I have a 1950 Plymouth Coupe. I plan to build a 350 Chevy engine for it. So naturally it doesnt have any computer hookups or any type of electronic sensor wiring in the vehicle. My question would be...... Can i build a later model roller block engine without having to put computer wiring in it? Just want an old school motor without the high tech stuff ( computers, sensors, etc. ) Also.. what would you get with a 383 motor with the 400 crank ground .025. If it wont be above 6 grand rpm wise, would it be a safe move. Thanks for any answers Guys. Stan
1995 and later 350 chevy engines
- Thread starter swaluda
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Hello Stan and welcome to the forum!
Please accept my apologizes for the delay in response!
Life just gets busy sometimes!
:roll:
"My question would be...... Can i build a later model roller block engine without having to put computer wiring in it? Just want an old school motor without the high tech stuff ( computers, sensors, etc. )"
Sure, you can build a late model engine for use in a vintage car, without all the electronics and computers, sensors and stuff.
I'm sure up through the mid-late '90's small block Chevy's you can put a HEI distributor in them, an intake with a carburetor and all that, an old school build.
But, with the advantage of the roller cam and roller lifter advantage regards making power.
Chevy first went to the roller cam in '85, those early blocks (mostly used in trucks and full size cars and up about '89) had roller cams, but flat tappet hydraulic lifters.
Some of them had 'bosses' cast on the top of the cam tunnel, so a guy could drill and tap them, then add the 'spider' pan and roller lifters with no problem.
BTW, Chevy has put out several high power roller cams and heads that are free flowing.
A guy can build a great power house engine for cheap, using Chevy innards.
"Also.. what would you get with a 383 motor with the 400 crank ground .025. If it wont be above 6 grand rpm wise, would it be a safe move."
If you have a 400 crank and needs turning I think it would hold together well, ground 0.025".
Especially since you'll be keeping it below 6,000 rpm (some how!
)!
There are good 400 rotating assemblies new, balanced, ready to go, on eBay for about $750 shipped.
This is crank, rods and pistons.
Now, the reality is, the stock aluminum rods most guys would use (myself included) would really be the limiting factor.
If you jack your compression ratio over 9:1, then rev it up, you'll more than likely lose a rod before the crank will fail.
At a compression ratio of 8.5:1 - 9:1, with a full roller engine (roller cam, roller lifters and roller rocker arms) the right cam, heads, dual plane intake and free flowing exhaust, you can easily push 400 - 425 HP from a 383 that will produce +450 ft/lbs of torque (torque = acceleration).
And, it will run a long time with those stock rods and turned down crank.
That engine will bring a real smile to your face!
There's another member here on the forum, Ed Hurst, he's got a lot of experience building up strokers and these later model roller cam engines.
Hit him up here on the forum, or you can send him a Personal Message or just post to him in "Hot Rodding and DIY Projects" page of the forum.
He'll be glad to inform you on GM parts for the roller cam engine that will produce a lot of power and you can get this stuff used at a wrecking yard for cheap.
Good luck with your build and don't be a stranger on the forum, stop in from time to time and keep us up dated on your roller cam build!
Please accept my apologizes for the delay in response!
Life just gets busy sometimes!
:roll:
"My question would be...... Can i build a later model roller block engine without having to put computer wiring in it? Just want an old school motor without the high tech stuff ( computers, sensors, etc. )"
Sure, you can build a late model engine for use in a vintage car, without all the electronics and computers, sensors and stuff.
I'm sure up through the mid-late '90's small block Chevy's you can put a HEI distributor in them, an intake with a carburetor and all that, an old school build.
But, with the advantage of the roller cam and roller lifter advantage regards making power.
Chevy first went to the roller cam in '85, those early blocks (mostly used in trucks and full size cars and up about '89) had roller cams, but flat tappet hydraulic lifters.
Some of them had 'bosses' cast on the top of the cam tunnel, so a guy could drill and tap them, then add the 'spider' pan and roller lifters with no problem.
BTW, Chevy has put out several high power roller cams and heads that are free flowing.
A guy can build a great power house engine for cheap, using Chevy innards.
"Also.. what would you get with a 383 motor with the 400 crank ground .025. If it wont be above 6 grand rpm wise, would it be a safe move."
If you have a 400 crank and needs turning I think it would hold together well, ground 0.025".
Especially since you'll be keeping it below 6,000 rpm (some how!
)!There are good 400 rotating assemblies new, balanced, ready to go, on eBay for about $750 shipped.
This is crank, rods and pistons.
Now, the reality is, the stock aluminum rods most guys would use (myself included) would really be the limiting factor.
If you jack your compression ratio over 9:1, then rev it up, you'll more than likely lose a rod before the crank will fail.
At a compression ratio of 8.5:1 - 9:1, with a full roller engine (roller cam, roller lifters and roller rocker arms) the right cam, heads, dual plane intake and free flowing exhaust, you can easily push 400 - 425 HP from a 383 that will produce +450 ft/lbs of torque (torque = acceleration).
And, it will run a long time with those stock rods and turned down crank.
That engine will bring a real smile to your face!
