Chevy Stroker 496 Big Block - Saturday Night Special

496CI: A Closer Look
1. An Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold matched our rectangular-port heads and had an optimum power range between 3,500 and 7,500 rpm.
2. The Edelbrock Victor Jr. CNC heads offer 112cc combustion chambers and 2.25/1.90-inch intake/exhaust valves.
3. The Coast High Performance 496 big-block came with domed pistons for just $3,700.
4. 2 1/8-inch headers were used and we added 18-inch collectors, showing no power loss.
5. A Milodon oil pan with pick-up and pump fed our motor and kept the oil pressure flowing at a solid 66 psi.

A cam from Comp featured 267/276 degrees of duration and 0.435/ 0.470-inch intake/exhaust lift with a 110-degree lobe separation. It's an off-the-shelf grind and gave us the right amount of bump to get the air in and exhaust out. When installing the cam, prelube the lobes of the cam to help slide it in easier and be careful not to gouge or knick the cam bearings. Take your time.

To increase compression, we used a set of Probe's domed slugs with a complete set of Performance Circle rings. We then hung the pistons on Probe's 6.385-inch 4340 H-beam rods and checked bearing clearances for proper slippage on the crank rod journals.

A 4150 Holley HP Series 1,000-cfm carburetor was practically ready right out of the box, requiring only minor tweaking of the idle and air mixture screws.

With the bottom end complete, we installed the cam button and set the timing cover in place. It's a good idea to run a bead of sealant before and after you lay the gasket on. This way, the gasket is sandwiched between the two layers of sealant. No need to torque these bolts; tighten them until they are snug.

Even with a new oil pump, there are no guarantees it'll be completely debris-free. Unbolt the oil pumphousing plate cover and give it a good solvent rinse. Pour a bit of oil over the gears before you bolt the plate back on. Slide the oil pump drive through the main cap and bolt on the oil pump and pick-up.