Well rod bearings let go, time to go bigger..

What should i consider??? 355, 383, 396

I want a forged bottomend for at least a 200 shot if not more.. But i want more than 430rwhp NA.. So that tells me that a 355 is out. A 383 has a lot of torque and peeks at 6200, i was planning on spinning it to 68-6900rpm's. I would like to build a killer 396, for the name and the power. But yet again i hear they are alot of hassel for the money spent. I am considering a half filled block, this will be a track car only, with a light cruze to Sonic from time to time. I dont have a problem buying new heads for the 383 or 396, right now i'm sitting on some LE2 with a matched intake. I have an extra lt4 block , so now is the time to go big.


Question 2--
What pistons and rods will hold 800 flywheel hp??

 

if you want to spin it out to 6800 rpms, go 355...

 

Those LE2s will work nicely on a 355.
430 N/A is not unattainable.
Dump the 200 shot on it and you'll be flying

Are you looking for bragging rights (HP or cubes), a street car or something that will run a nice ET at the track?

 

Well i have to compete with two 402 LS2's with 250 shots. So pick me a setup up that will run with that. Thats why i was opting for the 396. I dont have to spin it to 6800 i just figured that it would make more power up top if i have a cam and bottomend for it. Alot of guys like to run NA to NA well i would get my but handed to me against those LS2's, i need more cubes..

Overall i just wanted a fast *** car NA and then stupid fast with the spray.

 

VRE 383 Racer Short Block(4 Bolt Mains)
Compstar 3.750" Stroke Crankshaft, Compstar 6.00" Connecting Rods, Diamond Pistons, Diamond Pro-Select Rings, Clevite Main Bearings, Clevite Connecting Rod Bearing, Clevite Camshaft Bearings, ARP Main Studs.

 

build it right and the rpms arent going to be an issue with the bigger ci
your valve train/cam are going to effect where its going to peak at.


i agree that the more ci needs more air but has anyone proved that a 355 would be faster then a 383 running the same head?
i know its a different animal but there are plenty of fast ls1s running big ci with less then 300 cfm from the heads.
a guy on my local board is running a 408 ci and is getting mid 10s from less then 300 cfm


i can see if your building on a budget to get a 355, but if your buying all new interals the only extra money is going to be in block clearencing. why not go 383 for the extra torque.

 

355ci...its cost effective.....but you got to hose the ***** out of it

 

If you have about $8-9K to build a max effort 383-396 that would be killer but for your average guy wanting to spend $3-4k then the 355 with a 200-250+ shot will run with most of those LS1-2 cars. The strokers are going to make alot more torque and a litte more HP but in a race car you can setup a 355 on the spary to run with bigger engines. Remember it's the right combo of heads/cam/intake setup that makes big HP.The bigger cubes help but cost quite a bit and then the intake becomes the big restriction so you have tofigure in all the added costs like aftermarket heads, extra machine work, single plane intake or highly modified LT4 to go with the strokers. With the 355 you can get away with big valved LT1 castings and a fully ported LT1 intake. JMO I have run 9.83@136mph@3,450lbs, 3.55's, ET Streets and in full street trim on a 175HP shot. I have Lloyd E ported Trickflows but the car ran low 10's with my ported LT1 castings. Later Clint

 

If you want more of a street car, I would go with a stroker. Your not going to be reving the **** out of it constantly, and youll still have incredible torque down low. It will also help with cam surge if you choose to go big on a cam.

 

you could go higher than 430 on the spray with a 355, but you'd need a fat heads and cam package.

 

What??

I have almost 430rwhp now, and i was spraying a 150 shot when the rod bearings went. I want more NA hp than 430, like 470+ plus a 200-250 shot .., I want those LSX guys to know you dont mess with an LT, there are few around, but the ones you see out are fast as ****.. Thats what I am going for, i could care less about the cam surge . I want some hp!

 

470+ na at the wheels....good luck. better off having a faster car with less hp. Say 420 rwhp and spending the money on suspension/chassis to get it to hook good and having the right tranny/rear combo to run quick.

 

For driving around on the street, not necessarily racing, just enjoying the ride here and there, a stroker is too cool. To me, having had a big block Shelby GT500 back in the day, the low end torque is worth every penny, just in terms of the stoplight to stoplight feel. Add in the instant throttle response of an LT1 and it puts a grin on my face over and over, just driving the thing. But that's just me.

The best advice I've seen in this thread is to not worry so much about getting an extra 25 or 50 HP at the dyno, but to build the WHOLE CAR to be fast. To get the E.T. you want, it's all about hooking up the power. Your 60' time will make the difference, and that's not about 415 HP vs 450HP.

It's about hooking up, and that costs money too. Divvy up the $$$ between the engine and the suspension/tires.