What is a 383 stroker and how do you build one?

[Youngbuck7072]

im thinking about saving up and getting one built. what is a good carb/manifold set up for them?

[bigsnookmaster]

Try a 406, you'll be glad you did. There's no replacement for displacement!

[orbot]

I invested around $1800 on mine. rotating assembly and labor only.

[pockets]

Originally Posted by Youngbuck7072

im thinking about saving up and getting one built. what is a good carb/manifold set up for them?

for a street motor with good heads and cam, a good dual plane should suffice and about a 750 carb. Just about every build I've seen has been in that range, and is what mine is going to have.

[pockets]

Originally Posted by orbot

I invested around $1800 on mine. rotating assembly and labor only.

My bottom end assembly was $800 from summit, including flexplate and balancer. $120 to clean and bore the block (didn't need decking or line honing).

[Ticker]

You got a mag, pressure test, bore, hone and pistons hung for $120?

That's the deal of the century...

[orbot]

Originally Posted by pockets

My bottom end assembly was $800 from summit, including flexplate and balancer. $120 to clean and bore the block (didn't need decking or line honing).

My kit was $900 from JEGS, $400 labor and $150 for the machine work, forgott to ad the dam cam and lifters somewhere around $250

[pockets]

Originally Posted by Ticker

You got a mag, pressure test, bore, hone and pistons hung for $120?

That's the deal of the century...

pistons are full floating, so I'm hanging them myself.

my cam with lifters will be $200, throw in a roller timing chain at $25-30 or so. I also bought ARP main bolts @ $23 (2-bolt block).

I'm assembling the motor all myself as well, so I'm saving on labor there. I did buy new micrometers (no plasti-gauge here...), dial bore gauge and a dial indicator with mag base. All of which I can use for the next build of course.

All told, I will have about $3800 in mine; just under $4600 including all the tools and such that I bought (including a new collapsable hoist from Jegs). That includes all new bolts, carb, manifold, sealers, gaskets, etc. I got a set of used headers for $100 and I am reusing the oil pan. Still debating on whether to get a new distributor or just put a good coil and cap on mine.

[orbot]

It aint cheap but boy they are sure fun to drive.

[pockets]

i'm sure looking forward to it! My brother-in-law and I have a bet on whether the tranny or rear end gives out first

I'm going to try to baby it a little bit until I can get a new tranny sometime this winter, but I have a heavy foot, so who knows.

He asked me if I was going to take it to the track after I got it in. I told him I would if he would follow me with his wrecker to tow it home when I break something...

[Ticker]

Makes sense; thanks for the background.

Precision tools aren't all that expensive and I wish more folks would spend the money on them like you did. A set of mic's and a bore gauge, all good to .0005, are only around $450. They're not the top notch ones...but they work fine if kept calibrated.

I buy all that stuff from Goodson (www.goodson.com)

[79SWBchevy]

the nice thing about today is you don't have to source a 400 crank, flexplate and all that. you can get complete kits that include all new parts. I got mine from Summit Racing which is an Eagle assembly that includes the flexplate, balancer and everything else.

can you post a link to exactly what you are talking about with the kit?

[pockets]

Originally Posted by 79SWBchevy

can you post a link to exactly what you are talking about with the kit?

yep, here it is, part# B13405L03068. Mine was for a 1-piece rear seal, but of course they have 2-piece as well. It is a cast steel crank and Hypereutectic pistons, but hey it's a street engine that'll rarely see the north side of 5k rpm, not a race engine.

Originally Posted by Ticker

Precision tools aren't all that expensive and I wish more folks would spend the money on them like you did. A set of mic's and a bore gauge, all good to .0005, are only around $450. They're not the top notch ones...but they work fine if kept calibrated.

I agree. I figured if I spent the money now I can always use them later, and in some cases for more than just building an engine. My dial bore, dial gauge, micrometer set and feeler gauges together came in just under $200.

[LEEVON]

This thread is good, I love me some sbc's, especially strokers. Not to stir the pot but if money, horsepower and reliability are chief concerns then LSx motors ARE a savior. I've built mild small blocks for $3-4K and not been too impressed. This 5.3L I picked up for $500 plus about $1500 in bolts ons, cam, springs, pushrods and she'll go about 360-380 at the crank. I could have saved $500 if I didn't have to have the fancy valve covers and LS1 accessories.

[Ticker]

Definitely agree that LSx > GEN I or GEN II...right up until the point you have to put them in the car

But certainly the LS swap engine mounts, headers, etc. are getting better, more readily available and cheaper and I suspect in another few years the GEN I just won't be a contender any more.

I've said at least 5 times now that I'll never build another GEN I engine (I build about 10 engines/year for friends) but I keep getting requests...

Now...a long stroke, long rod LS stroker is a mean thing indeed :-D

[GRX]

$120 sounds about right for a bore & clean. Still wondering if that included a wet mag. And hopefully you got the rods checked - both for straightness & roundness. Personally, I'd opt for a new set of rod bolts at least. Naturally the rods will have to be re-honed afterward.

