How many miles does the LT-1 go befor a rebuild on the motor and also when it starts to loose lots of H.P.

 

how long does a chicken flap its wings once its head is cut off?

 

I'm at about 212,000 miles, and I'm rebuilding a second block at the moment. Definitely not as powerful as she used to be, but still reliable. But the 396 stroker should take care of the power problem......

 

Depends on the compression. If its fine, just run with it. Run a leak down test or compression test to find the condition of the rings. Are you burning oil? A 383 or 396 build up will cost $3000 not counting top end work...

 

NO ITS NOT BURNING OIL, I WOULD LIKE TO DO A 383 STROKER BUT I DONT THINK IT WILL PASS SMOG IN CALIFORNIA DOES ANY ONE KNOW HOW I COULD BUILD A 383 SMOG LEGAL.

 

Ok, now we are getting some details. I’m in Cali and I’m building a 383 smog-legal. Yes, they can and will pass if set up properly. The given statements arguments are true: 3.75” stroke and 5.7 – 6” connecting rods. After that, the cam you select will depend on how your intake and exhaust is set up. You can and should be conservative on the valve overlap. Legally, in Cali you can only put in a component that is CARB approved… Crane Cams makes the only CARB approved cam for LT1s. However, people are building with CC503s and LT4 Hot Cams on the 383 and passing.

Cylinder heads is your next consideration… ported stock LT1 heads or aftermarket. That will affect the low lift flow numbers which is good for performance but also enhances the number of HCs which slip by during the valve overlap. Again, you can see why your intake and exhaust flow is important.

Everybody’s set-up is different. You will likely need a custom cam. Ideally, you’ll want to increase your dynamic compression ratio while minimizing valve overlap… let a cam expert help you with that.

I’m still playing with the idea of Super Charging or N2O. I’m at a turning point at the moment because the type of piston, cam configuration, and head porting style are critical at this stage. I can’t go any further.

Some S/Cs are CARB approved and only the dry N2O systems are emission legal. However, if you choose the N2O option, wet seems to be the easiest to adjust (argueable).

But your plans for the future should be made now before you put your engine together. No need to tear it apart after its done because you decide to throw on a S/C.

 

can i just rebuild a 350 with forged piston, forged bottom, enough to handle 200 wet shots?? or do i have make a 355 in order to make a strong engine that strong enough to handle nitrous???

 

Typically, people will bore their cylinders to get them perfectly round and will use torque plates to accommodate bolt stretch. If you clean up the cylinders .030 it equates to 355. Going to a 383 raises HP a little but really improves torque. You can use your normal block if you STUD not bolt the 2-bolt mains. If you go over 550-600 HP, then splaying the caps to 4-bolt mains is needed.

Either way, you don’t want to hit 200 HP shots on hypereutechtic pistons. You'll definately need Forged pistons which would require re-balancing the bottom end.

About a smog-able 383, yes it is possible. Get your computer "tuned" after you complete your project.

 

There is no real difference between a 350 and a 355 in terms of strength. A 355 is simply going .030 over with the bores, basically cleaning them up. Some claim 10hp gain with this, but is not the main consideration in determining whether it's "stronger" or not.

 

Correct, the .030 is to just clean up the cylinders. Not much power gain. It just allows you to put in fresh forged pistons on a new bore surface. Ideally, you'll want to remove as little as possible to keep the walls thicker... but then you're going into "custom" pistons... .010, .020....

 

A word to the wise-
if ANY of this seems foreign or you've never accountd for/heard of any terms/practices-

dont even bother trying to build your own motor, buy random peices and send it to a machine shop or anything like that. Spend an extra $2-300 and just get a crate motor. It will save you in the long run.

That $300 is well spent, especially when it comes to the top end.

 

Good point. There are a lot of stresses on the motor and it must be built with precision. If you are not comfortable, go with Nu-Tek or CMotorsports to get a crate motor.

I built my 383 for my 69 and it took a couple of days. Now, I don't have any time or space anymore. So, I'll pick up my core and make a road trip to Vegas to CMotorsports to have it built. When it is ready another road trip to Vegas to pick it up... I love Vegas by the way

Shipping and mailing works fine with insurance and a tracking number.