WOuld you change anything about this setup, to add more power

[rfalker1]

Block:
4-bolt main block
Passenger side dipstick
Square and parallel decked
Align honed main bearing bore
Cylinders are sonic tested for thickness
Cylinders honed on a computer controlled machine to within .0002'' straightness and roundness

Rotating Assembly:
SCAT 3.75'' stroke cast crankshaft
Chevy 5.7'' heavy beam rods with 150,000psi bolts
Keith Black hypereutectic pistons
Hastings Moly rings
Clevite bearings
Externally balanced rotating assembly
Melling high volume oil pump
Heavy duty double roller timing set

Cylinder Heads:
GM Vortec cast iron heads
Hardened retainers and 1.25'' diameter valve springs
2.02'' swirl polished intake valves
1.60'' swirl polished exhaust valves
Hardened pushrods

Camshaft Specs:
Hydraulic Flat Tappet
Duration @ .050'' Lift: 234 Intake / 244 Exhaust
Lift: .487'' Intake / .508'' Exhaust
Lobe Separation: 112°

Other Features:
Professional Products dual-plane satin aluminum intake
Chrome valve covers
Chrome timing cover
New 5-quart oil pan
Brass freeze plugs
9.5:1 compression

Dress Model Adds:
Edelbrock 750cfm Carburetor
Edelbrock water pump
Edelbrock fuel pump
MSD distributor
MSD Coil
MSD spark plug wires
Braided fuel line

Horsepower: 405
Torque: 440
ADD ONs


Mr. Gasket Hi-Thermostat 160 degree

BeCool Complete Crossflow Electric Radiator
BeCool Radiator Fluid 4 Gallons
JEGS Inline Radiator Hose Drain
Drop, Incldes Temperature Wiring Kt

March Performance 22050 Serpentine Kit
Gates 6-Rib Micro V Belts (Alternator)
Gates 6 RIb Micro V Belts (Power Steering)
JEGS Saginaw Style Power Steering Pump
JEGS Power Steering Adapter Fittings
JEGS GM Kool-FIn140-amp Serpentine Belt
JEGS Hi-Output Alternator Wiring Kit


Hooker Super Competition Headers
Full Length 2207HKR, Jet Hot Ceramic Silver Coated
Mr. Gasket Ultra-Seal Exhaust Gasket

MSD Ignition Kit

[rfalker1]

its a 383 stroker

[Lowend]

A few suggestions
Ditch the hypereutectic pistons in favor of forged units. Hypereutectic is is a fancy word for cast.
Go with an internally balanced engine. The cost of a internal balance more the outweighs the difference in cost in a flywheel.
Professional Products Intakes are much lower quality than the comparable Edelbrock or Weiland units.
Dump the Hi-Volume oil pump in favor of a hi-pressure unit. A stock oilpump is more than capable of emptying the oilpan into the valve covers at hi-rpm operation.
Edelbrock fuel pumps suck... go with Holley or Mallory
I'm not a huge fan of Edelbrock carbs.
Most chrome timing covers are pretty poor quality.. oil leaks waiting to happen.

In general I think a 180 deg thermostat is a better choice than a 160. Lets the engine warm up faster and there is really no downside of running the coolant @ 180 deg

With the current "common" oils out there, a hydraulic roller cam is a good bet. Yeah, it's gonna cost a couple of extra bucks, but you can expect more power and better durability.

[Scott Parkhurst]

I'd get some 'real' heads.

At least 195cc intake ports- 210cc is optimal for a 383 that's serious and has a cam to match.

Here's a link to my 383 build. This is the engine in my wagon. 550 hp/500 ft lbs. I drive it everywhere (street, strip, autocross, road course, open road races) and it hauls ass and gets 20+ mpg on the freeway with an O/D trans. I shift at 6,500 and run it on pump gas.

Click here:
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/enginemasters/articles/chevrolet/smallblock/0503em_small_block_engine_build/index.html


I wrote that story- so that's the actual engine in my car. I built both a 355 and a 383 side-by-side. The 355 hasn't been installed in anything yet (as far as I know anyway...it wasn't mine) but the 383 is my own engine. Stock oil pump, by the way...
The closer you get to that build, the closer your results will be.

[rfalker1]

Well it seems I have a lot to learn, this is almost like a foreign language to my 25 year old brain. So lets say if I wanted to do just 3 things. A cam, new rocker arms and a 210 cc heads while keeping the rest of the engine as is except for the oil pump maybe and a black timing cover. So what kind of setup would you use and what type of money would I be looking at spending? I would much rather put money in my engine than upper and lower control arms

[ArtosDracon]

Trick Flow has some good 23 degree aluminum heads for a reasonable price, but they're not going to flow quite enough for a serious 383. I would consider AFR 195s the bare minimum head for a built 383. Hyper pistons are cast, but slightly differently, which gives them more strength, but also more size variance due to temperature. Forged are a substantial improvement, but no necessary below 11:1 compression or without boost. An air gap intake like the Edelbrock Performer RPM Air Gap is your best bet for a built street engine, they flow quite well, are dual plane to help keep fueling even and the air gap helps keep your IATs down.

