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

Sure it's been beaten to death

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Old May 3, 2009 | 07:09 PM
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Default Sure it's been beaten to death

What build would be the better of the two for street application...a built 355 or 383? I have a spare block and want to swap it in my current car after it's built. I don't drag the car. It's a weekend cruiser. I don't know much about either build so please contribute!
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Old May 3, 2009 | 07:13 PM
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383 will be overall better, but more expensive. If you are buying forged everything (including crank) you should just build a 383 b/c little to no price difference, but if you go 355 you can reuse the stock crank and maybe even rods depending on how aggressive you plan on going.
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Old May 3, 2009 | 07:28 PM
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You could get away with the stock crank w/ a 355 build which would save you some money. Labor wise it would be a tad bit more for the 383 build on top of a new crank. The 383 would pump out more torque as well. I'm in the mix of doing a 383. Just need to figure out now if I want to build it for some juice or a ProCharger
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Old May 4, 2009 | 10:45 AM
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TQ is king in my book, so a 383 would fit the bill
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:28 AM
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more cubes= more gooder. It is NEVER a bad thing to have too many cubes under the hood.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:39 AM
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More Gooder
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:41 AM
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The more cubes you have the more street friendly the car will be. Why do you think the new C6Z06 is 427cid. It's easier to get it to drive like a regular car and make more power.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Elliott's94Z
You could get away with the stock crank w/ a 355 build which would save you some money. Labor wise it would be a tad bit more for the 383 build on top of a new crank. The 383 would pump out more torque as well. I'm in the mix of doing a 383. Just need to figure out now if I want to build it for some juice or a ProCharger
+1. For most people a quality 355 build using the stock crank, forged rods, and forged pistons is more than sufficient for their power goal. Top it off with a nice heads/cam package and you're good to go.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Elliott's94Z
More Gooder

I was being silly, lol.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 02:24 PM
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Originally Posted by joelster
I was being silly, lol.
I've got the mostest bestest engine out there. I will not never beat all of you!!!
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Old May 4, 2009 | 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Elliott's94Z
More Gooder
No No NO.
Mo' gooder
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Old May 4, 2009 | 03:01 PM
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Ideally a 383 would be best overall for reasons metioned already. The only thing that I would be weary about is having some good heads that can feed those extra cubes; there's no use in having a 383 with mediocre heads.

Honestly it all comes down to how much money you have for the build. I would spend some money on a good set of pistons, lighten up the stock crank/rods, ARP bolts througout the bottom end, then use what's left over on a "good" set of heads and custom grind cam.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 04:21 PM
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If you have the cash for a 383, go 383.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 05:03 PM
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Originally Posted by street demon2k3
Ideally a 383 would be best overall for reasons metioned already. The only thing that I would be weary about is having some good heads that can feed those extra cubes; there's no use in having a 383 with mediocre heads.

Honestly it all comes down to how much money you have for the build. I would spend some money on a good set of pistons, lighten up the stock crank/rods, ARP bolts througout the bottom end, then use what's left over on a "good" set of heads and custom grind cam.
wat kind of power could the stock crank/rods hold up to. i was thinking of doing that with heads and cam plus a 100 shot
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Old May 4, 2009 | 05:11 PM
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Originally Posted by TravisMcGill2000
wat kind of power could the stock crank/rods hold up to. i was thinking of doing that with heads and cam plus a 100 shot
I would get some Compstar rods, some Diamond pistons, and keep your stock crank. Those components along with quality machine work, good bearings & rings and you'd have a stout shortblock. Top it off with some ported heads, beefy cam, quality valvetrain, and a 100 shot, it'd be a real performer.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by ss.slp.ls1
I would get some Compstar rods, some Diamond pistons, and keep your stock crank. Those components along with quality machine work, good bearings & rings and you'd have a stout shortblock. Top it off with some ported heads, beefy cam, quality valvetrain, and a 100 shot, it'd be a real performer.
sounds about like my plans. *sigh* one day...
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Old May 4, 2009 | 08:50 PM
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Sounds like I will spend the few extra bucks and go with a 383. Another question I have is, what Oil pump is recommended with a 383 build? Will I need to run a larger oil pan as well? I see Moroso and Canton make a aftermarket pan...which of the two would be better?
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Old May 4, 2009 | 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by GoFastKid
Sounds like I will spend the few extra bucks and go with a 383. Another question I have is, what Oil pump is recommended with a 383 build? Will I need to run a larger oil pan as well? I see Moroso and Canton make a aftermarket pan...which of the two would be better?
This solely depends on your builder, but I recommend the larger pan. I chose to go with the Canton 242T for the added oil capacity and plug/play capability. I'm also using a high-volume/pressure pump (Melling Select 10552), per my builder's recommendation.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:55 PM
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Stock crank is a lot stronger than most give it credit, I was ~900 crank HP on mine without a problem.
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Old May 5, 2009 | 12:20 AM
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Originally Posted by TravisMcGill2000
wat kind of power could the stock crank/rods hold up to. i was thinking of doing that with heads and cam plus a 100 shot
A good friend of mine was running stock crank/rods with speedpro pistons. He had GTP heads/cc306 + 150shot which went 10.76@127mph through a blown 10-bolt. He had gone through a few bottles with the 200shot on there but pilled the car to 150 to stay safe. IIRC the car went 10.4x with a bigger cam on the same shot with its new owner a few years back.
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