498 Eagle stroker kit

Hey guys,

I need some input on the Eagle brand stroker kits. I am building a 500-ish hp Eddy headed 400/498 motor for my ramcharger and saw this kit as I was shopping the various web stores. At 2k this seems very reasonably priced even though unbalanced. I know eagle has been around for fair amount of time, I just want to know if there is any reason to steer away from this kit.



https://www.jegs.com/i/Eagle/356/21...PyXik-nbqDcqH8PFwvSEb5zZaa_oaMqXPRc1VpEw


thanks

The crank and rods will need to be checked over for sizing. The Eagle stuff usually requires a touch up on their finishing/sizing.

Everything Eagle sells for Mopar engines is made in China and listed by them as made in the U.S.A.
Did you call Ohio Crankshaft Company yet for similar parts made here in the U.S.A? It not maybe you should 800-333-7113

A friend of mine has Eagle crank and rods with Diamond pistons in his Dodge Stratus running in the 8.50s and never had a problem with the Eagle stuff.

As long as ANY machine work is performed in the US to allow a product to reach a "finished", sellable condition, they can legally list it the way they have.

I've had a Eagle crank and rods since 2003. If I were to buy now, and I just did, I'd look at a kit through Molnar.

After the machine shop corrects everything , they aren't the bargain they appear to be.
That is not saying they are junk , but like anything else , you get what you pay for.

Just out of curiosity, why would you buy an unbalanced kit?

I'll throw in another vote for Ohio Crank.

I just looked at the OHIO website, they dont appear to sell anything for B motor applications.....

Buying an expensive rotating assembly from a "reputable" builder, paying extra for balance and receiving the rods in the factory-sealed bags is a good reason. The shop I use for balancing charges the same price and actually weighs and corrects as needed.

Check with 440 Source. I bought a 3.915 stroke crank and put in a 383 . It was perfect on all bearing clearances, a nice looking piece. Can't beat their prices either.

Source or Molnar

Used both with good results

They (Ohio)can whip you up anything you want. B-series mains are an option. Call them, see how much one of their kits would be in b-series.

I used a Eagle Kit in a 512 it has the Mahle pistons it came balanced from Eagle - Machinist that did the block was sure it was going to be way off - had it checked it was within a gram.....I would use one of their Kits again for a budget build

http://store.440source.com/Stroker-Kits/products/3/

http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/...b3cgRGVjayk=&level1=U3Ryb2tlciBLaXRz

Hughes kits are priced a little higher but use Molnar cranks and rods, with Icon pistons
and come balanced

They're decent parts, it's just that the finish machining usually isn't very good. Don't be surprised if your brand new Eagle crank needs to be turned .010/.010 to correct it.
Same goes for the rods. The ones I've seen had the caps cut tapered inward...had to be resized to fix them.
Once that's done you have decent parts, but now look at the money you have tied up in them.

Molnar seems to have MUCH better quality for a similar price.

I usually build my own "kits", motor parts from different vendors like Ohio Crankshaft, Molnar, Diamond, RaceTech, UEM and so on depending on the build and customers goals

Frankly, I have never shopped for stroker kits by looking for the lowest price. Recommendations here and other places played a big role, along with the parts descriptions and finally, the way the salesman spoke on the phone. Some shops just didn't have time to answer the questions. Then, as long as the price was not out of line with their competitors, it becomes an easy decision. Consequently, the only companies that I have ever used have been Ohio Crank for my wedges and Ray Barton for the Hemi. I always have a local shop check it all. Everything has always checked out good. Ohio Crank even helps me calculate the comp ratio I am shooting for and machine the pistons to get there. I still have that first 499 engine that I built with an Ohio kit. It's probably 10 years old now and has had a lot of abuse including hurting it a time or two.

$600 for balancing or parts in their original packaging would not fly with me, either. But I have not experienced those issues with Ohio or Barton. Knock on wood.

Another voice for Tom Molnar(Molnar Technologies). Tom founded K1 many moons ago and is a good guy. You will spend a few more bucks piecing it together this way, but you'll know exactly who made ALL your stuff and be able to put a really good piston in your motor.

The reasons for choosing Molnar aren't just because he's a good guy; Molnar's stuff is made of good material and measures as well as any aftermarket company's stuff - better than almost anyone else's.

'I've never used Eagle stuff and have no intention of ever using it but there are plenty of people who do use Eagle parts and their engines stay together. So take that for whatever it is worth. If I'm going to build a "budget" engine for someone then I'll typically use Molnar crank and rods and try to find a shelf piston that matches the compression ratio that they want. SCAT is also pretty good and I've used 440Source kits. I've used K1 before as well but Molnar seems to me to have the nicest parts in the "budget" category. The fact that I can buy at dealer pricing from him helps a bunch too.

If a customer wants a serious engine then I step up to the "good" stuff. The Molnar parts work up past 700 or 800 hp but I wouldn't build a guy a 1000 hp engine using Molnar parts. Tom might disagree of course.

Neither have I. This one didn''t come from either of those two. Anyone who knows Hemis would have not expected it. I didn't.

Anyone seen a Molnar Crank or rods fail - at any power level?

Raise your hand. I’ll wait.

Does a Molnar crank and rods with CP pistons count?
I'm not sure which part fail first yet, block or piston
But it wasn't the rods or crank though

Yes it counts - in my book.

Seems, looking at past posts, guys here argue that horsepower is not a factor in rod failure, more along the lines of engine speed and piston weight.
Yet it still gets thrown in the discussions.

Molnar explained rod failure and how to arrive at the conclusion that the engine broke the rod/s due to over speed.

I bought Ohio Crankshaft H-beam rods about 8 years ago, thinking they had the best deal going. I saved a few $$'s on the cost, but then it cost me quite a bit more before I was able to use them. Pins would not even fit into the bushing, had to have them fitted at the machine shop. Then I find the big end is not round. I had ordered the ARP 2000 bolts as an option, but it looked like they just changed the bolts out. When I torqued the bolts to the lower torque (for 8740 bolts), the big end was round, but when torqued them to the higher 2000 spec, they were egg shaped. Back to the machine shop, more $$'s. When I checked the balance on them, 4 of them had to be corrected. After all that, they were pretty good parts.
The last two sets of H-beam rods that I bought were Molnar. Out of the box, the pins fit correctly, the big ends were round and all 8 rods were weight matched perfectly, both ends. Clean them and use them. You get what you pay for.


Brian Dunnigan