LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

383 build questions...help anyone?

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Old 11-05-2012, 11:16 PM
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Default 383 build questions...help anyone?

Ok I have a 95 formula lt1 etc. etc. well my plans are a 383 build of course!it Will be a N/A build. I dont really have a set budget I just kinda spend as I go get whats best and most reliable. Its not a rush to do either as I want it done right! I would like to see a decent set of numbers out of this (hp/tq). It will be a street/weekend kind of car. What are some decent numbers you guys have seen out of n/a 383 builds? Staying fuel injected and should b getting my intake back from a port and polish as well. Ive got a set of lt1 aluminum heads. Ive had them ported and polished. They havent been installed. I was wandering while there here and all bare should I have anything else done to them? I have a cam already. Specifically for that motor.

Cam specs Int exh

Adv dur: 266 276
Dur@ .50 210 220 lobe sep 114.0
Valve lift .500 .510

Should I use a 1.6 ratio rocker or would the ls7 rockers work. Also I was looking on comps website. And they offered 2 different sets of springs for that cam. What would be the best spring, lifter, etc. for this cam? Also I was wandering. If my reading was correct I have a 2bolt main. If thats true am I better off finding the vette lt1 4bolt or is the 2bolt worth building? Any info would b great guys! Im still reading constantly others build threads but I also like others opinions as well. As this is my first major build and I'm kinda new to this. Thanks!
Old 11-05-2012, 11:47 PM
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Before you get beat up to bad do a little searching

You are poised to be building a 340-380 RWHP machine with what you have showed us so far.

WHAT are you going to do with the car. First and foremost question of all.
Old 11-06-2012, 12:26 AM
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That's a pretty small cam for a 383. Do you have stock ported heads or something else?
Old 11-06-2012, 06:27 AM
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See sig. Emulate/purchase.
Old 11-06-2012, 06:41 AM
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Heads are the original ones that came on it but ive had a set ported and polished. They were gasket matched and I can get some specs on them later on today if needed. Im going to be ordering all new parts for them. Such as lifters, springs, etc. etc. As I am pretty new to this platform. And I spent hours last night reading others builds. I just like a little input from others as well

If cam is to small I will look into getting a bigger one. But what would be a good one? Would cc503 or the lt4 hot cam? Whats the best "BANG" for the buck I should say.

And my intentions for the car. it will b a weekend street/strip kind of car. Once the build starts and finishes it will no longer b a
daily. Maybe drive it around town once every blue moon on a friday something of that nature. I dont want to use forced induction or nitrous just a good mean N/A car! I hoped that some of that could answer your questions. If no just let me know I can elaborate more if needed! Thanks again!!
Old 11-06-2012, 06:54 AM
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Who did the porting? If they are a mechanic special then you are setting yourself up for failure. If you want the most for your money STAY AWAY from shelf grinds and go custom.

Also, what kind of budget do you have?

You will ONLY want to do this once so keep reading.
Old 11-06-2012, 06:54 AM
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Not only is that 210/220 (Comp 304) cam too small, it's simply an underperformer compared to other choices for any NA setup.
And for a weekend warrior, the CC503, although a good cam in the right application, is also too small for a strong running 383.
Your 2-bolt block is fine.
Your approach reads like the classic road to disappointing results. You really should follow a proven recipe like RamAir95 suggested. All from one place. You'll get nowhere by trying to make sense of all the right and wrong suggestions you're going to get on here
Old 11-06-2012, 07:37 AM
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While I agree with Pat on the "classic road to disappointment" statement it should also be stated a lot of guys are either too stupid or have to big an ego to endup disappointed with a poor build like this. They just pretend it is a "good mild build" when they could have had more with at least as good a reliability from a stock shortblock

If you think LS7 rockers might work then you are nowhere near ready to start planning something like this.

Before you go there cast aftermarket cranks are not strong enough.

Joe's car is priced less than what a decent 383 build with supporting mods in a previously stockish car will cost. I am not talking the price of the stock car to start with, I am just talking the 383 and parts to support it withOUT installation labor.

You would be lucky to build a decent engine/tranny/converter for the price of his car and then would still need axle, suspension, fuel system, tuning, exhaust, etc.
Old 11-06-2012, 07:39 AM
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Are emissions of any concern?
Old 11-06-2012, 09:17 AM
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i really think someone needs to create a sticky labeled what it really cost to do a forged 383the right way then add heads and cam intake tb fuel system, time suddenly a 10k car looks pretty damm good considering u dont have a months worth of headaches in store for you Not to mention the same can be done (depending on mileage) w a stock btm and h/c/i combo how many guys are on here running 400+rwhp w a stock btm end. (headers,stall but still cheaper and less headaches
Old 11-06-2012, 09:19 AM
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oh yeah TUNING dnt forget that in the time and money category
Old 11-06-2012, 09:42 AM
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how many miles are on the engine? and did i miss it did u have a rwhp goal?
Old 11-06-2012, 01:21 PM
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Too many people think no part of a stock engine is suitable for a performance build. IMO many of the folks who do stroker builds could have gone faster on a stock shortblock,. They "believe" they need displacement and they "believe" stock is bad and when someone tries to tell them otherwise nobody wants to hear it.


