Hey.
I am rebuilding an lt1. I don't know which motor I should go with. I want to do a stroker. A guy that lives by me has a 396 in his 94 formula and swears by it. I have also heard that for the price, 383 is the way to go. I am looking to do most of the work myself (other than machine work), and I need to keep the cost down. I want to stick it in my 93 in a couple years. It will be a weekend/daily driver, but I would like to run high 10's or low 11's eventually. What do you guys think? What is the best way to get a 383? A 396?

John

 

go 396 if u have the budget

 

About what is the price difference between 396 and 383?

 

IMO......the cost difference between the 383 and the 396 does not justify the minimal difference in performance.

go forged 383.........put the money you save into the heads!


hell you can buy a whole forged, assembled shortblock from combo motorsports for a great deal (check vendor index).

 

thats pretty much what i have heard from other people. i heard that the 383s rev so much better than the 396s, but 396s have a little more torque.

john

 

also, what is the best way to get 383? i have heard that .30 over with a 400 crank is the way, but I also heard that they make a 383 crank. Is there a way to get 383 without getting the block worked on? If there are different ways of doing it, then what is the best way?

john

 

http://www.cmotorsports.com/lt1shortblocks.htm

hehe..........unless of course you wanna build it yourself.

theres some very knowledgable guys on this forum i would ask for advice on a 383 buildup........mindgame and sstrokerace are the first names i thought of.

 

383 crank is a 3.75" crank with 350 journals (not sure about journals)
400 crank also has 3.75" stroke, i just think you need to get some machine work done to make it work.

 

thanks for the help. i am buying an lt1 longblock, and was gonna start building it up from there. i am, of course, on a limited budget. i am out of school this summer so hopefully i can work a lot and not have any major financial problems come up. so no matter what crank i use, i will have to get it bored?

 

i agree with cmotorsports.com suggestion 100%


you will save money, time and heachaches. just buy the damn thing if you dont know whats up.

I dont think they made made "400 cranks" (ie cranks designed for a chevy 400) with 1 peice rear main.

I'm not too good with my history though-

none the less the 400 had a 3.75'' stroke just like a "383 crank"

 

It depends on how much $ you have . I'd rather make a relatively cheap 355 run squares around a 396 someone built b/c they thought it'd be "cooler."

 

Where is a good place to buy an LT1 shortblock?

 

if you want an lt1 shortblock, then it will be pretty cheap and easy. you can find them used on here all the time. if you check your local f body websites and clubs. thats where i got mine from. also, ebay is great for that. they usually have a few on there for really cheap. just make sure that there is nothing wrong with it if you buy used.

 

I'm planing on doing a 383 build up too. What if I keep the block and just bore it out.

 

phil-
while your here
can you explain why you would go with a 355 over a 383 if you were using stock head castings (that are ported) as per the other thread people were quoting you on?