More power!!!!!!

[hotrod_991]

ok I am in need of some advise from people with alot more experience that me. I will start with telling what i currently have.
1977 c10, longbed 2wd with a 4/5 static drop.
350 sbc 4 bolt main
bored .030 over
alluminium flotek 2.02/1.60 heads
1.5 roller tip rockers
APR head bolts
Comp 270H cam with Magnum Hydrolic lifters
double roller gear set
polished cast crank
wieand dual plane intake mani
holly 650 quadrajet upgrate carb
cheapy summit long tubes
msd distro, 6A box and MSD 8.5 wires

Th350 with 2500 stall and 373 gears

Ok I am deployed so am looking at rebuilding my motor again. I primarily use the truck for the street with the occasional weekend at the strip. It is not my daily so doesnt need to be very streetable, beyond the occational trip to work or a car show.

The goal is maximum power and torque without getting outa hand money wise. By out of hand I mean the Mrs. has said 2,000 is it for me lol. I am hopeing that with the right upgrades I will be able to make a significant diffrence. This is all motor btw. Already oked on the built up tranny and possibly new gears. Just looking for things I can do the the motor to make is really nasty. Thank you in advance.

[fastwillie 696969]

get a big block

[djracer]

You could make it a 383.

[Marv D]

Heads are where the power is made.

I try to get guys to budget 40-50% of their budget to heads if there wanting to make N/A race motor. And unfortunately,, it ALWAYS get's out of had money wise.


But more importantly, THANK YOU for your service

[El Campo]

Marv D knows what he is talking about. HEADS!!! Plus there are a lot of inexpensive heads that are miles better than those older factory ones. Had a set of cnc'd Canfield heads on a 383 and it was a big block killer (obviously not all BB but tons of them).
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[hotrod_991]

First off Its and honor to serve...Thank you for the support.

Now I had thought of doing the 383 but from what I have read and always been told they dont last very long and end up tearing them selves up. If I am incorect in my assumption then please enlighten me.

El Campo: What heads are you refering to? I bought the Floteck Allumi heads off speedway as a less expensive entry level allumi head. $700 complete for the pair. I dont know much about flowing and all that.

Marv D: lol I understand that it always gets out of hand, last deployment I went 5k on the truck between the new motor and a few other things. Mrs. was patient but not happy. I have a tighter lease this tour lol.

I am just really dissapointed in the money I spent on the motor and only getting 270hp and 285TQ on the dyno. Understand that the TH350 and stall will rob some power but cant be THAT much. can it?

fatwillie: I have been to that for the last year lol I am a small block fan never owned a BB. Cost too much to build from what I have seen others do.

[vin63]

What type of budget are you working with this time around? As Marv mentioned, cylinder heads and cam combo are where the horsepower is made.

I've seen anywhere from 10% to 20+% (depending on RPM range) reciprocating loss through the drive train, especially with inefficient or really loose torque converters. Keep in mind that high stall converters can be inefficient at low RPMs.

[hotrod_991]

vin63: I am setting aside another 2k to try and get as much power as I can out of my motor without completely replaceing all the parts I have already put into it. This is my first V8 that I have ever built and its fun but way under powered from what I would like.

What does it take to make what I have a 383? And would that be a noticable power diffrence? I like the 270H cam's driveability better than the big mutha thumper I had in there but damn was in love with the thump sound LOL.

Doesnt have to be all bolt ons I have no issue tearing my engine down I have had it in and out of my truck 5 times in the last year for cleaning and repairs, aswell as two rebuilds.

Im sure a set of 411 gears would to wonders but I want real power not gear power. Thanks

[hotrod_991]

everyone thinks I am nutz rodding out a long bed but hell there is just something about all that steel flyn down a track that does it for me lol

[vin63]

Not sure what your static compression ratio is, but if it were me, and going for the biggest HP return on the money with what you've already spent and built, I would either go with a supercharger, or a nitrous system (probably lean more toward a nitrous system since you can use that when you want). I would do this in the interim and enjoy the truck while saving money for a top end combo that I want.

BTW...I used to race with a couple of guys in Super Gas and Super Street who had long bed trucks...one eventually going the Pro Mod route. I thought they were damn cool!

[hotrod_991]

believe I am sitting right around 9.8:1 to 10:1 right now. I looked at blowers and they in the 3k range from what I see and I imagine I would have to change alot the make them efficiant enought o enjoy? or are they just bolt, tune and go systems? I have looked at NOS abd that scares me lol Big Grenade.

[djracer]

If you sell your heads and buy a better set you would have enough left to buy a used nitrous system and still stay in you budget.

[Rannos]

I would have expected more power from your combo. I would go 383 and step up to a bigger cam... Hydraulic roller if you can afford it. Something like the XE284R or the XE288R by comp cams. Both are quite a upgrade over the 270 magnum and still decently streetable with 9.0 or better compression. I am currently running the 288 in a standard bore LT1 I converted to carb with mildly ported stock heads and it surprised me how well it turned out.

[hotrod_991]

what do I have to do to make it a 383? Will the heads I have now still be good for a stroker?

Do I just use hyd lifter with a hyd roller cam?

I agree on the power I really expected alot more than what I am getting.

Also I will research it but just off hand how must stall will I need with those cams?

