. I'm building a 416 using a 69 340 block, shot peened caps and ARP studs torqued to 125 lbs then line honed. Gonna give her a whirl and see what it can hold up to without going boom. Pull it apart and check the caps for walk. If alls good I'll continue on.... if not time to tone it down and find a R3 I guess.
 
breadman839 said:
has anybody used one?
are they worth using?
i'm building a .60 over 360. 4" stroke.
Click to expand...

Pic of Block 'build date', preferably left front 'stamping' above the T' chain cover.
Thx !!!
 
justinp61 said:
Several places advertise them but no one I've found has them or a firm date when they will.
Click to expand...

Mopar R3 blocks went "NS1" last June.... no longer in production. Last time I ran a bunch of numbers there was like 1 9.0 deck block still in warehouse...... but that was like 8 mos ago. I had "heard" Indy bought up some of the 9.56 blocks, but can't confirm the rumor..... if they did, you can bet they're keeping them for builds with their heads, or will want a premium price for them. BTW my 9.20 deck R3 was purchased at the dealer (where I work) for $2100 which was around where some other guys I knew that had purchased them.

there are still some complete R5/P7 mills floating around out there. Pretty much the "last call" for high end small Mopar stuff.
 
I Know This Is Off Topic.But Ritter Is Now Selling Aftermarket Small Blocks.
Both Iron And Aluminum.
 
breadman839 said:
BOYAKI. What Year Is Your Block ?
Click to expand...

Jan 1972

Last pic is with W2's.
My machinist has a 48* R3 block and W9's. I could use everything from my 360 block on the R3.
The W2's are machined for 2.100" inlet. Square ported. flow [email protected]" and 234cfm on the exhaust.
Or they could be 319cfm@600. I'm starting another thread with pics and flow numbers.
 

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