Here I go again on my own.... Another 383 stroker thread....

[hawkeye649]

I want to build a 383 stroker, just starting to read up on it. I'd honestly like to build it myself even if it will be "reasonably" more.

So lookin for some answer-all threads, or those "god-send" web pages. Maybe some "I'm really happy with this" stories.

The things I know I want to do are;

1: I have 3 350 blocks available to me. A 1990, a 1989, and a 197X (should be a 350 never checked the block, in a 1975 blazer). Need to decide which one to put the work into. Don't know for sure if any or all of them are 4 bolt mains, but trucks always seem to be. I've heard that 2 bolt mains can be turned into 4 bolt mains, and actually be stronger than GM 4 bolts.

2: I want to keep the TBI. It's cheap, dependable, easy to trouble shoot.

3: Torque. It's all I care about. I want down low, off-idle, axle snapping, red-neck gang sign t-o-r-q-u-e. As much as possible with 87 o-tang, cuz you can't always get "quality" fuels where a real truck can go.

4: My trucks tach goes to 5,000 so all of my peak #'s should be under that IMO. That being said I want a "bullet proof" engine, but don't need parts that can spin up to 7K. Such as, I think an externally ballanced engine would be fine...

But anyways just looking for the DIY hookup... That is all.......

 

[beastofablaze]

Well If you want to keep the tbi you'll need to spend some serious $... probably about 1000 just for the upgraded fuel injection(stock tbi fuel injection is about worthless for anything over 275 hp). You might not care about hp at all but in order to get that axle snapping tq your gonna be over 275 hp.

What kind of tq are you looking for?

Here are the numbers for my tbi 355 with smog legal afr 180 heads, and smog legal cam. I couldn't figure out how to put the desktop dyno screen on here so I'll do it the hard way...

2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500, 5000, 5500,

HP: 168, 210, 257, 305, 348, 387, 417, 429,

TQ: 441, 442, 450, 457, 456, 451, 438, 410,


Edit: wth? Why don't the numbers stay where I put them? Oh well you can kind of see what I was getting at.

Those are the desktop dyno numbers with my 10:1 tbi 355 and I put in all the flow numbers on the heads so it should be pretty accurate... at 9:1 with a 383 the tq would probaly be 10 ft lbs higher on all the tq numbers. This a completly smog legal setup using holley's 670 cfm tbi, afr aluminum 180cc street heads, holley 2" manifold, holley fuel pump, a prominator(computer tuner/programmer), headers with flowmaster, and this cam from comp cams high energy series:

C.A.R.B. approved tq cam: High Energy 252H Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshaft Only
Lift: .425''
Duration: 252°
RPM Range: 800-4800
C.A.R.B. Approved*
More Details

Be warned though to get these kind of numbers with tbi you WILL spend about a grand and you'll need to either learn how to program your ecm or pay about 300 bucks to have it done.

Are you worried about smog? If not go with one of the XFI cams from comp cams... xfi stand for xtreme fuel injection and they make GOOD tq as well as hp. Also go with the competition afr 180cc heads instead of the street heads.

 

[hawkeye649]

Well If you want to keep the tbi you'll need to spend some serious $... probably about 1000 just for the upgraded fuel injection(stock tbi fuel injection is about worthless for anything over 275 hp). You might not care about hp at all but in order to get that axle snapping tq your gonna be over 275 hp.

I was hoping for an engine in the 2,500-5k range I guess. No reason to have good credit if you don't use it.

What kind of tq are you looking for?

Here are the numbers for my tbi 355 with smog legal afr 180 heads, and smog legal cam. I couldn't figure out how to put the desktop dyno screen on here so I'll do it the hard way...

2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500, 5000, 5500,

HP: 168, 210, 257, 305, 348, 387, 417, 429,

TQ: 441, 442, 450, 457, 456, 451, 438, 410,


Edit: wth? Why don't the numbers stay where I put them? Oh well you can kind of see what I was getting at.

Not really sure, but those #'s right there are pretty f-in seksy.
Maybe I don't need to stroke it out, or maybe I should and get even more.
457 ft-lbs at 3.5K is budda!!!
BTW the reason they wont "stay" is because CK5 doesn't use "true type" fonts where each character is the same size, and spaces are left as they are input. HTML is very non-ASCII picture/spacing friendly.

