Ive been wanting to replace my 305 now for a long time. i thought i wanted a 383 stroker but i have been hearing about 396s lately i thought it might be cool but i didnt know the ups and downs of each. moneys not really an issue but im not trying to spend it all. i only desire to run high 10s on nitrous but i want it to be a low 12 second car all motor that is totally streetable. i have some parts in my head that might work for this application but i need a little advice in my direction. i really want the car to be able to handle high rpms but im not sure how hi. so far i was looking at a powerband up to 6800 rpms. i was really looking towards a 600 horse motor but i didnt know if that would be too much for what i only desired to run. it may sound like im rambling but i just need a lot of help.

 

Scott Shafiroff Racing Engines sells a beautiful 434 cubic inch small block chevy that is guarenteed to make 600hp for 9 grand with a decent warranty even. Go high 10's on motor all while being streetable, warranted, and even ahead of the game dollar wise opposed to building a mild 383 to begin with and tearing that apart and going for something meaner afterwards because you were unhappy with the first motor... Oh yeah...they dyno, break in, and tune the engine before they ship it to you.

GM sells a ton of crate engines also to suit your taste and budget.

Pat Musi Racing Engines, B.R.E., Fast Times Motorworks, Nelson Racing Engines, and even Bill Mitchell Harcore Parts can sell you a custom engine or one of their crate engines from 300-2000hp wallet pending. Goodluck!

 

Oh yeah! American Speed, Speed-O-Motive, and Edelbrock also have a couple dozen SBCs to choose from.

MTI or Agostino Racing Engines can also set you up with GenIII based LS1 and LS6 crate engines, anything from 346 to 436 cubic inch. Tell me a 420+ cube LS6 headed motor in a thirdgen doesn't sound cool.

 

a 436c.i. LS6 in a 3rd Gen..........I want one!

 

would it be cheaper and better for me to get a crate motor-or do it myself. do it myself would be fun and the experience would be good, but i would rather take the safer and least expensive route.

 

A crate is going to be the easiest and most reliable, even if you only get just the assmbled short-block.(w/o heads etc)
In this area experience = reliability...
But you could still put on the heads of your choice and cam..

 

Doing it yourself sounds fun and asking around for the best of this and that is cool but all in all you'll save time and money doing a crate engine. The saving money part like I said would be messing up stuff like buying stuff that doesn't match properly. It may sound all good on paper but when time comes to assemble and run you may run into machining problems, mis-matched cam/head/intake combinations which can affect power and driveability overall. Also you won't be dealing with a local machine shop for assembly, machining vs. just buying a fully ready to run package from a shop(possibly even that local machine shop/race engine shop). And the whole 1 or 2 year warranty possibility, etc and having a big name behind your engine, etc. I don't know. I'll tell you this much. When I watch ALL of the local guys I race with, the guys running a full engine package from a well known race shop seem to be very consistant and happy. They buy it, the shop tunes it and out to the track they go. Other friends of mine I've seen have SERIOUS problems from their first attempt at an engine build up, leading to less track time, more money, and a lot of frustration. later man

And as far as us bypassing your 383 vs. 396 question. The 396 version has a slightly longer stroke crankshaft leading to a little more torque production and a little more power from the added cubic inches. Price wise there may be no difference at all as most aftermarket SBC parts cost roughly the same once you'r away from the 350 cubic inch 4.00" X 3.48" bore/stroke combo.

And like you said...you learn from experience. I'll let ya think about that one.

 

Have a good friend who builds them, he is in warren mich, just north side of detroit. Might want to give him call, his work #586 771 6888; ask for craig.



http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/487725

 

im looking at buying a 350 block from my friend with a pair of double hump heads and a forged crank for a 383 build. the engine is a 2 peice seal block. is it really going to matter if i go with a 2 piece or will it be better to look for a 1 peice. i cant say i know the advatages of either.

 

2 piece or one piece it really doens't matter, even costwise things are about the same.

One thing for sure, I'd avoid those old double hump heads to the collectors. Newer aftermarket heads completely blow them away.


Here's some neat reading, how accurate I don't know.

LINK

 

i was told these were sweet heads from back in the day and that a lot of people like to use them now. thats what my friend told me so im not really sure. are there no disadvatages or advantages to a two peice or one peice at all.

 

They were sweet heads back in the day, but for low bucks you can buy a set of new L31 Vortec heads which completely blow ( and flow!) them away.

Remember heads are one of the biggest factors for making power.

 

does jegs or summit carry those heads.

 

If you plan to go EFI and want Vortech heads then you better like the manifold that SCDP produces because there is no other that will work.

 

Scoggin Dickey is probably one of the best places to buy Vortecs.

http://www.sdpc2000.com



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