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396 Stroker for a daily driver?

Stomis

Stomis

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So I've already begun thinking about what I'm gonna build for the cutlass after I get the 355 in it.

Originally I was going to run a 406 with afr heads on it. After alot of discussion with a mechanic here whos a long time racer AND alot of reading I'm beginning to steer away from the 400 idea.

Then watching powerblock I saw they now have specially ground offset journal kits for a 350 block to run a 396 stroker kit in it. Its basically the same concept as a 383 just taking the stroke further out.

Any engine guys have experience with this setup? The car will be driven everyday and I dont want to be running a 20,000mile time bomb.
 
f that, destroke that SOB to a 327 or a 302, with twin turbo's...

it'll spin 10 grand in miliseconds.....
 
327 small journal, or 327 small journal block and a 283 forged steel crank, or take a 400 block insert a 327 forged crank either one made for the bigger bearings or with bearing spacers and make a nice 350.
 
or just look into an lsx swap, take a 5.3 from a chevy pickup, add an intake fuel pump, vette regulator, and the other swap parts, and get better mph and the coooool factor.
 
If I ever build a lighter hot rod Id love to build a 302 (SBC) with a nasty solid roller cam. could you imaginge grabbing 2nd gear at 8000+ rpm. that would rock.

And whats wrong with a 406 if you start with a decent core?
 
I be loving my 327's....they rev pretty good with decent heads, but the better, stock s/j rods should only go to 7k...not 7200, just 7K, and that is with proper prep on em, and ARP's.
 
look what I did to this thread..... :whistle: went from stroker concept to high revving screamers... :doah::haha:
 
ryoken said:
look what I did to this thread..... :whistle: went from stroker concept to high revving screamers... :doah::haha:
Click to expand...

Yeah, the good ole days (still livin em here)

Anyhow, I read an article from Reher Morrison once, and it basically summed it up as this:

Build the biggest, strongest short block you can afford. That is where the most money is spent, and if you put on top end bargain parts, at the beginning of the engines life, the short block will not be the weak link (meaning power production wise).
Heads, induction systems, etc are generally easier and cheaper to change than going with a bigger shortblock assy.
 
Dont worry I was tossing around the idea of building a 377 with a fat ass single turbo on it when the car isnt my dd anymore.

That being said I'm not looking for a screamer. I'm between a 383 and a 396 stroker right now.

I've begun steering away from the 406 due to the Siamese cylinders, the fact that if something happens to your motor and its .030 over the block is done.
 
I just couldn't trust an ebay turbo on an engine I spent money building

How would you do headers also?

I would have been tempted to just get the supercharger kit if I had known of it before my big block build.
 
A 3.875 stroke crank (has to be forged, cause nobody makes a cast crank), 5.85 rods (so the piston pin hole isn't intrude into the ring lands) and a forged piston (cause nobody makes a hypereutectic piston with the needed compression height) is easy a cool $800 to a grand more expensive than a "street" based 383 build. I don't think you can get to 3.875" from a 3.75 stroke crank unless you went to a rod with a Honda size rod journal. The extra cash for 12 cubic inches is not worth it to me.

If it's for a daily driver, build a cast steel crank 383, some decent reconditioned stock rods or new stock style rods with hypereutectics. Use of the 5.7 rods means the piston doesn't have too short of a compression height which leaves plenty of room for thick 5/64's rings (lasts longer than 1/16" rings), and a taller piston which rocks less in the bore and lasts longer. Plus the hypereutectics can run tighter piston to wall clearance which means more power for a longer time.

Spend the money you saved on the bottom end on a hydraulic roller cam and a set of heads that flow at least as good as the vortecs. You could also spring for some gapless rings to pick up some hp and some 1.6 roller rockers. If you picked a hydraulic roller with around 230-236 degrees of duration at .050 and heads with a better exhaust port than the vortecs @ 9.5-10:1 compression, you'd be looking at an engine that makes around 450-475 hp and should be over 500 ft lbs.

