Okay so I went through a lot of option with my car and I've decided that I'm gonna be going with a 383 stroker, carbuerated.

So yesterday I spent a lot of the day coming up with a shopping list for the engine. I had some help from a friend who knows a lot more about cars than I do, but in-order to get a basic 383 setup done here this is what I have so far:

350ci Block: https://secure.pawengineparts.com/sh...165&catid=1477

383 Stroker Kit: https://shop.enginekits.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=81

GM Preformance Vortec Top-End kit: http://www.jegs.com/i/GM-Performance...8060K/10002/-1

And a 650cfm Edelbrock carb that I found at Advance Auto for ~$250

I'm probably gonna blow my budget away on this but I think it'll be worth it with a brand-new engine block here. And I might even be able to use the block from my current engine, once I figure out if it's 4-bolt main or not.

Questions:

What would be the next step as far as parts for this engine?

And if you have any suggestions for the parts I've listed so far, feel free to throw out ideas. Thanks guys.

 

I didn't read on these kits, but as far as I know it's mostly forged parts and they claim it can handle up to 500 hp. It's a little bit more money.
You might want to take a look at it:
http://www.rpmmachine.com/383-chevy-...roker-sb.shtml
If you want a little bit more torque on top of what you plan on building, get the block cleared for 6 inch rods instead of 5.7s.

If you use the setup you've chosen (and the new block) go with the recessed pistons and be sure to specify it's a 1 peice rear main.

Your next step would be choosing the cam.
If you have a 4 bolt main laying around, use the old block. (I'm not sure your build is really going to require a 4 bolt main but it's better to be safe then sorry). If you use a block you have laying around, have it magnafluxed before you have the local machine shop bore it.

 

yeah sounds like a good build, could look for a diffrent top end setup wit maybe with a set of aluminum heads make a little more power, but if u are set on that combo the next step is to try to find a cam for the motor try to reseach on something to match the heads u choose and then dress it up with the basic and then probably if u havnt yet upgrade the rest of the weak points in the drive train

 

If you're going with a new block, stick with a 4" piston, don't go .030" over. You'll get better ring sealing with the thicker cylinder walls. However, you'll only get 377 cubes instead of 383. You could do what GMPP does and use a 3.8" stroke for 382 and then just call it a 383 anyway.

 

I've actually seen that kit before also, but I wasn't real sure on the parts. When I looked at the kit that I posted originally, I looked at it with another guy who restores old trucks, mainly chevys, and he said it was a great buy. I found the kit that I'm currently looking at in an article by Super Chevy, also proclaiming it to be a good deal.

And yeah, I'll have to check out the engine thats in there now when I get sometime this week and find out whether it's 2 or 4 bolt main. Should be able to start buying parts this weekend, once I get a substitute so that I can put this down to work on it.

As for the top-end kit, I'm definitly not opposed to having something better, so I'll have to look around and see if I can find some aluminum heads, as well as the cam.

 

Answer yourself a few question. and be 110% honnest with yourself.

#1 Whats your Goals. HP# , ET's etc.
#2 more Street or Track ? etc..
#3 You gonna put a power adder on it later? Nitrous , etc...

This will determine A LOT and how much your gonna spend.

 

Whoops, actually meant to put all of this stuff in the first post, thanks for the reminder

#1: Goal: ~450HP
#2: Street only.
#3: Not planning on using any power adders for this car.

And what am I looking for in a cam, or cam kit? I'm pretty new to engine work.. don't know a whole lot, so what's the best thing to go with here? I'm looking at summit and jegs right now, there are tons of products but all of them are like Mechanical / Hydraulic, Flat / Roller tappet. Not sure what this means... and the lift, is more better?

 

whats your budget? is that 450 to the wheels or crank?

Seems like you just want a Good , fun , powerfull street car.

So heres what I'd say.

Use your current 350 block. No need to waste $ on a 4bolt if your only looking for 450 and dpnt plan to spin it to 6k rpm at the track all the time.

