I want to turn my 350 small block into a 383 stroker. I was wondering if yall could give me an estimate on how much it would cost, and if you could tell me the ups and downs of the 383. I heard that since you will have more rotating mass you will lose alot of hp but gain a tone of torque; is this true? thanks

 

I built a 383 for my rommates '86 Vette and used the Speed-O-Motive kit ( http://www.speedomotive.com ) and he's a very happy customer. Speed-o-motive also has free shipping, which saved us $$$ here in Louisiana.

 

You might lose some (some) horsepower from the longer stroke but you'd be okay if you went with a 6" connecting rod to keep a good rod to stroke ratio. Some hi-po buildups even use longer rods. I don't have a 383 but know of a few and the torque difference when compared to say a 355 is quite a bit better.

 

Whoever told you this is mistaken.
More Cubic Inches = More Power plain and simple
True, you will be slinging around more iron, but not enogh to lose power in any aspect. Go with a 6.0 rod like stated above and you'll be fine. The torque over a 350 is significant. :yesnod:


[Modified by Corey 68, 1:31 PM 5/16/2002]

 

Im sorry i didn't mean hp i meant rpm's. I looked at the mighty mouse hypereutetic piston crank kit and the numbers look pretty impressive, but should i spend the extra grand and go for the forged kit? Because im thinking about adding nitrous in the future. Oh, how long did it take to complete the kit, and how much will it cost to bore out my 350? thanks again

 

It cost my roommate $160 to bore, hone and deck his 350. If you have the money go with the forged. He went w/ the hyper pistons and is installing a 100hp shot of Nitrous this Summer. Don't worry about losing rpm's on a 383, they were built as "cheater motors" in dirt track cars, they will turn up, no problem. :yesnod:


[Modified by Corey 68, 1:44 PM 5/16/2002]

 

thanks a bunch for the info :yesnod:

 

I went with the stroker motor myself. If you are going to bore the 350 you might as well stroke it and get some BB torque out of the deal...I see nothing wrong with them unless having loads of fun is a problem...Why stop at a 383 though. Just a thought
Neil in Tenn

 

I did mine and would do it again. The final bill is up to you. $500 or $5000, the old adage is "It cost money to have fun. Now how much fun do you have in your wallet?". Don't worry about top rpm, the low end torque will make you forget all about that. Scott

 

383s are cheap if you budget wisely. If you are shooting for less than 550 hp and 7000 rpm then a cast steel crank will be fine ($250). You can get some Scat 4340 5.7 or 6.0 I beams from flatlanderracing.com for $219. With 3.75 stroke, 6.0 and especially 5.7 rods you have a nice selection of low cost pistons available (TRW, KB $200-300). You can stroke the motor out further, but then pistons will get expensive ($400-500+), as well as the cranks cost a bit more.

Depending on your rods you may get stuck being charged for 'clearancing' the block to make room for the larger stroke. Eagle sells some "3D stroker H Beam" rods which don't need clearancing. It may be cheaper to upgrade to these rods than pay the extra money for clearancing, or you can do it yourself.

I wouldn't worry too much about the bore:stroke. One of the car mags did a comparison between a 383 (4.03 / 3.75) and a 377 (4.155 / 3.48) and I think the 383 made more power throught the RPM band.

Car Craft just built a budget pump gas 540 horse 383 with AFR 195s, Victor Jr., 10.5:1, Holley 750 HP, 294S solid flat tappet cam. The cast steel crank, 4340 i beams and forged pistons would be a great bottom end for that motor.

Oh and no, you won't lose any horsepower, you'll gain it. The rotating mass may end up being lighter. Scat has lightened cranks for just a little extra, and 383 pistons are a little smaller so they will weigh less. You can go with a 6.0" rod to save even a little more weight (the rod weighs a little more than a 5.7, but the lighter piston more than makes up for it). Those extra 28 cubes are easily worth 25-30+ horses on a well built engine.

Rob



[Modified by robzr, 7:44 PM 5/16/2002]

 

Lemme dig up that article...