If you are going to build a 400 use the Dart SHP block. It eliminates all of the shortcomings of the factory 400 block. Doesn't require steam holes, has enlarged water jackets to eliminate cooling problems with siamesed bores, 4 bolt mains, a better oiling system and provisions for a factory hydraulic roller cam. Plus it's not 30 years old. And costs just a couple of bucks more than what you'd spend on a decent 400 core and machine work.

my .02
 
ryan22re said:
A 3.875 stroke crank (has to be forged, cause nobody makes a cast crank), 5.85 rods (so the piston pin hole isn't intrude into the ring lands) and a forged piston (cause nobody makes a hypereutectic piston with the needed compression height) is easy a cool $800 to a grand more expensive than a "street" based 383 build. I don't think you can get to 3.875" from a 3.75 stroke crank unless you went to a rod with a Honda size rod journal. The extra cash for 12 cubic inches is not worth it to me.

If it's for a daily driver, build a cast steel crank 383, some decent reconditioned stock rods or new stock style rods with hypereutectics. Use of the 5.7 rods means the piston doesn't have too short of a compression height which leaves plenty of room for thick 5/64's rings (lasts longer than 1/16" rings), and a taller piston which rocks less in the bore and lasts longer. Plus the hypereutectics can run tighter piston to wall clearance which means more power for a longer time.

Spend the money you saved on the bottom end on a hydraulic roller cam and a set of heads that flow at least as good as the vortecs. You could also spring for some gapless rings to pick up some hp and some 1.6 roller rockers. If you picked a hydraulic roller with around 230-236 degrees of duration at .050 and heads with a better exhaust port than the vortecs @ 9.5-10:1 compression, you'd be looking at an engine that makes around 450-475 hp and should be over 500 ft lbs.

If you are going to build a 400 use the Dart SHP block. It eliminates all of the shortcomings of the factory 400 block. Doesn't require steam holes, has enlarged water jackets to eliminate cooling problems with siamesed bores, 4 bolt mains, a better oiling system and provisions for a factory hydraulic roller cam. Plus it's not 30 years old. And costs just a couple of bucks more than what you'd spend on a decent 400 core and machine work.

my .02
Click to expand...

Word, some soundly advise.

I'm thinking I'm gonna build a turbo motor (or maybe super charged who knows) for the second motor rather than have a decent vortec 355, then a 383 with afrs, then build something down right nasty. Really no reason for the middle step...

On the plus side I've been mulling over milling the vortecs to bring the compression ratio up for 92 octane rather than 87 :D
 
Just buy the .015 thick felpro head gaskets and swap them in. Should raise compression .5-.7 points depending on the design of your current head gaskets. Much cheaper than milling the heads. Plus gets the piston closer to the head for more quench. Will be worth more hp than milling.
 
O btw what is max NA compression to safely run year around with 91 octane?

I know 10:1 is the limits of 87 but what can I get out of 91?
 
i dont run anything over 10.5 with iron heads and 91. With alum you can cheat a point up, but if you retard your timing you can get better results.
 
12 years ago when I build my 406 I wanted a big sb that's reliable turn key so I opted for fuel injection over a supercharger.Drove it 3 years every day to work 100 mile round trip with nothing more than oil changes.Had 308 gears with a turbo 350 and averaged 17-18 mpg with that engine pushing close to 500hp.The car has been taken off the road for a full restoration and has a full manual 700r4 now so the mileage should improve some.Engine is basic;400 block bored 30 over,line honed,decked,2 bolt block with splayed 4 bolt caps with cast crank and stock 350 rods and hypereutectic flat tops.Edelbrock rpm heads,Edelbrock pro flow fuel injection,Hydro roller cam and roller rockers with Pete Jackson quiet gear drive and fluid damper.Before this engine I ran a carbed 383 for 8 years daily.It had Afr heads flat hydro cam forged flat tops cast rotating assembly 4 bolt block.If I had it to do again Id build a sb 427 or 454.
 
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