Funzy383

Hello Everyone. I am new here on CamaroZ28.com. I got an stroker LT1 383 and been really unlucky with the crank. Eagle Cast crank just broke snap before the first rod journal. So I am replacing the Crank and while I got the motor on a stand I will do what I should have done at the beginning.

Here are the present Spec's :

383 Stroker Kit
Eagle cast crank (going with a Lunati forged 4340 Sledgehammer)
5.7 I beam rod
SpeedPro hypereutectic .30 Over Pistons
LT4 Hotcam (yeah I didn't know what I was thinking first)
1.6 RR summit (Procomm or something)
Stock LT1 Head ( I got two set will post Casting number later) a set of 93 and a 95 I think
52mm Professional Product Throttle Body
4L60 non E freshly rebuild and improved Tranny
3.42 Gear
and... NO MAF!! WOOT

Ok now I was thinking getting my heads Ported by a good professional in my area (Zekes) but before I do this I was looking for some advises.

I was looking for a Good cam for it with or without Head porting. From what I have red on forums the CC306 cam is great but I can get better. Now I was looking at the TN-230XL. It is listed as 230/236 @ .050", .544"/.555", 112 LSA.

Now My problem from what I have red.... Is the fat that I got a Automatic Transmission.

At this point I need some advise the TN-230XL have very nice spec to me such as not a too big Overlap. I am mostly driving this car every day at summer ( Snow at winter ) but I really like big performance. I would mostly like a not to rough idle (Loby Idle is good real big choppy is not good ). Tuning will be done for sure.

So if you guys can help me with this it will be really apreciated!

I'd like to post some pictures also if you can tell me how, I am not really use to forums yet hehe.

Thanks

P.S. I am a frenchy so I hope my english wasn't too bad....

David94TA

Welcome! I'm sure you will get several different opinions on this question. If I were doing it all over again, I would call a porter who knew these engines and ask them for recommendations. Lloyd Elliott is a supporting vendor on this website and offers heads/cam packages and could probably get you what you want depending on your goals. With the extra cubic inches, you definitely want ported heads. If possible, I would also spend the money to buy forged pistons in case you ever wanted to try nitrous or forced induction.

Just for reference, on my first 383 build, I used stock heads just cleaned up a bit, 10.7:1 compression, CC305 cam on a 112 lsa with 1.6 rr. It made 365 rwhp and 388 rwtq. Hp peaked at around 5700 rpm. Not bad but you can see that some good ported heads would have made a big difference.

Good luck with your build.

henryz28

If you do not have a stall it is a must; buy a 3200+ from yank or edge racing. I would go with http://advancedinduction.com/ or http://elliottsportworks.com/home/?page_id=51 for the heads and cam. It is going to run you a few extra $$ but will be well worth it.

Funzy383

Thanks David94TA and henryz28 for your reply. I forgot to mention that I am on a tight budget also. Like everyone I want everything for nothing! hehe But Seriously I got to buy a new crank (about 600$ cause I will not go cast again) and for the rest I just want to optimize the top half. I was looking at a 500$ job on heads (probably on my set of 10128374 instead the one I am running now the 12551561) and a Cam 200-250$. That goes up about 1300$ and I had a budget of a 1000$ I can live with an extra 200-300$ over.

About the Stall I am actually running a 2200 it is very nice for street everyday drive. I understand It would be more productive with a 2800-3200 But I would like to not change the stall ( $$$ Again ).

So what can I expect from my heads with I good porting job with my Hotcam 218-228 525-525. Can I get a bigger cam and keep my 2200 converter and still have good take off? It already burn the smoke of out the fender when I hit the gaz even with my 285-35-ZR19!!! But I want more and the lower cost as possible.

Is the TN-230XL too big for my setup?

Thanks again guys it really nice to get your help...

henryz28

Try to pick up a cc503 cam and be sure your valve springs can handle them. Smart man for not buying a new cast crank again; should have stopped in here before you built it with that cast crank. Go with elliottsportworks if you have the money, if your current springs are good enough for the cam you wish to run Lloyd will knock off some cash on the head porting. You are far from him so shipping might be too much; if your local porter is good he might be the way to go for you. The cc503 will make more hp through the entire power band, it is a good off the shelf grind. But I would run a larger stall even with the hotcam I am on a 3200 pro edge racing stall; you don't need it, but you will not be near the cars potential without a good quality 3200+ stall.

RamAir95TA

Of course everyone is on a budget, but if I were in your shoes I would keep the cam relatively small since you do not plan on changing the converter. That will make the car much more street-friendly.

klrz28

Just curious what did you do to break the cast crank? I know they can take some beatings.

Funzy383

hehe i didn't do much i was going to work 8am at the morning daily drivind and it started to knock. i never abused my toys and i take very care. Oil change every 1500-1800 miles, Mobil1 synthetic only. motor as about4k miles. the way it broke you can see it was not my fault.

the crank snapped between the damper and the first rod journal ill try to link pictures later. check on the forums you will see other eagle crank break at the same place. motor never went over 5300-5400 rpm. people are saying it is a "hit" or a "miss" with this crank

shoebox

...not an Eagle cast crank. Many feel they are weaker than a stock crank.

RUDEDOG

The eagle cast cranks must be hit or miss. I have really beat on the one in my sig with no problems.

Jon_Esslinger

Get a custom grind. I know Lloyd Elliot makes them and AI. I got mine from Ed Curtis at Flowtech. I really don't understand why people get shelf grinds.
got a 224/230 .598/.605 111lsa cam. Its streetable and makes sick mid range torque. My car crapped out on the dyno because I'm stupid, but on the baserun it had a flat torque curve. Basically I got exactly what I wanted, which was a mid range torque cam.

mguidry629

You can probably find a bunch of pictures of broken forged cranks too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying cast is better so don't jump my ***. I would go forged anyday over cast, but I think if balanced, set up correctly, and motor tuned right, you probably wouldn't hear about that many broken cranks. Might just be hit or miss too. I hope mine holds up, I guess we'll see.

RamAir95TA

Unfortunately you're speaking in pure speculation. The guys who have seen this happen in real life are a testament to how poor the cast stuff really is. No matter how good the tuning, machining, balancing and installation, there are still far too many failures.

Funzy383

Actually Crank rod everything was perfectly balanced. And when I went to see my body at the machinist place he had a demo crank on the wall... A BROKEN EAGLE CAST CRANK! LMAO I was really laughing so I can say it is the 2nd broken eagle cast crank I see in a week...

Really going Forged this time I have found a Lunati SledgeHammer 4340 brand new for 599 free shipping... Can't go wrong.

And I finally make up my mind for my build. As I want to keep my 2200 stall (will go 2500 max ) I am going with the CC503 cam. 224-230 and 536-544 with my 1.6 ratio RR. So it is a knotch more then my Hotcam 218-228 and 525-525.

Also decide to spend more money (even if I don't really have it ) will buy Longtube Stainless Steel Headers and brand new catback from Magnaflow.

This should make a better setup then what I have atm.

Also with the CC503 I am pretty sure I can keep my Hotcam Springs. Am I wrong?

I want to thanks everyone on this forum for their support and help. Thank you very much!

RamAir95TA

Stock stall is right around 1900 - you will be very disappointed with the 2200.

The 503 is a completely different cam than the hotcam, so no, you can NOT run the hotcam springs, not even a little bit.

Honestly, I would make the converter a PRIORITY over anything else. You're already taking a step in the right direction by ditching the Eagle crankshaft, continue the trend with ditching the crappy converter.