LS1TECH - Camaro and Firebird Forum Discussion

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

383 or 396??

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Old Jan 7, 2017 | 08:32 PM
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Default 383 or 396??
Been thinking about strokers lately and always get hung up on 383 vs. 396... Gonna get the AFR's ported and a custom A.I. specd cam one of these days.. Opinions guy?? 383 or 396 for good ole N/A power?
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Old Jan 7, 2017 | 09:13 PM
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396 will have higher potential but leave less meat on the cylinder walls for future rebuilds.
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Old Jan 7, 2017 | 09:14 PM
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Bigger is Better!
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Old Jan 7, 2017 | 09:15 PM
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396 just sounds cooler. You will make ~15-20 more horsepower with a 396 over a 383. If N/A, I would go 396, power adder 383.
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Old Jan 7, 2017 | 09:24 PM
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My heads are 180cc AFR's.. I'm guessing Lloyd can get them up to 215cc.. Would that be enough to support a 396?
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Old Jan 7, 2017 | 09:27 PM
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215cc will be plenty for a 396
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 12:45 AM
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Originally Posted by myltwon
396 will have higher potential but leave less meat on the cylinder walls for future rebuilds.

396 is achieved with a .030 bore and 3.875 stroke.
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 01:08 AM
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Same bore as a 383, more stroke. Depends on what you want to do with the car. The only reason not to go bigger is for high power FI cars where bore distortion becomes a problem.
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 02:05 AM
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Originally Posted by myltwon
396 will have higher potential but leave less meat on the cylinder walls for future rebuilds.
Very disappointing answer for someone who's been around as long as you.....because you are absolutely WRONG!!!!

Both will have the same .030" overbore.

Been there......done that!

KW
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 11:42 AM
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whoops brain fart

meant that the wrist pin will be higher in the piston
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 12:21 PM
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Sooooo......to make a 396 lt1 which just sounds badass, you just bore the 355 30 over and use which crank? I mean how do you get a 396? Longer rods with a 400 crank? Curious because i want my next motor to be a stroker for more usable torque!
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 12:35 PM
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A 396 uses a 3.875" stroke crank. A 383 is 3.75".
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 02:39 PM
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Rod/rod bolt choice and block selection is a lot more important on a 396. Easy to hit the water jacket if you dont spec the right parts.
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 07:53 PM
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398 is cooler. 401 is cooler still. I'd do a 401 if it was me.
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Puck
Rod/rod bolt choice and block selection is a lot more important on a 396. Easy to hit the water jacket if you dont spec the right parts.
Truth. If you can find them, Compstar rods are a good choice. Rod bolt selection is very crucial. It's also nice to have someone who knows what they're doing when clearancing the pan rails.
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 09:37 PM
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This may be a stupid question, but if the bore is the same, why are you more likely to hit the water jacket with a 396 vs a 383?
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Puck
Rod/rod bolt choice and block selection is a lot more important on a 396. Easy to hit the water jacket if you dont spec the right parts.
Damn.. I think I might be better off just buying a whole short block already done from Elwein or Golen..
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Old Jan 8, 2017 | 10:34 PM
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Originally Posted by bufmatmuslepants
398 is cooler. 401 is cooler still. I'd do a 401 if it was me.
414 is even better lol
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Old Jan 9, 2017 | 12:37 AM
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Originally Posted by myltwon
whoops brain fart......
LOL......OK.

Been there and done that, too!
KW
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Old Jan 9, 2017 | 12:40 AM
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Originally Posted by NewOrleansLT1
Damn.. I think I might be better off just buying a whole short block already done from Elwein or Golen..
Golen does Ellwein's block work.....but I'd put my money on Karl to actually build/assemble the better short block than Golen.

KW
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