IMO any decent stroker build should need a rollbar NA at sealevel, so maybe we should ask guys right off the bat when they start asking about stroker builds if they want a rollbar. Do they want the added cost, do they want the street safety concerns, do they want to lose the interior room? If not then a stock shortblock might do the trick just fine. Hell a well setup stock shortblock car can easily need a rollbar.
Old 11-06-2012, 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by 96capricemgr
.... Hell a well setup stock shortblock car can easily need a rollbar.
Heaven forbid!
.
Old 11-06-2012, 04:19 PM
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ill b honest i was one of those fools who thot it and after dropping 7k plus on a engine i wld nvr do it agn now are there applications where it is necessary hell yes but i beleive 60% wdlve been better served by simply using some of what they had btm end wise i laugh at car shows where they ask how much i gained by stroking it i just laugh. I had a h/c/i car w stall headers and exhaust that did low 12s w a lil more tweeking cldve bn a 11 car super dependable not anymore. I myself think ppl see and forged rotating asembly and think thats what it cost but its only the tip and as far as actual gains ......... longevity perhaps but the launches and hp we stuff thru these cars threw nothing will last forever for me, i wish i didnt do it. But i do give huge props to the guys on here doing 10s na truly amazing.

Last edited by lt1needingboost; 11-06-2012 at 04:27 PM.
Old 11-06-2012, 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by RamAir95TA
Who did the porting? If they are a mechanic special then you are setting yourself up for failure. If you want the most for your money STAY AWAY from shelf grinds and go custom.

Also, what kind of budget do you have?

You will ONLY want to do this once so keep reading.

the guy i had port them name was steve. ft smith arkansas pro source engines has around 20yr experience in building heads i havent really set a budget. as i want this build done right. and if that means spending 7000 to have a motor that will last then i guess thats what ill be doing. i have read and read. i know eagle cast cranks stay away from seems everyone has problems with them breaking so a forged crank WILL be purchased. unsure on whats the better ones to go with. as i have stated before i am pretty new to this. ive experienced a little with minor bolt on motors. but ive always wanted to do a stroker motor.

the car has 115xxx ORIGINAL miles. number wise...well something decent 400s would be nice. if that can be made on a na motor. im going back to my local parts store to upgrade my cam. i would really like an input on what cam to purchase that would go well with this build. i would prefer a low end to mid range cam one that will go with these heads.

emissions is not a problem either any input is greatly appreciated! thanks!!
Old 11-06-2012, 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by RamAir95TA
See sig. Emulate/purchase.
Amen! It could be so easy for these guys lol
Old 11-06-2012, 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by lt1needingboost
i really think someone needs to create a sticky labeled what it really cost to do a forged 383the right way
Or a sticky showing the "right" way.

I've read twice in this thread that the suggested cam (OP mentioned two different cams) was too small, but there was no suggestions on a minimum sized cam. Is it an amount of Duration? Lift? LSA? all three?

OP didn't say he wanted to run 11s, nor did he mention a HP goal, only decent numbers..... he was told he'd be disappointed with 360 rwhp?? but never was told what a "decent" hp would be from a 383.

He wants to build a 383 the right way. Of course, "the right way" could mean a lot of different things. He mentioned good power & reliability.
Old 11-06-2012, 10:29 PM
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The thing is if only looking for 360hp it would be really really stupid to even consider the substantial cost of a stroker shortblock, an emissions passing 350 can get there easily.

More strokers are built because they are cool than because guys are looking for more than the 350 could provide and in doing so they spend the budget poorly.
Old 11-06-2012, 10:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Kalebbryan90
What are some decent numbers you guys have seen out of n/a 383 builds?
I think decent numbers should be 1.2 hp/cid, so with a 383 cid motor, decent would be 460 crank, 377 wheel.

However, I've seen builds that produce as much as 1.3, which I think is very efficient and doable on Gen I sbc technology. 497 crank 408 wheel

RamAir95TA is putting 455 hp to the ground, that's an extremely efficient engine 555 crank, 1.44 hp/cid which is closer to what I've seen from the LSx engines.

He's running 200 cc heads, which I think would be difficult to get out of a stock set of heads. The stock LT1 heads are 170 cc, the best port job would probably get you to 180-185. I think they also have 2.02/1.6 valves, where the stock LT1 has 1.94/1.5 valves

Originally Posted by Kalebbryan90
Staying fuel injected and should b getting my intake back from a port and polish as well. Ive got a set of lt1 aluminum heads. Ive had them ported and polished. They havent been installed. I was wandering while there here and all bare should I have anything else done to them?
You should build your heads, according to the cam you select. The lift numbers are usually quoted for a particular ratio rocker. If your cam says 0.510 lift with 1.6 rocker, then expect less lift, less performance using 1.5 rockers.

With that in mind, you want light weight everything, springs, valves, retainers, rockers, but you also want strength. Then you've got to make sure it's all put together correctly. This is pretty much your redline. Quality parts will allow you to rev your engine closer to 7000 rpm, generally speaking, more power can be gained at higher rpm for a given engine size, given the correct parts, mainly cam. If your cam isn't going to generate power over 6000 rpm it would be a waste of money to build an engine that will spin to 7000 or above.

Watch how you drive your car today, I would bet you rarely run it over 5000 rpm. A lot of power can be had below 5000rpm, a lot of fun down there as well.
Originally Posted by Kalebbryan90
I have a cam already. Specifically for that motor.

Cam specs Int exh

Adv dur: 266 276
Dur@ .50 210 220 lobe sep 114.0
Valve lift .500 .510
What cam is that? How does the manufacturer describes that cam?

Go to Comp cams & find out what they say about lift, LSA, duration & their affect on Hp & Tq
Originally Posted by Kalebbryan90
If my reading was correct I have a 2bolt main. If thats true am I better off finding the vette lt1 4bolt or is the 2bolt worth building?
I'll see if I can find "proof" but I think a 2 bolt should be good up to 600 lb-ft & 8000 rpm. You won't be getting there, unless your hitting it heavy with some kind of power adder.


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