5.3vs 383, What has more potential?

zhutchison · Apr 28, 2013

We have been building a tube chassis s10 rock bouncer all winter long, nothing insane for parts just a 14 bolt, 78 HP 60, 203/205 doubler rmvb turbo 350 etc. The motor we have sitting in the shop is a ht383 crate motor with fast burn vortec heads, studded rods and mains and flat tops. The plan right now is to swap to a comp 282xe cam, swap springs and clearance the guides for the lift and run throttle body injection on a performer rpm air gap intake. Today ran across a complete 5.3 with a cutdown harness, computer, fuel pump, all accesories and flywheel spacer to hook it up to the turbo 350 for $1000. What motor is the better choice to build? For now the 383 will go in as planned but we are going to build a decent horsepower motor this winter but we are new into the bouncing scene still and don't want to go all out from the start.

wannabe · Apr 28, 2013

5.3 all the way

Bronco Buster · Apr 28, 2013

Throw the throttle body away put dual propane mixers on it and never look back you will have 400 plus HP easy

Fire Freak · Apr 29, 2013

Yeah what he said

altfuel1991 · Apr 29, 2013

Here are photos of a 383 stroker and a 6.0 with dual mixers. The 383 dynoed at 585 hp. It had a flat torque curve of over 500 ft. lbs starting around 1800 rpm. The 5.3 and 6.0 engines have tremendous potential as well. Let me know if you need help with a propane system.

Buddy Gamel
Precision Sales & Service, Inc.
451 64th Place South
Birmingham, Ala. 35212

877-403-7827
205-591-2267, fax

[email protected]
[email protected]
www.alternatefuel.com
www.workhorseservice.com

In the Alternate Fuel Conversion Business since 1991

altfuel1991 · Apr 29, 2013

Here is the 6.0 engine.

zhutchison · Apr 29, 2013

We were originally looking at the propane option but have zero experience in tuning it and couldn't find anyone who does,also looking at the tank capacity not to sure where we could fill bottles around where we ride at. Still not against it completely though if we could figure out how to make it run and where to buy the fuel we could be money ahead compared to the amount it will probably take to get a throttle body to run the 383 properly. Here are a couple pictures from a few weeks back, we are just using the tuned port for mock up since it's not complete.

Bones · Apr 29, 2013

^^ What the...... :wtflol:

zhutchison · Apr 29, 2013

What the? what , the rear tube work we don't like straight up and down still but were not having any luck with the radiused pieces getting them notched to fit the same throughout after a weekend we gave up on trying. The front tube work is now done and the radiator is mounted above the fuel cell. There is a place in my hometown to fill the bottles for propane but I don't know anyplace in disney that will.

June dog · Apr 29, 2013

If you leave the verticle bars you need to name it jail bait. :woot:

zhutchison · Apr 29, 2013

Sounds like everyone else hates them as much as I do, everything is bent or radiused but those, Im gonna give it another shot this weekend since I've had more time on the notcher and see if we can figure out how to put radiused pieces in like planned. Everything is .120 wall 1 3/4 bent on a jd32 and we have the beast notcher so it should be doable just figuring it out.

June dog · Apr 29, 2013

I had to use a marker and a grinder to do my notches. That sucked ass but it got em done.

patooyee · Apr 29, 2013

I didn't mind the straight bars, I thought they looked kind of cool / Mad Max-y. They need to align right though, don't look like they do in the pic.

And for what its worth, and coming from someone running an LS2, I would just stick with the 383 since you have it. Propane tuning is to 5.3L tuning as basic algebra is to calculus.

zhutchison · Apr 29, 2013

The bars are all measured out in the exact same spot on both sides but the difference in the upper and lower bars kind of give them a twisted look, the one bar where it leans is what really ruins the look for me. I think we will just stick to the 383 for now, its always a possibility to swap to an ls based motor later on with the mount setup we run.

Fire Freak · Apr 29, 2013

Kycrip · Apr 29, 2013

5.3 all the way. The 383 is a good motor but the 5.3 is far more efficent in making power. Plus all kinds of power. The 5.3 stock is just as powerful as the 383. My .02$

blzrgb · Apr 29, 2013

A bored 350 and 400 crank will get mity close to a 383. But with stock parts
It's still sorta boring.
It's when you "use" that extra stroke with a nice set of pistons,cam and heads
that a 383 will wake the F*** up. I guess I'm old skool but a well built 383
Is my choice 2-1.

jneese9125 · Apr 29, 2013

Not trying to highjack this thread but I know yall know more about it than I do. I'm looking for 400 hp or a little better in an aluminum LS set up? I know some of the newer 5.3's are aluminum. Can it be done cost effective or do I just need to bite the bullet and be looking for LS1,2,3 corvette motors. Also will the factory EFI work for a engine like that cause it seems like everybody is using after market stuff now days.

zhutchison · Apr 30, 2013

The motor is a gm crate 383 that is sitting on the stand, it had 3,000 miles on it then started rattling so it was replaced and we picked it up cheap. Tore it down and the only thing we could find wrong through the entire motor was a loose rocker arm from a bad poly nut, it has new rings and bearings, studded rods and mains and all new gaskets.The big issue with propane is the fuel cell is already bought and mounted along with the inline pump, not a big fan of just throwing those away. The axles are 5.13 and with the doubler I think the gearing would work alright for the lack of raw horsepower for this year, it's already planned to do rear steer this winter and swap motors this winter just trying to figure out which of the two we have would be the better candidate for a rebuild while the truggy is running to swap in.

redline diesel · Apr 30, 2013

the ls1 with a cam and tune runs good,that's in my buggy now with a 150 nos the ls1 is 346 ci all alumiumn the stock injection works good for me.the new buggy is getting a 515 ci big block because i wanted more torque