Zippy - I think this block makes a bunch more power than the production block. I wanted to get a bunch of dyno pulls under my belt so I could get an answer on that question. This motor uses a lot of parts from my old 505 dyno mule so it is a fairly good comparison between the blocks.
Good point...It really 'should' make more hp than the same parts on a stock block, but we don't always consider that. I know I wasn't thinking about it.
If it's like the "average" blocks I've checked (only a couple), the thinnest areas in the cylinder should be about 3/4 of the way down from the top, and at 4.44 most would have .300-.350 thickness, which should mean nice power and a long life as long as there aren't any major catastrophes.
I'm still trying to understand the lifter valley to cylinder area in that block better. When you soniced it, you might have noticed it's solid there (it's filled in because of hemi pushrod clearance machining) and no coolant can circulate, so it has to run hotter in that area but it doesn't seem to affect ring seal? Or maybe it does affect it but what little ring seal is lost, is made up for in brute strength?
That is an area where maybe a wedge block could potentially be made "better" (in one respect) than hemi...coolant could be made to circulate there in a wedge since we don't need to gouge that area out for pushrods.