A decent bottom end kit like an eagle 383 stroker kit or what ever your local machine shop can get, use.

GM Fast Burn heads are nice for a factory head, if you have the $ AFR's , canfields, etc..

Comp Cam
222 / 230' 509 / .528 exhaust
RPM AIR GAP or a Vic. Jr intake

Dont forget your gonna need a converter , headers.

 

Well originally my budget was planned @ 2k, but I've decided that going overboard won't be TOO bad, because I'm doing a lot of this over time, and it will be good experience for me, since I've never built an engine before, and I wanna learn how. I have the help / tools I need to do it, so I figured why not?

Thanks for that advice though, and that's exactly what I want. I'm gonna go look around and see what kind of parts I can come up with to match that.

 

shop around. talk to a few machine shops. Im guessing your gonna want to assemble this yourself from the above post.

So your looking to have a machine shop
Bore and clearance the block for the stroker crank.

assembly is straight forward if you have the tools and someone helping who has done it before.

Just think of it this way. Your heads,cam,intake,carb MAKE THE POWER.
Your short block is what has to hold it all together.

Spend $ on good bolts for the mains, robs and heads.
Spend $ on a good set of heads.

just take your time. measure all your clearances 3x and make sure everything is right.

 

Now that I know your expected power output, let's throw out some ideas.

Bottom end/Rotating Assemlby:
-A steel crank should do the trick. (it's significantly cheaper then the forged cranks, and some motors even came with steelies).
http://limerock.racingjunk.com/categ...AFT-CRANK.html
-Eagle rods 5.7"
http://www.eaglerod.com/index.php?op...d=33&Itemid=40
-Pistons
Nevermind, our rotating assembly will cost more then yours did after gaskets and the flexplate... it is probably a stronger bottom end that I was building you but it will cost a significant amount more.

For the top end I would suggest using one of Edelbrock's kit (this will insure everything matches your setup and you are guarenteed a bare minimum of power):
I know these kits run around $1800 but they are pretty well worth it.
http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...end_kits.shtml
You will have anywhere from 410-430HP (based on a 350) or 460HP based on a 383.

Price List:
(***shop around you may find cheaper prices***)
Steel Crank - $142.56
Eagle Rods - $265.33
Pistons - ... gave up here
Top End (heads, cam, intake, lifters, gaskets) - Roughly $1800

 

RPM Air-Gap Vortec-Style Intake: http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/75161/10002/-1
OR
(Saw these while I was looking.. maybe a good idea? - http://www.jegs.com/p/Edelbrock/Edel...61133/10002/-1 )

Aluminum GM Vortec Fast-Burn Heads: http://www.jegs.com/p/GM-Performance...49898/10002/-1
OR
AFR SB-Chevy Aluminum Heads: http://www.jegs.com/p/AFR/AFR-SB-Che...56115/10002/-1

Bottom-End Kit(Same as before): https://shop.enginekits.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=81

I'm still having trouble finding the cams.. there are like 800 different kinds of Competition Cams camshafts on jegs, still don't know which ones to choose ><

Yeah, I'm gonna assemble it myself, or at least try to haha. I've got a lot of mechanical people in my family that have done this a thousand times before, I'm finally deciding I should learn something from them lol.

But I'm gonna look around and see if I can find a machine shop around here (right next to Omaha, shouldn't be too hard) tomorrow. Never been to one before, but I'll ask how much they'd charge me to bore and clearance a 350 block for the crank that comes with that kit. And thanks for helping me out, you guys are awesome.

 

I was just checking out those edelbrock top-end kits, definitly a good way to go for me, since that'll make my goal and everything will fit.

here it is on jegs, $1999:
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...atchallpartial

Combined with that 383 stroker kit from before, $813: https://shop.enginekits.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=81
(CR3 Rods w/ ARP Bolts, Recessed .030 Pistons, Balanced, Moly Rings)

And a 650cfm Edelbrock Carb that I can get from Advance Auto for $250

What's next?

