if you didnt read any of my other posts, i blew the head gasket on my engine. so i am going to buy a used lt1 put in in my car with all the boltons i can find. then i will be taking my old motor and rebuilding it from the ground up, very slowly because i am not rich enough to do it all at once. so i need ideas. i want to go with forced induction. i want something that is quick and reliable. i dont know if i want to go supercharger or turbo. i will be keeping both motors so its not a big deal if something goes wrong i just need a few days to change motors. i really dont know where to start or what to look for when it comes to rebuilding a motor. i have friends that are certified mechanics so they will be helping me with the work. but i need to know what im going to buy before i start to take everything apart. so i know i am asking a very broad questioon but you guys are very good with this stuff. i would have tried a search but i dont know what im looking for.

when it comes down to it i need to know what is easier/cheaper/safer/more relaible - sc or tc

what types of internals i need to get because i know the lt1's dont like boost. should i get a whole rotating assembly or just get forged pistons?

and also what you guys reccomend as far as companies to start to call and ask questions of for different parts/ and where to get the best deals cause i am not rich

thanks

 

What kinda power are you looking for out of your new motor? If your going to be doing it why not go all the way and get a forged bottom end? Are you thinking about stroking the motor or just leaving it stock stroke? what kinda heads are you going to run? Ported lt1's will save you money. When you figure out how you are doing your heads and what kinda power you want call comp cams and get the cam that best fits your want. 1.6 rockers on your heads, lifters, springs to match the lift numbers of your cam (comp can help you with the lifters and springs while ordering your cam) then focus on the bottom end.

 

power i will worry about after i figure out exactly what i want then i can tweak it to where i feel good about it. but i do want it to be somewhat streetable but only a weekend car.
why not go for a forged bottom end? why go for a forged bottom end? i dont know the price difference in the two but if its a big difference then i wont be able to do it.
dont know if i wanna stroke it or not either, i need to know the pros and cons of doing it. i read on here that strokeing the motor makes it not like forced induction.
i think im gonna go with advanced induction heads cause all the stuff i have read tells me they are great. then once i get the numbers on the heads i cfan figure out the cam and stuff but i still need to figure out what im gona do with the bottom end, thats what i am here trying to do

 

How about coming up with a complete plan for what you want to do.

Money will be the biggest factor in determining what you can achieve. Remember that you have to get that hp to the ground, and if you make lots of power, you'll have to spend a significant amount on the rest of the driveline.

Realistically, how much can you spend? $3000, $5000, $10000 or more? No matter what the figure is, you should still have a comprehensive plan on how you will spend it. If you spend most of your budget on a bulletproof bottom end, you won't have enough left to make enough power to use the strength of that bottom end.

If you are reallistic about what you can spend, there are folks here who will suggest ways to get the most bang for your bucks. While a SC or TC has a very high "cool" factor when you pop the hood, if you just want to go fast, you might do better with a milder NA 355 or 383 and a moderate shot of nitrous when the chips (or pink slips ) are down.

My $.02

 

Hes right you need to give a dollar amount you would like to stay around because there are many ways to give you power some cheaper than others. A dollar amount and a hp amount will get the answers coming in.

 

ok ill give you a good dollar amount
i have 2k in my hands right now
i make decent money and have plenty of time to do this motor so its not really a big issue, ill put a cap on 3500. thats about what i want to spend on this motor. if i need more than i do if i dont then i dont want to spend that much.
now is 500 hp too much to ask for with this little bit of money? is it even streetable with that much power.
or am i looking at 450 as a more reasonable mark to shoot for?

im new to the whole building a motor to what i want type thing. im used to getting this, getting that, and then working from thier to find out what i need next to get to my next goal.

again thanks for going through this with me

 

3500 Might get you a 355 with a mild heads/cam setup. No way will you get a supercharged, or turbo charged setup for that price, as just the parts for the forced induction will exceed that.

 

well i have the block so should i skip the whole forced induction idea alltogether

 

$3500 total is going to be tough

Forged rotating assembly $1800 (383 or 396 same price, 355 will be about 800 cheaper)
Ported Heads $1500
Custom Grind Cam $300
Machine Work/Labor $1500

That will put you in the 400-450 range NA

I am building my 94 to be a 10sec daily driver, so I chose the nitrous route. Nobody in their right mind would spray 100-150 shot ALL THE TIME, but they think they can drive a 5-600rwhp FI with no issues.
When my motor let go I priced both a 355 and a 396. The only difference is the crankshaft and you have to clearance the block. The pros to a stroker is the extra TQ but the con is that you can't run as much RPM.

 

i love the idea of something different. i would love to have a high rpm car. hwo would i go about doing that?

is thier a list of machine shops anywhere? or will i have to go to a speed shop and see who they use?

 

Speed (rpm) as well as uniqueness costs money...how fast do you want to go?

With $3500 max, you are very limited as to what you can do. It won't be exotic, and 6500 rpm might be a good rpm limit. The good or bad news is that the stock LT1 bottom end will be more than adequate for the power you will make. Done right you can see 400+ rear wheel horses from a 355.

For a start look at Jon A's cam/valvetrain only 350. BTW, it was a lot more than $300 because ALL the valvetrain parts had to be right, but even the heads were stock.

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259094

Look at how much "area under the curve" was increased, and how much more power there was at 6500.

Adding good heads like those done by LLoyd Elliott with a custom cam and valvetrain should get you the most bang from your bucks. Remember, you won't need a forged bottom end; a stock LT1 will do. You might just rebuild your stocker if it really needs it. A blown head gasket doesn't necessarily mean you need a complete rebuild.

If you go this way you'll be running it sooner, and it will probably be damn fast, but it won't be exotic. Of course you could lie a little when you beat someone and tell them it's full of exotic forged expensive parts. Or you could tell them it's just a stock LT1 shortblock with heads and a cam, and they probably won't believe you. Ask Jon A.

Save a little money for the driveline. A better clutch and some drag radials should help a lot. Keep the rpm down where your cam designer tells you and you'll be fine, IMO. Once again, lie about how high you turn it. Just tell guys that you shift at 7200 instead of the 64-6500 where you actually will shift. If your car is fast they will believe you.

I have a feeling all this isn't what you wanted to hear, but that's how I see it.

Good luck!

 

i dont mind hearing any of it. if you tell me i need more money then i do, im glad youtold me instead of me going out and getting a few things and then being stuck wasting more money. o ya this is gonna sound dumb but whats this 355 buisnes i keep hearing about? high rpms was a pipe dream ive had for a long time, so i was just throwing it out thier.

so when it comes down to it im just looking at a good heads and cam motor?

 

a 355 is an Lt1 bored .30 over to 355 c.i. Good luck in whatever route you choose.

 

does anyone have any web sights that show prices and companies for the atroker kits and such. it would be much appreciated

 

dont shift so soon.