Those are the desktop dyno numbers with my 10:1 tbi 355 and I put in all the flow numbers on the heads so it should be pretty accurate... at 9:1 with a 383 the tq would probaly be 10 ft lbs higher on all the tq numbers. This a completly smog legal setup using holley's 670 cfm tbi, afr aluminum 180cc street heads, holley 2" manifold, holley fuel pump, a prominator(computer tuner/programmer), headers with flowmaster, and this cam from comp cams high energy series:

C.A.R.B. approved tq cam: High Energy 252H Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshaft Only
Lift: .425''
Duration: 252°
RPM Range: 800-4800
C.A.R.B. Approved*
More Details

Be warned though to get these kind of numbers with tbi you WILL spend about a grand and you'll need to either learn how to program your ecm or pay about 300 bucks to have it done.

Are you worried about smog? If not go with one of the XFI cams from comp cams... xfi stand for xtreme fuel injection and they make GOOD tq as well as hp. Also go with the competition afr 180cc heads instead of the street heads.

No smog in NH. 1996 and newer they basically test to see if your ECM isn't throwing trouble codes.... I don't forse my 1990 GMC Jimmy ever being smogged. And if it does... I have a 1976 K5 VIN hanging around....

 

[beastofablaze]

yeah If you stroke it and go with the comp heads and more radical cam I wouldn't be suprised if you saw 475-500 ft lbs. But the problem becomes how do you feed it. I'll probably end up going tpi if I'm starvin it or just set my rev limiter low... like 5k or somethin. If you get around 450 hp then mpfi is probably the best fuel injected option. How much $$$ you got? Cause you'll need it for powr AND fuel injection.

By the way those numbers are with the timing 3 degrees advanced... that seemed like the best tq map...

I think 441 ft lbs at 2k for a naturally aspirated sbc is pretty damn good. I wouldn't be bashful in saying that would rival a mild bbc or a hot 6.2 but add the hp and it becomes a bb killer. If you got the money go 383 tho I wish I would have.

 

[hawkeye649]

yeah If you stroke it and go with the comp heads and more radical cam I wouldn't be suprised if you saw 475-500 ft lbs. But the problem becomes how do you feed it. I'll probably end up going tpi if I'm starvin it or just set my rev limiter low... like 5k or somethin. If you get around 450 hp then mpfi is probably the best fuel injected option. How much $$$ you got? Cause you'll need it for powr AND fuel injection.

By the way those numbers are with the timing 3 degrees advanced... that seemed like the best tq map...

I think 441 ft lbs at 2k for a naturally aspirated sbc is pretty damn good. I wouldn't be bashful in saying that would rival a mild bbc or a hot 6.2 but add the hp and it becomes a bb killer. If you got the money go 383 tho I wish I would have.

It's all about making the money...
As long as all the purchases are made before my mother finds out, my lame live-at-home-self should be ok....

Lets see we've got the now-gone 72 chevelle, the 85 K5, the 77 (now gone) K5, the 75 K5, the 89 Sub, the 90 F/S Jimmy the 43CC mini bike, the 49CC pocket bike (wheelies!!), the 00 600EFI ZR Kat..... now I'm growing a fondness for Mac Two's in Billerica...

 

[Citizen Rider]

With the high compression of a 383(9.5-11.5 compression) that i dont see it running on 87 Oct. Premium is what i was told to run up to 11:1 compression.

 

[hawkeye649]

See these are the kind of things that are cool to know. 9.5 the lowest compression that has been possible so far? I know heads can get pretty large & that you can get concave (sp?) pistons.

 

[hawkeye649]

Anyone have any experience with edelbrock's DPI setup for tbi trucks? I always thought it looked nice and since it's supposed to be "bolt on" it looks pretty sick....
If someone wanted a axle snapper for under $5k, how would you go about it? I've been reading about allot of swaps to the new GM engines.....

 

[Citizen Rider]

Its possible to go lower than 9.5 compression.

Nicely priced short block assembly. http://competitionproducts.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SB383-LF

www.strokermotors.com

I personally will be building mine mostly myself other than the machining of the block. Im aiming for atleast 11:1 compression. Ill get a stroker rotating assymbly. get the intake, headers, rebuilt heads, And i will probly run propane

www.competitionproducts.com www.jegs.com www.strokermotor.com

 

[mostwanted]

Anyone have any experience with edelbrock's DPI setup for tbi trucks? I always thought it looked nice and since it's supposed to be "bolt on" it looks pretty sick....
If someone wanted a axle snapper for under $5k, how would you go about it? I've been reading about allot of swaps to the new GM engines.....

two words: lower gears

 

[beastofablaze]

With the high compression of a 383(9.5-11.5 compression) that i dont see it running on 87 Oct. Premium is what i was told to run up to 11:1 compression.

stock 4.3's run 9:1 compression with steel heads... running 9.5:1 with aluminum heads and the right timing and you'll be fine on 87.

