Ok so i finally got to build my lt1 after 3 years of havig my engine pulled out and apart.(hopefully i can fiure it all out when i go back together). So i was going to go all forged but my machinst taled me out of it. instead im going eagle cast crank, i beam 6 inch rods and forged je pistons. Tell me if ay of you think this is a mistake. SO any ways im wanderig since im saving mooney notgoin forged what heads re the best. the only ones ive ever kn were the gm lt4 but i have a 93 does that swap work? ireally like what ive heard about the trick flow, and everyone loves the AFR.But on here ive heard or le2? who makes theese? e there ne other? I alswonder if nene knows what size injectors ill need, what about reprograming i have an obd1 car? Any help wouldgreat o yeah its an automtic 700r4 and its a streetstrip car. thanks

 

All depends on your budget and goals.

LE2 heads will work just fine on a 383, but a nice aftermarket casting will allow you to
make better use of the rpm and a more aggressive cam. You can even have them
ported for even more flow if the setup warrants it. AFR has a long history of making
great stuff, TFS has a good rep as well.

I suggest you build the bottom end right the first time so you don't have to go back later.
Swapping heads is a whole lot easier than pulling the motor and rebuilding it from scratch.
I don't think Eagle's cast cranks are all that wonderful, but depending what you do with it
it might run just fine. Make sure to have it balanced before you install.

Injector size depends on your final design, once you figure out which bottom end to
run, which heads and cam you want to run and if you want to run N/A or use a power-adder
you can calculate the required injector size. Even NA, you're going to end up needing
36 or 42# injectors at the very minimum.


So .... How fast do you wanna go? How much do you want to spend?

 

thanks man that was my thaughts even if i dont add a power adder i still have all the strength to do it goin forged. So i take it your firehawk is pretty bad and that dart makes the le2? id like to go below 12. flat i dont care if its 11.999999 i think that would be plenty.so u have a 93 what all have you done if someone else has already figured it out its easier then me tryin to if you dont mind sharing.

 

well as far as what i wanna spend? i was told $700 for eagle castcrank i beam rods and je pistons. $1450 for 4340 crank ibeams and je pistons. ifound the afr heads for $1800 or trick flows for $1400. i dnt know about using my stock intake or goin with a lt4 but i dnt know if they work on 93 do to the fuel rails/ i think? But if i go forged then i need to go to 4 bolt mains, perferably splayed and now were gettin expensive right? u tell me?

 

I will say that $700 for an Eagle cast crank, forged I beams and JE pistons is VERY VERY cheap almost too cheap if the parts are new. Eagle cranks are around $250, rods are $200 and JE pistons are usually around $500 or more for the set.

 

my girlfriend of about 2 years dad owns and runs a machine shop he's doin the machine work and gettin parts for me

 

Lloyd Elliott (http://www.elliottsportworks.com/) ports stock heads to make LE1, LE2, LE3 heads.
I ran LE2 on my 350 and I was planning to run them on my 355.
FWIW, I managed 11.89 with the stock bottom end (350), LE2 heads and a 22x/23x cam.
Mods list and details of each build I've done (along with dynos and timeslips)
are at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2297151
Page 4 has the 350 LE2 buildup, 5 has the 355 project and page 6 has the details on my current 383 build.

They would probably have worked ok on the 383, but with this cam they'd just be a bottleneck up high
so I picked up a set of Dart Pro 1 castings and had Lloyd port them for me.
Should be good for low 11s N/A ... maybe better. We'll find out.

The point isn't that you NEED a forged crank, it's that the cast Eagle crank
is considered a step down from a stock crank. You'd be better off finding a used
low-mileage crank than buying the Eagle cast. The stocker will have no trouble
at all at 400-500rwhp. The forged on the other hand is definitely a nice upgrade.
It'll give you more options later on if you decide that you want to go faster.
Bottom ends are not cheap, it's certainly not something you want to have to build again soon.

If your cylinder bores are ok (have a machine shop check), you may be able
to get away with simply rebuilding with stock-sized components.
You still have options, and I'd certainly recommend new bearings, rings and bolts.
Pistons are optional, depending on how they look and what you want to do with the motor.
If the block needs boring to true up the pistons, you will need new pistons.

There's somewhere to start at least.
But the answers will always come back to my earlier question.

There are a lot of people here with different builds making good power.
Poke around and see what they are having luck with and what isn't working out so well.
I've found that that is the best way to figure out what fits your goals and budget.

 

thanks james im gonna call him up and go back with my original plan forged everything

 

yes, please stay away from a cast crank. have seen an eagle cast crank break first hand. and have seen a few post on here of broken eagle cast cranks.