 

Personally I would stick with the Edelbrock top end but how you build the rotating assembly is up to you. I personally would at the very least use a steel crank, rods, and forged pistons; something along the setup I was building for you. Then again I have only ever built one motor from ground up and it wasn't a stroker motor.

 

That's still more experience than me, lol. I'm gonna try to price it out both ways, If the steel crank is gonna save me from a really expensive fix later on, than I'm all for it.

They actually sell a forged 383 stroker kit, that comes with the steel crank, rods, and forged pistons: https://shop.enginekits.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=2117

Would it be worth it to spend my money on that in the end?

 

Uh, I have a link somewhere up top where they use remanufacted steel parts for the bottom end that they claim can hold up to 500 hp and the kit is like $600. I guess it's really just up to you, if you'd rather be safe than sorry, go with the forged internals (it may be overkill, I don't really know).

 

Well, if you think about it, my car will be pushing 460HP using that edelbrock kit. If I were to add on headers, and maybe like one other decent mod later on, I would be hitting 500hp pretty easily, and I wouldn't want my stuff to break on me, you know?

So would it be smarter to go with the kit I found, and spend more to begin with, rather than having to tear it all down and try again later on?

And what would I have to work on after I have the top/bottom-end finished off, and the carbuerator on?

 

Well I highly doubt you are going to go past 500 hp with other bolt ons. maybe with meth injection (MAYBE), but thats about it (or a supercharger haha).
and after the block itself is assembled and the carb is on it, you may want to move onto the rest of the drivetrain... transmission and defiantly rear. The 10 bolt is a toy, at the very least make sure the posi works good or lock it... but don't waste money on the 10 bolt, they suck.

 

Yeah, I'm putting down a grand in the spring, buying a new transmission and shifter. The one I have now does okay, but it's starting to shift at higher rpms, non-consistent, and leaks. And if I'm putting all of this money into the engine and getting a strong one, I may as well get a strong transmission to go along with it.

And what parts make up the rear-end? or could I buy a kit for this as well? and yeah you're probably right about the bolt-on thing.. i'm not going to do meth-injection or a supercharger, so I should be safe I'm guessing.. did you ever find a link to that kit you were talking about?

 

Heres a perfect reliable combo. This 383 has over 40K miles on it and 114 chassis dyno runs to 6500rpms lol. Consists of a cast Eagle crank, Eagle H beams, and Hyper speedpro pistons. Cam is an old school LPE219 and heads are an older set of Trick Flow 195's Probebly at least 6-7 years old already. Car laid down 368RWHP and 384RWTQ last fall and ran a best of 12.64@108.1. Idles super smooth and the throttle responce is awesome.

Number 1 key is machine work. You get what you pay for. I personally had my entire shortblock internally balanced. Costed a few more bones for the mallory metal but its worth it IMHO.

 

I'll keep this in mind when I go get machine-work done on my block. But I googled H beams vs I beams a little bit ago tonight.. read a couple of things that looked to me like the I-Beams are better than H-Beams. Anyways I'm gonna go look at the Eagle kits again, and see how it stands up to the other kit I was looking at.

http://www.rpmmachine.com/shop/index..._detail&p=2946 --> $1372 w/ Premium Forged Pistons, Rings & Bearings, and balancing done.
https://shop.enginekits.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=2117 --> $1288 w/ essentially the same set up.

One thing I did notice about the eagle kit vs the kit I found was the brands. The eagle kit looked like more off-brandish stuff??? I'd rather go with the other kit I think, considering it's cheaper, and I know what I'm getting.

 

EAGLE is well know. when I looked at your 1st link didnt rec. much and at $490 bucks ro what ever it was id say 90% of its prob. not so great.

Think of it this way. Would you want to pay the cheapest doctor to do heart surgery one on you love? would you want a cheap bypass valve in the body when its the main piece you have to rely on?

Look at a engine as the heart of your car.

You only want 450hp. You dont need alot to get there. As mat said above his car is well built. Seen it numerous times in person.

