Ok so im shopping for a block and or complete engine to rebuild, dont really have a budget for that part yet still trying to get a feel for the market so to speak. Goals go something like this:

383 ~350-375hp and ~450-475 ft lbs
TBI or hopefully TPI (any other suggestions?)
Aluminum heads (recommendations?)
Will custom tune the thing myself, might take awhile but id like to do it on my own, good stuff to know and my dad knows his far share of engine stuff, its just the later model electronics hes less familar with

That basically sums it but very generally. This engine will be going in my lifted 94 z71 (soon to be lifted more), so its more about the torque than the hp and speed. What cars/engines/bare blocks etc etc should i look into for this build up? If i could find a complete engine with preferable injection setup all there that would be great, and just kinda rebuild, replace some parts on it. Thanks

 

what engine do you have now? what casting number?

 

ill have to go check the casting number, but its a 94 all stock (other than TBI spacer) 350 TBI w/ 4l60e behind it. The plan is to get another block/engine to build from so i can just pull one drop in the other, im only 18 and the truck is my only ride. I've also go this what most people consider dumb sentimental thing where i keep all the OE parts from my truck, so when this engine comes out it will get cleaned up and put on a stand in our shop.

 

For most budget rebuilds, reusing the stock block, assuming it is the same cid that you want to base off of, is the best thing to do.

 

i will be starting off with a 350, stroking to 383, however using the stock engine in the truck right now is out of the question. Its my DD and only vehicle, so i cant have it be down while i build the engine. Also, ive just got a thing about keeping all the OE stuff in stock form, so when the new motor goes in, the stock will come out, get cleaned up, and then put on a stand like a trophy.

 

I'd try to find a 87 or later 1pc rear main seal, roller 350 block. They came in Camaros, Firebirds, Corvettes, and the later trucks. Your 94 should have a roller cam, i believe.

 

TPI is pretty much out of the question for your power goals. A stock TPI anyway.. I'd look into something more along the lines of Holley Stealth Ram.

 

89RsPower: is a Stock TPI actually not capabe of supporting that much power? i was under the impression that it was, or was with slight modification. what would be necessary, other than injectors which come to mind, to meet those needs? obviously custom tuning as well.

thanks

 

Yeah there is no way a stock tpi will support that level of power output. You will have to go to a completely aftermarket, really expensive setup to get there. A carb is the only way of making relatively big power cheaply.

 

You would need to replace pretty much all of it except the sensors, wiring harness, ECU (but you will need a new chip), and maybe the throttle body, but the stock TB is kinda small for those power goals.. a cheap alternative to buying a new base, runners, and all that other aftermarket TPI junk is to buy an LT1 intake and mod it yourself, or buy one from LT1Intake.com and have a decent flowing FI system for less then aftermarket TPI parts would run ya...

 

TPI is a great system for making tons of torque, but not too good for making HP, for example say you have 2 engines that are exactly the same, one has a carb on it. Lets say the one with the carb on it is making 350hp and 375ft lbs of torque. The other engine which is completely identical but with TPI on it would make something like 290Hp 385ft lbs of torque. Its primarily because of the long runner design that TPI has, it falls flat on its face around 4500 rpms or so where as the carb is still capable of flowing way beyond that. Thats my quick overview of why TPI is limited