Im looking for a shop thats very familiar with the LT1 around the midwest. I want to build a forged 383 shortblock. My goals are about 400 RWHP N/A and another 250-300 shot on top of that, probably a dual stage. Im gonna stay with stock LT1 castings done by lloyd and a custom cam. This thing has to be streetable as itll be my daily driver putting about 12K miles a year on it or so. Id like it to last 2 seasons before having to be re-ringed and re-bearinged. With about a bottle going through it every week or two. Sometimes more often sometimes less.

Anyone have any suggestions on what crank and rods and pistons to use? Im thing as far as bearings teh clevite 77Hs look good. How would the hbellfire rings work in my application? I wanna get at least 25K out of the motor before having to tear it down with a lotta bottles going through it that time. I dont wanna buy parts that cost more then i need and i figured id talk to the people that have gone down this route before and can tell me what i do and dont need.

I have a good part of the supportingmods already (hooker long tubes, hooker off road Y-pipe, hooker catback, 3600 stall vigilante). Looking at a 58mm TB and bigger injectors and some other misc stuff then im gonna do the trans after the motor is together and probably a 12 bolt rearend from strang after that)

Im looking at the shortblock now though, then the heads and intake injectors and tuning. (gonna build the motor first)

 

What state are you in? I know a good local builder, but if alot of these better guys online here in the midwest are closer I'd use them.

 

damn, thats exactly what I built. I have an eagle forged 3.75 crank w/4340 Hbeam eagle rods, SRP pistons, hellfire rings, hseries bearings.

dont forget you'll def. need a good oil pump, true roller timing chain, and might want an aftermarket oil pan if your plannin on driving it that hard, that often. I cheaped out and reused the stock oil pan after modifing it to fit the stroker.
what area of the midwest are you located in? APE here in sout east mi. area has done quite a few stroker LT1 engines. they are a supporting vender.
I just finished mine and have just under 200 miles on it so far. it feels great but havent done a WOT run yet. just goosed it here and there. waiting to break it in real good. 400RWHP is very easy to achieve w/some lloyd heads and the right cam. I have a 233/239 cam in mine, only cause I installed it before the bearings let go. I would have stepped up to a much larger cam if I had known I was goin to build the eng. like this. Im hoping for 400 RWHP with my home ported heads, so I know you wont have a problem makeing 420RWHP with a better cam and some nice heads. if you got the coin, get some LT4 heads/intake ported instead. you'll be ahead of the game that way.
good luck.

chris

 

Im looking for something around IL IN WI OR MI. Dont wanna give out to much info since im gonna be looking to race for $ and dont want everyone knowing exactly who i am. (even though some people with no lives will go aorund snooping in my other posts trying to figure it out) Im gonna stay with stock LT1 heads and a stock LT1 oil pan. Trying to stay as stock in appearance as possible. I just dont wanna order from like combination motorsports and have to pay to ship a motor half way across the freakin country and have 8 asshats kicking it on and off different trucks and beating on it.

 

Contact Harden Motorsports in Nashville, IN.
Darren will hook you up.

hardenmotorsports.com

 

Call Al Parker, he's in Newton, Iowa. He is probably one of the best engine builders in Missouri/Iowa

Thanks,
WB

 

Can i get away with a cheaper forged crank and some descent I beam rods and what pistons should i be looking at to take this kinda abuse?

 

Bishoff Engine Service BES in Indiana.

 

Im pretty sure there is no cheaper forged crank for an LT1. the 5140 cranks you see advertised everywhere are for old school SBC's only. I think I paid $499 for my crank from combomotorsports I have some 5.7 Hbeam rods I'll sell ya for $300 plus shipping NIB if your interested. and I got some NIB ARP head studs w/12point nuts I'll sell ya for $100. I almost bought the scat 5140 Ibeam rods w/7/16 arp cap screws, but decided Id rather spend a little extra and be sure it'll take it, plus the eagle H beam rods are made for a stroker crank, so the rod will clear the cam w/o clearancing it. I preassembled the eng. just to make sure it all cleared, but it is made for that. email me if your interested in those parts. as I said, they are New In Box unopened. as for pistons, Id say SRP's should be your cheapest bet (bout $460/set). but if you really are goin to spray 300 often like you say, you should prolly look for a nitrous piston such as one from JE or the like. you'll spend more like $700 /set and upfor those.
chris

 

I dont mind paying extra for a good piston if what i want to run will need it. I just odnt wanna buy a $2000 crank if a 4-600 dollar crank will do what i need.

 

So is a 5.7 or 6.0 rod better for a heavy nitrous 383? What are the advantages and disadvantages of them? I heard ones good for more torque and the other helos with the piston moving a lil faster helping the cylinder fill better with big ports???? Ill be running lloyds best on top of this motor. With a custom cam.

 

I bought the 6.0 rod, thats why I didnt use the 5.7" rods. but the eng. builders I talked to, said the only real bene. is the 6.0 will have a little less friction w/the cyl. walls due to better throw/rod ratio. he says not to expect any more power at the levels were talking about. but maybe better cyl. wall life. if I were you, Id start callin the eng. builders and talking to them to get there opinion on the matter. I just decided to go for it. one draw back is the rings are into the pin area resulting in more weight from a longer rod and the oil ring support rail's. the 5.7's wont have that problem.

 

Ok ive been doing some reading, and your right about the les wall wear apperently. What im thinking is the 5.7" rod will be good for me since ill have more room from the top of the pin to the top of the piston to help support all that thick fog ill be spraying down in those holes.

What bolts are in thoe Hbeams you wanna sell, are they the ARP 190,000 PSi bolts or???

 

Ok sorry about all the posts but i keep reaqding more stuff i the search area and getting more Qs. I found a thread taht says a 355 will make more HP with stock ported heads then a 383 with the same stock ported LT1s. So now im thinking about AFR heads and wondering what they are selling for and whats it gonna cost to have those ported ior should i leave em with the stock ports or???? too many Qs my brains gonna leak outta my ears lol.

 

http://www.stealyperformance.com/AboutUs.html

Jeff is the man and thats where im going when I finish off the combo I have now