Well, I decided not to go ahead with the Buick 455 Project, because of money issues. I had the motor running yesterday in the car, and I think it threw a rod Im not sure, but Im scared to look inside it now, so thankfully my neighbor is buying it back from me(he's a buick man, diehard). So, Im going to purchase a 383 kit from Larry's Performance shop that includes the block, pistons, new oil pump, bearings, crank, etc for $1100 w/cast pistons. Im lost on which cam to go with, and Im stuck between the AFR 190 heads and Trick Flow 23deg. Which would flow better? and which is cheaper? If the Trick Flow heads flow as good as they say on their site, I could go with shorty headers and a shorter duration cam right? I dont think I would need the scavenging effect with really good flow, and shorter duration. Tell me what you guys think, sorry to keep going back and forth, I guess Im just having bad luck lately.. ALso, should I go with the SLP or AZSM runners?? Thanks for all the advice and help lately......

 

ive heard nothing but praise for the AFR heads ( a bit pricey)
no runners!
from what i gather from people (ive been doin lots of 383 research as i plan on it for my 89 IROC) the TPI just doesnt cut it for airflow on a 383. Look into maybe the LT1, Stealthram, Superram, Miniram etc...
you could try the TPI, see how it works for you, no loss cuz you already have the setup.

 

Well, I want to keep the TPI intake setup because of its broad torque curve. With the large tube runners and the plenum and base ported, it should flow decent enough for the 383. Im still not sure which runners to go with, or a cam yet. I emailed CompCams with my build setup, so hopefully they can recommend something decent for me. Im actually thinking of going with the Trick Flow heads. My buddy's said nothing but good things about them.

 

I think you are confusing massive amounts with "broad". TPI gives you massive amounts of Torque from off-idle to around 3500-4000 RPMS, and then TAKES A MAJOR DIVE!!! The aforementioned Super Ram, Mini-Ram, LT-1, offer a much broader torque curve. If you are towing and want it all on the low end, the stock TPI is actually hard to beat though.

 

Well, youre right, the "stock" TPI setup loses power after about 3500rpm. When bigger runners are installed of equal or shorter length, the torque curve stays the same, just a higher rpm range (where the stock one would die). Thats what I meant. The LT1 and super-ram make their best power at 4500rpm and up, and a 383 doesnt like alot of rpms... they make their best power under 5500rpm. Im going to go with the AZSM semi-siamesed runners and Im ported my plenum more Im also gonna go with the AFR195's and have them swirl ported. The only thing Im left with choosing is what stall for my converter??? I was thinking around 2800rpm??

 

Food for thought:

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=127166

 

Well, I agree, it works good on a stock 350....Thats it there "stock". A 383 is a whole different monster. They dont like to rev high. The majority of its power is in the 2500-4000rpm range. With a short duration cam, and high velocity swirl port heads, and shortie headers, you dont need shorter runners. If I was running a .530 lift cam, I would go with the Stealth Ram, but my cam is only gonna be about .490 to maybe .510 at the most with duration at about 230-236 deg. at .050. A 383 makes it most power when you can get COMPLETE cylinder fill and have it exit very quick.......The mini rams work better on a 350. Look at the motor's Lingenfelter built in the early 90's with the stock type setup and a 383. He was making about 500hp and 500lbs of torque. .....Just my .02

 

Yes and lingenflter also used his 219/219 cam with 1.6 rockers making it .560 lift. My friend has one of these motors in his 85 vette. He also has 26lb injectors and ASM runners not the siamesed runners. It runs mid 11s all day!! Also he shifts between 5800 and 6000 rpm.

 

Well, the Lingenfelters have the Corvette alum. heads also, so they need a bit more lift because of what point the heads peak flow.....but with the AFR's they peak much lower so a shorter duration less lift cam would work well I think.....We'll find out in a couple of weeks anyway...hehe Hey, I could be wrong..

 

Have you researched the Pro Action Lightning heads? Go HERE to check out the flow numbers for the 200cc intake 64cc combustion chamber 23 degree iron heads. Then go HERE to buy 'em for $675 ready to go!!! They flow better than the Trick Flow's and are within a few cfm of the AFR's through the entire rev range. I just witnessed a dyno pull ( flywheel ) that used the 180cc intake Pro Action iron heads, Edelbrock Pro Flo EFI ( Victor JR type intake ) 355 ci, cam was REAL close the the ZZ4 cam specs ( a tad more duration ), 1 5/8" headers......heads were out of the box. The engine made 417 HP @ 5800 RPM and peak torque was almost 430 ft/lbs at 4500 RPM. I'm a true believer now. Thing idled almost like a stocker.

I talked with the owner / builder of the engine, he said everything but the hard parts and the heads were swap meet items. With EVERYTHING, he said he had less than $2800 in the whole engine........

The weirdest part is what car it's going in........a '68 AMX!!!!!







HTH

 

Thats a great deal for heads.....That motor you witnessed sounds strong also....Im not sure What valve size to go with now though, because if I go with a 2.02 or larger, I might lose too much of my lower end....hmm. decisions, decisions....

 

UPDATE: I have decided that since the LTR's cost like $400, Im gonna try the LT1 since you guys think it will work better for the 383. And, beleive it or not, Im actually gonna try some Stock heads(reworked of course) and see what happens. Im pretty much just building this till I get the money for my 377ci motor to get done., so I dont want to throw a ton of money into this. My 383 will actually be a 385 since the boring job was screwed up by the previous shop, so Im gonna do it myself. Im also gonna pocket port the heads and redo the valves. I know Im getting the LT1 intake, but I want to know what all it takes to make it fit????? any info on that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Kyl, I am only trying to help when I write, so please believe me when I tell you this. With proper cam selection, your loss in torque should be negligible. Further.... 377's and 383's, at least with properly tuned carbs churn out VERY clost to identical hp and toruqe numbers. I would advise you just stick with the 383/5. Good luck with whatever you decide though...sounds nice.

 

Oh I know, I meant nothing bad.....I really appreciate the advice. I decided to try the LT1 intake basically for something different. Does it bolt up nice or will I have problems with water leaking like the other guy on the board?? What can I expect power wise from the LT1 with my 383? And, what would be a radical cam for it(something on the edge of being too much)??? As far as my 377 goes, Im building it strictly for race. I actually bought a pristine shape 84 camaro 4cyl 5spd for $1500. I know that sounds like alot, but it only has 36,000mi on it. Some older guy decided to sell it when his grandson didnt want it. I thought about putting the T56 and my 377 in it. The last 377 I built would SCREAM. It liked to launch at a crazy 6000rpm, and would scream all the way to 8500rpm. It will have a carb on it of course though....ANyway, back to the LT1 intake. How much is the remote t-stat housing ??? Anything else I should know about the 383 w/ the LT1 intake?

 

Also, how big of an injector should I go with? And would injectors from newer vettes, camaros, etc work ??? Or are they any bigger that what I have now? And finally, what do you think of my using my stock heads(ported, etc) with the LT1 and the 383? Would it choke, work??? THanks again guys.....I really appreciate the help, you know how it is when youre building something new or different. THis fuel injection stuff gets to me sometimes....hehe

 

And yet, another question for anybody, which headers should I go with? and with putting headers on, do I need anything else?? I can have the Ypipe custom made, so thats not a problem, but will I need an ac bracket? and an 02 sensor bung? I was thinking about trying the Dynomax headers, but not to sure, wanted to get some opinions first....thanks again..