Choices to make, experience needed.

[Tavi]

Military exempts you from local and state compliance laws, as long as you don’t change your home of residence. Which allows you to continue to register and license in your home state.

 

[BowtieBrody]

Honestly if I were building up a TBI engine, I'd do a Vortec 350 bored and stroked out to a 383, a nice Comp Cam grind, TBI adapter with a built TBI, custom burned chip (if it's got an ECM), an 80E, and a 14-bolt;

But I'm interested in seeing whatever you decide on, TBI trucks are a foreign thing to me seeing as how I've only ever owned/driven Vortec powered trucks.

 

[shovelbill]

only thing i'll mention is.......a built 4L60 will do what you want and you get a lower first gear(3.06:1 v. 2.48:1) and a 5% better overdrive........i like that you decided to stroke your motor. i love my 383.....the low end torque makes up for my gearing.....and i get 15.8 mpg on the highway at 68mph.

with 33's and 3.73's it the same as my 265's and 3.42's.....but i built my truck for 90% highway........i've always put 4.10's with 33 and 4.56's with 35's for a daily driver.

good luck with your project....thanks for your service.

 

[blackhawk17]

Ok guys, an update to an old thread. I am still deployed, but I'm buying parts for this build for when I return. I've settled on the 383 stroker, but I'm still working out exactly what I'm getting and who I'm getting it from.

I'm either going to buy from ATK Performance or an Ebay builder, 1951herb. I can save money by buying from 1951herb, but the warranty is not as good. But the main question is below.

The question I am asking is about the heads. I don't care necessarily about horsepower or speed. My main concern is torque. Soooo, I would like to know if any of you have a good experience using the swirl port (TBI/193) heads for a build. MANY to MOST people say these heads are junk, but I've also read that these heads are just as good or better than the Vortecs at or below 3000 RPM. That's where I'll spend most of my time and I'm interested to see if these heads will support 400-410 ft/lbs like the builder claims (gross). I am geting rid of the EGR system and going with a dual plane intake, probably an air gap, and I'm going with Sniper EFI for easier tuning. The cam suggested is 210/220 at .050 w/ .500 lift, 114 LSA. He says 350 HP/ 410 TQ with that combo. I don't have enough experience to know if he's right. All this with swirl port heads mind you.

So I'm looking for suggestions. I do know that Vortec heads will be better, and I am leaning that way. I'm just curious to see what can realistically be achieved with swirl ports.

Also, I thought I'd post a couple pics of Hattie as she is today, just cuz I want to.

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[JCribb]

Well my build was done with .040 pistons stock crank. I run the 906 vortec heads with the stupid expensive gm vortec tbi intake. If I had it to do again, I would definitely go another route than the $400 intake just to keep the factory efi. I have the mellings mtc-1 cam in mine which specs out at: 204/[email protected] lift, and duration is 278/288 it’s lobe separation is at 112.

With this interesting combination adding shorty headers, all fuel mods and a custom chip with an egr delete, I have an easy 350/400 power/ torque. My builder guesses more than that, but I’m being conservative on my guess. I know that I have trashed three measly half ton five speed transmissions (bearing/shift rail failure due to excessive force) and I finished off the dying 10 bolt, before upgrading to an nv4500, and a 9.5” 14 bolt rear.

I’m more than happy with my combination and I have pulled down 17mpg by behaving myself with the skinny pedal.

The vortec heads are only good for .480 lift, so you have to play conservative if you wanna use these heads. There are plenty other choices in the “vortec style” family, it just depends on how much you wanna spend.

 

[slowburb]

Run away from ATK. If your ebay seller is sketchier than ATK, run from them too. Serious, man.

There is no point to spending $ to build a stroker smallblock using swirlport heads. If you're set on using factory castings, use vortecs. It is very very simple to change out the springs and retainers for performance oriented valve lift numbers.

 

[blackhawk17]

Can you expound on that? I don’t have any personal experience, so I’m relying on the experience of others. Brian Harris recommends them, and it seems like everyone sings his praises...

They do seem to have a pretty good warranty compared to other builders, although I can imagine the trouble redeeming it.

ATK HP94 with a different cam is the way I’m leaning right now because it seems the most bang for the buck. I won’t be building this engine myself, so that’s out (hopefully for the next project).


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[df2x4]

Brian Harris recommends them, and it seems like everyone sings his praises...

Not on this forum, they don't. Seems I've read far more negative than positive in regards to TBIChips.com and Harris Performance in general over the years.

 

[slowburb]

You now have personal experience (me) telling you to run from ATK, and commentary from df2x4 negating the praise singing you got from TBIchips.

 

[c1500deathtrap]

I've had an awful time with Brian Harris. He was very eager to try and help and sell me a tune, but his skill in tuning seems to be very lacking. It took 3? or was it 4? tries to get a tune that worked on a simple vortec head swap with a very mild cam. If i was you I would get a crate motor from Chevrolet Performance or the like and just drop that in. Maybe blueprint engines?. Unless you really just want to build a motor.