There's another member here on the forum, Ed Hurst, he's got a lot of experience building up strokers and these later model roller cam engines.
Hit him up here on the forum, or you can send him a Personal Message or just post to him in "Hot Rodding and DIY Projects" page of the forum.
He'll be glad to inform you on GM parts for the roller cam engine that will produce a lot of power and you can get this stuff used at a wrecking yard for cheap.
Good luck with your build and don't be a stranger on the forum, stop in from time to time and keep us up dated on your roller cam build!
- Joined
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- Jeffersonville, Indiana
- Car
- 1929 Buick, 1957 Chevrolet
swaluda,
Sorry, ther is a lot to cover on the forums and I miss a lot. The 1995 engines use a one piece rear main seal. My suggestion is to purchase a stroker kit on ebay. It is not uncommon to find one for $750 with free shipping. A lot of them will come with cam, lifters, crank, pistons and rods, rings and bearings. Pretty much everything but oil pump and gaskets. Problem is that you have a roller block and I certainly would not put a flat-tappet cam in it.
So, with that being said, my suggestion would be to find an internal balanced 383 stroker kit for a LT1. You can purchase a reground (Roller) LT1-LT4 Hotcam on ebay for around $140. I purchased a new set of Delphi roller lifters on ebay for $95. A word about roller lifters: A set of stock roller lifters from a 95 Chevrolet 350 can have an average life of 200,000 miles.
If you block is in really nice condition, you can get by without boring the engine and it will be a 377 cubic inch. If you bore it .030" it becomes a 383 Cubic inch. The difference is hardly noticeable while driving unless you are building it for very high performance use. The biggest thing you will notice is $$$$ for machine work for having it bored and honed.
Suggestion: There are several kits that are available depending on your budget. You can get a kit with a nodular iron (cast) crank, or a kit with a forged crank. Difference is about $1000 for the forged kit. A cast kit is good for 400-450 HP and 6000 RPM. Been many times when I was younger that I turned over 8000 RPM on a cast crank.
Another suggestion: cast hypereuctic pistons do well, they come from the GM factory in stock engines. I like the teflon coated pistons. I also like the moly-filled rings. The cast rings are typically good for a 40,000 mile (or less) rebuild.
I recently built a 383 stroker using a 1997 block and I had to grind hardly anything from the block for clearance. The stroker kit will also come with forged SIR 4340 rods and special bolts that will clear a large base circle cam. The last LT1 kit I purchased came with free floating bushed rods. That saved me close to $100 by not having to have the pistons pressed on the rods. You should also consider a set of PRM stainless full roller rockers that will fit underneath the stock valve covers. Then with a good intake and carb combination, it would not be unrealistic to obtain over 400 HP and about 430 pounds of torque. the last one I built produced 474 HP.
The 95 350 will have the Vortec heads that will give pretty good flow. A good set of aluminum heads will give about 50 more HP. It depends on how much you can afford to spend.
Sorry, ther is a lot to cover on the forums and I miss a lot. The 1995 engines use a one piece rear main seal. My suggestion is to purchase a stroker kit on ebay. It is not uncommon to find one for $750 with free shipping. A lot of them will come with cam, lifters, crank, pistons and rods, rings and bearings. Pretty much everything but oil pump and gaskets. Problem is that you have a roller block and I certainly would not put a flat-tappet cam in it.
So, with that being said, my suggestion would be to find an internal balanced 383 stroker kit for a LT1. You can purchase a reground (Roller) LT1-LT4 Hotcam on ebay for around $140. I purchased a new set of Delphi roller lifters on ebay for $95. A word about roller lifters: A set of stock roller lifters from a 95 Chevrolet 350 can have an average life of 200,000 miles.
If you block is in really nice condition, you can get by without boring the engine and it will be a 377 cubic inch. If you bore it .030" it becomes a 383 Cubic inch. The difference is hardly noticeable while driving unless you are building it for very high performance use. The biggest thing you will notice is $$$$ for machine work for having it bored and honed.
Suggestion: There are several kits that are available depending on your budget. You can get a kit with a nodular iron (cast) crank, or a kit with a forged crank. Difference is about $1000 for the forged kit. A cast kit is good for 400-450 HP and 6000 RPM. Been many times when I was younger that I turned over 8000 RPM on a cast crank.
Another suggestion: cast hypereuctic pistons do well, they come from the GM factory in stock engines. I like the teflon coated pistons. I also like the moly-filled rings. The cast rings are typically good for a 40,000 mile (or less) rebuild.
I recently built a 383 stroker using a 1997 block and I had to grind hardly anything from the block for clearance. The stroker kit will also come with forged SIR 4340 rods and special bolts that will clear a large base circle cam. The last LT1 kit I purchased came with free floating bushed rods. That saved me close to $100 by not having to have the pistons pressed on the rods. You should also consider a set of PRM stainless full roller rockers that will fit underneath the stock valve covers. Then with a good intake and carb combination, it would not be unrealistic to obtain over 400 HP and about 430 pounds of torque. the last one I built produced 474 HP.
The 95 350 will have the Vortec heads that will give pretty good flow. A good set of aluminum heads will give about 50 more HP. It depends on how much you can afford to spend.