408 Vs. 396 Vs. 383
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Keelan Jackson (01-14-2020)
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Two important questions...
What are your hp goals? And more importantly, what is your budget?
Most of the time people shoot straight for a 408 or a 396 and run out of money before then can finish building it correctly. Majority of the time a well built 355 with a nice top end will outrun any big stroker they attempt to build.
If you are going for high hp and you have a decent budget, I would start off building a forged 383, pick up some AFR heads (have them ported if you've got the budget), ported intake, 58mm TB, a custom grind cam (your choice of a hydraulic or solid roller), 1.6 rr's, beefy springs, LT headers, etc. etc. Build it to take lots of RPMs and a dash of spray...Should be a monster!
What are your hp goals? And more importantly, what is your budget?
Most of the time people shoot straight for a 408 or a 396 and run out of money before then can finish building it correctly. Majority of the time a well built 355 with a nice top end will outrun any big stroker they attempt to build.
If you are going for high hp and you have a decent budget, I would start off building a forged 383, pick up some AFR heads (have them ported if you've got the budget), ported intake, 58mm TB, a custom grind cam (your choice of a hydraulic or solid roller), 1.6 rr's, beefy springs, LT headers, etc. etc. Build it to take lots of RPMs and a dash of spray...Should be a monster!
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Keelan Jackson (01-14-2020)
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i could have been more specific.
stock shortblock can hit the HP # OP is hunting for,with that said OP can at this time purchase a set of speedpro 2256s and some h-beam rods to withstand the 200 shot for under a 1000 or go a bit more and do a set of Mahle slugs w/ 6" h-beam rod and still save a bunch of cash that would need to go to the needed parts.
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i agree with them all a big dollar stroker isnt needed for your power goals. but some forged parts inside would be a good idea on a 200 shot. build a nice 355 and spray that bitches brains out!!
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Yea. I definetly wasn't going to spray a 200 on a stock bottom end. So I'm either going with a forged 355 or a forged 383.
Now that thats out of the way...What about my current heads and cam? Do they need to be replaced? Is 400rwhp acheivable with ported edlebrock heads and a ported intake? Or do I need to scrap my head and cam and start fresh?
Now that thats out of the way...What about my current heads and cam? Do they need to be replaced? Is 400rwhp acheivable with ported edlebrock heads and a ported intake? Or do I need to scrap my head and cam and start fresh?
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Yea. I definetly wasn't going to spray a 200 on a stock bottom end. So I'm either going with a forged 355 or a forged 383.
Now that thats out of the way...What about my current heads and cam? Do they need to be replaced? Is 400rwhp acheivable with ported edlebrock heads and a ported intake? Or do I need to scrap my head and cam and start fresh?
Now that thats out of the way...What about my current heads and cam? Do they need to be replaced? Is 400rwhp acheivable with ported edlebrock heads and a ported intake? Or do I need to scrap my head and cam and start fresh?
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Keelan Jackson (01-14-2020)
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A 396 is much more expensive to build than a 383. There are no cast cranks available, you have to run a forged crank. Forged cranks are $650 minimum. You want to spray a 200 shot so you'll want to run all forged components/minimum pistons. You say you don't have $2600 for heads/cam, so how are you going to afford a fully-forged internal set? They will run you at least $1500 irregardless of displacement, plus you have to figure at least $1000 for the machine work on the block, then $400 for 4-bolt caps, and that will leave you with stock heads and cam.
You won't be able to build an incredibly strong motor with top-shelf stuff on a meager budget. This hobby ain't cheap. If you are pinching pennies, I would get the stock crank polished, run the stock rods, and get a set of decent forged pistons along with a .030" bore/hone. Leave it a 2-bolt main for the time being. That will get you 355 with very tough pistons that can handle a 200 shot. Shop around for some cheap ported heads in the classifeds or go with a LE1 head setup which is under 1G, and get a good cam like an LE1/2 or AI 226ish.
You won't be able to build an incredibly strong motor with top-shelf stuff on a meager budget. This hobby ain't cheap. If you are pinching pennies, I would get the stock crank polished, run the stock rods, and get a set of decent forged pistons along with a .030" bore/hone. Leave it a 2-bolt main for the time being. That will get you 355 with very tough pistons that can handle a 200 shot. Shop around for some cheap ported heads in the classifeds or go with a LE1 head setup which is under 1G, and get a good cam like an LE1/2 or AI 226ish.
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A 396 is much more expensive to build than a 383. There are no cast cranks available, you have to run a forged crank. Forged cranks are $650 minimum. You want to spray a 200 shot so you'll want to run all forged components/minimum pistons. You say you don't have $2600 for heads/cam, so how are you going to afford a fully-forged internal set? They will run you at least $1500 irregardless of displacement, plus you have to figure at least $1000 for the machine work on the block, then $400 for 4-bolt caps, and that will leave you with stock heads and cam.
You won't be able to build an incredibly strong motor with top-shelf stuff on a meager budget. This hobby ain't cheap. If you are pinching pennies, I would get the stock crank polished, run the stock rods, and get a set of decent forged pistons along with a .030" bore/hone. Leave it a 2-bolt main for the time being. That will get you 355 with very tough pistons that can handle a 200 shot. Shop around for some cheap ported heads in the classifeds or go with a LE1 head setup which is under 1G, and get a good cam like an LE1/2 or AI 226ish.
You won't be able to build an incredibly strong motor with top-shelf stuff on a meager budget. This hobby ain't cheap. If you are pinching pennies, I would get the stock crank polished, run the stock rods, and get a set of decent forged pistons along with a .030" bore/hone. Leave it a 2-bolt main for the time being. That will get you 355 with very tough pistons that can handle a 200 shot. Shop around for some cheap ported heads in the classifeds or go with a LE1 head setup which is under 1G, and get a good cam like an LE1/2 or AI 226ish.
I might take ss.slp.ls1's advice and port my stockers. Then i'll get forged rods and pistons and make it a 355. Then spray it.