Anybody running the GM 383HT (high torque) factory crate motor?

Looking at running the 383HT crate motor. Anybody out there running one? Are you happy with your selection? I am looking to oc***ionally tow 5000# in a F-1 pickup.

 

I don't have one but, I don't see how you could go wrong with the HT383.

 

bump-anybody running a ht383 now?

 

i havnt had any dealings with the ht but i have recently installed the fastburn 350 and 383 with no problems at all and great power seems these engines are way under rated

 

I have a friend with one in a later p-up; lots of grunt for towing. Your issues may be on
the other end with 5000#, namely brakes and equalizer hitch....

 

You haven't decided in two and a half years?

 

These things take time. Any decent 350+ with proper gearing would be fine.

 

hey WILLARD...one of our h.a.m.b. members is running a 383 chevy. engine. it's supper charged on alcahol. he turns 10.17e.t. YES a chevy. mill. so you shouldn't be worried for what your doing. man i can speek from experiance, i ran stock chevy. parts with no problems...POP.

 

As Old61 says, "these things do take time".
I have done the ch***is work (Jag IFS and 9 inch rear- better stopping power) and the body work over the 2 1/2 years and I am at that fork in the road where I decide to build the 4 bolt 350 and Vortec heads that I already have and the decision is to build it either as the 330 HP crate motor (as a 350) or buy the rotating ***embly and build it as a ht-383. I will build the motor rather than buy a crate motor.
All that said, who is running a ht-383?

 

Well I had a plan. It was to take the 350 4 bolt block and rebuilt GM Vortec heads that I have and buy a stroker kit and dished pistons such that I could replicate the HT 383. Easier said than done. I could not find a stroker kit that would get me there and in fact I could not find pistons that would get me there (other than GM-$$$). The stroker was plan B. I am going back to plan A which was to build the GM performance 330hp/380 ft-lbs crate engine. I already have a super low mileage cam and lifters out of one of the same crate motors. It seems that all of the stroker kits are set up for higher compression ratio motors. Note that both the HT 383 and the 330 hp crate motors run stock vortec heads of which I have a rebuilt pair. Both of the above crate motor are 9.1 to 1.

 

http://www.northernautoparts.com/ProductModelDetail.cfm?ProductModelId=18785 for late model or http://www.northernautoparts.com/ProductDetail.cfm?ProductId=2993 for early and subs***ute http://www.northernautoparts.com/ProductModelDetail.cfm?ProductModelId=9856 for the flat tops and tell them to delete and credit cam.

 

Phil thanks for the reply.There are a number of 383 stroker kits out there but none that get you a 9.1 to 1 compression ratio with the Vortec heads (which is what the HT 383 is). Everything is higher (9.7 to 1 Min) I will need dished pistons in the 28 cc range (as I remember) to stay at 9.1 with the C. I. vortec heads. It isn't just the lack of a kit but the lack of pistons available other than GM itself.
I have a friend that is a very experienced engine builder that builds many sbc's. We went thru the suppliers including sealed power and kieth black .

 

Any updates? Has anyone installed one and what are your thoughts. We are thinking it would be a nice replacement for the semi-tired 350 in a '57 Desoto. We need more grunt, not high revs.

 

I've got a Smeding 383 crate motor in my OT truck ... it's a torque monster, for what it is. The dyno sheet that came with the motor indicated 419 peak hp at 5300 rpm and 465.3 lb ft of tq at 4000 rpm. Of course, that may or may not tell you what you want to know, but the torque curve is very flat ... it is 430.3 at 2500 rpm and doesn't drop below 400 lb ft until 5500 rpm. The motor is 9.0:1 compression, so I run it on 87 octane until the summer really gets hot, then I switch to 91.

It's fun to drive.

Barry