gretchen/jason

Very good articles . I do like the pro and con section . After reading about shorter rods vs long rods it seems i need to go with the 5.7 rod as it seems the 5.7 rod is better at a lower rpm but seeing as i have forced induction that will help make up for any slight loss at higher rpms . And reading that the longer rod might make detonaition a problem , and it produces higher cylinder pressures i dont think i want to go that route as the article i read clearly states that a 5.7 rod will be a bit cooler in the long run , and have lower cylinder pressure . Thanks grumpyvette for the info it cleared up alot of things for me . Jason

Ive yet to atempt a test i will try to see what happens this weekend with my bbq grill some pieces of aluminum and different paints and my laser thermometer . I apoligize for misspeled words . Jason

I was told by a local machine shop that the best set up for a 383 is to use the 400 sbc crank with 6.000 length rods with a piston made for a 383 with 6 inch rods . I was shown on a bare engine how it worked as the wrist pin is actually behind the oil ring and as rods get shorter the wrist pin moves down the skirt . They claimed a common 383 uses a 5.7 rod with a typical piston but a 6 inch rod with a different piston will produce more power . Now i have looked this up in the catalog and they do make a piston made for a 6 inch rod to turn a 350 into a 383 using a 6 inch rod . Has anyone done or know anyone who has used this combo . Someone also told me i could use the short sbc 400 rods 5.477 length i believe they are with the stock 350 piston that had a 5.7 rod on it and still make a 383 . I just want what gives me the most power and ill get the best pistons and such . Jason

Ah yes the jegs 10 gallon tank did hold 8 gallons till i removed some foam now 9.5 gallons but i assume the mean 10 gallons if the foam drips itself dry Jason

Oh man now 3.50 a gallon here in colorado springs at 25 gallons every 7 days yikes so much for wanting to go fast at 100-120 galoons a month yikes Jason

That is a cheap place to start . Even cheaper is take out the thermostat boil some watter to a bit hotter then a cup of realy hot coffee stick the thermostat in it and if it opens then that is not the problme . If ya replaced the radiator forget about it if the fan pulls air id kind off let it go for the moment . If ya do the thermostat test and it passes better if ya know the watter temp . Then id head for the watter pump before the fan issue . Is it hotter at idle or at speed or at both . I chased down a overheating problem for 6 months it ended up being my radiator was cloged i went backwards form what you have done . Jaon

Fairy dust eh sounds nice heehee . Eh i never run synthetic oil i tried it once on a newly built engine it just reminded me of places that didnt get as sealed as others gasket wise . Well i wont need vacuum as ill have a blower on my 383 but so far it seems this is the way to go i think ill give total seal rings a shot what the heck . Jason

Man nice power wish when i did my stroker i got those numbers i did a f54 flat top pistons N47 head 3,000 rpm custom stall converter 3 speed auto 4.11 rear gears 4 barrle holley headers etc etc larger valves port polish and only got 230 to the crank made me want a turbo so bad but i opted for the V8 . Very very nice job man lots of props to ya . Jason

Oh man i got the big tach 5 inch is it from autometer . So i took out the stock tach but left in the spacer/beauty ring the black plastic thing that spaces the tach back from the dash . So what i did is this is cheap duct tape the tach to this peice . It covered the face perfectly nobody noticed or could even see the tape . It even had the controlls for for setting rpm limits . Granted it set back about 1/2 inch further then the tach but still looked good it is a autometer sport tach large size . No pics sorry . Jason

Not to bad a idea a I/C sprayer heck i got silly and routed hoses rite in front of my rear tires i told people i needed the watter to spin the tires haa haa . They believed it but all i did was add some bleach watter to get alot of smoke rolling . Jason blown 383 in progress !!

i went to autozone for my 78 280z washer fluid motor . By no means will it fit in the stock spot but hey for 10$ i just added 4 inches of hose remounted it and bang got water to squirt . Jason

Man makes me wish i had that engine . Who knows maybe i can now smoke the tires from a 60mph roling start hee hee . Heck before i could smoke the tires doing 35 mph . Jason

So i guess a chrome molly ring or something of that nature would be good ? The person working on my block also mentioned two ways of honeing the cylinder walls . But he figured seeing that we could still see the cross hatching from when the engine was built a ball hone would be ok . The only reason im thinking gapless rings is i had 10-12 % ring blow by before i tore the engine down . Should i hve the block bored for a tighter fit ? The cylinder walls measure to spec dead on 4.000 Jason Say grumpyvette where is loxahatchee fla . Im from melbourne fla my self lived there 22 years then moved to colorado in 1999 .

