Valley Girdle Pro?

Are you in a block limited class ? Why not spend the $ get a good block ? Its alot of money to gamble with if it breaks and trashes your whole combo.

5SpeedSteed said:
I am just curious, has anyone used these? Your thoughts or opinions? :shrug: I am thinking about installing them on my Ford Sportsman 302 since I have plans to someday boost it.

Edit:

If you are not familar with them here is a couple of links:
http://www.horsepowersales.net/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSlWuiWokdw
http://www.nmraracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47626
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Sean said:
Are you in a block limited class ? Why not spend the $ get a good block ? Its alot of money to gamble with if it breaks and trashes your whole combo.
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No this is a street car (90% street/10% strip). I don't have the money for a dart block. My goal is to have a 10 second street car and that's all, I don't need a dart block. I bought this sportsman block because I was told it could handle to power I want.
 
sportsman will hang in there till the mid 9's supposedly. A stock block 302 is a real crapshoot at 10 anything. If you want to run a girdle pro I don;t see the harm but it won't stop the block from splitting.


5SpeedSteed said:
No this is a street car (90% street/10% strip). I don't have the money for a dart block. My goal is to have a 10 second street car and that's all, I don't need a dart block. I bought this sportsman block because I was told it could handle to power I want.
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Sean said:
sportsman will hang in there till the mid 9's supposedly. A stock block 302 is a real crapshoot at 10 anything. If you want to run a girdle pro I don;t see the harm but it won't stop the block from splitting.
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Why don't you think so, I am just curious. Isn't the lifter valley the weakest part of the 302 block? But you are probably right it will break with or without the valley girdle.
 
5SpeedSteed said:
Why don't you think so, I am just curious. Isn't the lifter valley the weakest part of the 302 block? But you are probably right it will break with or without the valley girdle.
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i have been 9.0 with a sportmen 302 block before... i dont really care for those girdles IMO... it seems the intake does the same thing it holds the 2 ends together. and dont they screw into the water jacket? what size bolts do they use 1/4x20 or something? to me its not worth it
 
johnquick302 said:
i have been 9.0 with a sportmen 302 block before... i dont really care for those girdles IMO... it seems the intake does the same thing it holds the 2 ends together. and dont they screw into the water jacket? what size bolts do they use 1/4x20 or something? to me its not worth it
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That is kind of along the lines of what I was thinking. The bolts are so small that I doubt they would help. Thanks for the help guys I just wanted to see what others thought.
 
I had one on my first stock block, and it did NOT help. I cracked the block and spit the crank out of it on the dyno. It was making 490 hp at the tires on a Mustang Dyno and ran 10.30 at 132+. And it had a supercharger on it.

PAUL WILEY
 
dave89iroc said:
bingo, there is no real force happening in the valley, but strait up is the easiest way for a crack from the mains to go
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Which makes much more sense. Why is it popular misinformed opinion that 302 blocks crack at the lifter valley. Its even in mags and posted on other boards. Cause I saw that HP Valley Girdle on Horsepower TV this morning and wondered if it actually worked or was just a gimick to throw your money away. In high dollar blocks (e.g., dart) they have cast in lifter valley supports. Even the picture of the cracked 302 on their website looks like it started from the mains because of the crack in the caps.

Breaking from the valley down in 302 blocks should be labeled as a myth.

Thanks for the help guys I am feeling more confident about my sportsman ford 302 with a main girdle.

Rep for all!
 
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I emailed HP Sales before I posted this to get more information and this is what she said. I told her I had vic jr heads.

Jen@Horsepower Sales Net said:
Hi,

You will have to file the the heads (not very much).

Thank you!

Jennifer
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No thanks! There are no positives and the negatives just keep coming! :lol:
 
The way the crack propogates is the real driving force. Yes the blocks split at the lifter valley. but the crack almost always start around the main bearing saddles. After you magnaflux a few 302 blocks you will start seeing that alot of blocks crack after around 100K of useage. The cracking is driven by the mains flexing fore and aft in the block. A main girdle really helps this problem.

The trick is that once the crack starts the mains saddle supports that hold the cam bore together begin to spread and then the lifter valley cracks.

The idea behind the bracing on the dart blocks is to stabilize the lifter bores. It does add some sort of minimal strength to the main structure in that it prevents the mains saddle from sagging down but thats not what cuase the cracking.


5SpeedSteed said:
Which makes much more sense. Why is it popular misinformed opinion that 302 blocks crack at the lifter valley. Its even in mags and posted on other boards. Cause I saw that HP Valley Girdle on Horsepower TV this morning and wondered if it actually worked or was just a gimick to throw your money away. In high dollar blocks (e.g., dart) they have cast in lifter valley supports. Even the picture of the cracked 302 on their website looks like it started from the mains because of the crack in the caps.

Breaking from the valley down in 302 blocks should be labeled as a myth.

Thanks for the help guys I am feeling more confident about my sportsman ford 302 with a main girdle.

Rep for all!
Click to expand...
 
Sean said:
The way the crack propogates is the real driving force. Yes the blocks split at the lifter valley. but the crack almost always start around the main bearing saddles. After you magnaflux a few 302 blocks you will start seeing that alot of blocks crack after around 100K of useage. The cracking is driven by the mains flexing fore and aft in the block. A main girdle really helps this problem.

The trick is that once the crack starts the mains saddle supports that hold the cam bore together begin to spread and then the lifter valley cracks.

The idea behind the bracing on the dart blocks is to stabilize the lifter bores. It does add some sort of minimal strength to the main structure in that it prevents the mains saddle from sagging down but thats not what cuase the cracking.
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Sean,

Thanks for that good explanation! You have further my understanding of why 302 blocks crack/break. When I did searches on the web I was getting conflicting information. Thanks for setting the record strait.

Matt
 
Yeah basically they do not have enough strength in the bulkheads to resist twisting longitudinally and they twist and snap. Combine that with the main saddle moving for and aft and a good deal of main saddle sag and you get a recipe for destruction. Its not one thing but a combinaiton of factors which cuase the fialure. It all boils down to the factory 302 blocks being to weak/thin to support big hp and tq. oh anbd the cylinder walls flex alot as well.


5SpeedSteed said:
Sean,

Thanks for that good explanation! You have further my understanding of why 302 blocks crack/break. When I did searches on the web I was getting conflicting information. Thanks for setting the record strait.

Matt
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