Yes, potentially. I have what some would call an unhealthy interest with vintage RC parts(right Mike
). Mike Rieck's billet big block certainly is the more sophisticated item, designed for big bore motors that actually require road race level cooling, very likely better than even the factory bore in the factory cylinder bank. My interest in RC cast blocks is simply for the RC Engineering history and old school nostalgia of it all. They were designed to hold in cylinder pressures that FAR exceed any streetable power output, as in record breaking nitro/Hilborn injected superchanged motors! They were clearly made to hold these pressures for a fairly short amount of time heat cycle wise, as they were designed for drag strip use.
Cylinder cooling consequently wasn't a major concern, the 5 cast in "fins" I'm sure were more for looks than anything. That said, using an RC cast block with lightweight modern forged pistons that have a friction coating on the skirts and perhaps a heat barrier coat on the tops, along with a good oil cooler, would likely help make up for the cast cylinder blocks shortfall in the cooling department if used on the street. I've looked into this for a while, as this is what I hope to do with my original RC cast block.
I am interested to know whether Big Jay could produce them at a price point that is both enticing to buyers and profitable enough to be worthwhile doing
.
George
