Engine sysatem 4 bolt main conversion

Have these on a D1ve block. Really stout looking pieces that my builder was very impressed with. These have the tongue and groove looking register machined into the cap and saddle. What is the max horsepower capacity on this set-up? its been so long since I purchased and installed and do not even see them on Engine System's site any more

Every aftermarket billet steel 4-bolt main cap conversion I have ever known to be available for the 385 Series engine block is capable of sustaining more abuse than the passenger car block itself.

So a D1VE with these installed is good for ????. Sorry been out of block block world too long. Got used to dealing with 5.0 block that split in half at 500 horse our 351 blocks at 700-800. These good for 900?

Thanks

I have personally seen the stock block with 4 bolt caps hold around 1400 hp on boost for 4yrs and guy went back to a street combo afterwards

I had a set of these caps on a thin web C8VE Lincoln block. Ran it 6 years and about 1200 1/8 mile passes at about 850 hp with an alky injected 557ci deal. Finally broke the crank and that left a gouge in a cyl wall at the bottom. Let a friend use it with a shorter 4.3 stroke 532 so it didn't pull the piston down to the gouge. He ran it for several years with lot's of spray until it finally split a cylinder. With spray was well over 1200 hp I'm sure. Bottom end and caps were still in fine shape.

outstanding!!!!....I now remember what attracted me to the BBF years ago.

Unfortunately, the Engine Systems cap that you described has been out of production for several years. I had a set and they were great. Ted (Engine Systems) has plans to bring the cap back to life and make them in house on his 4-axis CNC mill. Currently, work load at the shop prevents that project from moving forward.
It seems that the plentiful supply of aftermarket and Ford Racing blocks has lessened the demand for the caps.
There is a stack of rough machined blanks on the shelf, but I would not expect any to be available for several months.
Ted can tell you all about it at 770-491-0583.
Keith

understandable, I bought these probably 10 years ago. been loosely attached to the block sitting on the shop floor since then. My engine builder thought they looked pretty awesome would be suitable a top alcohol engine or something similar. Plenty beefy

My monster truck customer ran a DOVE-A block with a set of those caps for years without any problems at all, 4.500 stroke, blown alcohol and probably making 1200 or so horsepower. He never broke the engine and he finally sold it to another monster truck guy who's running it now.

Thanks for the feedback Dave. Most of my experience has been with small block stuff. So compared to that these thing are crazy stout.

I think the caps were blue thunder pieces

BIGINCH'S wrote:I think the caps were blue thunder pieces

Yes and I'm not quite sure why they are not available any more via Art Francis.

bonfire wrote:So a D1VE with these installed is...good for 900?

Yes, a 4-bolted D1VE block will easily handle 900 horsepower. In fact I've seen twice that power level a handful of times...and in one very specific case approximately three times that power level (D1VE block, billet 4-bolt caps, 4.44" bore, unfilled), not that I encourage subjecting passenger car blocks to such power levels.

I'll ask this knowing that I am just getting back into the big block world from small blocks for 10 years myself. My big block knowledge 10 years ago was limited to much more stock / mild street stuff. With these being rare as hens teeth, is there a standard 4 bolt cap set available that will bring the passenger car blocks up to a "standard" 1000 hp ( pulling numbers from air for example only)...and be relatively safe assuming tunes / boost are kept safe?