Thinking about a TA alum motor

[3.8vsix]

I have been thinking about having a TA alum motor built maybe this winter. Just wandering what kind of cost am I looking at for a long block with ta heads and good bottom end parts. Any downsides on driving one on the street? Thanks for any input!!!

 

[Boost231]

I would like to do one as well but dont have the money.im guessing atleast 10K doing it right.

 

[Nasty Wendy]

I think the price on those has been lowered to One lung and One kidney.

 

[norbs]

I heard you can;t run them without preheating the oil or something like that.

 

[86 TR]

I heard you can;t run them without preheating the oil or something like that.

Ive heard that too. Somebody told me reason for that is the expansion rate of the aluminum. When the engine is cold it would probably seize the bearings but as it warms up the block expands a little giving more bearing clearance. Maybe somebody that has built one will chime in here. I would say this would be a race only engine.

I know there was a step by step build up of this engine from the buick club a while back.

 

[BEATAV8]

I heard you can;t run them without preheating the oil or something like that.

If that's true.... that would pretty much make for a non-viable street motor. I hope it's not true, because I dream of a TA motor.

Isn't Champion coming out with a new Iron block too?

 

[3.8vsix]

I can't hardly buy that you have to preheat the oil, maybe i'm wrong in thinking that. What about all the factory alum motor in all kinds of cars, you do not have to preheat the oil in them. What's the differance?

 

[ITSNOTAGN]

are you serious? preheat the oil? whoever said that to you rides the short bus. every critical dimension in that motor is set to deliver optimum performance cold and hot, with ideal area in between obviously. alum block motors have been around since the 20's, think they would have figured that out by now
And there are no disadvantages to running a TA motor on the street, they will even cool better than a 109 will. the only disadvantage to building the motor you want is the cost. and as a side note, an iron block only starts to come into an advantage when you start getting close to 1000hp, and thats production alum blocks. I couldnt imagine the TA block being at a disadvantage to an iron block until at least that point and maybe higher.
Gary

 

[Black Power]

If you have to preheat the oil to run one, they did it wrong.

I haven't seen a preheating oil system on an LS1 lately

 

[TurboDave]

Pre heat the oil. Boy, has somebody been blowing smoke up their "you know whats".

 

[SGRIM]

are you serious? preheat the oil? whoever said that to you rides the short bus. every critical dimension in that motor is set to deliver optimum performance cold and hot, with ideal area in between obviously. alum block motors have been around since the 20's, think they would have figured that out by now
And there are no disadvantages to running a TA motor on the street, they will even cool better than a 109 will. the only disadvantage to building the motor you want is the cost. and as a side note, an iron block only starts to come into an advantage when you start getting close to 1000hp, and thats production alum blocks. I couldnt imagine the TA block being at a disadvantage to an iron block until at least that point and maybe higher.
Gary

What differences after 1000hp?

 

[krom]

How long til the Chinese knockoff at 1/3 of the price. :biggrin:

 

[87natl]

Might want to hold out for that Champion 4.1 iron block........Four bolt mains, and cross-bolted, if I remember right. Hmmmmmm............

 

[TurboDave]

Might want to hold out for that Champion 4.1 iron block........Four bolt mains, and cross-bolted, if I remember right. Hmmmmmm............

As it the TA block. All mains 6 bolts that is.

 

[norbs]

There is an article in the GS extra. march-april 2006 page 3. I was wrong, both coolant and oil must be heated befored the engine can be Cranked or there is a "chance" the main bearings can grab, becuase of the tigh tolerances of the bearings cold.

 

[sixgun86gn]

Thats BS. I have never pre heated my TA motor before starting it up and it is fine.

I seem to remember those articles being kind of biased,kind of like the ones they did when edelbrock released their 455 heads.

Ask Nick Micale about it,I am sure he would have made sure I knew that kind of info being as he had Zimmerman build it for me with all the parts bought from him.

 

[norbs]

Alot of articles today are biased to buy certain things.

 

[ITSNOTAGN]

i was referring to production blocks, that is about where a iron LSx block starts to promote better ring seal, less flex, etc. i would bet a TA block wouldnt show any signs of weakness until the 2000+hp range, if you could get one that high

BTW, i wouldnt beleive much thats in the GSXtra, but thats just me.
Gary

 

[Lee Thompson]

Norbs

Don't tell me believe what you read in the GS -Extra. I would bet that if TA gave one to the Club you would get a different story.

 

[8AV8]

Don't tell me believe what you read in the GS -Extra. I would bet that if TA gave one to the Club you would get a different story.