to stud girdle or to not

[benno440]

main stud girdle, what do you guys think a couple of engine builders have recommended i put one on, but muscle motors who sent me the stroker kit said for my power application i would not need it.

440-505 stroker round 600hp 630 tq

 

[70rr-brian]

My 2 cents... Its insurance if nothing else....but if you are going to have to set valve lash or check regularly it becomes pretty time consuming is about the only downside. Well and added cost. But is it necessary....for those numbers I kinda doubt it. But hopefully some of the engine builders chime in.

 

[snakeoil24]

What does a stud girdle have to do with adjusting valves????????????

 

[70rr-brian]

I was referring to valvetrain stud girdles not main stud girdles. LOL I totally missed him saying main stud...... I am going back to my crackpipe now.

 

[67 B-body]

You'll find about as many opinions as people to ask......
I can only say that I put one in my engine..... I thought the piece of mind was worth the small cost and minimal effort of installation.
I actually enjoyed the whole process... LOL!
I did take mine to work and let the machine shop mill out a little on the front closest to the front crankshaft counterweight. I didn't think the manufacture provided enough clearance in this area when they cut it out. Other than that,,, it's a straight forward installation, and the only time consuming part is measuring for the closest shim pack combination you can put together for each stud. That brings me to the next benefit IMHO, I think just about anywhere you can use a stud in the bottom end, the better off you are. That's just my opinion, and you'll probably get enough people debating that to fill the ocean....
If the entire rotating assy hasn't been balanced yet, you'll gain even more piece of mind getting that done too.
Good luck!

 

[Supershafts]

I haven't had any issues without a main girdle, i don't have one on any of my motors, i do have studs but no girdle, i always recommend studs over bolts though.

 

[benno440]

"67 b body" i already have arp studs in the bottom end, and the engine is currently at the machine shoip getting bored and decked etc.etc. problem is justifying the price whether it is worth it, cause the mains stud girdle and billet mains are arouinf $400 then the machine shop has to line bore the new main caps which is about $400 also.can you use a girdle with stock main caps ? i didnt know you could.wasnt sure and wanted you guys opinions if it was worth the extra $800 to get this done, but if you can put a girdle on the stock caps i might do this, but then you would probably need longer studs and the studs i just put in are brand new. is it worth the hassle i guess.

 

[Meep-Meep]

Probably the best thing you can do is install the ProGram main caps with the cross bolts. They have a retrofit cap that mimics the hemi and to me if you're going to spend the money to beef the lower end might as well go for the best solution. The block will need to be align bored and honed, have the pan rails machined to fit the cap and of course a hole drilled. All that plus the cost of the caps. But in the end it will be bullet proof - I believe they say good for 1000 HP.

 

[benno440]

wow, that sounds expensive lol.is it worth it my car is far from a race car, more of a show/street cruiser.

 

[67 B-body]

Mine came with the appropriate studs and shims.
Yes, stock main caps are acceptable for this application and can be used with the girdle.

 

[Jeremiah]

I run aftermarket main caps/studs with no girdle. In my experience as well as talking to a bunch of machinists and racers the block crack from the bottom of the bore to the main web. A main stud girdle will not stop that from happening ,or at least that is what I have been told. I have run most of my "good" engines very hard with no girdle and not had an issue using studded main caps. Just my limited experience, your mileage may vary. With the aftermarket caps, hardware, machine shop bills, girdle cost, etc. you are VERY close to an aftermarket 10.98" deck block. This does not apply to a low deck (9.98") block because they are $4000 and up ready to run.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I was referring to valvetrain stud girdles not main stud girdles. LOL I totally missed him saying main stud...... I am going back to my crackpipe now.

Yeah put it down man. There are ZERO studs in the valve train on a Mopar anyway. lol

 

[Budnicks]

Block/Main Stud Girdle

:iamwithstupid: that's funny, when I 1st read the title, I was thinking Valvetrain type "Stud Girdle" too, like used on Chevy's or "aftermarket" Edelbrock or "Magnum" Aluminum SB Chrysler Wedge 318-360ci or V-10 Viper, individually rocker studded type valve train/style heads... BLOCK/MAIN STUD/CAP GIRDLES... I say run the Block/Main Stud/Cap Girdle... I've used Chattsworth & 440source, both were good, both came with all the necessary hardware... IMHO, they are cheap insurance, most Chrysler engines only have 2 bolt mains, they help to strengthen the bottom end, especially if you going to have a stroker crankshaft, it helps strengthen & ties everything together nicely, block oil pan rails/skirts to the main studs/caps, even using the stock main caps... like someone already said "some grinding or machining, is sometimes necessary for clearances in different places", depending on who's BLOCK/MAIN STUD/CAP GIRDLE you use, depending what/who's size/type/style crankshaft, what/who's oil pick up tube/oil pan, etc....

 

[67 B-body]

mine

One other note,,,, You'll have to be sure that your girdle has the hole in it for the dipstick....
This is mine before the hole was added......