LS3 or 383 Gen 1
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Teching In
Joined: May 2007
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LS3 or 383 Gen 1 I'm looking for an engine for my 59 Chevy Apache and wanted peoples opinion on what engine I should put in my truck. Right now I have no motor and will be starting from scratch. I've narrowed it down to a 383 Gen 1 carbed (or Holley Stealth Ram) or a LS3 EFI crate. It looks like it's going to cost about the same for either engine. The 383 would be around 450 HP & 470 # torque. The LS 3 would be 435 Hp & 424# torque. Does the LS 3 have the torque down low like a 383? If I changed the cam in the LS3 what could I expect? Will the LS3 will be more streetable if the power & torque on both motors are equal?
Carb vs. EFI, I like the tunability of EFI. I expect you should be able to pull another 50hp out of the LS3 with a better cam by itself, but being in a heavy truck, you will probably either have to loosten up your converter if you're running automatic or focus more on the torque than the hp. Maybe some of the SS truck owners will chime in on a good cam that will give you a good balance of low end and top end torque.
