Are vortecs sufficient for a 383?
 

Been getting serious about collecting parts for a 383 this winter. Was originally going to use my vortec heads but have done some reading on the topic and lots of folks in the car world are saying that vortecs will choke a stroker build. Any thoughts on this? I was looking at the dart iron eagle line and they seem to be reasonably priced but don't know if they would offer much of a gain if any at all.

IMO, Save the money for a quality set of aluminum CNC heads from Trickflow, Brodix, AFR etc.... I prefer AFR and have always used them.

Marine 383 go with the Eliminator 195's or 210's depending on cam, intake and RPM range.

I'm running a worked over older set of AFR 190's and it needs more head I believe.

Always a need for more head :party-smiley-004:

I'm using the lt4 hot cam with 1.6 rollers. Performer rpm intake.
What heads would you guys recommend for a 383 with this setup?

Shooting for a solid 400-425 hp. Shouldn't be to hard but I don't want to break the bank. I'm thinking assembled heads would be the way to go instead of reusing my springs and valves. Any recommendations on valve springs for this setup? Cam has .525 lift in both sides. I'd like to wind it up to 5600 or so, may be a little more.

Edit: I want to use my existing self aligning rockers so I will need a compatible head

fixx
 

over 5 k they suffer,,merc seems to run fine on the 377 and the 383 motors..just dont run a flat top piston or you will end up with 11:1 compression.

Yeahim thinking slightly bigger chamber maybe to keep compression down

You might check out the GM 383 crate motor for some ideas, sounds like what you're looking for.

Trick flo heads , RPM Airgap port matched , got rid of the Edelbrock carb and went with a Nickerson Holley , Ultra Dyne cam , Crane Gold self aligning roller rockers , balanced rotating assembly with stealth balancing in front of crank , 10.3 to 1 compression ratio . Picture of a picture sux , sorry .

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...p/100_0357.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...p/100_0355.jpg

Well after looking at the zz383 I'm thinking that thing would be a perfect drop in lol. Sure would save a lot of time and aggravation. Unfortunately I'm broke as a joke and will have to piece something together a little at a time as funds allow. I like the fast burn heads but was wondering if the 62cc chamber would be a problem when selecting a piston. The general has the CR at 9:1 with them but I'm not sure what piston they are using. I would like to go forged for sure. Also was looking at some edelbrock alum. heads, any thoughts on those?

here are some combos for you to look at, hope it helps. http://www.ryanscarpage.50megs.com/combos3.html

I already have that book marked. :lolhit:

Thanks tho.

After reading some more about the fast burn heads I don't know if I can use them because I think they have a funky exhaust port that requires special headers or something. Anybody have any info on this?

I have the E-Tec 200cc heads and they work great! They were affordable and it made 440 hp on the dyno and pulled up to 5800 rpm

If I remember correctly, the limit of the stock valvetrain on the vortecs was a .480 lift. So you would have to disassemble and replace parts anyhow for that cam. What are you running for exhaust? That is the biggest choke point for the SBC world.

That's what I'm looking for! Thanks!

Can you use self-aligning rockers with these heads or do you have to run guide plates?

I've already got the valve guides cut down for more lift because I'm currently running the lt4 cam in my 350.

I wil check w Jeff tomorrow I think they are self aligning

You're half way there, a little port work would be cheaper for about the same head. If on a budget that would be fine.

I've decided to toss the budget out the window and start pretty much from scratch. The only thing I will be reusing is my cam, intake, carb, and rockers, and block. Gonna replace the exhaust with some emi thunder and hopefully between the aluminum exhaust and heads take 150 lbs out of the back of the boat.

On another note, I have a performer rpm dual plane intake now. Would I benefit anything by going to a single plane intake? Also, will my demon 650 be enuff carb to fuel this thing?

What are the specs on the cam ? you're adding a 1/4 of stroke, it will drop your top end down.

218/228 @ 50

525 lift with 1.6 rockers

Tried one like that in my brothers 383 with 200cc Iron Eagles layed down around 4600 rpm.

What would be a good choice? I'm running silent choice exhaust so I have to be careful with reversion.

I'll tell what I'm considering for my next project...the LQ9 6.0 Escalade engine. Six bolt main bearing caps..LS architecture...great heads...universal bell housing bolt pattern...fat torque curve and around 400 horsepower with no cam change.

I bought a 2005 Escalade ESV with this engine and I will tell you...it snatches 6000#s around like you wouldn't believe!!:evilb:

Before you commit to a 383 from the old school stuff (which is great) consider the LS platform and the 6.0.

I'm running Dart Iron Eagles on a 377 stroker and can spin up to 5500-5600. PM me for details.

Figure out what heads you are going to run, then pick the cam. You can get the RPM you want and still use the silent choice at low speed.

My 383 - E-Tec 200 heads forged dished pistons 8.8:1 running 6 psi of boost from a Whipple, silent choice exhaust believe cam is in the .510 range running 1.6 ratio rollers and it was still making HP at 6,000 on the dyno I've got it proped in the 5,700-5,800 range make right at 595HP 575 lbs ft TQ at 3,000 flat up to 5,600.

I called Marine Kinetics today. Bob was a huge help and I believe I will be having him grind me a custom cam and help me pick out my components. I only want to do this one more time so I'm gonna take my time and do my homework. Thanks for all the input guys. I will definitely be using a little bit of everybody's advice when I start doing this thing

Sounds like a great motor, the Whipple is doing it's job.

Good call . I have something up my sleeve also with Mr. Madura .

Mine is going to be a side project for now, I don't want to put myself on a deadline and not have the funds to finish it by next spring. Once I have all of my parts collected I will take my current block apart and go from there, until then I'll keep riding the 350 :lolhit:

fixx
 

ummmm find a little m block,,why trash a complete running engine? the newer gm blocks are for chit,,cylinder walls are real thin,.030 oer then you have problems and the blocks flex like crazy when you grind the webbing of the block for rod clearance..

this is going to be my next block http://www.dartheads.com/products/en...ll-blocks.html
im going to try and get 454 cid of if i can find a crank i may go over that...if your gonna spent the time and money you may as well spend a few more and go bigger..

That thought has crossed my mind, if the funds allow I will def go for a better block, if not I may just grab another gm block and go, put the 350 in the corner for back up

Have you checked out any of the crate motors Summit or Jeg's, don't remember what drive you are running, that may be your limiting factor.

have thought about it but it would almost be to easy lol, then i couldnt get on here and ***** about all my problems :lolhit:

im running an alpha but dont really care if i blow the drive, i can buy a lot of sei drives for what it would cost to switch to bravo. plus im easy on it out of the hole and in the rough

You could do the 396 sbc just to be different.

How bout a 410 sprint car motor ....:lolhit:...Maybe the Pa. Posse has one layin around .

Might have a 434 sitting in the corner somewhere.

http://speedomotive.com/default.aspx
This is where i bought my 383 parts . It is an awesome engine , too bad all it does now is sit on the garage floor .