Hey Guys,

Some maintenance guy at my job was braggin about his c4 with a 350 LPE package installed. I didn't know LPE had a 350 package so i went to checkout their site.

Is it really worth it to spend 5G more for the 383 package? Prices are little scary but I wanted to get your take on the difference between the two packages....only 35HP difference but as my friend stated, more tq high rev.

from LPE website:

The 350 package:
410 BHP / 385 lbs-ft of torque - LT1
415 BHP / 385 lbs-ft of torque - LT4

Package includes:
Engine removal, inspection and disassembly
Lingenfelter CNC ported & polished LT1 or LT4 cylinder heads
Stainless steel 2.00" intake valves
Stainless steel 1.56" exhaust valves
Lingenfelter double valve springs, titanium retainers, 10 degree locks & seals
Three angle valve job, checking of spring tensions and heights
Lingenfelter designed Competition Cams hydraulic roller camshaft
Ported and polished LT1 intake manifold
Competition Cams High Tech stainless steel full roller rocker arms - 1.6:1 ratio
58 mm billet aluminum throttle body
LPE engraved throttle body cover
Professional installation, testing and tuning
Stainless steel exhaust by Corsa
Lingenfelter modified air box lid and K&N air filter
Chassis dyno testing after installation
LPE's 2 year / 24,000 mile warranty
1992 - 1996 Corvette Package Prices
LT1 Manual transmission - $9,495.00
LT4 Manual transmission - $9,495.00

The 383 Package:
440 BHP / 430 lbs-ft of torque - LT1
450 BHP / 430 lbs-ft of torque - LT4

Package includes:
Engine removal, inspection and disassembly
JE forged aluminum pistons - 10.8:1
Callies 4340 forged steel crankshaft - 3.750" stroke
Manley fully machined, 4340 forged steel connecting rods - 5.850" length
Speed Pro file fit plasma moly piston rings
Computer balanced rotating assembly
Lingenfelter CNC ported & polished LT1 or LT4 cylinder heads
Stainless steel 2.00" intake valves
Stainless steel 1.56" exhaust valves
Lingenfelter double valve springs, titanium retainers, 10 degree locks & seals
Three angle valve job, checking of spring tensions and heights
Lingenfelter designed Competition Cams hydraulic roller camshaft
Ported and polished LT1 intake manifold
Competition Cams High Tech stainless steel full roller rocker arms - 1.6:1 ratio
58 mm billet aluminum throttle body
LPE engraved throttle body cover
Professional installation, testing and tuning
Stainless steel exhaust by Corsa
Lingenfelter modified air box lid and K&N air filter
Chassis dyno testing after installation
LPE's 2 year / 24,000 mile warranty
1992 - 1996 Corvette Package Prices
LT1 Manual transmission - $14,620.00
LT4 Manual transmission - $14,620.00

 

Lingenfelter has the premium price because of the name, warranty, and emission legal status.

The 383 is going to cost significantly more because they redo the bottom end. I would say that it's worth the difference for an essentially brand new engine.

 

I have one of the first 383's John built and it's a beautiful engine having had it apart and seen the internals.Having said that $15000 is a hell of a lot of money for something this simple.I think there's a lot of good engine builders that could reproduce it for less than ten grand and possibly give you a little more horse power.Incidentally the 383 produces huge amounts of torque low down but the power starts to fall off above 5200 so you don't need to overrev the thing. Personally if I had to do it all over again I think I would build a rock solid standard 350 with the best internals and a procharger or similar. Dial up your power when you need it.

 

When pricing out my motor rebuild many years back, the DIY 383 rebuild was only a few hundred more than the 355 overbore that most guys do when rebuilding. I went with the 355 simply because I didn't have the extra money at the time and was scared of heat issues I heard those 383's run hot.

Anyway... almost my entire rebuild with just about everything upgraded (pisons, cam, oil pump, RR's, etc, etc) only cost me about $1500 or less to do it myself.


but of course that is if you are willing to DIY

I am sure LPE uses good parts, but you can buy just as good parts for a fraction of the cost. All they are offering is the name and of course their superior technical skills to build a motor that guys like us don't have. But after seeing how my engine came apart and went back together, it really isn't that hard to do, just time consuming and having a buddy around that knows what he is doing really helps too

 

i don't see anything about them that remotely justifies the oppressive cost.

 

Having one sitting in the driveway, I agree. The PO had to have it rebuilt twice after their initial install - once by LPE at cost and the other by someone else. LPE's tune job is good for crap. Their tech support when trying to ID a broken valve spring was less than stellar, too.

I know they generally have a good rep but its just a 383 - not very novel by today's standards.