Gotta do a motor.

[Mudder]

Bumming. I have had nothing but bad luck with this crate motor that I got back in 96. I would bet it has less than 70,000 miles. I'm guessing that I will go with a 383 set up using the vortec heads unless someone here convinces me different. Gonna put some cooler plugs in tomorrow and see what happens. Its probably toast.

[Yukon Jack]

The 383 sure looks like a good combo for our trucks. Course those high $$ 427 small blocks are bad to the bone too

[Palf70Step]

There is always a BB

Sorry to hear you are having to look at changing out motors already. Your idea sounds good to me, but hey I'm only an inliner...you already got be beat a little even with yours acting up

[LUV2XCLR8]

THAT SUCKS MUDDER, BUT LOOK AT IT THIS WAY, IT'S ONLY MONEY, AND
YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT YOUR BABY AIN'T WORTH EVERY PENNY OF IT

[Mudder]

More on this later but the friend from work can make me a 383 for about or a little over 1000 bucks. Its really not the issue. Its the time of the year, and so many questions. Should I remove the front clip? Where to do this? Myself or have someone else do it? Repainting? Good time to redo the engine compartment?

[mrein3]

383
383
383
383

Did I mention you should build a 383?

I have a spread sheet somewhere with all the details on what it cost me to put my 383 together. It must be at work. What it boils down to is if you are building a 350, you may as well spend the extra $100 or so and go with the 383

[Yukon Jack]

Definitely pull your front clip - makes it so easy to get to everything! Great opportunity to clean up the firewall and do anything necessary. If you pull the front clip it is simple to do. I did the install of my big block alone.

[Dean23]

go with a 572....now you're playin with power

[68w/sbc406]

i think you would need to pull the front clip. ive never seen a cherry picker that could pick a motor up that high (unless you have a cieling mounted one

[Mudder]

Just talked earlier with the motor guy and my body man. The body man said to bring it down wihen I'm ready and they will pull the clip and motor there then paint the frame and engine compartment while the motor is being done. Hoping for a 3 week time frame. They can then put it all together. I will be supervising

[Yukon Jack]

Supervising is good!

[Alvin]

I'm planning to run a vortec headed small block (either 355 or 383) with vortec heads, and plugging things into desktop dyno, the ZZ3/ZZ4 Roller cam makes some great power. A 9.0:1 compression 383 with a 650cfm carb on it makes ~390hp and ~430ft-lb... but again, that's just off a computer program. Oh, and the vortec heads require some work before they can handle the lift of the cam. But that's what I'm hoping to do.

[Blue4x4]

sounds like big $$$ in the next few weeks. I ve put in 2 motors in 4x4 trucks with a cherry picker, no problem here. Go the 383. I have 5000 miles on mine in 2.5 years and it still runs GREAT.

[ryanroo]

Im in the same boat Mudder, old 350 is getting tired in the 70, so i have to decide what i want to do with the darn thing. but the exciting news is that since i have a 454 block and bottom end and a set of 781 heads i think im goin to toss all of it together and put it in my K10 so i can use that 350 to build and never have to take my driver off the road for long. i already have headers for the big block setting in the shed, all i need to do is put it together
Ryan

[Bowtie67]

I am curious as to why you think a new set of plugs may or may not help? What is going on with your motor? And by some chance is this engine a GM Crate 383?

[Dual quad]

The vortecs are great heads, but you might want to consider some of the alternatives. To run a slightly aggressive cam, the vortecs will need new springs and machne work to the guide bosses. Also, as you are likely aware, the vortec heads use a different intake manifold than the early SBC style. These issues all add to the overall cost.

I am building a 406 SBC and have run many head models through Engine Analyzer Pro. Although the vortecs make great torque from idle, they start to run out of flow capacity at about 4000 RPM on a 383/400.

Although AFR 200's would be fantastic, they are expensive. Presently, I'm looking at Dart 200cc IE Platinums or Trick Flow KD aluminum heads. Once you look at the additition cost and limitations of the vortecs, you'll find that it's not that much more $ to step up to a superior alternative. Just MHO.

