ok so winter 2013 i will be rebuilding me engine, from the ground up. i have a few questions i would like to get an opinion on. Im looking to get around 400 hp to the wheels but i am on a budget of around 3 grand.
so my question is if i do the 355 its going to get everything from a new crank and pistons all the way up to the carb. can i get 400 to the wheels with a 355? if so this would be ideal because it wouldnt cost me as much money to reach my hp goals as a 383 would.

however if i do the 383 i will open up my engine to possibly do more down the road as far as performance and i can easily reach my goal, but i might have to spend more money than i want.

am i totally wrong here? what do u guys think?

cheers!

 

You can reach your 400hp goal with either engine, but personally I'd go for the 383. The only additional monetary output would be for a 400 crank and 5.7 rods. The main journals of the 400 crank will need to be turned down to fit the 350 block so the machine work cost may be a little more compared to having the 350 crank done. Everything else (pistons, bearings, cam, lifters, timing gears, etc) will be required for either build. Since the 383 became popular some places now sell kits that will get you everything you need for the short block assembly in one package. You'll need to sit down and figure out the cost of each build then decide whether the extra for the 383 is worth it to you.

 

yeah i have seen a cpl of these 383 kits around online, thanks alot for ur input!

 

Id go 383 over 355 so much better & the added cost wont be as much as u think unless ur using a LT1 or LS1 lol

 

yeah, i actually did some research and found a company called "air-flow research" and they build engines and have all the dyno results posted with all components listen, down to the part number. so i shopped around and doing a 383 isnt as much as i had assumed to do this project, and their engine got 503 HP and 512 ft lbs of torque.

 

well considering your 3k budget i would say an afr headed 383 is out of the question unless youre well versed in machine work and engine assembly. parts alone will probably run more than the 3k. youre better of getting a cheap rebuild kit for your 350(flat top pistons, rings, bearings) buy a healthy cam, and matching heads. not to mention your looking at 480ish hp and one would hope 500tq at the crank so if you throw a real set of tires on that car you better hope it doesnt hook because the 7.5 rear is far from indestructable. so a rear is also going to be in this cars future.