I'm pulling my 305 and am thinking of going with a 383 so I need assistance in finding a good 383 kit that isn't hugely expensive yet is still strong. Also is it worth it to have it internally balanced or stick with external? Also is there an advantage of 6.0 rods over 5.7 rods and is it worth the price difference? Any suggestions would be appreciated cuz I want to get started asap.

 

Check out www.speedomotive.com. Look at the Might Mouse 383 kit. I love mine and they make awesome kits.Use the 5.7" rods that come in the kit, it will make more than enough power for you.

Good luck, I love mine!

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350 4 bolt main, Speed-O-Motive 383 stroker kit, re-sized rods ground for clearance,Hypereutectic pistons,9.8:1 compression,HPC Coated RPM intake, Speed Demon 750 cfm carb,World Products Sportsman II heads,2.02/1.60 valves, K-Motion springs, Comp Cam 1.6 roller rockers, Lunati adv.292/230@.050 with .512 lift,Crane pushrods,Proform HEI and MSD6A box,HPC coated 1 5/8 headers, 2.5" exhaust with 40 series mufflers,TH350 with B&M 3000 stall, Powertrax NoSlip Locker, 4.11 gears.

 

No, I have to say dont go with speedomotive. They're local to me in SoCal, and I have two friends who got absolute crap engines from them. Stuff wasnt done that should have been done before assembly on one, and the other had the rings installed wrong and it smoked and burned oil. They used to be good 20+ years ago but they suck now.

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1991 Camaro Z28
5.7L 5-Speed (originally 305)
13.25 @ 107.18 MPH
Southern California
Member: SoCal 3rd Gen F-Bodies
Webmaster: SoCal F-Bodies
-=ICON Motorsports=-

 

Well if he is getting a kit from Speedomotive he wont have those problems. I was set to buy my kit from them but they were total assholios to put it nicely. I ended up purchasing from Powerhouse. They have a site but I dont remember it. They are in most Chevy mags.

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Mark Lock
- 86 IROC-Z - Torn down for 383/SuperRam T56 setup
- -= IROC Online =- - The site dedicated to the IROC-Z

 

lock, is that "Powerhouse" or "Powerline"? I've seen the Powerline ads in CHP but not Powerhouse. I asked if anyone had dealt with Powerline on the "Aftermarket Vendor Review" board, but didn't get any response.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R. 2.73 unlimited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LB9 w/ZZ3 cam, TBD heads, exhaust, paint, etc.).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. 0.030 over 396, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" headers, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & shift kit, 3.08 10-bolt, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1 @ 5800' Bandimere. Daily driver while Camaro was being put together.

 

Nope, Im sure it was Powerhouse. If you get Super Chevy they always run an add in there. Man I wish I could remember the website. It was with a different name.

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Mark Lock
- 86 IROC-Z - SuperRammed 383/T56
- -= IROC Online =- - The site dedicated to the IROC-Z

 

I've been buying parts from Dallas Export Sales. They have some nice stroker kits. Check them out at http://www.dallasexportsales.com

I'm building me a Lunati piston'ed, 4340 H-beam rodded, stroker engine as I type. They also sell AFR heads, and whole engines.



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Daniel Burk
http://www.isthq.com/~dan/fcar.html
'84 Trans Am WS6/L69
KB SFC, Moser axles, Torsen Diff. PST suspension, Braided stainless brake lines, Koni struts, 11-inch rear disks,Spohn Adj. torque arm,
Ported 305 heads w/1.94"intake valves, Comp Cams XE262H, Griffen alum. radiator,
Turbine Technologies 2500 stall converter, underdrive pulleys, Crane Hi-6 & more.
1.05g skidpad verified.
New best E/T! 14.039 at 100.82 MPH in 41 degree air at Stanton, Michigan.

 

I have no idea about speedomotive or powerhouse so I can't comment there. I can however give you some insight on the different parts available out there. I did about 2 years of research before building my 383. the 2 mandatory items everyone agreed on was internally balancing and 6" rods. an externally balanced engine creates more stress on the crank and block and adds tremendous loads on the front and rear main bearings which shortens their life. by internally balancing the engine you tremendously decrease the stress on the crank and block and eliminate the added wear on the front and rear bearings. 6" rods are more superior in that they hold the piston at BDC which gives you better cylinder fill and holds it at TDC longer for better combustion. this creates more power, and decreases the threat of detonation which allows you to get away with a higher compression ratio. the main advantage of 6" rods is the change in rod to piston angle. a 5.7 rod 383 creates an extreme angle between the rod and piston which creates more friction on the sidewalls of the cylinder. This robs power and increases wear on the engine. 6" rods lessen the angle which lessens the amount of horsepower robbed and increases life. Ok, now onto the choices. I started out wanting a cheap kit like you did but ended up with a bulletproof kit by way of many changes in my gameplan. First off was internally balancing. a 350 is internally balanced by removing material off the rod caps to balance the engine. a 383 uses 400 rods which don't have any material to remove so the only way to balance it internally is to add weight to the crank filets. To do this they drill holes in the sides of the filets and add mallory metal which costs $99 per ounce which is where the extreme costs can come into play to balance one. To top it off, cast cranks can't be internally balanced this way so you can't use a reground 400 crank or a cast steel crank so you are left with the many forged cranks to choose from. My biggest blow was when I got price quotes for the balancing. I asked around and they said prices vary depending on the amount of metal used and most ranged between 300 and 800 to balance. As I stated, I made many changes in my gameplan and by the time I was finished I bought a Cola lightened 4130 crank, Eagle H-beam rods and JE/SRP pistons. When I had the engine balanced they didn't have to use any mallory because of all the lightweight parts I'd purchased, so my cost was only the normal 110 like any other engine. So when it came down to the end, I got a better engine for the same cost as if I'd bought cheap stuff and paid the extra for balancing. My only regret was using a 2-piece rear main seal setup. I initially chose the 2-piece because they didn't make any cheap cranks for a 1-piece but in the end I ended up getting a good crank anyway so I should have just started with a 1-piece but it's too late now. My advice is to use a 1-piece block, 4130 crank (lightened if possible), lightweight 6" rods adn lightweight pistons such as a SRP,Ross, Wiseco or other premium piston. It increases the price quite a bit but it is definitely worth it. Now I just have to get a good set of heads to feed this monster because it's suffocating right now.

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Kyle Osterholt
Okarche, Oklahoma
ASE Master Certified
86 T/A 383 TPI
89 TTA #1002 T-top/Leather
89 TTA #1358 Hardtop/Leather
80 T/A Pace Car
73 Opel GT

 

Dallas Export Sales, ie, www.strokermotor.com
I've used their kits for several 383's, ask for Richard.
SC

 

found it finally Powerhouse - www.enginekits.com . You wont find much there though.

[This message has been edited by lock (edited January 05, 2001).]