#1 You don't have to go broke building a engine but buy the best parts you can that are in your budget. Hell if your block is a 2 piece rear main engine you could get away with a stock 400 crank and have it cut and polished.

A set of gm pink / x rods would do. Then just get a set of forged pistons. So if you do decide to use some nitrous you will be fine.

Matter of fact here. GREAT GUYS , with alot of good stuff. Id buy a crank , or complete setup here before anything from your 1st link.

http://www.ohiocrank.com/chevsb_rotate.html


http://www.ohiocrank.com/chev_sb_shortb.html

 

just so clarify METH INJECTION isnt really a power adder. IF your running a turbo or super charger setup then yes a meth/water kit is a great add on. It helps cool the intake charge and keep detonation down. = more power because you can run more timing and more boost.

 

Well, I'm not planning on putting nos in my car, and that first kit was in a magazine project that I read up on, from Super Chevy, so I figured it's probably good. But I decided that if I go with those guys, I'd be buying the kit with the steel rods, crank, and forged pistons, which would run me 999$+Balancing


However, I'm not gonna argue with you guys on what's better, because you're more experienced than I am here. So here's that Eagle kit on Jegs, costs less than the actual site but anyways: http://www.jegs.com/p/Eagle/Eagle-St...49647/10002/-1

If I decided to go with seperate parts...
http://www.jegs.com/p/Lunati/Lunati-...55650/10002/-1 - $609
http://www.jegs.com/p/Eagle/Eagle-SI...44630/10002/-1 - $399.99
http://www.jegs.com/p/Keith-Black/Ke...47247/10002/-1 - I think these are the ones they sell in the kits, $31
Otherwhise they're like 400$ here: http://www.jegs.com/p/Sealed-Power/S...55727/10002/-1

So really... it's gonna be around $1400 any way I look at it to get the stronger rotating assembly, which is what I want. If the Eagle kit is better I'll go with that, if not the other way around, just whatever it takes to get a good thing going.

 

No nitrous or anything like that. You have no reason to spend $600+ on a crank.
Spend that $600 twards some good heads.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Eagle/356/B13005L/10002/-1 would be a good kit for ya.
Stick around 10.5:1 compression.

 

Alright then, I'll go with the Eagle kit then.

Eagle 383 Stroker kit above, + that Edelbrock top-end kit, the carb from advance.. so i'm looking at around $3200, + tax, shipping, all that so far.

What else would I need to build this engine? Any suggestions as far as like the water pump, alternator, power steering pump? Or should I just take that off my current engine and save money?

 

Id reuse anything off your engine thats good now.

What that edelbroch kit? You can prob get a top end kit cheaper shopping around.
Ask the machine shop you goto if they have any carbs around. or intakes around.
The shops here always have people who decide to built something then never pick it up etc.
ALWAYS parts to be had for a good price.

Id deff. talk to a local builder before you start getting parts. They might have stuff or be able to get better prices , etc..

Print out the stuff your looking at from Summit and jegs. (they will price match each other on the same parts) Your local shop might be able to get a good deal also.

 

http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/2096/10002/-1
that edelbrock kit

and i'll definitly have to print it out and see who i can get to have the lowest price. the reason I wanna go with the kit is that it gives me my goal plus a little more, and everything should match up just fine if i do it that way. but I'll talk to a few other places and see if I can get a better deal on it.

 

Only reason I ask is because you can prob. score a intake local, cams are a dime a dozen, your lifters are prob. still good. etc..

Would leave you $ for some better heads then edelb's.

keep an eye on the classifieds here too. I always see good deals on heads, 383 stuff etc..

 

I'll definitely check into it. I know a guy who owns one of the shops downtown here, I'll call him up and see what he's got, because if I do end up going to the mechanic for anything, I'll go through him, since he does good work, and will usually cut me a deal

 

That didn't come out right. I meant if he was to do forced induction or introduced nitrous into his motor.

but like I was saying rpmmachines makes a steel crank, rods, and pistons bottom end kit that they rate for 500 hp for like $500-600.

