3rd Gen / L98 Engine Tech 1982 - 1992 Engine Related

HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 03-28-2005, 11:27 AM
  #1  
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
WhiteLightnin83's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cazenovia, WI
Posts: 82
HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

ok well my situation is i have a 350 in my 83 z28 and i spun a rod bearing. i have never wholey taken the motor apart, just a mild rebuild of the top of the block. well i spun a rod bearing and when disassembling the entire motor i discovered that the motor has already been entirely rebuilt and is bored 30 over and the crank has already been cut 10 under. well i figured if i'm gonna rebuild it with a new crank and such i might as well make it a stroker since its already bored. well i don't know exactly what i need to look for when i'm buying these kits and i found one on ebay that is within my price range(under $1000) and i'm wondering what everyone thinks of it, is it a good deal or what? i'm wondering if it comes with everything i'll need for the rebuild or is it not listing something important lol. well it says with the flat top pistons on 64 cc heads it'll produce 11:1 compression and thats the set of pistons i'd like to buy with the kit since i have 75 cc heads i figure it'll be roughly around 9.75:1. i figure this might up the horsepower to about 400 ish? also i'm wondering what a good carb would be to put on something like this... any info for this newbie would be great! heres the kit i'm lookin at

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...964110179&rd=1
WhiteLightnin83 is offline  
Old 03-28-2005, 12:06 PM
  #2  
Registered User
 
Dyosis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Behind a Desk in OKC
Posts: 118
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

That price doesn't seem too bad. I woudn't want to run 11:1 compression on anything but aluminum heads though, due to detination (sp?). You will have to clearence the block and possibly the rods also. You have to go into this "project" knowing that it is more than just throw the parts in and go like rebuilding a 350. Another thing to remember is, whatever you think the motor is going to cost to build....add AT LEAST another $2000 on top of that and you might be close. Strokers arn't the cheapest thing to build.

With all of that in mind......have fun.
Dyosis is offline  
Old 03-28-2005, 12:45 PM
  #3  
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
WhiteLightnin83's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cazenovia, WI
Posts: 82
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

like i said with the compression thing, im running 75 cc heads so the compression wouldnt be anywhere near 11:1, i'd assume more like 9.75:1 just guessing with the bigger chambers. well what all do i have to do to this block, and why is it $2000 more than i think to build? im not building a damn 460 big block alcohol motor... i think that price is a bit dramatic. $800 for the kit and the motor is already bored 30 over. where do i get the block clearanced and how much will this stuff run me? also the carburator question still stands, whats a good carb to put on a 383...
WhiteLightnin83 is offline  
Old 03-28-2005, 01:10 PM
  #4  
Registered User
 
Dyosis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Behind a Desk in OKC
Posts: 118
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

You are adding more stroke to a 350 so therefore, the block and possibly the rods have to be clearenced for the additional "swing" the crank makes (for mine, my block and rods had to be clearenced). You might also have to clearence the rods for the camshaft you plan on running also. Once you temporarily piece the motor together, you will see the areas you will need to grid down.

As far as a carb, it depends on what heads/cam you plan on running and how high a rpm you plan to spin. Since I don't know what you plan to run, starting out with a 750cfm carb would be a good choice. I prefer Holly D/P carbs and the Speed Demon series with mechanical secondaries.

I figured my 383 was going to run me around $4000-$5000 when I first started. It cost me close to $10,000 when I was done. Not only did I build my motor for 550+ hp, I used quality parts to hold everything together and to hold a 250 shot of nitrous. So I am basically saying, if you want to build something to take a beating and live, you will spend more money than you think. I had somebody build my motor though, I bought all of the parts and told them what I wanted. If you plan on building your own motor, you can save alot of money, but quality parts do add up quick.
Dyosis is offline  
Old 03-28-2005, 03:05 PM
  #5  
Registered User
 
Randy92Z's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Apple Valley, MN
Posts: 41
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

Im building my Eagle 383 kit myself now and after talking with the machine shop, they will do the clearencing needed for the 383. Most stroker kits come with connecting rods that have the extra clearance needed for the cam, but it should be checked, nevertheless.