By the way the edelbrock system that replaces the tbi is actually a worse setup than the 670 cfm tbi because of the small intake inlet... I've asked edelbrock and they say the MAX you could get out of the mpfi bolt on kit would be 350 hp. With the right fuel pressure and tune you could squeeze 400+ hp out of the holley setup using some of the cfm tech stuff so your better off with the 670 cfm tbi. But your best bet is gonna be tpi. Pull a complete system, sensors, harness, ecm, etc. out of an old thirdgen get some new injectors, fuel pump, and whatever else might be needed. Should run you 600 bucks but the hp potential jumps to about 450. I know your concerned with tq but for root breaking tq you gonna end up with a good dose of hp.

You could build a motor that would probably make the same or more tq than the numbers I posted for my motor for 5 g's but you can forget about fuel injection. For that kind of power your gonna need to spend more than 5gs if you want fuel injection (maybe 5500 or 6g's if you get some used stuff).

But you don't have smog so you might want to look in to a caddy 500 cid swap... lots of guys doing it and some say they get 12-14 mpg with 500 ft lbs of tq and it only weighs slightly more than a sb. Talk to BrandonnC... he just swapped in a 500.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

I would unquestionably go with either newer block and get a roller cam. Better economy, better power, the cam can be made with a more aggresive profile, your cam won't go flat, etc. I would get a cam that will work with your TBI, then fix up the TBI (injectors, higher fuel pressure, chip, etc.). Honestly, I don't know GM TBI that well but the 454 throttle body is bigger and there are plenty of people running 300 hp with it. I would get some stock L31 vortecs and keep the cam lift small enough to run them without modding the springs (~.450"). That should give you some monster torque, keep the TBI all with a relatively low budget.

 

[S. Burnham]

want to keep your tbi.
do a search on vafpr and part# gm17113186.
just ordered mine yesterday for my 383.

 

[hawkeye649]

two words: lower gears

I think I'd rather have a 475ft/lb 383 stroker backed up by an NP4500/241 SYE, HAD 1 ton d/s with CTM joints all around, D60/14BFF with 4.10's and the ability to
A: Roast my 35's with a mild stab of the skinny pedal
and....
B: Cruise the 3 hours it takes to get to my favorite camping spot, without running the engine at 4K the whole way and using 1 1/2 tanks of gas....

Only thing I might change is the 241.... once it breaks.

 

[hawkeye649]

stock 4.3's run 9:1 compression with steel heads... running 9.5:1 with aluminum heads and the right timing and you'll be fine on 87.

By the way the edelbrock system that replaces the tbi is actually a worse setup than the 670 cfm tbi because of the small intake inlet... I've asked edelbrock and they say the MAX you could get out of the mpfi bolt on kit would be 350 hp. With the right fuel pressure and tune you could squeeze 400+ hp out of the holley setup using some of the cfm tech stuff so your better off with the 670 cfm tbi. But your best bet is gonna be tpi. Pull a complete system, sensors, harness, ecm, etc. out of an old thirdgen get some new injectors, fuel pump, and whatever else might be needed. Should run you 600 bucks but the hp potential jumps to about 450. I know your concerned with tq but for root breaking tq you gonna end up with a good dose of hp.

You could build a motor that would probably make the same or more tq than the numbers I posted for my motor for 5 g's but you can forget about fuel injection. For that kind of power your gonna need to spend more than 5gs if you want fuel injection (maybe 5500 or 6g's if you get some used stuff).

But you don't have smog so you might want to look in to a caddy 500 cid swap... lots of guys doing it and some say they get 12-14 mpg with 500 ft lbs of tq and it only weighs slightly more than a sb. Talk to BrandonnC... he just swapped in a 500.

Ya his rig is pretty damn sick....
I wish I had bought that (I think 98) chevy 2500 350 (yes, def 350 so before it was done away with) vortec running for $500.... just slid the body inbetween a tree and a telephone pole... still had a good 14bff.....

The difference between 5K and 6K is nominal if it gets me to the point where I'm competeing with a diesel.

Maybe finding a nice cummins out of a dodge is in my future.

