but the flip side is he will have a basterd oddball two bolt main motor that will never be worth much. JMO.
Exactly. Those 440 block Hemi heads are around only because some people want the Hemi look without having to pay the Hemi price (not implying that OP is one of those people).
That is why they make girdles....
The girdles do not increase the strength or thickness of the main webbing in any block
Know your parts limits and then choose them wisely
How many racers and engine builders on here have put girdles on RB blocks and had them come back later with cracks in the main webbing running up into the cylinders
I've seen and heard of more than two
I am over 700hp on my stroked 440 and six seasons/years on it. No cracks yet. Lots of passes on it. We have a number of stroked wedges running on the street and strip, and the girdle is the only way to go for anything over 600hp that is going to be flogged on a drag strip. Keeps cap walk away and allows it to live.
If its a cushy street car making 700hp, I would still put one on, but some folks don't want them.
Here is my 6.19 pass from this weekend on my pump gas stroked 440!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_XTmRBuvWs
