Thread: engine swap (350, 383, or 400?)

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i currently have a stock 305 in my 1986 pontiac grand prix and i was wondering what would be the best engine swap for my car. its going to be a daily driver but also occasionally raced (weekend racer). im trying to choose between a 350, 383, or a 400. i thought a 400 would be the best because its the biggest chevy SB but i have people telling me to get a 350 because its a great street engine and theres also people telling me to build a 383. i never got a real straightforward answer on what to do so im hoping someone can give me good advice and help me with this desicion. i would appreciate all advice and suggestions. thanks.

BTW, this is the link for my car... http://www.cardomain.com/ride/727012/2

It is basicly your choice because they all have wins and losses in there own ways. a 400 engine is somthing me personally wouldn't bother with, because of the siamesed bore's and steam holes in the heads, people do build them up sucessfully. a 383 is going to lend you lots of low end torque and lots of power because it has a large rotating mass, as a 383 is a stroker. a 350 can be built up also, probably the best if you want a daily driver.

For reliability, you can't beat factory parts. A 400 in your car would be a torque monster, and you won't have to go to a lower rear gear. Leave the 383's to the big buck guys who want to brag about how much money they've spent on their ride, a 400 will respond to exactly the same mods with more power. You can't beat cubic inches!

I agree. It's silly to start with a smaller motor and spend more money to make the same power that you could with spending just a few bucks on a 400 small block. More cubic inches equals more power.

A 400 with 9.0:1 compression, a mild cam such as this http://www.cranecams.com/index.php?s...52&lvl=2&prt=5 and a good set of heads such as these http://www.sallee-chevrolet.com/Cyli...ds/Vortec.html will make a great motor

none of thee above

Originally posted by Matt167
It is basicly your choice because they all have wins and losses in there own ways. a 400 engine is somthing me personally wouldn't bother with, because of the siamesed bore's and steam holes in the heads, people do build them up sucessfully. a 383 is going to lend you lots of low end torque and lots of power because it has a large rotating mass, as a 383 is a stroker. a 350 can be built up also, probably the best if you want a daily driver.

The 383/400 debate keeps going.What Matt167 says really takes care of it for me.Sorry 400 boy's and girl's.If any one is intrested the last time I built a 400 I went through 4 of them to I finally got one good one.The rest of them sit around the shop and make conversation piece's.Any of you 400 people want them?The best one only has a 2.5 inch crack in the lifter valley.L.O.L

383 is a rare build, you honestly dont see too many around, at least where im from

Originally posted by 91camaro
383 is a rare build, you honestly dont see too many around, at least where im from

Are you kidding?

where im from we really dont see anyone with a motor like that, i have never seen a built one

It uses a 400 stroke 3.75 with a main size the same as a stock 350.Sometimes you have to grind on the block to get the rods to clear.This depends on the length of rods you run and the brand and also the style.(Core shift) will also affect the amount of grinding you have to do.You also have to grind a small amount off the head of the connnecting rod bolt to get them to clear the cam.On all the 383's I have built I always get a small base circle cam so I have a little less to grind on the head of the con rod bolt.

about how much horsepower will a 383 put out

Originally posted by 91camaro
about how much horsepower will a 383 put out

How much do you want?

First of all, my opinions is go with the 350, with not alot of experience about cars you will find plenty of parts and its easy to work on, and second lol 400 is hardly the biggest smallblock, Third youl probly want to work on some other things to make the car able to safely handle the power, 1 being suspension,wheels and tires, 2 being well there is no 2.

Did you see the ending to the movie "Deep Throat"? Why would you want something smaller unless there was a cost issue? Torque is king on the street, max RPM is a rare item. IF you can find a 400 that is in good shape to rebuild, the parts cost is comparable to the 350...... think of it, if you had a 300 cubic inch
engine and someone would offer you 50 cubes for the same price, would you take it? darn sure you would

Put the 305 valve covers on it and pretend it's a 305!!!

the heck with all of them motor get you a 327 youll be much happier