408 Daily Driver?
408 Daily Driver? I'm looking to possibly go with a 408 for my daily drivin ta. I was wondering is it possible for me to achieve 480 rwhp and 450 rwtq with a budget build for under 5,000 and still be streetable. I was looking to use my ls6 intake. Also, is there anyone who daily drives there stoker car?
$5000 is a very tight budget to work with for a 408.
You can make a 408 very very streetable.
For the 5k you have to spend though, i would recomend getting the car "Ready" for a 408
Go ahead and get heads and a cam... get a good clutch... and get a rear end. With those items you could be at mid 400's on motor.
On paper, projects always seem cheaper than they really are. My 418ci project crossed the 10k mark a long time ago, and still isn't 100% complete.
You can make a 408 very very streetable.
For the 5k you have to spend though, i would recomend getting the car "Ready" for a 408
Go ahead and get heads and a cam... get a good clutch... and get a rear end. With those items you could be at mid 400's on motor.
On paper, projects always seem cheaper than they really are. My 418ci project crossed the 10k mark a long time ago, and still isn't 100% complete.
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: maryland
yea I'm going to agree and say 5000 is a very tight budget. It’s the nuts and bolts and small things u don’t expect that cost u. and then when it's said and done if u make power and your drive train isn’t in line you're going to brake things. You have to think about a clutch, fuel system, head bolts, valve train, tune, and then the cost of the short block. I think if u have a less lofty hp goal you could have a 408 for under 5g that you could you could be built on in the future .
My car isn't a daily driver, but it drives extremely smooth with a 235/243 cam. Should I want to, it'd be great as a daily driver. All I have is a 408 with stock 243 heads and still using stock ported tb on a ported LS6 intake. I haven't gotten it dyno tuned yet, so I don't know that it makes for power. I found deal on a built 408 shortblock that I paid $3800 for. Well under $5K for my entire setup. So, it can be done.
$5000 was more or less my budget in mind for my 408 Install, two months later im sitting over $7000 and still have the factory 10 bolt and transmission to upgrade. Like these guys say its little things that start adding up and when you least realize you're way over your budget. I keep telling myself have to replace what needs upgrading now before it breaks and ends up being worse.
id buy a cheap used block to start, and after that, see if you can find some deals in the parts classified to piece your build together. obviously dont use used parts, but i see people have pistons, rods, etc. all the time that they bought but arent going to use. thats the only way i see you staying under $5,000. that is VERYYYY tight.
are you against building smaller? a high compression 383 seems like it would fit better into the budget. i imagine a well put together combo could put down an easy 500rwhp.
are you against building smaller? a high compression 383 seems like it would fit better into the budget. i imagine a well put together combo could put down an easy 500rwhp.
id buy a cheap used block to start, and after that, see if you can find some deals in the parts classified to piece your build together. obviously dont use used parts, but i see people have pistons, rods, etc. all the time that they bought but arent going to use. thats the only way i see you staying under $5,000. that is VERYYYY tight.
are you against building smaller? a high compression 383 seems like it would fit better into the budget. i imagine a well put together combo could put down an easy 500rwhp.
are you against building smaller? a high compression 383 seems like it would fit better into the budget. i imagine a well put together combo could put down an easy 500rwhp.
The best "bang for your buck" combo right now is a 370ci iron block motor with a stock crank.
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You might wanna give Texas Speed a call to get an estimate and professional opinions and what you can do to keep it low cost. All my stuff is being bought and installed at Texas Speed they know what they are doing. Its sort of my fault my budget is spiraling out of control, if I'm rebuilding might as well take it one step further. They have some high quality stuff that is very affordable, they can work with your budget.
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Verdad Gallardo not nessecarily on the 383. but i completely forgot about that 370 block. that probably is the best choice. forget my old post, go 370. TSP has them for cheaper than a 347. besides, if you go 370, you can always get a bigger crank and crank up the cubes with that block.
Both are comparably expensive, because both require an aftermarket crank.
It really comes down to keeping your head about you and keeping with your goals. It's so very easy to let the dream of "big horsepower" get to you and that's when you start adding on nice-to-have options when in reality all that you really need to meet your goals is relatively cheap. You could easily meet your horesepower goals with LS6 heads/intake/and tb on a 408. You don't need ported heads/FAST intake/TB. If you're not looking to spray the car and just want a solid running street car that will move, simply use the Eagle/Scat/Callies stuff and you'll have a motor that will work and won't break the bank and still put a smile on your face everytime you mash the gas.
Oh, and nowadays, it really is cheaper and much easier to just buy an assembled shortblock from one of the sponsors. I looked into building my own shortblock and had a bare block. But, once I started pricing rotating assemblies and machine work, the deals that our sponsors offer are much better. Plus, these guys could assemble an LS1 in their sleep and many offer a warranty on their motors as long as you don't use a power adder.
Oh, and nowadays, it really is cheaper and much easier to just buy an assembled shortblock from one of the sponsors. I looked into building my own shortblock and had a bare block. But, once I started pricing rotating assemblies and machine work, the deals that our sponsors offer are much better. Plus, these guys could assemble an LS1 in their sleep and many offer a warranty on their motors as long as you don't use a power adder.
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 460
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From: St.Louis Missouri
To be honest it's not much different than a H/C 346 set-up. I have had my set-up for a few months now and i am super excited about the power it made with a stock L/76. Brian at LME put it all together for me and jon from texas speed topped off the upper end. If your looking to make about 500 to the tires and drive it everyday you'll be fine. My old set-up was drivin through all kinds of weather speed density, with a Ms4 on a 111lsa with a good tune. It made 443, 409, with patriot heads...lol After finshing the 408 that i am currently driving N/A i still want more power on the street. You could build it cheap, DD it, and throw the jug on it!
Yes... $4274 for our budget 408 short block. Transfer all your crrent stuff over. Gasket kit few odds and ends and your good to go. Put some decent heads on it when you can afford them and make a lot more power. Cam it properly and driving it is not an issue.
I have a MS3 (114LSA) and it lobes but not as bad as I thought it would with perfect streetability. You can see my #'s in my sig. The $5000 is going to get put into the motor and not to mention the extra boltons your going to need. To start: FAST90 or 92, 1 7/8" longtubes, rear end/driveshaft guarenteed with a t56, clutch, tune, LCA/SFC/TA, Z06 85mm MAF, etc... to make it dependable. It ran me in the $11k region with somewhat of a budget with me doing the install which saved about $1500 atleast. That $11k doesn't cover the SSI Stage 3 t56 or S60 with chromemoly driveshaft either. Like z28mccrory said, build your driveline first to prep it or you will be spending money you don't have to fix it.
That LS6 manifold will choke the 408 pending on what heads you will use. Throwing a mild to big cam at a 408 will net you 500+whp but you need the bolt ons to go with it. With LS6 manifold you will have a really hard time breaking the 490-500whp IMO.
That LS6 manifold will choke the 408 pending on what heads you will use. Throwing a mild to big cam at a 408 will net you 500+whp but you need the bolt ons to go with it. With LS6 manifold you will have a really hard time breaking the 490-500whp IMO.
Mike
