Most piston companies now...
Most piston companies now add a relief to the sides of the piston to clear the reluctor wheel. This photo makes it difficult to see, but the reluctor wheel is very close to the piston at BDC.
Companies such as GM Performance Parts dealer Scoggin-Dickey sell several short-block kits with a maximum stroke of 4.100. Scoggin-Dickey limits its stroker kits to a 4.100-inch stroke length to avoid extending the piston any farther out of the bore than possible. Many crank companies offer a 4.250-inch-long stroke (and as much as 4.500 for tall-deck blocks), but this is way too much stroke for any production block.
Stroker Packages
The best way to assemble a big-inch LS engine is to go with one of several crankshaft suppliers that offers stroker packages. This takes advantage of the company's experience with combining the proper piston and rod duo with the proper crankshaft counterweight. Oftentimes, car crafters will purchase a crank, rods, and pistons all from separate sources and then discover that very expensive balancing is required.
Popular crank companies such as Scat and Eagle offer complete crank, rod, piston, and ring combinations that are competitively priced and offer great reliability. The choices you need to be aware of include stroke length, H-beam or I-beam rods, rod length, compression ratio, and whether you want the assembly balanced. It's also important to know the reluctor wheel count when ordering your crank. Earlier Gen III engines used the 24-tooth wheel, while later Gen IV engines such as the LS2 and LS3 use the 58-tooth wheel. These need to match the crank sensor. Most of these kits offer quality pistons from companies such as Diamond, JE, Ross, or Wiseco. The chart at the bottom of this page lists three examples.
When ordering a stroker crankshaft,...
When ordering a stroker crankshaft, you should already know which engine the crank will be used in so you choose the correct tooth count for the reluctor wheel. On the left is a 58-tooth wheel with the 24-tooth wheel on the crank on the right.
| RELUCTOR WHEEL CHART |
| TOOTH |
| VEHICLE | YEAR | COUNT |
| Camaro/Firebird | '99 to '02 | 24 |
| Corvette | '97 to '04 | 24 |
| GTO | '04 to '06 | 24 |
| Corvette | '05 to '08 | 58 |
| truck | '98 to '05 | 24 |
| truck | '06 to '08 | 58 |
| DESCRIPTION | PN | SOURCE | PRICE |
| Scat 383ci, 3.75 stroke | 1-91305BIE | Summit Racing | $1,103.95 |
| Eagle 408ci, 4.00 stroke | 12826 | Summit Racing | 2,619.95 |
| Lunati 408ci, 4.00 stroke | EA034-408 | Summit Racing | 3,955.99 |
Most of the assembled short-blocks...
Most of the assembled short-blocks mentioned in this sidebar will come as you see this package, with the crank, rods, and pistons bolted together in a balanced assembly. You will have to supply the rest of the engine pieces.
Assembled Short-Blocks
The only thing better than a stroker crank, rod, and piston package is having an assembled short-block delivered to your door. The beauty of this approach is you avoid all the hassles of assembling it. All you have to do is bolt on your cam and heads.
What looks like one of the most affordable short-block stroker assemblies on the planet is SLP's ZL402 package. Based on an iron LQ9 block, the SLP version uses a Callies 4340 steel crank with Manley H-beam rods and a set of SLP/Manley forged pistons with your choice of compression ratio and reluctor wheel count. The whole kit is balanced and assembled, but it is delivered as a bare short-block. That means you will need all the attendant small parts like an oil pump, an oil pan, plugs, and covers. GM Performance Parts has also introduced a complete assembly package that includes all the necessary parts to complete a bare block. We've included the part number, but at this writing, GMPP is not shipping these kits.