So i will be using a super charger on my 383 build . Im going with the stock bore size 4.000 using a sbc 400 crank and the forged rods that were with the engine when i bought it 6 inch i believe . Oh its just to save a few bucks and ill be keeping it under 6,500 rpm . Anyhow ive been looking at Total seal gapless rings kind of costly but what im wondering is there another ring out there i can use that will work decent with a supercharger . Ill only be running 7 lbs of boost . If need be ill fork up the 300$ for gapless rings . Jason

I have a 10 gallon cell from jegs unless ya were refering to the other pic posted here That is a nice setup madkaw how many gallons does it hold . Jason

Sweet ride man of ya z with the dett engine . I know this is probably off the subject of this post but how wide of tires do ya got on the rear of that z and what rims are ya using . Jason 78 280z supercharged 383

Ya know im sure its the vent tube as the rear cover is what gets oily . I know it doesnt spin around really easy but i can move it with my fingers . Ill see what i can do about the vent tube Jason

Oh i wanted a 10 gallon fuel cell for weight savings , plus i wanted to make room for custom exhaust soas i can run duals one out each side of the car in the rear . And seeing as the stock tank was in the way i just installed a fuel cell and braided line with AN fittings . As for the cost of gas its about 3.15 a gallon i roughly use about 260$ worth of gas a month just to go to work and go home . I get somehwere around 9-10 miles per gallon . And the car never sees the highway unless im headed to the drag strip . Of course i guess if ya wanted more gas then stock ya could buy 3 10 gallon cells and link them together or find a 20-30 gallon cell that would fit in a z man in a stock z 20-30 gallons could go a looonnngggg ways . Jason

No im not into cutting corners and im sure a oil pan to clear the crank couldnt cost to much . Not sure how much clearincing will be needed as im also using the sbc 400 rods as they are forged rods and i allready have a complete set this way i can use the stock 350 pistons as the engine only has 7 thousand miles on it . If i measured corectly the rods are 5.565 as oposed to the 5.7 rods . Jason

Well the diff in my 78 280z keeps leaking . i swaped it out some time back with a diff from a early 80,s nissan truck so as to get the 4.11 gears . I replaced both shaft seals and took the cover off and re sealed the entire thing . It then started leaking again out the passanger side seal . So i fixed it once again now it likes to spit gear oil out the vent tube . The tube isnt cracked all parts are in place and ive checked the gear oil level so many times i lost count . I even took it and had it checked for cracks at a local diff shop . Is this normal for this diff . The only difference is when it was in the truck it had a vent hose attached to it leading to the intake manifold i assume for a " emissions" type deal . Jason

Just saw a show on a 383 build up and i know the block has to be clearanced but thy also installed a oil pan that had recesses in it for the crank . Is this necessary or will a stock pan work . Jason

So i bought me a wire feed welder nothing fancy but so far it gets the job done . Ive never welded before but ive practiced the past few weeks in some spots on my z that are out of sight . The weld doesnt look so good but once drinded smooth it holds and looks very nice . So im thinking of atacking the floor boards mainly the drivers side neds more work the passanger side just needs a frame rail . My question is when i cut out the frame rail will i need to brace the car in any way or will the body stay straight . The rails are all beat to hell ive even thought of buying another z just to save the hassle of doing this . Im not to concerned about the looks of the thing when im done just so long as i weld it good enough to hold . Jason

I dont make to much torque 330 ft lbs to the tires , as for drag racing i get into the pedal about once a month cant afford the gas at only 10 miles to the gallon . Man i just realized i spend 250-300$ a month on gas ouch . Thanks for the info ill go to the dealership tomorrow . Jason

I used the MSA mounts for my sbc 350 in my 78 280z . After only 8 months and 7 thousand miles the passanger side mount rubber is tearing apart . Id like a tougher mount that will bolt up just like the msa mount so as i dont have to alter my z to much . These are the mounts of course that attach to the block itself . Do the mounts from JTR mount similar ? I cant move the engine any further back as the HEI distrubitor only clears the fire wall by just under 1/4 inch plus i dont want to have to alter my driveline . Jason

Cool someone who saw the show and could explain it better then me like 280Zone said what were they smoking . But i lived in Texas for 3 years and ever "car guy " i knew told me to paint the engine black to disipate heat faster . Jason