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buying a 383 build up?

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  • #1

    buying a 383 build up?

    i am getting ready to purchase a 97 trans am m6. he had the lt1 stroked out to a 383. i know nothing about this stuff. i know im new and dont know anybody but i was hopeing someone could give me some insight. this is all he told me.

    it has a 400 crank, comp cam, h-beam rods, offset pins, port/polished heads, hypertech pistons, hooker headers, borla exhaust. and it was blue printed and balanced and profesionally done.

    i know its not alot of info. does anyone have an idea what kinda hp it puts out or even if any of this stuff is good. please help me out before i blow my $. thanks tom


    97 ws6 6sp 40k miles 355 cubes strange s 60 rear 373 gears. other stuff! 360rwhp

    current
    2006 GMC Denali 6.0 AWD!!!! hers
    Tags: None
  • #2
    The 2 biggest concerns I would have would be was the work done correctly and how much abuse has the car had? Obviously the person who owned the car wanted it to be fast and has built the car to that end. If you are looking for a reliable car that you do not have to put much money into I would look elsewhere for an "unmolested" F-body. When you start upgrading, other parts on the car start to operate outside the parameters they were designed for and eventually break (the rear end on an F-body comes to mind) IF, on the other hand, you want a "turnkey" high performance car maybe you have something here. I would ask to see the receipts for the work and take it to your mechanic for sure!

    As far as horsepower on this car is concerned I think there are too many variables to give any good guess - somebody else here I am sure can give you a good estimate.
    Silver 02 WS-6, 6 speed, Corsa cat-back, SLP lid, K&N filter, BMR STB, !CAGs, Lou's short stick, MSD wires, MTI "Hammer" cam, ASP underdrive pulley, Hooker LTs, Hooker ORY, Comp 918s, TR pushrods, UMI Sfcs, UMI LCAs, NGK TR55s, Hotchkis springs



    Dyno'd 4/24: 330.9 RWHP/ 344.8 RWTQ (Before cam, headers, and pulley)

    Dyno'd 5/1: 383.5 RWHP / 380.5 RWTQ (393 actual RWHP)

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: buying a 383 build up?

      -400 crank

      Forged or cast? Forged is good, cast is OK, limiting you to the 500HP range. Using a "400" crank in an LT1 is unusual, since the LT1 has 2.45" journals and the "400" has 2.60" journals.
      =====
      -comp cam

      Means nothing. Comp Cams sells dozens of different cams, from mild to wild.
      =====
      -h-beam rods

      Probably a forged rod, and that's a plus. Does he know the length?
      =====
      -offset pins

      ???????
      =====
      -port/polished heads

      "fair" p&p heads might not flow any better than stock. Well p&p LT1 heads can flow in the 270-280cfm region and make good HP. You need a head flow curve from a flow bench to know (maybe) if they are any good.
      =====
      -hypertech pistons

      I think he means "hypereutectic" pistons, a cast aluminum piston with high silicon content. Can range from fair to good. OK for a normally aspirated motor up to 500HP. Limits the ability to add a power adder like nitrous, unless they are exremely high quality.
      =====
      -hooker headers

      "long tube" Hookers are excellent. "shorty" Hookers are marginal at best, requiring significant modification to produce real power.
      =====
      -borla exhaust

      If its the Borla "adjustable" catback, its a good deal. If its the Borla "rear section", its marginal.
      =====
      -and it was blue printed and balanced and profesionally done.

      "Blueprinted" can mean a lot of different things. If it means they measured everything and it was within specs, that's "normal". If it means that they examined each and every dimension in the engine, and then optimized it at the correct end of the tolerance range, its a very good thing, but it's not usually seen on the motor you describe. "Balancing" is mandatory.
      =====

      This sounds like an "economy" 383.... just enough to make it a 383 and allow it to make some decent HP. The upper limit is 500HP, but then means very good heads and a moderate cam, or good heads and a more aggressive cam. I'd guess that this isn't a 500HP 383.... maybe low 400's. But that is just a wild guess.

      Suggested questions to ask the seller:

      Does he have an receipts?
      Who built the engine?
      Does he have a chassis dyno graph?
      Does he have a timeslip?
      Who P&P'd the heads?
      Does he have a flow chart for the heads?
      Does he have the cam card (duration at 0.050, lift and lobe separation angle)?
      Is the crank cast or forged? Brand?
      What brand are the pistons?
      What brand are the rods? Length?
      Are the Hookers long tubes or shorties?
      Is the Borla a cat-back or a rear section?
      Was the computer professionally tuned, and who did it?
      Is the rear axle "stock"?
      What is the rear axle ratio?
      What if any, suspension mods have been done - LCA's, torque arm, panhard rod, etc.?
      What clutch is in the car - stock, aftermarket?
      Fred

      381ci all-forged stroker - 10.8:1 - CNC LT4 heads/intake - CC solid roller - MoTeC engine management - 8 LS1 coils - 58mm TB - 78# injectors - 300-shot dry nitrous - TH400 - Gear Vendor O/D - Strange 12-bolt - 4.11's - AS&M headers - duals - Corbeau seat - AutoMeter gauges - roll bar - Spohn suspension - QA1 shocks - a few other odds 'n ends. 800HP/800lb-ft at the flywheel, on a 300-shot. 11.5 @ 117MPH straight motor

      Comment

      • #4
        tomsws6

        Thanks for the info guys. Im only buying it for 8k. My idea is to just drive it for now and later start messing with it. He doesnt have any dyno figures or time slips, but for 8k i thought it was a pretty good deal.


        97 ws6 6sp 40k miles 355 cubes strange s 60 rear 373 gears. other stuff! 360rwhp

        current
        2006 GMC Denali 6.0 AWD!!!! hers

        Comment

        • #5
          8k sounds too cheap. Make sure there arent any problems. If its stroked, as you said, he has alot of money into it.
          96 WS6 Formula: Ram Air, 383 Stroker, Ported LT4 Heads and Manifold, 1.6 Crane Rollers, 58MM T.B., AS&M Headers, Borla Exhaust, Meziere Elec. H2O Pump, Canton Deep Sump Oil Pan, 100 HP OF TNT N2O!! , T56 Conversion w/ Pro 5.0 shifter, SPEC Stage 3 Clutch, Hotchkiss Subframe Conn., Lakewood Adj. Panhard Bar, Spohn Adj. LCA's, BMR Adj. T.A., Custom 12 bolt w/ 3:73's, Moser Axles, Eaton Posi, Moser Girdle
          11.6 @ 123mph (1.6 60' - getting there )

          Comment

          • #6
            HE SAID HE HAD NO PROBLEMS BUT NEED SOMETHING MORE ECONOMICAL. IT ALSO HAS A CLEAR TITLE.


            97 ws6 6sp 40k miles 355 cubes strange s 60 rear 373 gears. other stuff! 360rwhp

            current
            2006 GMC Denali 6.0 AWD!!!! hers

            Comment

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