Well I have most of my parts and stuff all lined up for my 383 SBC that I'm building. I have the block machined already and everything. This was going to be the first motor that I had built. Well the guy who was supposed to help me and help me with the money issue (labor costs at the shop helping me) backed out.

I figure as though I have a couple choices.

Choice #1- I take the block, get all the parts and built it myself in my garage with help from you guys and a couple of other knowledgable friends.

Choice#2- Sell the machined block, buy a 425/460 crate 383, throw it in the car and be merry.

Choice#3- Put the project on hold for the next year, work for the rest of the money and have his shop put it together at full labor cost. (Parts costs- 5000... He says 8,000 out the door all put together)

I'm leaning toward choice number 1. I think I could do it. It would be a good learning experience, and I have a stand and stuff. As for Choice #2, 425 hp is a little under rated for me. I was looking to make just at 500 or a little over with this N/A rat and close 480 ft lbs of torque.

What do you guys think? Any advice here would be great. Any tips on specialty tools I should order, or books I should read up on would be great.


Thanks,
Joe Phillips

While 500hp is certainly poss. this will take some money and expensive parts. You seem to have the motivation quality so would suggest that you and buds have at it! I like HP's "How to build a Small block Chevy" to help with technical build of engine. Have you bought rotating kit yet? Will need to take balancer, pistons, crank, and flexplate or flywheel to be balanced. Are cam bearing in yet? Tell us what heads, cam, intake, carb, trans, and rear gears you are thinking of. What is intended use of car-street/strip and how often racing, daily driver etc. Good luck and have fun building your engine! :D

Hey Bob, Thanks for the reply.

The car will be a weekend street warrior, and will be trailered to the race track about once or twice a month.

383 SBC Stroker-

-Eagle 4130 Forged 3.750 stroke crank
-Eagle SIR 6.000" Rods (Bushed)
-SRP Flat Top Forged Pistons
-JE Rings (File fit)
-Durabond Cam Bearings
-Clevite Main&Rod Bearings
-ATI Balancer
-Canton Oil Pan
-Canton Pickup
-Melling Oil Pump

-Dart Pro 1 215 CC 64 CC Domed Heads
-Ferrera Stainless Valves
-Lunati Solid Flat tappet camshaft(3500-6800 RPM) with Specs as followed- 283°/293° adv dur, 244°/254° duration @.050", .532"/.552" lift, 106° Seperation (I would like to have this cam on a 108 LSA, but I'm unsure of who to contact to get this cam ground)
-Lunati Solid Lifters
-Crower Stainless 1.6 Ratio Rockers

-Edelbrock Victor Jr. Single Plane intake
-Holley 750 Double Pumper

-Cloyes Hex-A-just Timing set
-ARP Fasteners
-Fel Pro gaskets
-MSD 6AL box with Blaster Coil and Locked out MSD Pro Billet Distributor

11:1 Compression

The car has a built TH350 with a 3500 stall and a 4.11 Posi Rearend.
Does it sound like I matched my parts ok? Does it sound like a healthy enough mouse to reach the 500 hp goal?
Tell me what you think.


Thanks,
Joe Phillips

Yes I think you have well thought combo there and should be producing at least 450hp! Would be radical to drive on street with 11:1cr. on pump gas?! My first muscle car was a 66'Chevelle SS396 that I use to street race in 1972 in Riverside, CA! I loved that car! So when are you and friends going to dive in and start building that bad boy?!

There are three things a man must do in life:

Plant a tree, have a child and build up a Chevy small/big block! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Olli

You're leaving a lot of power on the table. The third leg of Smokey Yunick's power triangle is missing.

with that compression, that combo should easily put you into 500hp range.
I have a similar setup as yours in the bottom end, however i went with AFR 195s CNC ported. My 383 made 459hp at about 5400rpms and it kept going up from there...the only thing that was limiting it was the intake, and now I have a Victor Jr. and i can easily take this engine to 6500 peak.
Yours should be an awesome machine..don't expect smooth idles and gas mileage.

I figure with the aluminum heads and the large cam, that I should be ok with 93 pump gas and 11:1 compression.

Nova, what would be that third leg?

