Originally Posted by edvancedengines
I agree with your machinist.
Yes splayed caps are better and are stronger. 4 bolt caps are nice to have in there. No doubt both are better.
BUT!
Back in 1984 I ran 154 mph with a 2,960 lb car using great heads and a 2 bolt Main chevy car block with two sleeved cylinders as a 461 cu in 16.85 -1 compression , and I kept it at 8,000 rpm all the time. When I was done with it after it going a 7.87 in a 2300 lb x-top fuel car I sold the short block minus cam for $500.00 and it went in a front engined alcohol dragster and he ran it several years, so it must not have been hurt. In case you have not figured it yet, that is over 1,000 hp with a stock 2 bolt block.
I would run it like your machinist suggests unless the money for the better caps is no big thing.
Ed
I can't top your feat Ed, but we ran a 475 for three years using a two bolt main pass car block with an ARP stud kit, Eagle crank and rods, JE pistons with 14.5 to 1 compression. Dart 310 heads. 821 HP on alky. Car weight was 2731 and we ran it hard, 8000 rpms through the traps. No problem with it at all. The only reason we stopped using it was the bores got wore to the point that we couldn't hone it clean anymore. And we did have a heating problem with it if we had to idle too long at the line or staging lanes that we decided not to use it anymore. (Was told that the cylinder walls too thin is what caused the heating problem.)
But the block with the two bolt main held together just fine.