I did use the girdle with mine, most of the guys I talked to making 600+hp used one.

I have heard some debate of whether or not a girdle that doesn't tie into the pan rails actually helps, but I've spoken to a few well known engine builders who say it definitely does and also have talked to guys with first hand experience using them on mopars or other brand motors where the girdles mount the same way who have fixed or at least greatly improved bearing wear issues they were having as a result of cap walk.

Many of the guys who told me it it was just a gimmick on a motor that doesn't have the girdle tie into the pan rails had no first hand experience to back up their claim, so I decided to go for it.


I have heard some good cases made for using billet caps, and if I had an unlimited budget but for some reason needed to stick to an LA block I probably would have used them. The reason I used an LA block was because I didn't have an unlimited budget though, and with the cost of buying billet caps/having the block machined for them I would have just gone R block.

I tossed the Eagle I beams I had in my 340 and went with Eagle H beams and ARP2000 bolts.