How To Build A 525ci Big-Block - Big-Inch Punch

With the crankshaft in place, the ARP main studs were torqued to 110 ft-lb with moly-lube. The crank endplay checked in at 0.010 inch, and we were able to rotate it by hand with relative ease.

Once again, we relied on our trusty Moroso billet aluminum spur gear oil pump. This gem has been working flawlessly and there was no need to swap it out. As we noted in the past, this pump features special anti-cavitation slots, feeder grooves, and an enlarged bypass area that bleeds oil back in to the inlet side of the pump.

At the heart of the mill is COMP Cams‘ solid roller that was custom spec’d for us by Steve Morris of Steve Morris Engines in Muskegon, Michigan. If this is the first time you’ve heard of him, we’ll say that he’s extremely well known in the heads-up community as one of the most respected builders who specializes in supercharger combinations. Whether you want a custom camshaft, packaged engine internals, or a complete build with an engine dyno session, he offers it all.

Shown here is Nathan Hall, one of A.R.E.’s premier engine builders, gently installing the JE piston into the freshly machined Dart Sportsman block.

Another item we brought back from the initial build is COMP Cams’ Hi-Tech beltdrive system (PN 6200). This setup allows quick cam adjustments with easy cam swaps, and eats up less horsepower over the conventional timing chain.

To keep the cylinder pressure in check, we used Fel-Pro 10751 head gaskets, which come with a 4.580-inch bore and 0.053-inch thickness.

After a couple dozen engine and chassis dyno pulls, including a weekend at the dragstrip, our COMP Endure-X lifters looked perfect. We simply cleaned them up, soaked them in oil, and they were ready to be used again.

Our previous combination featured a set of Brodix CNC BB-3 Xtra oval-port 332s that flowed 416/290 intake/exhaust at 0.700 inch lift. Our current choice of heads is Brodix’s latest CNC BB-3 Xtra 380 that flows 442/311 intake/exhaust at 0.900 inch lift.

With the ARP head studs and gasket in place, the lower head stud kit from Dart was installed.

The CNC BB-3 Xtra 380s have a massive intake and exhaust ports with a 2.350-inch intake valve and a 1.880-inch exhaust valve.

To provide stable valvetrain assembly during the upper-rpm floggings, we installed a complete T&D shaft-mount rocker system. Here, the T&D shaft-mount base is getting secured.

With the shaft-mount base bolted in, Hall then installed the rocker arms. These feature a 1.7:1 ratio on both the intake and exhaust sides and came with additional features, including the needle bearing tips and spring oil holes. We also elected to go with the steel rocker option for added structural rigidity (see “Shaft-Mount Rockers” sidebar).