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SBC 377 Build ?

18K views 31 replies 6 participants last post by  Charliedclayton 
#1 ·
Hello Im new to the site but have used this to answer many problems Iv come along. Im about to turn 19 and getting ready to put together my first engine build, its a 377 stroker. It's going into my 82 Chevy C10 longbed and with a new richmond super t-10 transmission...I live in town but walk to work(right down the street from me). So it's going to be more of a weekend blast then anything with limited drag strip use. Im shooting for a budget of $4000 for the engine its self and not in a hurry with it being my first build, my problem is with getting info over the 377. Just about every website that has talked about it always brings up the 377 as useing the 400 block and 350 crank.....my 377 is a 350 block and a 400 crank(how I bought it), the guy told me it "came outa my uncles old bread truck" and I picked it up for $150 and just was told it was a wore out 350.
Everything inside was new but the cam(no idea what it is) which had some good wear on it. But anyway Im really only worried about how this 377 is different then the 400 block/350 crank combo is....Iv never found anything about this combo or how it reacts on the street/stip. Has anyone done this type of build or know anyone whos done it? I really want to keep it like it is and not bore it over to 383 before anyone brings that up.
Any info over this would help a lot.
 
#27 ·
He's gonna build it cause it's fun//

Wow, everyone's going practical on us today huh? Don't forget guys we're mostly all here cause we like to "play motor". That's what my Mom called back in the day.
He's gonna build it cause it's fun////// plus he has to before he can move on the the next level of this game..

Know what occurred to me because of this thread? I've always hated the 345np but it came to me that I could stroke up .080" using 'um, and still be maybe .002" in the hole after decking only for squareness rather than quench..

Another thing Clatonius Hotrodicus; If one is forced to bore a 350 to 4.080" the 345np is about the only piston I can think of that comes in an .080". What would that be? 373ish? and cheap. Should make 400fps easily and 375 horse without turning it up at all.
Small journal rods .040" added reach makes a stroke of just .0025" short of a 3 9/16 crank without buying one. Spend a few bucks on balance, pistons are cheap and make most of the power without getting into the unsafe rpm range for cast.
I have a 0010 4bolt in the shop, in the way, that didn't clean up at .060".
Just thinking out loud.. That would save that motor and if .080 is too much then no big loss.. cheap to build. I wouldn't recommend 080" to anyone else but 060", doesn't bother me.

Got a 19x31 NASCAR radiator in the shop that needs to go too.
I'm going to do that just to see how it compares to it's cost, I bet it'll have the bang for the buck, but I'll have to keep it for myself because just in case the bore is too much.

Never did a 9/16s motor in my life.. I guess that's how they did it? I'm going to do that... thanks Charles..... Duntov :thumbup:
 
#29 ·
Me and dad just talked, its a full build. just giving it a one over and putting it back to how it was made from the factory would be something we would do with say a numbers matching engine out of an old corvette or something...thats still in the car. But for this Im just gonna see what I can get out of it. Any ideas on what kinda 3.75 crank I should get?
 
#30 ·
I've used a lot of 1528 and 29 cranks since one of the best oval track builders in my area showed us his collection of cracked cranks.

They're cast of course but seem to hold up as well as anything short of a 4340 crank, and I've bought a lot of them on Ebay for a hundred or less. Then to had them cut down to 2.45 mains and 2" journals offset ground to 3.780 or better for a cost of $300ish here, less than 200 for a standard 383 turn. We do have a couple of real crank magicians in our area though. I'm fortunate to live close to Charlotte but if there isn't really accommodating crank machinist who loves his work, where you live you might consider a complete balanced rotating assembly. A lot of people are using Scat and Eagle cast but I've had no experience with them.

Another advantage of the original 400 crank (1528/9) is that it was originally balanced with heavy pistons. So far I've never had to have Mallory with one. That saves a chunk of money. And all mine have been smooth even at 7000 which is about as far as I've turned a 383. Without really nice heads the 383 has produced most of what the heads can deliver at just over 6000. I'm thinking something on the order of a well worked set of 993s, or 906s< (somewhat better), as you said you were staying with iron heads. But that makes for good torque and HP#s.
Good luck with the build, I'm looking forward to hearing the results.
 
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