So, I recently bought an 87 IROC and would LOVE to put a huge blower on it. 871 style.

But the engine has 387k on it and obviously needs some love if I am going to do it. I was looking at what is out there, and ran across this kit on Summit:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-csum383-20

Curious it anyone has any experience with the POWERBLOCK 383 stroker kit from powerblock and if it is worth it?

 

That's not an engine. That is a kit of accessories to bolt onto an engine.

 

Hmmm, that is strange. I totally read that the other way LOL

What about this then?

https://www.summitracing.com/search?...=383%20stroker

 

Go on facebook marketplace and you'll find dozens of half-built 350s for $2000 that are probably overpriced. Some used, some never ran.

Tear it down and inspect. If the pistons are good, have a machine shop check the rotating assembly for balance and have them check the cylinder bores and the deck on the block. If all that checks out just throw it back together. You can find 383's just as easily as 350's, but with a blower you may want to consider a 350 since you can keep the compression lower which will suit a blower better. Just get some really good heads on it and assume whatever heads and cam your marketplace 350/383 has on it - assume it's trash. Valve springs, valves, flat tappet disasters, whatever, straight to trash. The important part - you can inspect the bottom end, have a machine shop look it over, and put it back together, and you'll have all the random parts you need to have a full engine. Toss it in the car with whatever decent top end you want (Cam and heads should run you around $2500 for something moderately decent. maybe some AFR enforcers and an XR282 cam and lifters) end enjoy.

If anything your biggest concern is probably whether some chucklehead dingleberry honed a stock bore block that needed to .040 over or not. I recommend sticking with Vortec 5.7 motors if you get something thats never been rebuilt. Something that has been rebuilt you want to make sure the cylinder bores are no more than .030 and that there's not a bunch of piston rock and how far in the hole the pistons are (bring feeler gauges even).

In the mean time you can pull apart your current 350 and see if it's worth stripping and building into a "spare" engine. Dingleberry hone it and re-ring it if you can measure the bores and they're not too bad. Or have the works done to it. Whatever. Having a backup motor that is finished or at least mostly there is great peace of mind when you're really leaning on something.

 

Dude if it runs at 387k I would buy the powerblock 383 kit and install it and let her rip. I’ll say this the 871 on there sounds pretty freaking awesome as well. I put the powerhouse striker kit in the berlinetta and I been roasting rustnags ever since. Maybe if cash is a bit tight you could install the powerhouse kit and then maybe throw some nitrous at it. Run it till it pukes.

 

Go for it, OP! Get yourself that 8-71 and bolt it right up to that 387k motor. I mean, what could go wrong?


Don't forget to cut a hole in your hood!

 

Thanks for all the advice.

I have heard a little bit of what I think is lifter noise in the current engine. So thinking about replacing the lifters. Do you guys think these would be a great replacement?
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-ht21416

 

Do you have any ideas what NOS kit would work on my car? Now that you have me thinking about it, a nozzle screwed into each runner would look badass!!

 

Golly; it sure would, but not nearly as bad-a** as that big blower sticking out of the hood!

 

I just had a very DUH moment....

I haven't even asked about what cam and compression combination would work best for the 871 on a 355 stroker. Any helpful advice on where I might be able to read more about that?