Longtime lurker, done my homework on what I want, but don't know where to get the engine.

I want to restore my 1986 and modify some things. First up is the engine. I have the Superram already and TPiS headers on my current motor, those will go on the next engine.

Budget for the engine and install is 3-5K. I cannot do it myself because of work nowadays, but have in the past. I just want to order the motor and have it sent somewhere for installation. This car needs to be off the road as little as possible and that just won't jive with my schedule to work on her. I just haven't bought a crate myself before. How long does it take them to build?

What I want: 383 or a 396, 180-200cc heads, camshaft a bit bigger than the 219, 1.6RR, would prefer forged pistons and rods but not a big deal. Preferably making about 425chp when its all said and done. Car is going to be driven often, almost daily, so not an outrageous tune or racer.

Any links or suggestions on where to get it?

 

I dont think you can get that motor installed for that price. Unless you know someone that will do the install for cheap. The link here has a motor that is not completely forged, but makes the power.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-12498772/

 

For what you are trying to achieve, your budget may be a problem. Crate motors can be risky. You have to be very careful what you buy. I was in your shoes a few months ago and I was ready to pull the trigger on a crate build. Then I talked to some people that knew what they were talking about. I would recommend having someone build the motor for you.

I am just finishing my 396 Super Ram build. It is very similar to what you are looking at. This engine came in at $6,500 without shipping and installation.

Eagle forged crank, Crower forged rods and SRP forged pistons
Crane 221/230 roller cam
AFR 195 Street heads
Comp Cams roller rockers
Internal balance flexplate
ATI Balancer
Cloyes Double roller timing chain
Lifters
Oil pan clearanced for longer stroke
All the gaskets and bolts needed for assembly
Trusted machining, balancing and assembly

 

Other than the fastburns and the compression thats about what I want.

5-6.5K is doable

 

http://www.blueprintengines.com/inde...-383-bp3834ct1 ?

 

Might be worth a phone call. Find out the LSA on the cam and be sure its computer friendly. Did not see what head specs are or what brand. You will need to tune or have someone tune it. Also add $$$ for odds and ends. Oil, coolant, hoses, water pump. Cap, rotor, plugs and wires. Stock fuel pump wont cut it with the new power. All that stuff adds up fast and its the best time to replace stuff while its apart. Not being negative, just saying, be prepared to go over budget.

 

That cam is not a very good choice for a Super Ram intake. You need to match the power band to your intake. Too much duration means power won't come on until later in the RPM band. The Super Ram will die before the cam reaches max Hp. So you lose on the bottom end and don't gain anything on the top end. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the Super Ram. You just need to accept that you have a high torque motor rather than a high RPM/Hp motor. The 219 is actually a good choice for a 383 SR and probably a better choice for the street.

You really need to find out more about the heads. If they don't mention the manufacturer, they are probably Chinese castings. And the Hp rating may not be close to your application. The dyno was probably done with a carb.

You will need a new chip and injectors. I would add another $500 to the budget for those.

 

For what ccumber has in that 396 thats a deal got some real nice parts in there, spent a lot more than that on my last 350, his will be a monster on the street.

 

I understand all that, thanks. I'm not worried about chip/injectors just yet, but theyre in a separate budget. Right now its just the motor I'm hunting.

 

National or reputable builders? Any in Tennessee?

Not talking about Lingenfelter pricing, but something fair.

 

Well You can always try GMPP at your local Chevy Dealer. There already built thats the main advantage to a Crate Engine. A waranty to. The 85 I recently picked up had a ZZ4 in it with Long Tube Headers and not much else. It will give my 96 LT4 a run for the money. I'd like to have a super ram on it. If You pay somebody to install it at Shop Rate Your going to break the bank.

 

I am a little leary of some of the crate engines out there. There was a forum member a while back that owned a machine shop and bought a ZZ4 crate engine. He tore it down brand new to see what was there. He checked the balance, and the rods were something like 6 grams out of balance, the pistons were 5 grams out of balance, and I don't remember how many grams the crank was, but something like 5-6 grams there too. Just going off memory... it's not what it used to be.. LOL! The industry standard is 7 grams. If it's under 7 grams, you won't feel a vibration. But in my mind those numbers are unacceptable. The machine shop I use balances to within 1 gram if not 0.
Crate engines are ok for some people, Maybe for a pick up truck or some daily driver. If I bought a crate engine for a real performance car, it would be built by Reher Morrison, or Shafiroff, Lingenfelter or somebody at that level. But those are major $$$. But you get what you pay for. If it's a daily driver you don't race, that is one thing, a crate engine will probably be fine. I think crate engines are OK for somebody that is just somewhat into a performance engine, and doesn't really care about precise machine work, alot of Chinese parts in some cases, or leaving perfomance on the table. But if you are after a good quality built performance engine, there are other options. I would have a custom built engine by somebody you can trust, and a high end top notch machine shop do the machine work. Machine work either makes or breaks the engine. That is half the problem with crate engines, you don't know who or where the machine work was done, along with the rest of the parts.

 

I was looking at the engine you were considering. I wouldn't use the cam that it comes with. It has too much duration. And looking at the cam spec's, I would bet this engine is a flat tappet engine( especially for the price). You don't have a roller cam there. Converting it to a hydraulic roller cam would probably cost $600-$800 dollars depending if the block is set up for a factory hyd roller set up. You definately have a cast Chinese crank there. And who knows how many other Chinese parts are in it. And the hp numbers were made with a carb set up.

Like I say, you get what you pay for.

 

Hey Jim, Your a reputable builder, one of the best from what I hear. , "unless you don't ship motors out." .....WW

 

Thank you.

 

When I was deciding what to do for a new motor I looked at all those crates that your looking at. Same exact links that your posting. Some of the prices look good...... but I found that there was one think lacking. I wasn't comfortable not knowing the machine work that was done to them. My local machinest alone as had several crates,ebay motors come into him that needed rebuilding or repair.

I've found that cost wise if you can have the short block built for you by someone reputable you can easily stay within your budget for what your looking for. Not only can you have something with a little more power but you will know that the machine work done is top notch.

Bottom line IMO, weigh your options
something shipped to your door that was put together from a assembly line with no tlc vs a trustworthy person that puts thats extra tlc in there build

 

I did a frame-on restoration of my last '77 Vette in the mid-1990's. Pulled the numbers matching engine and installed a GMPP 300hp small block and was happy with the results. The engine cost around $2K at that time. My intention was to rebuild the original engine and bump up the hp from 180 to around 300 and discovered that it would cost $2200-2500 minimum.

I worked at Grooms Engines in Nashville until I was laid off in late 2008. I have hands-on experience with their engines and know how carefully they are built. Their warranty return rate was around 2% which speaks for the quality of the engines. They also offer a no nonsense lifetime warranty on the engines for a nominal fee ($150 in 2008). We also built a lot of short blocks and long blocks for high performance engine vendors. Here's the link for them: http://groomsengines.com/ Since you are in Murfreeesboro, they are nearby.

 

Thanks... and the engines do get shipped out LOL!!

 

I think a important point is finding a builder that can make everything work well with your L98 stuff. The builders on this board would be able to do that.

 

I know for certain Jim has shipped at least one out.