Alright, so I finally got off my *** and started getting the stuff together to build a 383 stroker. This is my first engine build, so I am taking my time and trying to make sure that I am doing things correctly.

A good friend of mine has a buddy at school that is trying to get rid of his stroker kit. After talking with him on the phone, he agreed to let it go for $625.

My issue is that the kit doesn't come with rods. I'm not sure what happened to them... if he used them in another motor or what.. but I know that I will not be getting any if I buy this kit. He also claims that he has a bunch of other little extras that he was going to use in his motor (that he never ended up building) that he will be including with the kit.

I was planning on going to look at it sometime this week, and I was hoping that you guys (and all your seemingly infinite wisdom) could give me some feedback about what I should be looking for. Is it even worth considering if it doesn't come with rods? How hard would it be to match aftermarket rods with the stroker kit if I do buy it?

My power goals are anywhere between 400-500HP, and 400-500 lb/ft of torque. I have a 4 bolt, 1 piece rear seal 350 block waiting for a kit so that it can be matched and machined...

Any thoughts?

 

If it doesn't have the rods, it's not a "kit"; it's just some parts.

If you can find out what rods they were (which is what you'd need to replace them with), and what the other parts are, it would be alot easier to make an intelligent guess at whether it's "worth it" or not.

 

Firstly, you can buy complete stroker kits for that price.
If all you want is a budget stroker kit, then a complete balanced one is the answer.
On the other hand there are crankshafts that are worth more than $625 alone, and those aren't even high end.
So there's no way that anyone can advise you on whether you're getting a good deal or not, without a great deal more specific information.
Find out exactly what parts he has for sale, and the condition they're in. Pics will help.
If it's a good deal, it would be too bad to let it go. But then too, maybe it's just a pile of overpriced leftovers.

More info please...

 

That's the answer that I figured that I would get.

Give me a day or so to get some more info and update this post.

 

Personally, I'm kinda cautious about these things and wouldn't even consider this 'deal'. Why is he wanting rid of it? Why does it not have rods?

Look around well known vendors and sites and you'll come up with a good deal on a stroker 'kit' to suit your needs. Try a seach on this board and see how people have got on with various vendors and their prices.

 

You can certainly get a budget 383 crank, rods, and piston for $1,200 or so, even a 1 piece seal kit. You aren't going to get a set of oliver rods, callies crank, or J&E piston at that pricepoint - but you won't need them at 400-450hp anyway. The important thing is that the assembly is balanced and all the machine works and assembly is perfect. Regardless, use a roller cam in you 383, cheaping out on a flat tappet will cost you HP in the long run.

 

Well I won't be utilizing that "kit". I started pressing him harder about where the thing came from and he finally told me that he got it off of ebay.

Glad I researched it through.

On a side note, what do you think of this company/kit?

External Balanced Part #EB3832

• Crank: New SCAT Cast Steel 3.750 Stroke
• Pistons: Keith Black Flat Tops 10.3 CR w/64cc, 9.1 w76cc
• Rods: Scat 4340 Steel I-Beam, 5.7 w/ 7/16 Bolts
• Bearings/Rods & Mains: Clevite 77 'P' bearing
• Balancer: Pioneer 400 elastic style 8" diameter
• Flexplate: HD 400 168 teeth
• Balance: High performance street/strip,
• Piston and rods matched +- 2 grams

"This is the kit we use in our 425 HP motor and in our new 484 HP Hyd Roller Cam Motor, just off the Dyno."

$1069.00
http://www.dallasexportsales.com/RA383.htm

 

One of my friends used them when he was rebuilding his 305 and says very good things about the company and their service.

 

I'm kinda nervous after reading this thread... https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ht=stroker+kit

 

So, we still don't know what kind of crank your friend has for sale.
Did you find that out?

About Chinese parts, There's a place for them in this world, and that's for guys who can't afford the good stuff.
I have Chinese parts, a set of Scat rods and an Eagle crank. I'm aspiring to do a build with all American parts someday, but for now it's either Chinese or recon'd factory parts.
Quality control in China isn't as good as in the US. In the 80s you could buy a Chinese socket set for $1.50, it was the sort of stuff that you'd give to your employees to use if they were someone who's prone to losing your tools but for some reason you don't have the heart to fire that person... Or loan to your friends, or give to your kid on his 5th birthday.
Their quality control isn't as good as ours is yet, but it's better than it used to be.
A lot of guys have used Scat products with satisfaction over the years.
Think about a Snap On or Proto wrench and how it looks and feels in your hand while your using it. And compare that to an Ace Hardware brand wrench.
That's what the difference is like, It's in the quality control.
Guys buy what they can afford, and if we can't afford the good stuff then we have to compromise.

Personally I'm holding out on buying made in USA parts until LS1 stuff drops in price, cause I'm thinking about going that way for my Masterpiece Motor.