I agree thank you

 

You guys are going to make me buy another cheap C4 this summer just to do a budget turbo setup to sell it lol.

 

Lol

 

Just saying. The last time I was involved in spending $8k on an engine, it made ~1600 HP but unfortunately came apart on the dyno from an unknown failure (the Dart Big M block broke around cylinder 1, but a final cause was never determined). We were aiming for 1800+.

$8k to build an underpowered 383 seems unfathomable, but yet people still do it. I see no reason a C4 can't have $2000-2500 invested and make double the power.

 

In what way underpowered? If you mean you can add a supercharger, turbocharger or nitrous or a combination and make more power, sure. If for $2500 you can double the power of the NA 383 and make it reliable, that might be another story. I still think the idea of "Fast, Cheap, Reliable. Pick any 2" holds.

 

Underpowered as in the amount of money invested for the return.
Engine removal and disassembly if you're not doing it yourself is expensive.
Then you need a full rotating assembly, reassembly, and reinstallation.
Doing it yourself CAN be done for $1000 or so in parts, plus say $500 in machine work for the hot tank, .030" overbore, and finishing hone.

All that, and you end up with a 9.4% increase in displacement.
9.4% of 230 HP gives you 251 HP for $1500 and 20-30 hours of labor doing it yourself, or ~$4000 having someone else do all of the work.

So yes, underpowered. A 383 kit alone is a poor investment, and not worth the money unless you're also investing in a lot of other parts.

Cheap/Fast/Reliable-Pick2 doesn't apply anymore, now that you can find 400 HP OEM fuel injected and reliable engines everywhere for under $1k.
It most certainly applies to old small blocks.

 

How are we defining "CAN"? Not sure of the quality of a "block prep bored 30 over". Not for $500 anyways. Sounds kinda cheap to me. Not sure I could afford cheap. The rotating assembly with all forged stuff probably isn't going for $1000 and you'd probably need other misc stuff.

So you think I can achieve what I have with just changing the cam, intake and headers or maybe a little less since it is a 383 vs a 350?

This IS a small block we are talking about. Also, I think you forgot to consider that the bar is raised. 400 isn't king anymore. BTW, only way you get a $1000 motor making 400 HP is in a junkyard. IOW, good luck. I've seen junker motors work well for years if not abused and I've seen them break shortly after "new" startup. I'm not paying someone to R&R a junkyard motor unless it is for a shop class. Too expensive when I have to add in the doubt and come up with a "Plan B".

 

$350 is what I was last quoted to overbore a 5.3 block out to a 5.7 at my buddies shop for an overbore/hone. I don't ask for discounts, so that is the standard rate.
They build lots of blow alcohol big blocks and the trio of them all race Pro 7.0/7.5 Nostalgia. If you're overpaying, then you need to shop around.

Saying that $500 for machine work and $1000 in parts (I quoted Eagle cast rotating assembly with new gaskets and head bolts) isn't going to cut it is only arguing my point,
that a 383 stroker kit is a poor investment for the return. You're increasing the price threshold and not increasing the displacement/power increase.

Can you achieve more than the 9.4% increase in power that a basic 383 stroker will give you with heads/cam? Absolutely.
A cam/spring/rocker combo will give you double that for less than half the cost of parts alone for the stroker. Much better investment.

And I understand this is a small block, you're arguing my point again. Fast/Cheap/Reliable-Pick2 applies to these engines, but it doesn't apply to everything.
400 isn't king anymore... but its 170 HP more than an L98 makes, and you can buy entire 400 HP engines for FAR less than the cost of getting the L98 to that point.
That is why cheap/fast/reliable doesn't apply to those engines by comparison.

 

just a heads up. My new paint on my 86 cost me 4,500, Didn't change the colorand th guy did a great job. He took off the parts that needed it.

 

I'd rather overpay than underpay if those were the only available choices. If all he does is wash it, bore and hone, sure. What they have built shows what they CAN do (There's that dirty word again). It doesn't mean that is what they did for your case. I'd want the thing checked before I put anything on it and that costs a few bucks more. Does he just bore and hone or does he use plates? Align hone the thing or just hope for the best? Go through the bolt holes at least even if you don't deburr them. When that thing goes together, I don't want a surprise and have to redo.

Yes, you are right. IT costs more to get it done right but I can beat the hell out of it and it will be back. Just slapping a turbo or supercharger on a stock block is definitely cheaper. Will it hold up to daily abuse or is it just going to be a "Dyno Queen" and I have to worry every time I hit it?

What will you put that good combo on? A shaky block? BTDT. Put good block on a crummy set of TFS heads? BTDT. Both times it was great and worked. For a while. If you are looking for "right now", I totally agree with you. Years later, that is another story.

You are thinking that you can have your cake and eat it too? If you say so. I've never had that work out in most situations without pure luck.

 

To each his own. If you're OK with throwing money away and getting very little in return, that's on you. That's the actual definition of a poor investment.

 

IF I can sleep better at night and not worry it breaking as much because I did it right, it's worth it. I can't stand the aggravation and would rather pay more to have LESS (Zero is impossible) worry and less aggravation. I tried the cheap road with TFS heads instead of AFR. One new expensive short block later, I learned not to do it. That and many more times in my life, I learned I can't afford cheap. I rather go a little above middle of the road to top shelf, depending on application. Know what? My blood pressure goes down and my enjoyment goes up. Good investment.

 

The automotive equivalent to dating the ugly girl because you know she can never cheat on you.

No risk, no reward lol.

 

Apparently ex-Governor Schwarzenegger went for an ugly girl and had a child with her even though he had someone much hotter upstairs.

My reward is being able to not having to worry as much. Why I see it, my time is worth something. When I do a project, I calculate it as though I were hiring it out to get a true cost whether I DIY or farm it out. At the end of the day, you have a strong motor you can stand on with less worries. Or with a turbo, you have fabrication and you are pushing an old motor. IDK about you but I believe you can change the cam if you want a turbo later on and add it but you have a strong foundation. In my case, when it breaks, I send the entire car to the crusher and get a newer and better one. In the meantime, I don't worry about beating it. IF I ever wanted to keep it and increase it, I was assured that a cam change would be needed and a supercharger will go in. If I have to worry about "It is weak and might break AND take something out.", the only reward is the thrill of "How far can I go before it breaks" and the automotive equivalent of "Spin the bottle" doesn't quite appeal to me. YMMV.