well, i was originally planning to do a forged piston 355 vortec build, but it seems like the whole story is changing

i can get a whole rotating assemb. for the 355 for like 580 dollars, and a 383 rotating assemb for 680 or so dollars. i still would love to use the vortec heads, seeings as i have them, and i would be unsure of what cam to use, my question is as follows.

383 vs 355, which one would you choose and why?

If you've got to buy the complete rotating assembly (crank, rods,and pistons) it's a no-brainer. Build the 383! :cool:
The TQ of a 383 and the grunt of the Vortecs make a great combo for a heavy street machine.
Just watch your piston selection...Vortec combustion chambers run around 62cc.

Another vote for the 383. 100 dollars is well worth the torque that the extra 28ci will bring you.

Make sure that quote is correct and that it'll be for a rotating assembly includes pistons that'll make the CR you want with the 62cc chambers, as Bill stated earlier.

There is no question, 383. Oh, and use the vortec heads.

My brother made his 430HP Fast Burn into a 383. Runs pretty damn good. I think it way blows away the 350. Not sure if it make a ton more HP, but the torque is pretty impressive.

Actually, I think a 400 is an even better deal!

Ron

Why were you considering building a 355 in the first place? What is you car/motor going to be used for? If your going to buy a complete rotating assembly, then your money will be better spent on buying parts for a 383. Will the rotation assembly be balanced or unbalanced? I'd pay the extra money to have it balanced. The only draw back to going with a 383 is that you'll have to have the block machined/notched to give clearance for the longer stroke crank. But other then that, 383 is the best way to go. If you don't want to hassle with spending more money to have your block machined, and the car/motor is only going to be a cruiser, then a 355 would probably be a better choice.

i want a badass street car, im a tech at a dealership so ability is no problem

it comes unbalanced, ill haev to have someone balance it

Do the 383 stroker I have one in my 70 chevelle and it's awesome but do pay attention to the compression ratio with the vortec heads mine is about 11:1 with flat top pistons if I was to do it again I would have used a slightly reverse dome piston it runs ok on pump gas but a little hot in the summer check out this web page they fully have balanced kits.
http://www.enginekits.com/

BruteSBC,

I agree, build the 383, the HP/TQ will make you glad you built the 383, for sure. Just make sure you have someone close by to help you with the grinding of the block and checking the clearances. That becomes very critical when building a 383 vs a 350. The first time building a 383 can be a bear, and there are several misc items to be careful of. There are some excellent articles on the Web that show all the areas that you need to grind. The sequence that you build it in, is also very important, so be careful there also. Remember that the rotating assembly is larger, so you have to be careful where your oil stick is located after the assembly. After building my first 383 (and I have built three of them, with one still to be built), I would never suggest a 350.

Good luck,
Fred.

well i was gonna tackle clearances and such once im done deciding what to do

If you are a decent hand at mechanics, you can do the clearance notches yourself--------------save the extra bucks, buy a couple of six packs!

if your getting an assemb. that cheap, its prob. cast crank, and will have to be ext. bal.(unless you pay a small fortune for heavy metal and int. bal. it) if ext. bal., make sure you use the proper balancer/flywheel

There is no replacement for displacement.... 383!