[Tryin2MakeIt]

just so you can get to know me i am 20 and just grad. college to do auto-body. i have some money saved up and want to build a 383 and hope to get 550 hp at the wheels. if so that means it will be about 615hp at flywheel. although i want to build this motor everyone i know is saying buy the car you want to put it in first,get it ready then build the motor. what would you do?

[1ownerT]

I say buy a running car first, after you build a 600+hp small block funds will be short.

[bonzipenguins]

I dont see a problem in building the motor.The only thing is remember that some parts should be bought after you know what car it's going in(Like headers,oil pan,accessorys,Distributor).
You also need to remember that without knowing what car it's going to go into.It's a lot harder to chose the parts that will work well with youre application.
You will need a lot of cam and compression.If it were my 383 I would
10.7:1 forged pistons and moly rings
H-Beam rods bushed pins(ARP bolts for insurance)
You really need the best of the best cranks maybe a 4340 forged crank
Aluminum E-Tec heads
Roller rockers 1.60 ratio
A comp cam a solid roller might get you closer to that goal maybe one of
their new hydraulic roller Thumper cams or a 294 solid roller
A good strong double roller or gear drive.
Victor jr intake
850cfm double pumper
But to get into those levels It might be easier to use a good old fashioned supercharger.Is this vehicle going to be street driven.Because if it is You might want to go a little less.Also think about other factors like strengthening the transmission and rear end

[steve t]

do you have a motor laying around, if not buy a car and use its motor

[Tryin2MakeIt]

yes this car is going to street driven but only on ocation. i am thinking about going with a early late 60's nova. that is what i want to build the motor for. the weight of the car and the power i am trying to get shouldnt be that hard. and to answer another question i do have a block just laying around. i bought it form a machine shop a long time ago and never got around to building on it. it is a 70's 350 with a .040 bore.

[Tryin2MakeIt]

this will also be my first motor i have ever built. i am wanting to learn more than anything. any info on building motors would help. the cam i am planning on using is a comp cam kit. it is a roller cam with just about ever accessory than you can get, but valves. im looking at a Duration 304/304, Lift .612/.612.

[Deuce]

Originally Posted by Tryin2MakeIt

this will also be my first motor i have ever built. i am wanting to learn more than anything. any info on building motors

I would suggest buying a early Nova or other light car ... and try to get a running, driving vehicle. IMPROVE on it ... and learn

A high horsepower engine is NOT the place to learn IMHO ... make your beginners mistakes on something a lot less expensive ... Just my nickel ...

Deuce ... Moderator

[kuhn-77]

I personally would buy the car first, whether its running or not, once you buy the car, you will have an idea of what trans your going to use, how much the car weighs which will tell you*if it needs to be built to be a torque motor or a top end power motor* and what gears your going to run...build and engine for your car not a car for your engine.....

and that seems to be a lot of cam for a street car........

[Tryin2MakeIt]

yea it is a lot of cam, the other cam is a lot lower lift i believe like a 535 or something like that. i have it wrote down somewhere. and far as building motors, i have done rebuilds but when i said first motor i will have built i meant from bare block up. i know with this one there is far more to know far as making sure everything matches up ... just not sure how to figure everything up. i am reading a lot on it and my moms b/f is a mechanic. just i want to do this one on my own. i will post pics to keep you all up to date

[bonzipenguins]

I agree with the car part.If you're dead set on that kind of nova.You've got an idea what to work with but it is better to have the actual car first.If you're looking for stroker kits power house has o.k deals.
www.enginekits.com

[Tryin2MakeIt]

i have looked at powerhouse kits. they are cheap but i hear that they hold up good if you install everything right. i have a local machine shop that is offering really good deal on putting my heads together. $60 not bad huh? they are also going to balance my kit for $150. so far looks like i will have it built by April or may

[327NUT]

Ok I,ll bite here......615 hp 383....and the machine shop is going to put your heads together for $60?? What kind of heads are you putting together, they better be some high dollar, huge runner aluminum items if you think you're gonna pull 600+ hp. Sorry but I think your dreaming, I,m not saying it cant be done but just throwing around hp numbers does'nt mean much. Lets hear the rest of your combo. How much did you plan on spending for this engine?

[IanRiordan]

A 400 hoss 2600lb car with a 3grand stall and 4.10s turning g60 drag radials can be a handfull to a novice. Every car is a 'package' from the tyre pressures to the seatbelt bolts. Plan what you want to achieve before you decide on a car - let alone the engine.
Gen 1 small blocks came in power ratings from around 140hp to 375hp and most suited their application - a Z28 302 would be a dog in a K30 but worked great on a race track.

[killerformula]

buy a car first and start there. Even if you do scrape together the $6-8000 dollars its going to take to build that motor, you sure don't want it just sitting in the corner of your garage for the next 3-4 years while you save, find and buy a car and get it ready.

Reality check: You could probably find a solid shell of a car for 4000 dollars. You're going to need about 6-8 for the motor. A decent rear and trans, radiator to cool the beast, decent tires and suspension to hook you up will be (conservatively) 5,000. Now if you want a car that looks nice, plan on buying an interior and a paint job for (conservative) 2500-3000 dollars. This is a pretty basic interior with a pretty bare bones "OK" looking paint job. Then there are rims and other things to think about etc.

Shell: 4000
Motor: 7000
Driveline: 5000
Cosmetics: 3000

That's $16,000 dollars for a 615 horse car that looks kinda ratty with a trans that wont explode on launches and will hook and go. $19,000 dollars for a car that looks ok doing it while its doing all that. You're 20 years old right now. If you want to have this car done by the time you're 25 you'll need to put 315 dollars a month into it. Can you afford a 315 dollar car payment for a car that you're not driving and when its done can only be driven weekends? Are you comfortable being halfway to 30 before your project is done?

I'd start smaller. Buy a second or third gen F-body with a 350 and an 8.5 out back and chip away at it. I'll bet for less than 6000 dollars you could have a 12-13 second car that you can drive all the time and looks decent.

Hope that helps. I've bitten off more than I could chew in the past and it ruined my project. Hope you dont do the same, but best of luck either way-

K

[ap72]

If you just want to go fast, get a 500 hp 383 (much easier to build) drop it in a gutted S10, and mate it to a 12 bolt with a tH350 trans. It's still going to cost about 10G's to get it done, but it'll be great at the tracks- that and third gen F-bodies are about the only way to go fast for cheap. (not really the ONLY, but the most widely available)