Hey,

Considering dropping in a 383 stroker this summer. I guess the obvious choice would be using a carb but this would be a daily driver and I need fuel economy.

Stealth ram looks promising, but I am by no means a car expert and need some help working out details.

My current engine is in good shape so I'm hoping alot of parts can swap over...I know you need holley fuel rails, but what else do you NEED to get? I see they sell the AFPR and rails as a kit, do I need the regulator as well? New injectors?

I have an upgraded ECU in the car right now, I'd have to ask the previous owner about the details.

I guess what I'm asking is if I got the base stealth ram (not that expensive kit), what all will I need to make it run smoothly? I can upgrade certain parts later on, but I'm somewhat tight on cash right now.

In addition, the motor I was looking at was complete except for the water pump and EFI. I have a new water pump on my 305, I'm assuming this will work with the 383?

Thanks for any help.

 

You have a 305 TPI car originally right?

If you get the stealth ram base and plenum for 300 bucks or so, you'll need the fuel rail kit with regulator for 170-225 or so, depending on the type of regulator.

If you use vortec heads, get vortec stealth ram. Stealth ram is setup to fit both 86 earlier heads as well as 87 up centerbolt style heads so your good on that.

most all of your TPI stuff will work with the 383 stealth ram. You should upgrade injectors for the larger motor tho, something like 30-42 lbs depending on your cam/heads package and power goals
also a good idea to replace stock fuel pump if its old and get a higher flowing walbro 255 unit

Depending on what heads you use and what the accessory bracket holes are on those heads, i do believe the 305's accessory brackets will bolt on. SOmeting to double check tho

stock throttle body will work, all the sensors will work you just have to decide where you want to put them. you will need a special waterneck to align with stock style radiator, and possibly a hose adapter kit since stock radiator is like 1 1/4 inch tube while most small block waternecks are 1 1/2. Summit sells a adapter kit for 8 bucks. Thats what i used

You wil need custom fuel lines, which are realllly easy to make for around 100 bucks or so.

Alot of swap information can be found in my thread here
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/alte...ealth-ram.html

Or on stealthram.com

 

Thanks for the detailed info,

Sounds more expensive then I originally imagined. How is your fuel economey with the HSR? Would a well-tuned carb be comparable, because it sure would be cheaper to buy/install.

I'm still really undecied which route to take.

 

i dont think its that expensive considering you can sell off the TPI to cover some cost. HSR with adjustable regulator/fuel rail kit is 550. add another 80-100 for fuel lines and your set. Thats about all the extra you need. I think its a good swap, i gained alot of performance with it.

A carb manifold and decent carb would still cost a good bit, and still require fuel lines and such, and a different fuel pump since carb's cant run high fuel pressure that the electronic in pump tank can flow. All that may add up

Fuel economy was about the same as with TPI, i had to tweak the tune alittle to keep it lean at idle/cruise speeds since it was running abit rich. Once i leaned it out i'd say i got 23-24 mpg highway and 16mpg daily driving which was on the throttle a good bit. I think that was really good considering the throttle usage. If you baby it, it probly hit 18-19mpg.

 

Hey thats pretty impressive! Probably not much worse, if at all, versus my 305 right now.

I wish I knew more about cars so I could do all that myself, but I'm going to need a shop to set it up for me and do the tune. At the rates these days, thats going to be expensive!

You said you were considering a 383 swap yourself? Have you done that yet? I'd be interested in any info you have regarding the Stealth Ram w/ the 383, performance, economey, ease of setup, all that stuff. I think it would be a killer combo, I've wanted a 383 ever since I read about em.

Your other article detailing the swap was very informative, thats for making that info available.

Thanks
Cam

 

I am currently doing the 383 swap. I have most of the parts i need except the shortblock Not sure when it will be done tho. From what i gather tho, it will be a pretty nasty little motor I"m shooting for mid 11's on motor and eventually 10's on spray. We'll see tho. On paper the specs look great so far.

Gas mileage i hope i can get atleast 12-14 mpg daily/regular driving and near 18-20 highway once well tuned. Its not gonna be much of a daily driver like it used to be, but i'll still drive it often. I wont beable to let that power sit around in the garage all day


The actual install of the stealth ram is very easy to do. you dont have to be too mechanically inclined, just a few things to get it running. Its basically bolting things on. Mark all wires and sensors/vacuum lines and reconnect everything from the old motor to the new. I didnt know too much about it when i did the swap but i dove in and everything worked out great

 

what kind of power are you getting with the 383/HSR setup? I am in the beginning stages of building a 383 and trying to plan it out. I was going to go carb, but then I saw a couple threads with people using the 383/HSR combo and it caught my eye

 

My motor isnt together yet, but everything on paper suggests over 500hp on crank. SHould be 400 at the wheels or more hopefully. Mild hotcam 383's have done 370whp. I mildly ported my HSR tho, but i've seen stock out the box HSR's support over 400whp before. One guy made 500whp on a n/a 427

 

sounds awesome. it's nice to know that i can either go carb or HSR with the 383. i know there are more options, but those ones appeal to me most :-)

emissions is kind of an issue for me (ohio e-check), but i hear they dont normally do visual inspections and only do a sniff test. i have to get one yet since i bought the car with the 305 tpi. waiting for the snow to clear for the season.