Thoes are the 2 areas needed to be checked and most of the time your fine. Other than the .060 pistons you'll need for your install (388) its pretty much the same as your basic 350. I wouldent get too hung up on clearence issues.
Randy92Z is offline  
Old 03-29-2005, 10:53 AM
  #6  
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
WhiteLightnin83's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cazenovia, WI
Posts: 82
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

ok so i hear from a friend of mine that i can actually just clearance the block myself. all i do is partially assemble the block and see where the crank will hit the block and just grind the block where it hits to have a quick easy fix. assuming that, if i buy this kit and then clearance the block myself, with a good 750 carb i should be good to go then?
WhiteLightnin83 is offline  
Old 03-29-2005, 11:47 AM
  #7  
Registered User
 
Z28SORR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Friendswood, TX, USA
Posts: 3,769
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

Your on the right track, but you've left a lot of questions unanswered. These questions are where the money comes in.
This kit looks good. It has a good cast crank and certainly wont be a problem at 400hp. So lets talk about the 400hp. It takes more than a stroker kit to get there. This would be a good start, and you could do this first, and later ad the other parts that are needed as the money becomes available.
You said that you have heads, but not anything about them. Have they been mod'ed are you going to mod them? What cam and valve train parts are you planning on using? What intake and exhaust are you going to run? What igintion? All this and more has a part in getting the 400hp you want, and it all cost money!
This assemble is externally balanced, so you will have to take it, the flywheel/flexplate and the harmonic balancer to a machine shop to have this done. You also need to check the ware of the cylinders to se if they need to be rehoned or bored.
As for the carb I use a Demon 780 on my 383.
Z28SORR is offline  
Old 03-29-2005, 03:07 PM
  #8  
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
WhiteLightnin83's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cazenovia, WI
Posts: 82
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

how much will this cost to balance the flywheel, flexplate, and harmonic balancer all balanced at a machine shop? also, i do have an upgraded cam from summit that has about 5k miles on it and the lifters. i believe the cam is a 234 degree/244 degree, .448/.510 lift. i'm not sure about the intake, i just know its a weiand aftermarket intake, not sure exactly what though. i had an edelbrock 600 electric on that but thats long gone, had enough of the small carb so i sold it. as for exhaust, i just know its got hooker headers and a hooker super comp muffler. the ignition system is an excell supercoil. i think most of these parts will do for now until i get enough money ahead to start replacing everything, the first to go after the rebuild will be the 75cc heads. the cylinders look good, not a blem on em so they won't need rehoned or bored.
WhiteLightnin83 is offline  
Old 03-30-2005, 10:33 AM
  #9  
Registered User
 
Z28SORR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Friendswood, TX, USA
Posts: 3,769
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

Great, looks like you have things well in hand. As for cost for the balancing, it depends on the shop. Your going to have to call around.
Z28SORR is offline  
Old 03-30-2005, 01:00 PM
  #10  
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
WhiteLightnin83's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cazenovia, WI
Posts: 82
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

awesome! best news i heard all day. well is this balancing necessary to have done? and if so, can i get a rough idea atleast of a price for it. i have no clue.... thanks for everything so far though! greatly appretiate it!
WhiteLightnin83 is offline  
Old 03-30-2005, 11:56 PM
  #11  
Registered User
 
raul.garcia's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 158
Re: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!

Go for it man, you'll learn alot by the time you get behind the wheel for the first time.

I started out the same way, and I did a lot of research (on squish, stroke/rod ratio, induction, emissions ...etc.) for about a year before I did anything, started networking (finding people who can buy wholesale) ended up buying a World Products race block Motown 350, that set me back $1500 from the get go. didn't have any clearance issues with that block, it's really strong, and you can bore the sh*t out of it. I pretty much did as Dyosis, but did all the mods myself, the machining for the mods was done by a friend - that saved me a pretty penny, most people just don't have the equipment to precision build an engine, and finding a good builder isn't easy, or cheap.

It's a Vortec TPI, and I'm keeping it that way for while, I stopped keeping track of expenses when I hit $7k, across 2 years, cause I couldn't sleep from thinking about all that money, but once I turned the key, and heard "Z-Dragon" beltch, It's been sweet dreams, and I don't regret spending it, or however more I going to put into it, because it's staying with me for whatever life I have left to live.
Short Block Top
Short Block Bottom
Long Block
Done; LOL not
Sound clip 1-3/4" SLP headers and Stock Exhaust
raul.garcia is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
reww86
General 1967-2002 F-Body Tech
3
08-29-2015 06:04 PM
smoknta
Cars For Sale
1
08-27-2015 05:07 PM
95z28man7
N2O Tech
3
08-16-2015 10:58 AM
surreybrad
LT1 Based Engine Tech
10
08-10-2015 09:34 AM
alphaauto
Cars For Sale
0
07-26-2015 04:40 PM



Quick Reply: HELP! newbie trying to build a 383!



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:11 AM.