I've been looking at the 383 kits that texas speed has and have tried to find some info on here about them. I saw where some say its not good for a DD. And i have saw a couple ppl that has the kit but not many miles on it. I was wondering what are the problems with the 383 and if it would be worth it. My motor started knocking and i haven't tore it down yet to see the damage just looking at whats out there.... I have patriot stage 2.5 heads and a G5x3 cam right now..

 

I have a 383 ls1 with a ms4 cam. it drives ok. If i was you i would look into getting a 408 with an iron block.

 

I have a 383 and I don't have any issues with it. Futral built my short block.

 

The only problem is you are limited by head choice because of the bore. Most good flowing heads are for 4.00 or larger bore. The only exception that I know of is the small bore AFR 225 which woul be good for a 383. You can use a set of ported 243's or a good set of 5.3 truck heads but you are still leaving something on the table, especially that you are building a 383, you want to get the most power out of it.

A 383 will be a good daily driver but if you have the money I would go with a 4xx cube motor. If not, just stroke what you got and use the same heads and cam.

 

Really, Futral built a motor that runs well? lol jk.

I hear a lot of bad reviews from futral. But i normally dont judge a shop by reviews, but when i tried to call for some ls7 lifters the guy on the phone insisted that ls7 lifters would not work on a ls1. After that i kinda stayed away from their "expertise".

 

After the cost of machine work on your block you would almost be $$$ ahead on just buying a short block.. Then get a couple hundred back for your block...

And a 383 makes a great DD. Not much difference in peak HP over a 346 but gobs more torque all over..... Having said that I am gonna do a 402 so I can take advantage of the 4.0 bore........

 

If the car is going to be naturaly aspirated i would go with a 408..For around the same price you can take advantage of better head selection, more torque, and higher hp potential..If your budget wont allow heads right away you can reuse your current heads and still make good power..Either way give Texas speed a call..

 

Thanks for the info guys. But my funds is the problem right now. But i should be graduating college in less than 2 months so hopefully that problem will be fixed and i can go ahead and get a bigger cubed motor.

 

I'm running a 383 cam only car and love it. As far as the torque it's amazing down low but yeah like everyone else is saying I'd go bigger if you have the money just to pick up extra HP numbers. I personally went with the 383 for weight and like I said i'm very satisfied with it.

 

For the cost in my 383 short block, which I purchased the Texas Speed kit. Then factor in Machine work... I could have ordered a forged 408 from one of the sponsors for the same money if not cheaper. I love my 383 though!!

I daily drive my Turbo 383 with no issues.

 

Strange about the lifters. Maybe he meant to say they might not be a drop-in replacement. I have read some posts where they have measured the LS7 lifter and the height off the roller isn't the same as the LS1/6.

Biggest complaint I had seen about Futral was their response time when you call or email, but I didn't have any problems. It is a relatively small shop and Alan does the work, so he can be a little tough to get ahold of, but he always did return my calls.

Bottom line, he put together a nice 383 shortblock packed with quality parts for the best price I could find at the time. I'm very satisfied.

Yes, you can go bigger cube for around the same money, but I wanted something that had the sensors located such that I didn't have to make any changes to the wiring harness in the engine bay.

As far as heads go, the AFR 205s flow fairly well and so do the TFS 215s on the 383.

 

Find out whats wrong with your engine, if it needs a rebuild-just pull it and get a 5.3 short block for a couple a hundred dollars.
When you have your funds in order go with the 4xx ci engine and the usual upgrades....
This way you have a functioning vehicle on the cheap and you can do a proper upgrade when funds allow.

 

I probably should have gave them another shot, but my cousin has had problems with futral also. I just use thunder racing now.