3rdgenred

iTrader: (1)

Guys,
So i successfully blew my L98, and instead of a stock rebuild, why not give her some ponies while were at it. I need recommendations for a good 383 stroker kit producing anywhere from 350-400hp. I have roughly 5000 to spend, and i need recommendations on what kit to buy, and what other mods i may need to make to make her work.

Thanks, 3rd

flaming-ford

iTrader: (7)

So is this $5,000 for the engine and supporting mods to make it handle that power? Fuel injected or non?

#1 i would highly reccomend sfc so allocate 200$ for those

#2 a minimum of a tranny fluid and filter change along with a transgo shift reprogramming kit (150$ minimum). If there is much if any wear parts in the trans i would look in to a $1,000 dollar rebuild including labor and parts at a bare minimum.

so were at 1200$

#3 change rear differential fluid, check condition of rearend. posi in good shape (open or posi track?) If not posi add 1, 350$ minimum for that + 150$ for a rebuild kit + a diff girdle 150$ + 4-5 hours of install time at a reputable shop so around 800$ in the rearend.

2,000

#4 The engine 600$ in machine work 1,000 dollars in engine parts, i'd go with a good set of rings and bearings along with a high colume oil pump, hypereutectic pistons, cast 400 aftermarket crank, powdered metal rods or forged (personal preference here, i just like knowing i can rev something without worrying). All arp bolts throughout, aftermarket cam.

$3,000 say $3,500 depending on the brand exact parts so on.

so you have $1,500 left for random parts like if your going carb'd a suitable carb and manifold, if fuel injection, provisions to your fuel injection to make that kind of power, porting or larger base, runners so on, bigger injectors, wear parts like spark plugs aftermarket ignition box (if not for nothing else for it's rev limiter). porting to your factory heads
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So is this $5,000 for the engine and supporting mods to make it handle that power? Fuel injected or non?

#1 i would highly reccomend sfc so allocate 200$ for those

#2 a minimum of a tranny fluid and filter change along with a transgo shift reprogramming kit (150$ minimum). If there is much if any wear parts in the trans i would look in to a $1,000 dollar rebuild including labor and parts at a bare minimum.

so were at 1200$

#3 change rear differential fluid, check condition of rearend. posi in good shape (open or posi track?) If not posi add 1, 350$ minimum for that + 150$ for a rebuild kit + a diff girdle 150$ + 4-5 hours of install time at a reputable shop so around 800$ in the rearend.

2,000

#4 The engine 600$ in machine work 1,000 dollars in engine parts, i'd go with a good set of rings and bearings along with a high colume oil pump, hypereutectic pistons, cast 400 aftermarket crank, powdered metal rods or forged (personal preference here, i just like knowing i can rev something without worrying). All arp bolts throughout, aftermarket cam, head porting.

$3,000 say $3,500 depending on the brand exact parts so on.

so you have $1,500 left for random parts like if your going carb'd a suitable carb and manifold, if fuel injection, provisions to your fuel injection to make that kind of power, porting or larger base, runners so on, bigger injectors, wear parts like spark plugs aftermarket ignition box (if not for nothing else for it's rev limiter). porting to your factory heads

Kevin91Z

iTrader: (1)

Cool! Another SoCal thirdgenner! Have you been to the SoCal board and to our club website, http://www.sc3g.org/ ? Our next event is a car cruise to the Anza-Borrego desert, and our next meeting is Feb 7th in Lakewood. Since your car is down you might not make the cruise, but you're more than welcome to join us at our meeting.

383's dont work with TPI engines, as the 383's extra torque combined with the TPI's extra torque make for a very tempermental engine that has more torque then you can possibly use. 383's are for short runner intakes like carbs, or the Holley Stealth Ram or TPIS MiniRam. Neither one has an EGR setup (unless you get the EGR add-on from TPIS), so they're not smog-legal for California. You can save the money for the 383 kit and build a regular 350, getting better heads that will run circles around a stock 383 rebuild. We here in SoCal have built several 350ci TPI engines that run 12 second ET's, get 20+ MPG, pass CA's smog, and most importantly, beat LS1's. Dyno Don is our head mechanic, but unfortunately he has a year-long backlog because he's so in demand.

So, in summary, forget about a 383, and spend the money on a 350 engine with good heads, a roller cam, headers, and ported and siamesed TPI intake. You can see my results in the sticky thread above: "Our Quest for a Better Flowing TPI."

3rdgenred

iTrader: (1)

VERY COOL!!!

Kevin91Z, I build computers not cars, so I have no idea about what to do to make anything work. Okay, so im a broke college studnet and im digging into next semesters tuition to make this a sick *** build. I know i need a rebuild, so how much would I have to spend with a good set of heads, roller cam, and headers, to make this thing a beast. And this Dyno Don you speak of, does he have a shop in SoCal? If so I would like his info.