I would go with the edelbrock 383 (9.5:1 based compression) kit that produces 460/460 and the rpmmachine rotating assembly with 5.7 rods and dish top pistons... making slightly more then the 9.5:1 (9.8:1) compression for a hair more torque and for under $3,000 you can build a nasty street/strip motor that can safely handle the power. That's full setup, including carb... all you would need is valve covers to call it complete. I have not had a block machined ever, but I can't imagine it costing that much for the bigger crank clearance and the overbore... at most you are looking at 4 grand to build a motor; significantly cheaper then a comprable crate motor would cost.
As far as a transmission would go, I personally like the 700R4 if its a street/strip car because it has overdrive... get a shift kit and a ratchet shifter and your transmission can handle the power that your motor makes.

If you ever make it a drag car, go with a 3500-4krpm stall converter and a trans brake; if it's mainly a street car don't bother.

And when it gets to the rear, don't ask me. I have a 10 bolt in a 12 second track car that is totally stock except I lincoln-locked the rear and it's holding up so far... however I have heard these rears don't take much abuse.

 

Alright, sounds good to me. I'll have to get an estimate from somebody on the machine work for the block, but I don't think it would cost that much either. I heard the 700R4 trannys dont hold up as well as the 3 speeds though, I'll have to look into that more, but the tranny will come later on.

 

700R4s have a pretty large aftermarket following and I believe they are actually starting to build 700R4s that can handle more power then TH350s.
To convert from the 3 speed to the 4 speed all you will need to change is the speedo cable (?) and the transmission mount/plate.
A lot of sports cars and trucks used (or maybe still use) a electrically shifted version of the 700R4 called the 4L60E. The LT1 & LS1 Camaro & Trans Am, certain year Corvettes and the K1500 series pickups all use/d them. I would stick with a 700R4, but once again it's personal preference and I don't mind spending the extra bit of money to have a strong 700R4.

 

Well my car was actually made with a 700R4, and the person who had it before me swapped out the transmission. It still has the stock shifter that says 4 speed with overdrive under it, lol. And truthfully 460-500hp isn't going to break a 700R4 is it? I don't mind spending a little extra if it's not going to be a problem in the future, but I just don't want something that's gonna break down on me soon. And as for the speedo cable, my speedometer doesn't work right now, so I'm probably gonna have to get that either way.

 

I think you are going to need more carb than a 650 i have had many 383 and run one now a 650 is not going to be enough in my opinion,Good luck and you have decided on a great moter!

 

How much then? I talked to somebody else who said the 650 would do okay, but I don't wanna have to buy another one after I install it and find out it's wrong.. suggestions?

 

Go with a 750 carb. My buddy with a mild 350 picked up power goin from a 600 to 750 double pumper carb. basic 360-370ish hp 350 vortec motor too. Ditch that edelbrock cam too. Its kinda funky spec wise from what Jegs is telling me.. 242/240 reverse split cam on a 117 lsa with a 107 intake centerline?

That is too big of a cam for a 450 ish hp 383. A more streetable 230/236 cam like comp cams XE282 is more what you need. Much more friendly cam.

ETEC 200 heads and that intake are decent tho and will be more than enough for your goals. Just change the cam and carb

 

Did you check out summit's 350 stroker block? part# SUM-150100. $649 and it's all ready to go unless I'm misinformed. Great post, I'm doing pretty much the same build albeit one piece at a time over the next two years

 

The Vortecs will work great and make decent power as long as you can get a cam that isnt geared to make power up to 7k RPMs. The vortec intake ports are too small to really keep a 383 fed at real high RPMs.

