Aluminum Bowtie block

[ericjon262]

bowtie 60V6 block: not mine!

http://60degreev6.com/forum/showthread. ... post467085

[The Dark Side of Will]

Nice piece of hardware... been a long time since I've seen one of those come up.

Good price, too. I wonder how big the bore can go before it has to be resleeved...

[ericjon262]

Nice piece of hardware... been a long time since I've seen one of those come up.

Good price, too. I wonder how big the bore can go before it has to be resleeved...

I think it can only go to 92 MM IIRC, but I'm sure there are options...

[The Dark Side of Will]

I thought the original spec was 91mm... meaning you couldn't even quite build a 3.4 in it.

However, modern sleeving technology being what it is, I would expect that could be exceeded significantly. After all, a BMW S62 can be sleeved to 94mm on a 98mm bore center.

I believe the 60 degree engine still has the head bolt threads in the block deck, so the only limitation is that you can't cut away the aluminum outside the liners.

[ericjon262]

I wonder if this is as strong(or stronger) then a 3x00 block with the structural oil pan and crossbolted mains?

[Shaun41178(2)]

The steel liners are thick. I am sure going to a 3.4 bore wouldn't be a problem. Gm claimed in their Indy pace car Beretta that it was a 3.4

Even so when I was trying to sell mine, I got a ton of hate from some members on a few sites saying having that block was useless because you couldn't bore it out to a 3.4. Why everyone gets so hung up on .040 of an inch I never understood. Like the hp difference between a 3.3 and a 3.4 is going to outweigh the benefits?

its probably no stronger than the iron block but its not weaker either. It can handle 600 hp which is more than anyone is going to make anyways.

I ended up selling mine for 1100 or so. When trying to sell a block like that you have to remember your clientelle you are tying to sell it to. Cars that the 60 degree come in aren't known to bring people with money. Everyone wanted it, but since they were poor and couldn't afford my asking price they felt they had to hate on it. I kind of wish I never got rid of it.

If they were asking 1500 I could see myself pulling the trigger on it

[ericjon262]

I've always laughed at people bragging about their .060" overbore 350...

if I had the coin, I'd pick it up. I feel like the price is fair, but there's just not really a market...

[The Dark Side of Will]

There was a race team (I think Australian, actually) running one of these blocks twin turbo with Potter cylinder heads and a Falconer ITB system pushing over 700 HP. I expect that, being a Bow Tie block, it's good for "whatever" and I would certainly expect it to be stronger than the production blocks.

Since the production blocks can handle whatever you throw at them in terms of N/A power, and even decent boost (not sure if anyone's ever blown one up), then the attraction of the Bow Tie block is (IMNSHO) primarily its ability to handle a max-effort build with absolute assurance and secondarily its lighter weight.

[ericjon262]

there's a thread on the potter heads on 60V6, do you have any info on them?

[The Dark Side of Will]

Zip... probably read the same page you did.

Potter's still in business... Last I heard he was doing heads for Cadillac big blocks, which really benefit from good heads.

[ericjon262]

10-4, I've been thinking about casting a LIM for the 3x00 heads, something modular that could adapt a blower, or ITB's, plenum and single TB, or maybe even a carb.

[Shaun41178(2)]

Potter heads shared nothing in common with gm gen 2 heads. Falconer intakes were designed for Gen 2 heads. They wouldn't bolt to potter heads unless falconer made a custom intake. I however doubt that because if potter could cast his own heads, he could make an intake for it too. I have pics of potter stuff somewhere I'll have to dig them up unless you want to google image if you have to see them asap.

I never did contact potter to see if he had any 60 degree stuff still laying around to sell

[ericjon262]

I did a little digging but couldn't come up with anything.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Potter was showing off his stuff in the Engine "Master's" (Chuckle) Challenge three or four (maybe more) years ago with a Cadillac.