I know this is an old question but here it is. Besides head work, rotating assembly, rods, pistons, programming etc, what other work is required? Do I have to do anything to the block or is it mainly top end work? I did searches on the net but found mainly rotating assembly pages on not much on the whole process. Thanks..

 

You should get alot of info from folks here.

Here's a place you might enjoy reading up on?

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2...er/index.shtml

 

The block will have the be machined. At a minimum it will need to be bored .030 and clearanced for the rod bolts. If you chose to, you could also have the block decked and align honed.

Essentially, the process would break down like this:

Choose components
-Rods
-Crank
-Pistons
-Wrist pins
-Heads
-Cam
-Pushrods
-Rockers
-Gaskets and bearings

Take all that stuff to a machine shop. The shop will then bore the block, and hone each hole to each piston, making the bores piston specific. The shop should then mock up the bottom end, and clearance the block accordingly. Most of the time only slight grinding along the inner portion of the oil pan rails is required. Dis-assemble the mock up, deck the block (if you decided to do this), align hone the block (again, if you deided to have it done), clean it, and finally install cam bearings and freeze plugs.

Once you've got the block back in your garage, double check everything with a good set of micrometer's and plasti-gauge. Clean all the oil passages you can get to with a bottle brush and start to assemble.

Once the engine is inatalled, you'll have to tackle the computer tuning prcess. There's quite a few options, such as a pro tuner, tuning it yourself, mail order, and after market computers/DFI.

Obviously there is a ton more to it once you start to build the engine, and you'll get 1000's of different opinions on the 'right' way to do it, but in broad strokes that is pretty much the process.

 

Hey thanks guys; this gives me more to think about regarding budget, etc. I want to have 500 HP (note not RWHP) and I think a 383 may be the best way to go. I want to be naturally aspirated.

 

Don't leave out fuel and a custom Prom, both an absolute necessity for a 500HP motor. That alone is another 500-1000 dollars depending on your selections.

 

Is 500bhp achievable on a NA 383?

 

Sure from what I'm told. Just us a MiniRam or silmilar setup. I'm expecting 440-470 with my setup.

 

Whoooowweee, 500hp out of a, NA 383. That is 1.3 hp per cubic inch. Rotsa Ruck in your erection Mr. Nixon! It is probably do-able, but you will have very close to a full-on bracket motor with really crappy street manners. We won't even discuss smog.

 

This is from a post over on thirdgen.org on 383 intake tests


TPI shootout in Feb Super Rod magazine
Super Rod did a decent TPI shootout in their Feb. issue. It has:

Stock TPI (410hp, 500lb-ft)
Edelbrock High-Flo (431hp, 501lb-ft)
Extrude Hone base & LTR (451hp, 534lb-ft)
TPIS Big Mouth System (460hp, 534lb-ft)
ASM Siamesed Runners (464hp, 510lb-ft)
SLP T-Ram (466hp, 495lb-ft)
Accel SR (480hp, 506lb-ft)
Holley single plane (493hp, 480lb-ft)
HSR (501hp, 493lb-ft)
MR (505hp, 471lb-ft)

The engine was a 10:1 383 with Trick Flow heads and the Comp XR288HR (236/242, .520/.540)

The article is mssing a few things that I would have liked to have seen. They used different size TB's for a number of the tests and the cam is better suited for the short runner stuff. All of the combos made decent power though. I would have liked to have seen a RPM Air Gap and properly sized carb tested as well.

AFAIC, the HSR is the winner as far as numbers:$. And i'm a SR guy, lol.

If you want the RPMs and graphs you'll have to buy the mag

 

And some more info

Stock TPI - stock 47mm T/B and stock plenum
Edelbrock High-Flo Base and Runners- stock 47mm T/B and stock plenum
Stock GM extrude Hone base & TPiS LTR - 52mm T/B and Extrude Plenum
TPiS BigMouth Base and TPiS LTR - 52mm T/B and ported plenum
ASM Siamesed Runners - 52mm T/B BigMouth Base and ported plenum
SLP FireHawk T-Ram - 47mm stock T/B
Accel SuperRam Upper- 1000cfm Accel T/B and BigMouth base
Holley MPFI Single Plane - 1000cfm 4bbl T/B
Holley StealthRam - 58mm T/B
MiniRam - 52mm T/B

There were no real surprises.

It shows that a fully ported stock intake can hang with an aftermarket intake. Although if you couldn't do the port work yourself it wouldn't be cost effective to pay someone to port it (or have it extrude honed).

It shows that StealthRam put out more power than the MiniRam everywhere until 5800 on this 383. The MiniRam peaked 3 HP higher, but gave up as much as 23 HP and 28 TQ at 4400rpm.

The StealthRam's tunnel-ram design also put out more power at all points than the Holley single plane intake used. However there are better single plane intakes out there that could be converted to EFI and show better results when compared to the single plane used in this test.

If there was a "winner" among these tested, IMO,,, it was the StealthRam with the SuperRam running a close second --- FOR THIS COMBINATION. HOWEVER, if you wanted to keep gearing and the stall speed to a minimum,, the SuperRam would probably be the better choice. The old SLP T-Ram did well also,,, and would have been close to the SuperRam numbers with a larger T/B. I've also gotta say the TPiS long tube runner system showed very well. If you didn't race the car much the LTR system would be an absolute blast driving around town with approximately 47lb/ft more TQ at 4000 rpm compared to the StealthRam and around 28lb/ft more than the SuperRam at 4000 rpm!

 

I'm just finishing my stroker up and I would be shickled titless if it puts out 425 at the crank. 500 seems a bit out of reach.

 

Some more info on a stock TPI on a 383

 

I find it hard to believe that a 383 LT1 can't make 500HP. There are guys getting into 450's on 350's.

 

 

 

You may want to consider a 406 or 408 over a 383 if 500 streetable horsepower is your TRUE goal. A 383 making 500 horsepower N/A probably won't have the street manners you are looking for. It can be done and for that matter a 355 can do it but it is just so much easier to do it with a larger bore. The other side benefit of the 406 is that you will certainly see more torque. Good luck on your project.

 

Keep in mind that all intakes in that article or on a 10.1:1 CR motor. I run a 10.7:1 CR. I have heard different estimates on CR to HP #'s and in this range 8-10 HP per .1 of CR seems the commonly accepted estimate so add another 48-60 HP to all those numbers. Has anyone read those articles? People keep saying it can't be done, and it's done right there on a 10.1:1 CR motor? What gives?

 

Exactly....I have all kinds of head porters that are mentioned here over and over again who's online documentation all state over 500HP (note not RWHP). So that makes me think either they are all lying, or I am missing something....this leads me to great confusion..

 

I understand the point you guys are making about being drivable. I want to have this car as a daily driver so that is important to me as well. Wicked high stalls are not what I'm looking for either....regarding the 400+ cubic inches, I think cost starts to really increase here and although I don't race the car, I want the engine to last.

 

Well look at it this way..the guys who own the motor shops, build the motors and dyno test them say and demonstrate that it is done fairly easily, no magic involved..............................an d then you have a bunch of computer bench racers saying that there is no way it can be done. It's your choice but I know who I put my faith in