[Ticker]

Man, I wish I had a shop that did those prices.

Around here, a clean and mag goes for around $150 and a bore and hone with plates goes for about $250. I generally figure about $500 for a stock build and $750 for a performance build for machine work...plus around $300 or so for balancing if the build warrants it.

[llowlife]

Friend of mine runs a machine shop. I bought a good 4 bolt block from him, had ALL the machine work done to it, 0 decked, bored soft hone, mag, balanced, blah blah blah for 200.00 with no receipt. (includes the price of the block)

I would never put together a motor without checking everything myself whether I knew the machinist or not. How many of you actually check the rod to cam clearance...even with stroker rods and bolts? If you are a new builder just starting out you need ot know what to do and how to do it if you are going to check your machinist...and I have seen the majority all mess up at one time or another. We are all human.

Youngbuck, to answer your question about carb and manifold choices, the motor has to be considered and picked out as a whole...a complete unit as it were. When you start picking out 1 piece at a time you will get a motor that runs like one piece at a time. As a guideline for the street...err on the side of small. YOur less likely to be disappointed.

[Ticker]

Originally Posted by llowlife

I have seen the majority all mess up at one time or another. We are all human.

If you're doing final assembly yourself, you're totally responsible for everything being right - not the shop.

I learned this hard way with my first overhaul where the shop gave me a .010 under crank...and .020 under bearings.

[pockets]

Originally Posted by GRX

$120 sounds about right for a bore & clean. Still wondering if that included a wet mag. And hopefully you got the rods checked - both for straightness & roundness. Personally, I'd opt for a new set of rod bolts at least. Naturally the rods will have to be re-honed afterward.

I don't think it did include a mag test. The rods are brand new Eagle forged rods with arp bolts that came with the kit. Seeing as there is not nut on these, it seems to make clearancing the block a lot easier. I haven't done one with stock rods and bolts, but I can see how the old bolt head and nut would get in the way of things

[pockets]

Originally Posted by Ticker

Man, I wish I had a shop that did those prices.

Around here, a clean and mag goes for around $150 and a bore and hone with plates goes for about $250. I generally figure about $500 for a stock build and $750 for a performance build for machine work...plus around $300 or so for balancing if the build warrants it.

if it was going to be that much I would have just bought a brand new block from GM (about 750 or so) or a finished block from Summit already .030 over and stroker clearanced for the same price.

The guy I went to is a one map shop however, so he has less overhead than a bigger place.

[pockets]

Originally Posted by Ticker

If you're doing final assembly yourself, you're totally responsible for everything being right - not the shop.

I learned this hard way with my first overhaul where the shop gave me a .010 under crank...and .020 under bearings.

I agree. Even the magazines say to double check all their work anyway, so a good set of measuring tools is just a safe investment.

[Ticker]

Originally Posted by pockets

I don't think it did include a mag test. The rods are brand new Eagle forged rods with arp bolts that came with the kit. Seeing as there is not nut on these, it seems to make clearancing the block a lot easier. I haven't done one with stock rods and bolts, but I can see how the old bolt head and nut would get in the way of things

For a 60's/70's GEN I block, it's really worth the $ to get it mag'd and pressure tested. I'm finding about 3 out of 5 used blocks having cracks in the main webs. I've stopped buying anything pre-'87...although I am a sucker every once and a while for an untouched '010 4-bolt block and have a few sitting in my shop. Old habits die hard

The new stroker rods only take a light clearance on the block - but it's still very important to check the rod-to-cam clearance with anything over about .550 lift. OEM-type (non-capscrew) rods take a fair bit of clearancing, and you absolutely, positively need to check the cam clearance.

Maybe a little OT, but these things get a heck of a lot more critical on a 396 SBC stroker...but honestly I'm not a big fan of that combo; way more money and effort for a lousy 13 cubes. I've built a couple of these, and for both of 'em I got nervous and put a couple of inches of Hard Blok in the bottom of them.

[Ticker]

Originally Posted by pockets

if it was going to be that much I would have just bought a brand new block from GM (about 750 or so) or a finished block from Summit already .030 over and stroker clearanced for the same price.

I've done quite a bit with those new blocks and they typically still need a final hone; they're final-finished to 4.000 and assume an iron ring...which we typically don't use in a performance build. They still are generally a better deal than buying 2-3 old GEN I's to find a good one. I'm wary of the Summit blocks for the same reason - the bore/hone needs to be done with the piston and rings in-hand to ensure the right clearance and surface (Ra).

But many of the later model blocks are in great shape, and often have virtually no bore wear. The days of doing a bearing, dingleberry hone and re-ring are way over for the older GEN I's...but I've torn down a couple of the newer Vortecs where that's what we did along with a cam change and made some very nice number at a VERY low price!

[pockets]

I agree pretty much with all you said. If I had of gotten a summit block I would have had it checked with my pistons just to make sure, and with a GM block, it would have been bored .03 over anyway

My block is an 86-88 block, so not as old as a 60s/70s