i have a mostly stock 350 V8 in my 81 camaro now but i was thinking if i wanted to turn it into a 383, would it be best to get a rebuilt one from a local auto shop or to get a already built one like from JEGS? is getting it rebult really much cheaper with installation than a crate engine?

 

Depends. What is wrong with the one in the car now? You can turn your current mill into a 383 cheaper than buying a new one.

 

well nothing is really wrong with it but i just am not sure how good it was built since it was rebuilt before i purchased it. whats the best way to turn mine into a 383?

 

i wanna get the most bang for my buck and my goal for HP is at least 350+ and atleast 383 torque..do you think it would maybe be better to invest the extra money and just add to my 350 or upgrade to the 383 stroker?

 

Youll get alot of bang from this one.....

http://www.blueprintengines.com/popu...s&pc_id=25

I just bought one of these....383, vortec heads, 405 HP. The wife overheated, more like cookedthe 350 that is in her 68 lemans. I decided the block was too stressed, (coolant in the cylinders) and the heads probably are toast. No point in a rebuild. Ordered it last thursday and it was delivered monday. Do some research, you may like this option even though it is probably more than you want to spend. You can get short blocks also.

 

its very much like this engine from JEGS..

http://www.jegs.com/p/GM+Performance/969813/10002/-1

its as nice engine and would love to have it but its a lil spendy. would it cost alot less to have my 350 rebuilt into a 383 or would it cost about the same as a crate engine with the labor and everything? and if i got a new cam, crankshaft and vortec heads on my 350 would that add alot more HP and torque?

and whats the average mpg of a 383 thats mildly tuned?

 

Theres alot of things to take into account with a rebuild, do you have a block/mains that can handle increased HP? If you dont know much about it, it couldhave two bolt mains and not be very strong. Itwould certainly be cheaper to buy the bottom end and some vortec heads, but its alot of work. If you are paying a shop to do the labor you may end up inchingevercloser to the price of buying one like blueprint's 383 or the HT 383. I have a 350 ZZ4 in my 70 camaro and I love it. Somtimes these guys are cheaper than jegs or summit http://www.morethanjustpower.com/theres usually alot of differences in shipping charges too.
http://www.blueprintengines.com/popu...s&pc_id=78
this one is nice, and its a good price for what you get, you can add a hot cam, heads and intake of your choice.

 

ok how much would labor cost on average to install one of the crate 383's into my 81 camaro? what way would be the cheapest bang for your buck? i dont want to sacrifice too much quality though just the most HP and torque for the best price. is it the one you posted earlier, the blueprint 383 or 383HT?

what about adding a stroker kit to my 350? how much would it lag behind a crate 383?

 

You can make a home-built one stronger than the crate if you know how. Depending of course on what parts you choose. I'm building a 383 and my cost for the motor itself is about $3000, but I'll be making a good 425 horses and 475 torque according to both my desktop dyno system and the cam manufacturer with the heads I'm using. I also have gotten a lot of good deals on good parts from Ebay. Are you going to try to re-use any of the parts? Maybe just rebuild the heads, instead of buying new? You'll lose power over it, but it cuts some cost. I'm sure you would be making more than 350 horses in it, with a decent cam you'll be beyond that in no time!
My brother had a crate motor installed in his Nova for about $750, that with also replacing the radiator with it. You can save a lot of money if you can do it yourself, but if you're unsure then go wiht a crate and have someone put it in for you. Better to pay the extra cash than to have soemthing break if you're not sure. Everything is relative!

 

Labor is a tough one. There are alot of variables, If you are going to use all the parts from your old 350, water pump, distributer, intake, (vortec heads need a specific intake) harmonic balancer, flexplate,starter,carb, and exhaust, Id think a good shop would charge around $750 to a grand.
I bought the blueprint 383 long block w/intake- $3695.00The warranty is as good or better than anyones, 30 mo/50,000 mi. If you purchase the short block ($1995.00)theres no warranty. I looked around alot before I settled on this engine. Based on their build sheet, its a fairly impressive engine for the money.

If you want to put in a stroker kit instead Id say make sure you put really good parts in the bottom end to make it strong....

Anyone else have some input?