Joe,

Putting together a 383 Stroker is not as easy as putting togehter a 350, it's a bit more difficult. Based on the size of the cam, you may well have piston rod to cam clearance issues. This is dependent on the rods you use. Also, it sounds as if you have not ground your clearances for the Rods, Crank, etc, in the block.
As you stated "I have most of my parts and stuff all lined up for my 383 SBC that I'm building. I have the block machined already and everything".
When you state you have had the block Machined, I expect that you have just had the blocked bored for the pistons? Expect to assemble and disassemble the shortblock several times while checking clearances. I normally Assemble/disassemble and check at least three times, when doing a 383, before the final checks. Each time, you will need to mark your areas to grin. It's a good idea to do this before you have the assembly balanced, but in most cases that's not possible. A good book is the "How to Build Big-Inch Chevy Small Blocks" by Graham Hansen. The one thing that this book misses is how to grind, clean, assemble and check for all the block clearances needed. It does hit some of them, just not all, in the detail that is needed. I agree with Blazerbob, the book he recommends is a excellent starter book. Without question, if it's not balanced, get it done. After reading the book that Blazerbob has suggested, read the one I have suggested. With some help, I think you could put it together, just take a lot of time. Check crank, rod to block clearance several times. Make sure to have the timing chain on for this check. Then check Rod to Cam clearance several times, in good ligthing. This is the key to making sure your 383 is right, plus cleaning it over and over.
One final suggest, make sure to make the correct adjustment on your oil dipstick, or the end will be broken off.

Good luck,
Fred.

Well you know I got a similar combo, I'm running 91 pump with about 11:1 and 38 total no problem and the bigger 288/296 F5 cam. Have your machinst grind the rods and pan rails before doing your first mock assembly. Just gind them all and tell him you want it clear on first check. It'll make life a whole bunch easier, I hate torqueing rod bolts and such more then I have too!

Do it in the garage, it's the closest a man can come to giving birth :D

If you haven't bought any of the parts yet, why could you build a 350 or 355? Much easier like SS stated and parts are easier to come by.

Half the fun is puting together your own motor and I'm sure with good reading material, help from here, and staying in good graces with the machine shop you could easily do it yourself. I referenced alot of books and advise when I did my first one.

With those heads, a small domed or flat top piston and a slightly larger roller cam/ 260° @.050(doing it yourself you might be able to afford the roller parts) you would at least come very close to the mark you are looking for with a 350 or 355. The larger duration cam will help with the 93 octane thing, and you can still get 11:1 with those small chambered heads. Aluminum is much more forgiving when it comes to compression.

Give it a try......

Rob

Why build a 355 when a 383 is typically is in the same price range with the same quality parts. That's like leaving 28ci on the table for no reason. That extra 28ci, coupled with the extra stroke that produces it, will give you the extra torque required to move a heavy car, plus the extra cubes allow you to make more horses with less effort.

Just my opinion.

Be it a 350 or 383, I think you should not build it if money or relying on someone else for help is ever a question. I looked at the math and I still can't figure out how anyone can want $3000 to put that thing together. He must not be any sort of friend.

Mike

Slowpoke,

My point was the ease of building a 350 shortblock as opposed to a 383, just like SS4speed stated. Price was never mentioned.

If Jp needs some confidence with building his first motor, then the 350 will see him through that with much less effort. I was also trying to get the point across that, yes, you can get close to the same HP with the 350 and with the larger roller cam, the streetability will be just as good.

A 350 is a lot more fail safe. He won't have to buy/rent as many tools for grinding and clearancing which can nickel and dime a guy and he wont have to question himself "did I really make sure that rod clears that block?" Not to mention balancing the assembly by a maching shop will be cheaper(internal vs. external)

Rob

I built my 383 in my garage on a stand. I used Dave Vizard's SBC book. It was great. Getting the machine work done on the block was cheap, $250 to bore, align hone, and clear the pan rails. I did not grind rod bolts, but my cam only has 0.488" lift. The rotating assembly came balanced. Piston, rods, pins and spiral locks balanced to within 1.5 g. At 10.9:1 compression with AFR 195s,I should be pushing 425 rwhp. I have done the cam break in, and I am currently putting it in my 70. The rest of the set up is similar to yours. Go ahead and do it, you will enjoy it.

Special tools: Ring compressor, a file for the rings,torque wrench, crank bolt to turn the engine over, micrometers, and something to install the oil pump pick up. Vizard has a diagram to make one from a piece of pipe. It worked great.

Kevin

even though I doubt this route would be what you wanted, but have you priced out having them build you a shortblock and than doing the cam, heads, etc. yourself?

takes the fun out of it, but it may or may not save you money/time.

Do it yourself. Onovakind please tell us what the third triangle or whatever is? Don't see why you posted that but didn't mention what you were talking about? Were you talking about the bigger size heads, victor jr. and big cam? $3000 is a RIP OFF to put a motor together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unless it was some kind of Pro-Stock motor, or something really special. Get yourself a die grinder and a good book and ask questions here, and do research here, it will be no prob!