Also remember, if you change your head decision, you'll need to adapt your cam choice to match, and engine is not just about throwing a nice set of parts together, it has to be balanced. A roller cam is well worth the cost, they wear better, you're a lot, lot, lot less likely to wipe a lobe and when you re-build later you don't have to worry about keeping the correct lifter, turned the right direction, with the right lobe. So long as roller lifter still rolls straight and pumps up you can drop it right back in.

[rfalker1]

well that makes since of course, but say i just wanted to upgrade the cam after replacing the manifold while the engine is out. Would it make sense to do it without replacing the heads, or would it be a waste of time, since the cam won't work well with these heads?

[ArtosDracon]

Vortec heads are good, especially ported and with bigger valves, they're the best GM has made for a production vehicle by a large margin even, and a cam would help, notably, but it's not the be-all end-all performance mod. It is at best a budget mod, and at worst just another necessary piece to a puzzle. I can run numbers if you want, but to be accurate I would need to know the new flow numbers for the heads.

[rfalker1]

well that is very nice of you but I will learn to do that myself... but a question is what carb would go great with an edelbrock rpm air gap manifold. I heard that the 750 edelbrock is not the best and gets horrendus gas mileage with some of the perks demon and holley carbs

[rfalker1]

P.s i woulld like an electric choke

[Scott Parkhurst]

Holley's HP street carbs are really good. A 750 should work great for ya.

A used set of aluminum AFRs will cost about the same as a new set of ported steel Vortecs with bigger valves. I'd rather have the AFRs...

Solid rollers don't have to pump up either, but you do have to lash them. Do you know how to do that?

[rfalker1]

well went with a holley 700cfm carb and the edel brock air gap intake. I will call the engine makes about puttinga different ratio rocker ams on it. maybe a 1.6 or 1.65. thanks for the help

[ArtosDracon]

You can't just learn to run numbers on an engine, you need a program to do it for you to get any kind of accuracy, and even then, you have to be able to compare what the program says with real life so you know how to tweak it and where so you can get reliable numbers out of it.

And again, carb one of the last parts you want to order, carb size is going to depend on engine size, heads, cam and intake, which will all determine how much air the engine needs and how high it's going to rev, you don't want to put to small a carb on it and not get enough air for the top end, but you also don't want too big a carb or you'll loose torque and drive-ability.

[Damn True]

The official Pep Boys Power Package:

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[rfalker1]

well actually I am in france having a highly recommend mechanic that is a friend of mine do the work. I just am the purchaser of the parts, but before I love to cross reference people and there knowledge to figure out the best way to make my car as efficent and powerful as possible with the parts I have already bought (everything :-) ) While vastly improving my knowledge on how engines work and how parts work well with others.

My camaro will have everything I want with nothing I don't need. I am just not sure about new heads right now.
I did however call the people who built the engine and found out that I could get a higher lift on my roller rocker ratio and upgrade from a 1.5 to a 1.60 aluminum harland sharp rocker. with all the nessacites to make it work.
But why do you like the AFR heads, I heard alot of people on this forum refer to them

[Lowend]

AFR has consistently made the best out of the box street heads for years. Really well engineered, really good Quality Control. Other company's make some very nice stuff; but IMHO AFR is the best

Personally, I'm not a fan of hi-ratio rocker arms. In general if you think you need more rocker ratio, you probably need more cam.

What rear end and trans are you running in this car, what's the budget and intended use?

[rfalker1]

well I already through 18+ grand in her, so not much more until maybe next summer. I have 700r4 with lockout 3:43 rear gear posi, plus I really don't want to change my headers, I have a really nice set of hooker super comp long tube headers.

Plus I have an electric radiator serpentine kit, and running ac

[rfalker1]

Now if you tell me I can get the heads for under 800 bucks and they won't use more gas or require me to run boost, I am all for it, especially if I can keep my super come heads that were built for an original small block chevy. ANd I thought about the cam, but I think the lift will do fine, because I don't really want to have to change my stall on my convertor and stuff like that. I just want to maximize what I have now without changing other stuff.

[Scott Parkhurst]

You're welcome..

http://www.racingjunk.com/category/1283/Heads/post/2039476/SBC-AFR-210cc-heads-NEW.html

[rfalker1]

Thanks everybody for the input!!!!!