But if you go with a cast crank, only plan to hit 450 or so hp, then Vortecs will work well. Be very careful about your compression ratio, though. That long stroke with Vortecs will dump the c/r very high. You can get some dished pistons to keep it around 9.5-10:1 and be okay for the street. Some guys will go 10.5:1, sometimes thats okay. Just depends on the dynamic c/r, but that depends on the cam. If you've got a big enough cam to bleed off some of that static compression, then you're okay. But 64cc heads, flat tops, and a 3.75 inch stroke aren't the best combination.

If you can swing it, I'd go with some 72cc chamber,~200cc intake port heads, and avoid any GM 72cc head. Like the plague.

 

Well, lets say we do the top-end using different parts. I've been told time and time again to try and get AFR heads.. so lets start there

http://www.jegs.com/p/AFR/AFR-SB-Che...56115/10002/-1 - From JEGS, ~$1450

Intake / Carbuerator (RPM Air-Gap intake & Thunder AVS 800cfm carb from Edelbrock)

http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/20244/10002/-1 - From JEGS, ~$659.99

So we're around $2100 now. And we'll go with Competition Cams, because not only has everybody recommended them so far, but the dumbass who had the car before me put a comp cams sticker on my rear hatch, lol.

http://www.jegs.com/p/Comp-Cams/Comp...54881/10002/-1 - Cams are like $265.99 on there, I think thats what I wanna go with, right? Not sure which ones though... And there's 1 kit on there, not sure if I need all of that stuff or not, could use some help on this, lol.

Total: ~$2400, and I've got a much better setup, right? Not only that, but I'd be able to buy parts piece-by-piece, which is kinda what I would like to do, because I'm horrible at saving a lot of money w/o spending it.

 

i think a 750 would be more like it i run a 830 on mine but thats to much for yours. with a 750 you could jet it down if you had to

 

Alright well in that case.. 770cfm Holley Carb - http://www.jegs.com/i/Holley/510/0-81770K/10002/-1 $414.99 w/ braided fuel line kit & fuel pressure guage @ JEGS

and RPM Air-Gap Intake from Edelbrock - http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/75011/10002/-1 - $323.99

Is that a better combination?

 

I sure think that would be a great combo for what your doing i ran an air gap on my dragster lasy year and it sure worked good i was a little over carbed with the 830 but now with the edlebrock blower its just right. check out our website at judgenjury.com

 

Awesome. I think this is probably what I'll be doing, unless anybody has anymore info as to why I shouldn't.

 

For the love of god don't get a 800+ CFM carb.

I would go with a 750; and realisticly theirs a good chance you will be jetting that one down.
You will have a constant flat spot with an oversized carb... most of the time you won't be able to get rid of the flat spot completely no matter what you do.

 

Would the 770 Street Avenger be okay? Or should I find a 750cfm carb to go with this engine? I guess I'm just wanting to go with a Holley carb, since I've talked to a few people who swear by them and say they're the greatest, lol.

In other news I just got my boxwrench book + video on tearing down / rebuilding a SBC

 

All I use is Holley but I have never built anything that requires bigger then a Holley 4180 (600).
I think you can jet a 770 low enough to make it work. I think a 750 might be too big honestly also. Realisticly it's a street car as you stated, you aren't always going to be at wide open throttle and I doubt you will turn more then 6200 RPM. Your trans will shift at let's say 5600 rpm, and off the top of my head I think that would take like a 600 cfm carb. So at wide open you are probably looking at a 650.

But then again, their are many more knowledgeable people on this forum; so wait for more responces.

 

Well, I've had a couple of different people tell me I'm gonna need more like a 700-750 outside of the forum, but I'm always open for more input. And I'm thinking now that I might end up taking the car down to the strip a couple of times when I'm finished just to see what it can do, because after everything is done, building this engine, new tranny, chassis + suspension, a couple of exterior parts, interior, and audio, i'll have spent probably 6-7 grand on this car, so it's gotta be good for something, right? :P

 

750 is more than enough for 450 hp

 

True, but the parts I'm wanting to go with now(afr heads, rpm air-gap intake, comp cams camshaft) will put me 500+, around 550 probably after headers and exhaust is all redone. So the 770 will work, right?