Hello,has anyone heard if there will be an aftermarket RB iron block made again in the near future? The Muscle Motors one looked promising but I've heard they went out of business and were bought out. The new people that took it over have a facebook page, and are taking money with an 8 week delivery time frame. Under the circumstances I see that as a gamble.I guess I could use Indy but they are $3800+ and you have to pay extra for billet caps and finish machining from what I understand on their website. I understand the days of a $2600. RB is long gone, but I find it hard to believe there is no market for something half affordable to the average racer. Thanks in advance.

It's going to take a lot of looking, plus with the Canadian peso you will pay dearly if can find one.

If it was me I'd call the guys at Best Machine and see what they tell you to do.

Have you checked with Keith Black?

I have the peso's covered, but it seems they are made of unobtainium!

Yeah a lot of us feel that pain
Funny but a mate is working up to buy a new block/short motor. A 409W chev aluminium block .
Huge demand for those 409s i guess
Dang canadian peso - we have aussie peso's . Don't get me started on freight

Tex

Tony is making it tough to try to do anything serious and remain loyal at the same time. Aftermarket is not picking up the slack.

Indy's blocks are 5k now. You can call Chicago Connection for an iron block. They are a distributor of the block MM was selling.

I ordered a compact graphite iron 4.500 bore wedge block from Billy Mitchells (SP?) company when they owned or where in partners with World Products, I waited a long time before they cancelled making them due to not having enough orders.
I had placed a order with Dave Koffel for a Koleno high nickel cast grey iron block and ended up cancelling it when he called to say it was ready to ship, stupid me One in the hand is way better than one on order
I placed another order with Dave later two years later and got it several years later Dave had said that casting iron Mopar race blocks was a black art according to what he had seen and heard while working at Chrysler and seen later on both the Koleno and World iron blocks
I have talk to the guys at Chicago Connection for another iron block but I think I will wait until they have several bunches machined and in use before stepping forward on them

The casting problem has always been they want to use one casting for a Hemi or a wedge block. You would think they would have figured out by now they need two different patterns and core molds.

I have a (The Block) that I bought from Muscle Motors. Although MM was involved in testing the blocks, they were not making them. The sourcing of these blocks has not changed. They are available from several vendors.

Have you used it yet? If so how was it and how much extra machine work was needed to make it useable for your deal?
Last thing is it a RB or B wedge or a Hemi block and what size bore was it to start with?
I'm still in the market for another good cast iron, not aluminum, race block
Thanks in advance for your help on this

Its a RB 505. I went 0.030 over as it will be a street engine.

Can't comment on the machining as I bought it as an assembled shortblock. I hope to get the motor fully assembled and on the dyno by the end of the year or very early next year.

Thanks for the help
I'm going to assume that it is bored to 4.350 with a 4.250 stroke, is that correct?

Which vendors? Thanks.

I didn't put it in the post cause I didn't want to guess but quite sure that is correct. It is a 4.25 stroke - stock bore 0.030 over.

Don't quite remember but if you search the subject here on Moparts they have been listed.

I do believe Chicago Connection was one.

Just curious, as to why bother with a iron block when aluminum blocks are available as a option? I can see if you are running a class that requires iron.

Aluminum blocks do not keep the cylinder as round as a iron block will when running Hence they make less HP N/A or with a power adder than a cast grey iron block will, the Compact Graphite iron blocks are even better than cast grey iron

You could always HardBlock the aluminum block to keep it from moving around. I know people that have done it.

I know a well known 10.5 heads up racer that did that with a aluminum block and had issues with ring seal and crankcase pressure on the data logger. He switch to a cast iron block and went faster

I have to laugh out loud when I hear about bad ring seal on aluminum blocks

Laugh all you want, I have heard the same results from many heads up west coast racer, power adders included
80 to 130 HP loss(700 + and above HP) on engine combination with all the exact same parts being transferred from a iron block to a aluminum block with or without fill
Bottom line now is we have no good source of both types of RB or B block today, aluminum or iron

I have 6 rebuilds on my 572 aluminum World block, it leaks 0-2% and did after 142 passes with Predator heads. I also have a 604 Predator on a steel block, with 2 carbs and more camshaft. It won't keep up with the 572 with one because of weight. Not much more I can say. You won't make up for 150 pounds of weight, bottom line.

Well we run an aluminum block in the heads up car and will take the weight saving ANY day over the minimal HP cost from any minor ring seal issue. We used both and there is a VERY VERY VERY tiny amount of difference in power. More than offset by the lower weight of the block. In fact a new Dart ALUMINUM block was just ordered for it a couple weeks ago as it will be going to a much shorter deck height for next year. Also ordered was another block for a S/G racer for the same reason, the weight. Everything will be transferred from the old 582, rotating assy etc and headed to the dyno. I don't expect to see more than a 5hp difference.

When it comes to a BB Mopar....... I'll take the 150lb weights saving from an aluminum block every time.

I assume this is not a mopar block?

Yes a Chevy deal..FWIW I have four engines all with aluminum blocks and wont go back to iron...

My car has a very nice late Mega Block, 4.505" with bushed lifter bores. I'd love to have a nice aluminum block.
Doug

Hey Al, I haven't spoken to you. Finally got down the track once. Popped a rod cap off and beat up two bores as well as trashed a crank. Well... after investigation we found a oil system problem in my new aluminum block (sound familiar?) Turned out there is a feature off location which connected the intake and exit of the oil pump. Once it got rpm on it she starved for oil. Still working it out with the block manuf so I'll keep names out of it for now.

Have the aluminum 4.5 bore version of your iron World block in the basement.
Thing can't even weigh 150.
Mike

Mine isn't a World, It's a late Mopar Mega Block. 270lbs
Doug

I have a World cast iron hemi block in the shop and holy crap is that thing a tank!

My KB hemi block is about 140 lbs if I remember right. I'll take the aluminum block all day every day over cast iron.

World cast iron hemi block is 325+ pounds its a hefty thing