ne1 split a sportsman block yet?
 

looking into gettting a sportman or if i can get a deal a r302 block..my combo should be in the high 4's at the crank b4 the 300NX shot..i was thinking sportsman with a girdle

what do you guys think?

Sounds good to me. I seen one get a rod shot through the side but I have never seen one split.

Good plan if you ask me.

I believe that Jeff Chambers had one let go on him if I'm not mistaken. Check out his website where he has write-ups of his past engine combos, what worked, what didn't, etc.

It's a real nice site with lots of good information.

Hope this helps,
E

What would be that web site?? Its not Jeffchambers.com

His site is http://www.kellnet.com/chambers enjoy, ~Brian

Many have failed and the new rating for the HP should now be in effect. Some in Road Race trim have failed with as little as 425hp. I really have not seen anything power wise that the old block could not handle as well as the Sportsman.

Yep, seen a few of them fail. Haven't seen one split through the lifter valley like you're probably thinking, but I have seen several that have cracked the main webs from the cylinder bore transition up to the cam bearings. We sent a total of four Sportsman blocks back to Ford and they're basic answer was that the block was overrated in terms of HP capacity. They were talking about down rating it to ~450hp from the current 600hp rating. Haven't seen it done though. Personally, you're not talking about all that much more to go with an R block over a Sportsman machined to accept a main support.

Sign me......

Jeff 'once a Sportsman, now an R' Chambers

i was considering the sportsman for the weight and the fact that i would only need that power rating over the r block

jeff did you look at the dart block b4 you bought the R

Nope, I got the R-block at cost which was about $400 cheaper than list on the Dart.

got a quote for $4600 from Wynne Speed 2day for a Dart block based 347.. 4340 crank and 4340 H beam rods with JE psitons and a custom roller cam..i think that sounds like the best deal so far..i am just sick of wasting $$ on stock blocks

Jeff,

Out of all the people you come across I wonder if you'll remember just recently at FFW in Houston, you met a good friend of mine and helped him tune his car, Jason Underwood, he has a 93 cobra with a 347......I sure would like to pick your brain or buy you a beer next time you local to Texas, we are all from the same little town of Orange, we have somewhere around 25 mustangs that roll around there that all race. Take care.

No problem. I usually only make it to the Lonestar state twice a year. Should be down to Ennis for the World Finals in September if all goes well. Look me up there if you make the event.

quick question for the Street Warrior?
 

Jeff,

what is the problem with the Sportsman, is it the hp or the rpm that is killing these blocks?

And can you clarify one other haunting question: a siamese block on the street having cooling problems?

No problems with a siamese bore block on the street. Cooling won't be an issue at all, as a matter of fact I'd expect the bores to stay even truer than a non-siamese since the bore walls are thicker and more stable.

With the Sportsman blocks, I think its probably more the RPM than the HP level. I saw three of the blocks crack the #2 main web last season on an SCCA A-sedan motor. This motor was only about 425hp but sees pretty continuous 6200-6500 operation on the road course. It is a nuetral balanced engine with Eagle crank.