After about 2 years of talk my father and I are finally going to have our 94 Z28 (a4) rebuilt. We're planning on having it bored .030 over and putting a completely new rotating assembly in.. I suggested making it into a 383 but we both aren't really sure what all it takes. Our original plan involved just a cam and ported heads and intake manifold.. but then we figured we should just go all out if were going to pull the motor. I was just wondering if its worth it for the 383 or not.. also what size cam would be good for either? I think the Hp goal is about 425+ RWHP... Well, sorry this was really boring to read.. I don't always do well at explaining myself... thanks!!!

 

You should do a search as this has been discussed many times before. Essentially, a stroker should make more torque across the board but you really need to have a good set a heads to complement the setup. A 383 is gonna need a good set of free flowing heads. A lot of this depends on your budget but if you're putting in a new rotating assy., might as well do the stroker.

 

cubic inches
the fastest way to create power and tq is KING so to achieve this a stroker or a larger displacement will suit your needs. of course all supporting mods will help you attain a copious amount of power.don;t neglect your fuel system they suck in our cars 255 lph pump a new fuel regulator,racetronix hot wire kit,new injectors etc... more tq at a lower RPM...

 

A 383 will generally take better advantage of any given set of heads at a lower RPM than a 355, with more torque. And it will 'tame' a given cam a bit, or allow a bigger cam for the same level of driveability. A 383 might not make any additional peak power than a 355 if you are heads-limited, but you won't have to rev as high, and should have higher peak torque.

As to what's involved, really just some grinding of the block to clear the crank, and making sure your oil pan and windage tray will clear it. The latter is best done with a racing pan like Canton, although some modify and hammer bash the stock pan instead. With a new rotating assembly in the plans, I would do it for sure if I were you. Wait, I did...

 

Good points. Personally, I'd recommend you pay very close attention to the detail of the build of the bottom end. Controlling the oiling is crucial to longevity. Next, pay for a nice set of ported stock heads and valvetrain suited to how you will use the car - forget the marketing BS and a lot of the internet myths.

In short, the 383 is woth it IMO, but don't do it simply as the 'only' way to make you HP goal - plenty of really strong 350/355 combos out there that accomplish the goal.

 

strokers are fun!

I loved my 383, even with a huge cam it felt like it had more power at 2000 rpm than my stock engine with boltons. it made a ton of power from 3000-6000.

cam is dependent on what your and your dad's driving styles are. how much can you tolerate? my toleration was pretty high, I thought my LE3 cam was perfectly driveable and I daily drove it whenever the car was running and it wasn't bad weather out.

also be sure to get a good stall to compliment your engine. I had a TCI super street fighter 3500 the first time around and I wasn't too thrilled with it.

best thing to do is talk to a reputable head porter (lloyd, advanced induction, whoever) and tell them what YOU want and they'll tell you what you need.