[Rannos]

For a 383 you use a 3.750" stroke crank which is what comes in the 400sbc. If you use a 400 crank you have to turn the main journals down to fit in a 350 block. Then you get pistons with the relocated wrist pins for the longer stroke. 350 block .030 over with 3.75 stroke gets you a 383.

As for your heads I am not familiar with Flo tek but if they flow 230+ cfm at mid .500 lift with either of cams I mentioned with 9.5to1 compression in a 383 you should easily make 400hp and mid to high 400 torque at the flywheel. That is if every thing is assembled right.

With the XE284r you can likely get away with a 2500ish Converter. I am running a 3000 in my truck with the XE288r. My converter was custom built for my truck and motor combo and actually stalls a lil less then 2700 but flashes to 3500+ on good tires. Seeing as it's a street truck I am happy with that.

Now unless you have a roller block, you will have to run retro-fit cam and lifters to run a hydraulic roller. There is added expense there but the power you gain is worth it IMO. Flat tappet street cams cant take advantage of the more aggressive lobe designs like a roller can. The XE series roller cams are Asymmetrical so the opening ramp opens faster then the closing ramp, which holds the valve open longer at higher lift then a symmetrical cam. This helps build more power through out the powerband instead of being as peaky as older cam designs.

Hope this helps.

[hotrod_991]

I do not have a roller block and just looked up the cam on com's website.

Will i need to get the K kit? new springs and all that stuff?
Will the lifters that come with the kit work or are the retro fit ones bought seperate?

my block is currently .40 over so does that mean it wont be a 383?

[hotrod_991]

also I am assuming my lil 650cfm holly will not be enough with that big of a cam?

[hotrod_991]

found this... http://www.gofaststuff.com/cranks.html it shows a 350 crank with a 3.750 stroke will this work for the 383?

[Rannos]

As for carb I am running a 750 mechanical demon on my 350. I would say something about the same would work great for a 383. .040 over means you'll be a little bigger in cubic inches... can't remember off the top of my head what the formula is but I am sure one these guys knows it and can tell you what it turns out to be... wanna say its a 385 but dont quote me on that.

The K kit works great. Some ppl dont buy the K-kit because you can save a few bucks by picking other springs and pushrods. I would grab it all in the kit myself. It makes it alot simpler ordering parts. Plus you get springs matched to your cam and pushrods matched to your spring pressure, etc. The kit you want for a non-roller block is K12-433-8 for the XE288R.

As for the crank you can pick up a complete balanced rotating assembly to make a 383 for $600-700 for a street (non-forged) Kit. The forged kits start at about $1300+. I would buy a rotating assembly as the machine work to re-size your rods and balance your pieced together rotating assembly will be close to the price of the kits. I myself like Scat more then Eagle but for what you wanting either would be acceptable.

You will need to clearance your block for the bigger crank. You can do it yourself of have a machine shop do it.

[hotrod_991]

i wouldnt know how do clearence the block myself I have a machine shop so it. And I also have them short block it, cause I cant put in piston for **** LOL.

Yea I found a forged assembly and it was 1300. I will look at the scat ones cause this one was eagle. Now if i buy the 383 rotateing assembly do I still have to have it turned to fit or is it already there?

Im also looking at a better intake mani my wieand sucks

lol already getting close to 3k talk aboput out of hand fast!

[hotrod_991]

the right cam k kit is like 1k alone but you are right it comes with all the head stuff. Also will my steel roller tip rockers be fine or should I go to full roller lifters?

[Rannos]

The roller tipped rockers will work. Have used them on a few motors I built for friends on tight budgets but if you can work it in full roller is the way to go. Honestly for what your doing I wouldn't go with the forged kit... thats $500 or more you can put towards machine work. As for intake just a RPM Performer would work great for a lil street engine.

[ItsRandy]

Originally Posted by hotrod_991

First off Its and honor to serve...Thank you for the support.

Now I had thought of doing the 383 but from what I have read and always been told they dont last very long and end up tearing them selves up. If I am incorect in my assumption then please enlighten me.

El Campo: What heads are you refering to? I bought the Floteck Allumi heads off speedway as a less expensive entry level allumi head. $700 complete for the pair. I dont know much about flowing and all that.

Marv D: lol I understand that it always gets out of hand, last deployment I went 5k on the truck between the new motor and a few other things. Mrs. was patient but not happy. I have a tighter lease this tour lol.

I am just really dissapointed in the money I spent on the motor and only getting 270hp and 285TQ on the dyno. Understand that the TH350 and stall will rob some power but cant be THAT much. can it?

fatwillie: I have been to that for the last year lol I am a small block fan never owned a BB. Cost too much to build from what I have seen others do.

Once you go big block you never go back.

[Captainfab]

I don't see anyway for you to build a strong running 383 within your $2K budget

If you're set on building a 383, you might be better off selling your 350 and start with over with a 4 bolt 350 core. If you could find a '96-'02 L31 Vortec engine as a core, that would save you a little when it comes to the roller cam.

[Rannos]

Captain makes a valid point. Another option is just building a 400 or 406. Finding a decent block is the problem there. Plus GM never made a 400 roller block so unless ya went with a flat tappet cam your back to the same expense with the retrofit cam kit. Flat tappet cams can still make monster power so dont count them out. It's just IMO you cant beat rollers for street or racing... less wear, less friction, more power...