First time rebuilder needs lots of help

[lovn-the-mud]

New to site and thank god I found it!!
Working on my first ever rebuild with my 10yr old step son. Doing a 383 stroker and sticking it in an 89 K1500 and have lots of questions from what type of heads to use what trans and can I keep the TBI. Looking to get about 300hp in it but its also gonna be my daily driver and thankfully I live 2.5 miles from work so gas is'nt a huge concern. I will worry about the trans later but now our focus is the cam, heads and intake. again this is a daily driver so i dont want a radical cam and outrageous heads but something that when i pull up next to you you'll know its not stock. If you can give me just an idea of a decent set up it would be greatly appreciated, so far the only concrete decision we've made is a roller cam and rockers is a must. my step son also loves the sound of a P/J gear drive so thats on the list as well. Will post some pics soon and I look forward to hearing the advise. Thanks in advance.
Jeff and Ty.

 

[ChevyHiPro]

Hello Jeff and Ty!!
Welcome to the forum!
Glad you jumped right in and got your feet wet!!

And, a great question!!

Before we jump right off into the middle of that engine and start swapping out guts and stuff, let's look at some minor mods that'll help break you into wrenching and will help you take advantage of all that gut surgery to come!
To take full advantage of the cam and heads you'll be putting on, let's start by opening up the the intake and exhaust, let that engine breathe better.
Why, a tired ole 350 will perform better with these two simple cheap mods!
Put on a set of Flowmaster Afterburner Headers (painted)!
They'll work great with that stroker.
And, a guy can order an exhaust pipe kit (Summit racing, +JEGS, J.C. Whitney) that'll bolt right up and out ot the rear, where you'll want to add a pair of Turbo mufflers, cheap, muted, but with a throaty grumble, then, when you floor it, they respond with with a baritone growl.
Not loud, just throaty and free breathing.
Then, add on top of the engine, an Edelbrock 14" chrome air cleaner, and stuff a 14" x 3" K&N air filter in it and watch ole Ty's eye widen as he hears that huge sucking sound from the 383 drawing fresh breath through that K&N, with your foot glued to the floor!

Those two mods will really help when you start adding the heavy stuff under the hood.

Talking about that, now to some heads and cams and such;
- Edelbrock 60899 Small Block Chevy Performer RPM Cylinder Head, fits Small Block Chevy up to '86
-Edelbrock 60859 Small Block Chevy Performer Aluminum Cylinder Head, fits SBC '87 - '95

Now to the hydraulic roller cams;
- Edelbrock 22076 Rollin' Thunder Hydraulic Roller Camshaft Kit, fits '87 and later SBC
- Edelbrock 2099 RPM Power Package Top End Kit, fits up to '86 SBC

You can research (Google!) these Edelbrock numbers and get a good idea what's available.

Edelbrock has Performer Packages that include Heads, Cam Kit and intake manifold all matched to work together, for one price.
The complete kit is cheaper than buying the parts singly and they are all chosen to work together, so here's one such kit;
- Edelbrock 2096 RPM Power Package Top End Kit Small Block Chevy 383ci 1987-later, Late Model Hydraulic Roller Camshaft (lifters not included) 460 HP, 460 TQ.

So, what'ya think, Mr. 300 HP 383!??
:lol:
I think, grab a kit, bolt it up and get to slinging mud!!

Oh, you can tell Ty, I like the 'whine' of a gear drive cam myself!
I put the gear drive kit in my engines, so I can hear the whine as they spool up!!
:lol:
One more thing, once yo uget that stroker built, you'll need a programmer to adjust the fuel flow and timing in your ECC (Engine Control Computer) to feed that hungry beast all the premium fuel it needs to go fast!
A handheld programmer is about $250 or so and can be used to adjust things we use to do by hand, fuel flow, ignition timing, that sort of thing.
You'll be $$'s ahead to bite the bullet and buy your own, yo ucan stop by a shop and pay them to set everything up, but every time you change something, you'll be stopping by again, and again and so forth.

Good luck with your build and keep us posted!

 

[hurst01]

Jeff and Ty,

Have you built the engine yet? If not, I can give you some information on a build that can save you some big-time $$$$ and plant a smile on your face.

 

[lovn-the-mud]

Hi there Ed,
been away for a while and just read your post. To answer you we have had the block magnafluxed, bored .030 over and cleaned but not painted yet. It's wrapped up nicely and in the garage. didn't paint it yet because Ty and I cant agree on the color, lol. I want a midnight blue to match the paint and he wants a traditional chevy orange. So I am quite interested in saving some cash and am listening with OPEN EARS.
Thanks.