The thing about a high HP stock block motor, is that you NEVER KNOW. You are using a 30-40 year old block that may be good or not, but was never intended to make more than about 600HP in any configuration. Its a crap shoot at best.

Just because so and so has a motor that has lasted fine is totally irrelevant. That's not your motor. Now, could you break a GOOD block........sure you could but the percentages go WAY down.

A high HP stock block may last 1000 runs, 100 runs or 10 runs........you just don't know. I have in the past had stock block motors that made over 1000hp on nitrous. Would I build that now??...............hell no, because I know it is a bomb waiting to go off and will most likely ruin everything when it does. I understand a budget, but what is cheaper, a block...........or a block, crank, rods, pistons, cam and potentially heads.

A girdle or any of that other crap you bolt on the bottom of one is NOT a fix, it is simply a weak bandaid for thinly cast main webs. It might help, but most likely not. So and so having a motor with a girdle that has lasted is not a sound argument, because you don't KNOW if it would be broken without it. I never ran one. I chose to run alum rods and alum caps to absorb some shock( which is what breaks blocks).

Bottom line...........stock block is a crap shoot. Proceed at your own risk

Monte