Decisions suck, I wish I had the money for one of each.

 

[tiger9297]

I'm doing sort of the same type build but with a BBC. I looked at the Edelbrock but I think I will go with the Howell unit. Howell uses the Edelbrock intake but puts larger injectors in it. According to the guys at Howell their unit is good to 500 HP. I'm hoping my engine will get around 400+ HP and 530-570 TQ. I think the Howell unit will be plenty for me. It runs $1200 for the TB, intake, injectors, wiring harness, and chip. I'm sure there are better MPFI units out there but for the money this looks like a good deal.

 

[beastofablaze]

Ya his rig is pretty damn sick....
I wish I had bought that (I think 98) chevy 2500 350 (yes, def 350 so before it was done away with) vortec running for $500.... just slid the body inbetween a tree and a telephone pole... still had a good 14bff.....

The difference between 5K and 6K is nominal if it gets me to the point where I'm competeing with a diesel.

Maybe finding a nice cummins out of a dodge is in my future.

Decisions suck, I wish I had the money for one of each.

Well honestly, I'd go with the bb.... I LOVE the sb chevy but the only reason I stayed sb was because of CA smog and even though my setup would put a 6.2 to shame(be about 490 ft lbs with the cfm tech stuff) It can't compete with a hot bbc or dmax/cummins/powerstroke for tq. You will get KILLER tq but less hp. Yeah you could build a badass 383 pushin 500 ft lbs and 450 hp but a bb would be pushin 600 ft lbs with 50 less hp... its up to you but personally I'd go with a 502. If you have some engine building skills 6gs is in the realm of possibility and I know they make marine fuel injection for em. Might want to check it out.

 

[tiger9297]

Well honestly, I'd go with the bb.... I LOVE the sb chevy but the only reason I stayed sb was because of CA smog and even though my setup would put a 6.2 to shame(be about 490 ft lbs with the cfm tech stuff) It can't compete with a hot bbc or dmax/cummins/powerstroke for tq. You will get KILLER tq but less hp. Yeah you could build a badass 383 pushin 500 ft lbs and 450 hp but a bb would be pushin 600 ft lbs with 50 less hp... its up to you but personally I'd go with a 502. If you have some engine building skills 6gs is in the realm of possibility and I know they make marine fuel injection for em. Might want to check it out.

I was going to take the 350 out of my '90 K5 and rebuild it as a MPFI 383. However, I have seen too many people praising the BBC. I'm looking to build a really stout but reliable and smooth running engine as I travel and tow a camper or boat with my K5. May not be your application, but I asked some of the guys on this site which they would rather have, and every one said a BBC over a 383. I saw somewhere where someone was comparing a BBC to a SBC and they said "you can build a SBC that can put out similar numbers to a BBC but the BBC won't make nearly as big a deal out of it". There was also a comparison I read lately (may have been on Chevy HP's website - don't remember exactly) where they compared a 396 SBC to a 396 BBC and made the engines basically identical other than the obvious difference. The BBC out performed the SBC hands down. That is another thing that sold me.

 

[beastofablaze]

So are you praising the bbc or saying its overated?

I could get 510(says dd2000) ft lbs at 2000 rpm out of my tbi sbc using methonal injection from snow but it would be like n20 in a way only coming on at certain throttle pressure and your talking about alot more hassle for numbers that a cammed bbc with good heads will do without breaking a sweat. Like I said I wouldn't be jimmying my sbc using 1500 dollar heads and spending 2 grand on specialty efi tuning stuff if I didn't have to deal with CA smog... I would rather drop a bbc in her and be done with it.

Actually 502 is a little pricey but this should be just about exactly what your looking for... spend 1500 or so on Fuel injection and your done... 500 ft lbs at 3250 rpm and it runs on dogwater 87 octane(actually not sure it says premium fuel but compression is only 8.75:1). Don't get much better than this beast.

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&catalogIdentifier=Jegs_Direct&categoryId=22419&parentCategoryId=10763


Oh and I figured out how to get a screen shot of the desktop dyno numbers... here they are, changed the timing to 5 degrees advanced and figured out the static compression ratio.
http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k214/beastofablaze/?action=view&current=AFR_SBC2.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1

http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k214/beastofablaze/?action=view&current=AFR_SBC.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch2

 

[beater_k20]

want to keep your tbi.
do a search on vafpr and part# gm17113186.
just ordered mine yesterday for my 383.

what is vafpr? and try again on your PN, its not a valid number.