1FATPICKUP

Hey everyone. got a 383 clevo on the build and are looking for a good hp top end combination. Stopping at the completion of the bottem end. Untill further cash is saved as i'm 2nd year apprentice, and a good combo is on paper. looking to make 500+.

Would be greatfull of any ideas

Would be very interested if user 10secXY could suggest some ideas as that'd be along the lines of what i'm looking for.

russxr67

Does your budget extend enough to consider alloys?
If it does then i have a few ideas to take you well into the 500's without a roller cam.

angelis90

street machine did an article on this, the aim being a 500+ hp cleveland. it turned out 545hp, made 400ft/lb all the way thru the rev range, and very streetable. total investment, $18000 +, for a ground up engine rebuild, totally aftermarket parts. for a top end, i would get in contact with CHI, cos they make huge power with those heads, and they give you a cam recommendation based on what manifold, carb, ci capacity etc you have. of course they recommend whatever product they sell but the still help you out if you buy, say, CHI heads with a victor jr manifold.

XB351

You can do a decent engine thats reliable and durable for a lot less than 18k. A short 383/393/408 is roughly $6500. Add a $3000 set of heads, a $700 manifold, cam/lifter package $1500 and a $1000 carb. That's only $12700. Add around $400 + the cost of gaskets if you want a machine shop to assemble the whole engine.

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XB Fairmont sedan 11.07@123.02mph

angelis90

obviously you can build a great motor for less, the one i mentioned was also a ground up rebuild, forged everything, for 408ci. forged bits are gonna cost more, but, cost can be skimmed down quite a bit, if you shop around, and if you already have some parts

XB351

That's it. I would never pay 18k for an engine. My 393 has all the goodies and cost no where near 18k. 18k is highway robbery IMO. Any engine like mine can be had from Pavtek at much less than 18k

http://www.pavtek.com.au <--I highly recommend them for professionalism, quality work and their very very quick turn around.

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XB Fairmont sedan 11.07@123.02mph

v8tfcorty

im a ford man thru and thru, but the concept of spending that kinda cash makes me ask the question, why not spend a 1/4 of it building a chev for the same results.

77GXL-Matt

I think you have already answered that question, because it is a chevy. Why would you put a chevy into a Ford??

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XB351

Chev's cost just as much. I have mates with Chev's. One's engine has cost around $35k.

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XB Fairmont sedan 11.07@123.02mph

v8tfcorty

eh, i built a 383 chev using all brandnew stuff (nothing was secondhand) for under 7k and it made 480 at the fly.......

your mate needs to shop around..


for 35 k we built a 510 cube bigblock that was making 1400hp with a little kobelco (16/71 superman) blower on top............

XB351

Nah. When you pump 350hp+ n2o you need decent parts. His chev 1/4's around 145-150mph (If I remember right it's close to a 8sec pass) and it's a street driven 3700lb 57 chev. The chev used to be blown at one stage but that option wasn't taken this time round. You can make 500+ with 351ci clevo for the same $ your engine cost. My old engine I could be built for 7k easy and it was making over 500hp. I was making 306rwkw. Your average 383/393/408 does anywhere from 550-700hp. Mine's the best part of 600hp and didn't cost anywhere near 18k (no roller cams or fancy parts).

The problem with engines is yeah you can build a cheap high hp engine but it won't last. The $ are in building it to last.

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XB Fairmont sedan 11.07@123.02mph

greenhj

That wouldnt be one "Mr Chessels" would it? What would that engine have cost the average punter, add the markup on parts, assembly and tuning which cost him nothing and thats one very expensive engine. (Not thats its "cheap" now)

That is one killer chev...

greenhj

And since this is a ford forum, would bogged up 4v's or closed chamber 2v's be better for a street big cube 500hp engine? Would using factory iron save some bucks compared to say a chi 3v?

angelis90

if you're not going for top end power, i would go for the smallest port diameter possible, with the biggest flow rating for that port diameter. this boosts low end torque and itll still pull hard higher up. have a look at the pavtek site and the chi site, i know chi and pavtek make the 185cc head, which i think think is one of the best street heads you can buy in terms of value for money. for top end power, they have you covered too, with the 258cc 370cfm heads. but you will need a new intake manifold for both of these. if you dont want to change that, go the 4v 228cc for 325cfm or the 190cc for 307 cfm. chi also offers a cast iron option for a good price

XB351

No. It's just an engine that will do 9000-10000rpm reliably.

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XB Fairmont sedan 11.07@123.02mph