[Bowtie67]

Originally Posted by Dual quad

The vortecs are great heads, but you might want to consider some of the alternatives. To run a slightly aggressive cam, the vortecs will need new springs and machne work to the guide bosses. Also, as you are likely aware, the vortec heads use a different intake manifold than the early SBC style. These issues all add to the overall cost.

I am building a 406 SBC and have run many head models through Engine Analyzer Pro. Although the vortecs make great torque from idle, they start to run out of flow capacity at about 4000 RPM on a 383/400.

Although AFR 200's would be fantastic, they are expensive. Presently, I'm looking at Dart 200cc IE Platinums or Trick Flow KD aluminum heads. Once you look at the additition cost and limitations of the vortecs, you'll find that it's not that much more $ to step up to a superior alternative. Just MHO.

Heard some really good stuff on the Dart Platinum heads, they flow pretty close to the AFR heads and the price is pretty descent, There was a thread going on for a while on Chevytalk.org in the performance section for a while.

http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/sho...=&fpart=1&vc=1

[Mudder]

Ok the cooler plugs are to maybe nurse this thing along for a few weeks. I have a charity gig to do a a couple of other things. TRhos is a 300hp crate motor that I have had a lot of problems with. I already have the vortecs and a new intake. What your saying about the heads tho I am needing to know. If I keep the same type cam that I have now 435/460 will it work alright? Everything on my motor is pretty much new from the block up with the exception of the cm shaft.

Bowtie67 I have been told that I have a burnt piston (#1).

[Dual quad]

I'm assuming that 435/460 is your cam lift in thousandths. It is my understanding that a stock vortecs is OK to ~ 0.460", maybe 0.480" lift. So you should be OK. It's alway a good idea to degree the cam in during assembly and check that you have an additional .050" valve to piston clearance at max lift prior to firing the engine.

[Bowtie67]

Originally Posted by Mudder67

Ok the cooler plugs are to maybe nurse this thing along for a few weeks. I have a charity gig to do a a couple of other things. TRhos is a 300hp crate motor that I have had a lot of problems with. I already have the vortecs and a new intake. What your saying about the heads tho I am needing to know. If I keep the same type cam that I have now 435/460 will it work alright? Everything on my motor is pretty much new from the block up with the exception of the cm shaft.

Bowtie67 I have been told that I have a burnt piston (#1).

I'm guessing compression checks on that cylinder has been done, wet & dry, without knowing the whole story. If the plug is becoming fouled with oil a colder plug wont work, you will need a hotter plug, if the cylinder is dead nothing will help it. The Vortecs I hear are supposed to be good for .460 lift, but if these heads are used you may want to have them gone through and make sure they will work with your cam, as well as put some Z28 valve springs on their as well. I'd hate to see you get this all together and findout you have issues after putting this all together just to have to take the heads back off. In my opinion taking the heads off is worse than having to take the engine out.

[mrein3]

For what its worth, this is what I spent at the machine shop a year ago...

383 related parts & labor:
Crankshaft $200.00
400 Balancer $30.00
Balance job $200.00
Cut con rods for
cam clearance $20.00
400 flywheel $30.00
clearance block for con
rod clearance $15.00
ARP con rod bolts $38.00
Oil pumpdrive $8.00
Oil pumpsump $9.00
"Performance engine Kit:
Sealed power moly rings,
Fel pro gaskets,
con rod bearings,
main bearings,
cam bearings,
block plugs, 383 pistons,
three piece timing set,
oil pump" $317.00
R&R block plugs $10.00
degrease block $35.00
deck block $50.00
bore & deck-plate
hone cyl(s) $80.00
deck-plate charge $10.00
"Remove, install, &
fit cam bearings " $25.00
Recon con rods $80.00
Pin fit new pistons $28.00
Assemble short block $75.00
Sales tax $26.13
$1,286.13

The $200 crank shaft was ready to drop in. To rebuild a 350 you'd spend about $100 or more getting your 350 crank ground. The 383 piston kit was probably a few bucks more over a 350 kit. I had to buy a 400 balancer, a new 400 flywheel, and have the block clearanced for the extra stroke of the 400 crank shaft. The rest is the same price as rebuilding a 350.

I reused my heads because they just got a valve job. Some day in the near future I'll be putting a better set of heads on it.