It looks as if Dart Machinery is starting to offer a little love for the Gen VII engines, by offering a new iron block and heads. The iron heads are set-up for the typical 2.18 / 1.88 valves and have 306cc intake runners and 108cc combustion chambers. The block is set-up to use standard big-block Chevrolet rod and main bearings, has priority main oiling and has retained the use of metric fasteners throughout to keep things common with production parts. The bore comes in at a standard 4.250”, but I don’t know what their limit is.

 

Raylar and few others have commented that the block and heads arent as good as OE stuff. I sure wouldnt pay that kind of money for iron heads to have them flow less. Might as well buy raylars aluminum. The carb intake the runner design looks like an after thought look at number 7 runner fuel and air doing a 45 degree turn right before the port I dont know why they didnt make it like a ford single plane intake with equal runners with all a straight shot. It is like they took the port location added a carb mount and connected the dots.

 

Maybe, as from what I understand they developed the components as being replacements for the industrial market, but I couldn’t understand a company that knows as much about casting and performance to cast components that were worse off than the factory parts…….but it has been done before. I tried to download their pdf specifications to see if they listed a max bore limit on their block, but it gives an error. Even though the block has non-siamese cylinders, you would think they would give you enough meat to open the bores up little for larger applications, but then again if they were just replacement types, they may have not cared enough about what could be instead of what is.

 

more of they took a stock dart bbc and converted it for 8.1 usage. raylar has been helping them fix the issues

 

Should I try and run a factory ecu or do an aftermarket ego system

And another question is there software I can get to do my own flashing or do I have to pay someone? If I can is it pretty easy to use or does it take a rocket scientist to use it

 

If you want to tune it yourself I would run a megasquirt. I can help you with the setup etc

 

If I do that do I need the factory ecu at all or can I just do without it

 

Not needed

 

Ed are you running the MS3.X box with the MSD coil driver box? Or did you go sequential'ish ignition off the MS box?

 

I ran mine on a ms2 box and a ls1 6010 msd box
You can run it off of a ms3 but its cheaper and easier to run it the other way.