Thanks, 3rd

Viprklr

iTrader: (5)

Drag radials made mine much easier to handle. No more lighting them up at 65mph.

FormulaL98

Whatever you do, dont assemble the engine in your dorm, kids on my floor were about to anarchy when I screwed together my Nova's engine in my dorm lol and my current enigne build will have me eating ramen noodles for the rest of the semester. For your 350 seeing as how you will have to meet emissions in CA, I would rebuild the shortblock stock with an overbore as your stock rods and crank will be able to do the job. Good rings are great place to spend some cash though, personally I am a hige fan of Total Seal Rings. A good lower namifold (from edelbrock, TPIS etc.) and some runners will allow the motor to breath a little deeper. As for heads, with your budget AFR 180's would be my pick with some sort of emissions legal cam (GM hot cam, TPIS ZZ9 etc.) just my 2 cents though. Good Luck!

305sbc

iTrader: (3)

3rd, I think you've gotten some good advice so far and I tend to agree that for your budget and situation it's probably best to delay the stroker build and stick with the 350. Otherwise you would likely create more problems than you solve and far exceed your budget and time allotment for the project.

If your engine actually needs rebuilt you might want to consider purchasing a good quality built 350 short-block to replace what you've got. Then you can keep your original 350 in storage as a backup and/or for a future stroker project. If you buy a shortblock make sure it is set up for a hydraulic roller camshaft or you may end up having to convert it or buy special lifters to run the cam you might want.

Besides giving you a backup, this method frees up money to use in other effective ways to make the power that you want. Cylinder heads are the place to invest for great power production no matter what size engine you're working with. You have a great range of cylinder head choices including having your original heads reconditioned and ported.

Head porting is expensive and especially so with iron heads so you have to weigh your options carefully. Sometimes buying completely built aluminum cylinder heads is a better deal. It all depends on what your own capabilities are and/or who you know. If you have a good cylinder head shop near you then your options are increased.

A great set of heads can be transferred to a larger engine in the future if need be. The same can be said for a great exhaust system or intake system. I would shop for parts with that in mind.

A stainless set of 1.75" primary headers, y-pipe and 3" cat-back would be an exhaust system that would last and work well on a 350 or 383 engine. You can't go wrong with that.

As far as intakes go it is accepted that automatic transmission cars that need to remain street friendly are better to stick to a long-ish runner type design not too far from the original TPI system. There are several options, but the intake base-plate is generally considered the best place to start. Upgrading to a larger baseplate that will fit the cylinder heads that you choose is a great first step that would also work with either engine.

As for camshafts you have to choose from, that depends on how much work you want to put into the chip tuning, and what sort of street manners you will expect from your car - things such as gas mileage. Your engine already has a hydraulic roller type camshaft and there are a few replacements out there designed to increase power over the one you have. Some of these camshafts require little tuning, but most of them require a lot of tuning to gain their full benefit. A mistake in choosing the camshaft will often make or break an engine combination, so much consideration is suggested.

3rdgenred

iTrader: (1)

Ok guys, thanks for all the info, this is really great.

My mechanic is the one who had me going on the whole stroker thing, because my bottom end is shot. He idea is to put a stroker kit in the bottom end, and a cam, then wait til I get more money, and go ahead and do my top-end, such as heads, headers, and manifold.

Now, from hearing from what you all have been saying, will this work? Like I mentioned before, I build computers, not cars. Ive been building them since the about the 8th grade, and im now a sophmore in college, so im am totatly lost here. It seems that the best route is to rebuild my engine to stock, throw in some bigger pistons, a hydraulic roller cam, some heads and headers, and have this thing perform better than a 383 stroker. Okay, all I want to know is, is this the right option for me? I use this car to drive to work, which is about 2 miles away, and I ride my bike at school. I dont intend on having this as a flow blown dragster, just a mild/ little bit mean street machine. Something that can beat my friends crappy 5.0 But, someone also mentioned earlier that if i do go stroker, i need to run carb'd, is this true? And if I do all these mods, will I be able to run the same intake, or will i need to get a new setup.

Thanks, 3rd

1989GTATransAm

iTrader: (3)

Sure it will work. The only problem I could see is if the cam lift would have too much lift for your stock heads. Of course a little work on the heads would fix that problem.

3rdgenred

iTrader: (1)

Thats the same thing that he said. But I feel that i dont want to do the stroker anymore, any suggestions for a good rebuild kit, and like some good pistons, cams, and heads?

305sbc

iTrader: (3)

Yes it will work. If he's willing to put it together for reasonable price then it should still be on the table. You can upgrade other things as you like down the road. I just would expect too much from the very start without the other upgrades.