I am currently looking for a good forged short block to put in my 90. I will only be running 8 psi but I don't want to run junk. I have looked on the web at several builders and it looks like I can get a 355 or 383 short block for $3000.00 to $4000.00. No core fee.

I certainly don't want to get taken to the cleaners but I would pay a little more for a quality build. I am thinking on a 355 since I have a new set of AFR 180 Eliminator Heads that I am afraid would be too small for a 383. Any thoughts on this would also be appreciated.

I live in the Dallas, Tx area and I am sure a good builder is close at hand but I just don't know how to hook up with one. Thanks for any input.

90Indy

 

If your looking for a local builder then you should post in the southwest part of the forum. I have a couple of builder but there in san antonio.

 

Go with the 383, it will make a nice torque engine, and drive better.

 

if your current motor is running fine, i would not hesitate to run 8-10 pounds of boost on it.. it is a lower compression L98 and that isn't alot of boost for that motor if the tune is right and properly intercooled.

if you have plans on making bigger boost and more power I would recommend sticking with a forged 355 shortblock. the difference between the 383 and the 355 in a boosted application will not make much difference except your pistons will have weaker ring lands on a 383 due to the longer stroke crank and having to move the piston pin higher up in the forging which reduces the ammount of room there is for a ring pack.

if I were in your shoes and getting ready to do a motor build and currently had an l98, the first thing I would do is decide to build an lt1 and sell you afr heads and grab a set of trickflows for an lt1. LT1's have gottan pretty cheap to buy complete and if ya machine the rear of the intake for a distributor, you can tweak your factory ECM to run it just fine. or you an always opt for aftermarket engine management depending on how far you plan on going here..

first things first though.. make the call of what you REALLY want to achieve here and be real.. is 8 pounds all you want to run?????? if so.... leave her as she sits and save the money for another day, chances are you will want more boost simply because its addictive..lol

tuned port is such a nightmare I don't bother working on them anymore, most find that the shorter runners in the miniram or lt1 swap are needed when you wanna jump into some good power and a longer broader torque curve.


pistons, rods, are same for lt1 and l98, cranks....... well i think the later l98's have the same one piece rear seal crank as well..... so you can essentially buy the parts and run them in either but the reverse flow cooling heads help boosted cars out as well as the easier to seal intake manifold and the block is much stronger in the lt1 as well. everythign else is essentially a direct bolt over from the l98 so all should work fine but if ya get a deal on a vette motor complete it is a great scenario because the belt drive system is a bit cleaner and more compact with no air pump to deal with and an electric waterpump save power and runs the motor cooler and are MUCH cheaper then for gen 1 cars...


ok got off on a tangent..... hope some of that helps anyways!

Chris

 

Corey Henderson in San Antonio (Henderson Performance) is highly recommended. Also NRP in Las Vegas.

I run 8-9 psi on my single rear mount turbo and the stock LT1 loves it. I get 408 rwhp and 437 rwtq with a 100k+ motor.

Either of the two tuners mentioned above will be one of our rear turbo installers when the kit hits the market in March.

Cheers,
Ron