Should I go with a crate motor?

[sicndhed]

+1 on building a 383. Also Dart do some good top end kits for SBCs like the SHP not a huge amount $ for what you get.

Wow...that is sweet! I do see the bang for the buck there. Homework time!

JHawk

SHP 400 short block with a matched top end kit should put you around 525hp for around 5-6 grand give or take some and it comes straight from dart as prove combos


Also have a look at dart iron eagles very good heads for what you are trying to do and exellent value and will get you an easy 400hp on a 383/400

The 4.125" bore SBCs are great but beware of using the old original Chevy blocks. Aftermarket is the way to go if you go that route. I like Dart or new GM Sportsman much better than the other guys.

The last two I did are 4.125" x 3.8" (406). The extra .050" of stroke gave me a zero deck without cutting a new block. One is 11.5 :1, AFR 195 heads, hyd roller 243/251, Vic jr, 1 7/8" headers into 3" exhaust. It is near the edge of what you'd want to drive in stop and go all the time but pulls pretty well. The the other was for the BOSS, she wanted a 6-71 on hers. Her car is a real smile maker.

 

[nbracken]

Crate. I installed a ZZ4 http://www.chevrolet.com/performance/crate-engines/small-block-zz4-350.html in my Cobra replica (yes I know it should be Ford but back in the UK Chevy's are just way more common with better availability all round....) in 1999 and its been hassle free ever since and now has over 50k kms on it. A friend installed a rebuild at the same time and has had a bunch of problems.... If you know a great builder then you could well be OK but with crate you get a lot better chance.