Im planning on building a forged motor with the intention of turbocharging it. A 383 will cost the same as a 355 and provide more low end torque so it seems an easy choice. But this car will be a daily driver and needs to be somewhat reliable. Being realistic it will most likely make 500-550rwhp at most, maybe more later. Will having the longer stroke of the 383 decrease the longterm reliabilty of the motor?

 

383's are usually pigs. I have yet to see a big cube LT1 outrun the 355s around here. Dont get me wrong though, I am almost done building a 383, cause i love torque

 

I've had a daily driven 388 stroker and it lasted for years thru nitrous abuse and racing. And it wasnt even forged or balanced except for the pistons. 500hp RW +

As long as you build it right.....you shouldnt have any problems.

 

meengreen 94z,

If you haven't done so, I would encourage you to do a search. I had the same question and found a significant volume of posts that answered all of my questions. Your question gets alot of discussion on this board. Hope this helps!

 

Thanks. Ive been doing quite a few searches here and in the forced induction section. I haven't really found a thread that answered my reliability question though. Im pretty certain a 355 will suffice for what I want to do as far as power, and from what Ive seen provide greater longevity.

 

Thanks. Ive been doing quite a few searches here and in the forced induction section. I haven't really found a thread that answered my reliability question though. Im pretty certain a 355 will suffice for what I want to do as far as power, and from what Ive seen provide greater longevity

 

...why would a 355 be more reliable than a 383? Bill....

 

...dunno...my LPE 383 is 9 years old and has 35000 miles on it...1/4 mile at a time..never had the valve covers off!! In 1995 it ran 12.0s at 115....2 months ago I went 11.76 at 118...no runs, no drips, no errors...I'm naturally aspirated, no power adders, etc, but I think as long as you have good quality parts and attention to detail, you're in good shape...Plus, you gotta love big cube torque when you're at a stop light next to a ricer!!!

 

As stated by someone else, its all in the build. Just depends on what you put in it, and how you put it in. Buy price, pay twice.

Q

 

The 383 would be better although the pistons may not be as strong depending on rod length. With all else equal though the 383 should be better in every area. If you have to buy the parts anyway go for the extra cubes.

 

for the guy who said all the 383 lt1's he's seen are pigs...
i think there was a nice thread going on in advanced tech abuot it
not being rude or anything, but i think some people brought up some good points

 

its all in the parts selection and putting the right combo on each motor. I see too many 383s running a cam that I would consider small for a 350. You need more head for the bigger cubes too. That being said...if you put the right parts on a 383 and a 355...the 383 will make more power.

 

Reliability?

I built a low-budget carb'd 383 (2 bolt main, cast crank, stock rods / ARP bolts, SRP pistons) 4 years ago that ran 11.09 at 122.6 mph in a full-weight, pump gas, hydraulic cam, NA 3rd gen. The car is on its 3rd owner since I had it and the engine hasn't missed a beat.

Based on the results from that build, I built an all-forged 383 for my supercharged '95. No problems yet.


Power?

It depends on what you're looking for. A turbo will make tons of low-end whether it's stroked or not. But, if you're looking for low-end response before spool-up, then the stroker would help.

My 3rd gen from above had a 355 before the 383. The 383 with the same heads, cam, intake, exhaust only ran 11.96 at 114.

Mike

 

Here's a thought for ya.

Look for that video of the Red Z28 doing what's probably the best burnout I've ever seen on a runway. Aparrently that's the Speed Inc. single Turbo LT1 car. 355 and a turbo. I can't remember exactly but that thing was somthing like the upper 600's on both RWHP and TQ.

 

Well Ive noticed a few 396's that have lost significant power(40-50rwhp) after miles have been put on them, Im not saying this is always the case. A 383 is a shorter stroke and does seem to be the common choice for blower cars, I was hoping to get some insight from the owners.

Im just considering everything before I make a decision.