383 or 355 for 79 upgrade?
Pro
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 599
Likes: 16
From: vista CA
Numbers matching motor / tranny
I kept my original numbers matching 350 engine and TH350 for several years after swapping them out with modern fuel injected motor and T56 tranny. Then, when moving from one house to another ended up selling them off for cheap as new home didn't have room to store them 
With my luck the 1979s will end up being super valuable someday in the far away future and I will be sorry. BUT sure am having fun driving the modern version of the 79 C3 around...
Good luck with your efforts ... and I would strongly recommend an overdrive tranny to go with the new motor, nice when cruising on the freeway at 70 to 80 mph with low rpm's compared to the TH350.
Cheers, Steve
With my luck the 1979s will end up being super valuable someday in the far away future and I will be sorry. BUT sure am having fun driving the modern version of the 79 C3 around...
Good luck with your efforts ... and I would strongly recommend an overdrive tranny to go with the new motor, nice when cruising on the freeway at 70 to 80 mph with low rpm's compared to the TH350.
Cheers, Steve
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 6,284
Likes: 1,171
From: Hermosa
If you want to build the engine yourself and you have a budget of $5000, then you got plenty to get the roller cam and change the pistons, con rods, crank, intake.
I found the roller cam adds about $800 to $1000 when all said and done and you have to figure out the cam walk issue with a cam button and a good timing gear cover. Well worth it IMO as it relieves you of wiped lobe concerns and high zinc oil requirements not to mention better performance and more area under the curve potential.
Going top end only is the easier route, but it will leave you with the stock L-48 cast pistons that have a large 17cc dish in them and no quench zone. This is going to leave you with a more detonation prone engine needing higher octane and less timing to run well.
If your gonna do it I would tear it all down and start with fresh honed cylinders and good pistons. Flat tops or D-dish.
Otherwise you can get a built 355 or 383 for that $5000 and install it yourself.
The TH-350 is pretty tough and can take a beating, at least below the 450 HP/torque level.
I have a 377 HP 350 with a Th-350 and a shift kit that I beat on regularly and it takes it.
Good advice on the 3.08 rear end info. If that is what you got get lots of torque to make it go or get a higher stall torque converter to get you farther up the RPM range at launch or both. higher stall torque converter will need an additional transmission cooler to keep the temps under control.
I found the roller cam adds about $800 to $1000 when all said and done and you have to figure out the cam walk issue with a cam button and a good timing gear cover. Well worth it IMO as it relieves you of wiped lobe concerns and high zinc oil requirements not to mention better performance and more area under the curve potential.
Going top end only is the easier route, but it will leave you with the stock L-48 cast pistons that have a large 17cc dish in them and no quench zone. This is going to leave you with a more detonation prone engine needing higher octane and less timing to run well.
If your gonna do it I would tear it all down and start with fresh honed cylinders and good pistons. Flat tops or D-dish.
Otherwise you can get a built 355 or 383 for that $5000 and install it yourself.
The TH-350 is pretty tough and can take a beating, at least below the 450 HP/torque level.
I have a 377 HP 350 with a Th-350 and a shift kit that I beat on regularly and it takes it.
Good advice on the 3.08 rear end info. If that is what you got get lots of torque to make it go or get a higher stall torque converter to get you farther up the RPM range at launch or both. higher stall torque converter will need an additional transmission cooler to keep the temps under control.