While garaging my L98 camaro this winter i was planning on bottom end, crank, rods, pistons, etc. thinking of 383 and about 10.0 to 1 compression, what do u guys suggest?
-Gabe

 

I suggest a 400. If you build a 383, you're going to need to do all the same stuff anyways.

383 requires at least:
#1. New Crank
#2. Block Clearancing
#3. Small Base Circle Cam (if you don't already have one)
#4. Pistons/rings
#5. 400 Balancer
#6. 400 Flywheel/Flexplate
#7. Custom PROM
#8. Injectors

A 400 will Require all of the parts listed above along with:
#1. A 400 block
#2. Drilling steam holes in heads
...But you will not need to do block clearancing.

The expensive part would be a roller cam retrofit. $250 for Speed Pro hydraulic roller lifters from www.sdpc2000.com. Get a HOT cam for $175. Buy a roller timing chain set $70, a cam button and wear plate $30, and be done with it ... at least that's what I'm gonna do.

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355 c.i.
Dart 180 Heads
Lunati 224/224 cam
Harland Sharp 1.5 rockers
Performer RPM Manifold
Holley 600 cfm double pumper
Hooker Super Competition Headers
Flowmaster Exhaust
Competition Engineering Sub-frame connectors
Super T-10
GM posi 3.42 rear
Hurst Roll Control
13.9@102

 

Wouldn't it be easier to just use a 350 block? Start with a roller 350 block?

 

400's are high maintenance though, & hard to find. Because they have siamesed bores, they're very hard to keep cool & I can almost promise you'd need to upgrade your cooling system. Plus as mentioned above, retrofitting the cam, drilling steam holes into the heads, etc. You've already got the L98 roller block, I say punch it & stroke it! That's my plan for this winter!

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'91 Z28 1LE; 355, Sportsman II heads, Edelbrock TPI w/ 58mm TB, Tremec TKO 5-speed, 3.73's & much, much more

 

Yes, drilling steam holes is a real setback.

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1991 Firebird
350 L98 (was a 305 TBI),T-5,Edelbrock TES and cat back,Accel manifold
NOS,subframes,jegster torque arm,MSD Digital 6
AFPR,Lakewood lcas
Hurst linelock,SLP cam (206 212 .480 .486),relocated battery,cold air,Hypertech chip,centerforce df,clutch
poly bushings and mounts
AFR 190s
Harland sharp 1.5 rockers
autopower rollbar

12.33 @ 114.83 juiced uncorrected

13.510 @ 102 non juiced uncorrected

 

there are ways around that.if you are gonna spend the money on all he machining and a quuality crank just get the 400 and have the pistons and combustion chambers coated to reduce the internal temperatures of tthe metal after the combustion cycle.