Im going to look over the ricers comment (EVEN THO MINE MADE CLOSE TO 270), to tell you that if there is a 5.7 in there you should by all means keep it. Its hard to beat a 350 and 400 hp is quickly achievable on them too.
And as far as chips go, leave that crap to the police man. start with I/H/E and a cam and tune. maybe a bigger injector and fuel pump.

 

You can definitely get a 383 stroker for that money and have some change left over, shop around. A 454 in a gen III is a little out there, III and IV cars are pretty much engine specific. Suspension, electronics and drivetrain will have to all be replaced or heavily modified. I would get the info on that swap from craby, massey, etc. those guys are sharp.

 

I keep seeing everyone say you can get a good stroker for 3K....Explain that to me when a good set of heads are about $1500, a good cam, manifold, carb (not even going into FI), forged rotating assembly total well over the head cost.... Oh, I forgot about machining the block to accept the 400 crank, as well as boring and decking it. I think there are alot of sketchy motors out there from what I read....

 

I believe the posters mean a used engine. I see a bunch of 350's for sale be they from boats, trucks or whatever. I rarely see a used 383 for sale

 

So, I sent an email to Summit Racing regarding a question or two about their products, than another in regards to my "build" in general. My blunt question was; Using a GM 350/290 Crate, what should I use to build it upto 400? They responded with three links.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-12499529/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TFS-K314-420-395/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CMB-03-0221/

Now, that would put me at $4500 give or take some change. I'm guessing that I'd need to add in labor charges if my boss won't allow me to do the swap in his garage. I'd assume that I'm looking at $6000 (roughly, with labor). The parts that he linked; I plan to use the engine as a base. As for the other two, is there a cheaper site for said links? Are they at all needed (ie; are they top of the line? can another similar product be bought for slightly cheaper?).

As it stands right now I'm probably going to pass on checking out the local salvage yards. I made more than a few phone calls looking for a GM 350/290. The one I looked at was rusted to **** so instinctually I passed. Thanks again for the input guys.

 

Junkyards also want to charge you out the *** for engines, it's best not to look there.

 

For $3,000, you can BUILD a BUDGET 383. That's assuming you have a good 350 block, or can get one pretty cheap. You can put together a decent rotating assembly for around the $900 dollar mark, use a set of factory heads with some work done to them OR find a set of Vortecs, and throw in a decent cam with matching valve train components. This would net a modest 400hp with room for improvement.

Still, there's more to it than that. I'm assuming you have TBI? If you want to make anywhere near 400hp (over twice what stock is) you will need to do away with the TBI system and either go with a carb or a TPI setup.

If you go with a milder build, you could get away with the TBI and a custom PROM module and injector pod.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...6178&viewitem=

I don't know if that place is reputable or not. On another note, why would you price out a GM long block and then consider buying a heads and cam package? if that's what you want to do, then get the short block and the top end kit. It makes no sense to buy the long block and then toss out the heads and cam.

 

Heres how I built my budget 350. I guesstimate Im pushing the 400 HP envelope.

Rebuilt longblock for 800 bucks from a friend. This is where you REALLY need to do your shopping. Look around craigslist and local swap sheets. Its not uncommon to find guys who rebuild motors and then sell them. Be VERY cautious as its EASY to buy crap here. (my first motor was supposedly rebuilt. It wasnt)

My second season on the engine I added a Holley 670 carb from Ebay. Refurbed from a huge carb reseller. Cost me just shy of 250 IIRC.

Cam package for about 250. (see below)

The BIG investment (the one I wished I had been smarter about and saved more money for) was my VORTEC head swap. I bought the heads for 150 used. Then I had them squared and checked for another 150.....then I realized I needed the valve guides milled down for the bigger cam and had to go back for another 200 in machine work. I also needed new valve springs to accommodate the new cam. This price was part of the cam package but was realistically maybe another 100. I lso needed a Vortec manifold, another 180 bucks. Moral of this short story....spend 800-1000 on a set of performance heads. Vortecs will cost you only about 200 less and are a huge hassle.

Anyways, after my cam, heads and carb were all said and done (along with my pre existing cheap *** dual exhaust setup) I think Im pushing just below 400 HP and all said and done Id bet I have about 2500-3k in the motor. But you HAVE to shop around.

So somebody tell me the cheapest way to build a 383. I can only find them for 3500 and up on ebay....

 

I've been talking to this guy, just one example;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy...item43a38fe6af