On friday 22nd when i went to the dragstrip i raced my 89trans am and managed to get a 13.4 with the new modified LT1 manifold but apparently my block could not handle the power that the lt1 had to offer so it started smokin alot. Im debation on whether i should go with a 383 or a 355, my current setup is a stock bore 350 4bolt, flat tops and some 64cc ported truck heads and as stated above the lt1 intake and some summit shorties, 24# injectors, hi-pressure fuel pump and still rocking the MAF, and a cam with a duration of 212 and 218 and a lift of about ~.488 + 1.6 rocker arms. My main concern right now is the bottom end i know my heads will not be able to handle any well built engine but i cant afford to go all out right now. My goal is to go mid to low 12s. Can you guys help me out with this build and inform me of whats good and whats not. As i said before i am unsure of which route i wanna take as far as displacement. Thanks in advance

It depends which parts you can reuse out of the 350. If you have to replace the rotating assembly, build a 383. If you can reuse it, build a 350.

You beat me to it...

wel ive decided to go with a 383, i was looking at the kits on summit for like 770 balanced with pistons +5cc 5.7 i-beam rods, 3.750 crank, rings bearings, harmonic balancer and flexplate.
are these kits any good i think its by either eagle or scat??
and
would it be any better to go with 6"rods??

when will my stock MAF max out??

Eagle and Scat are both fine. The 5.7" rod stuff is more common and therefore usually cheaper. For a street engine, there's no additional benefit to a 6" rod to justify the extra cost.

ha awsome thanks for the reply!!!

i am looking to buy the eagle kit # B13405L03053
now my questions are,

it says piston +5cc but no actual estimate on comp. ration, what do you think it would be w/ 64cc heads??

also this is a noob question but what does it mean by decking the block?? thanks again

If you are going for 500hp or more, go with a H-beam rod.

Here are a few more places to check. Some have in house brands that are good quality.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/
www.strokermotor.com
http://www.ohiocrank.com/index.html
www.flatlanderracing.com
www.cnc-motorsports.com

You don't need an H beam for more than 500 HP, there are I beam rods that will handle 700+ HP. What you need is a non-stock rod.

Yeah the do, but how much is a 700hp rated I-beam going to cost him?

I have seen I-beams twisted into a S shape many times. I have seen H-beams sticking out of the side of the block and you could literally reuse them.

Some of the sites I posted have H-beams for the same price of I-beams if not less. Im assuming that the I-beams he was looking at were maybe 5140.

About the same as a comparable 700 HP rated H beam. For example, the Manley 14101 I beam is about $620 a set and is rated for 800 HP and 8000 RPM, and the 14030 H beam is about $650 and rated for 700 HP and 8000 RPM.

The shape alone doesn't give the rod magical qualities. A good rod is a good rod, and a cheap rod is a cheap rod. Shape is almost just a matter of preference these days.

Decking the block is to machine the surface where the cylinder heads meet the block. Its like surfacing the cylinder heads, but when you do it to the block its called "decking."