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383 stroker or 454??

c chardt

Well-known member
the 383 stroker is a torque motor it uses the same 350 block just has a longer stroke if you want a awsome engine talk to waterthunder and get one of his ls1 engines that will take 2or3 hundred pounds of the back of the boat also what is the ratio of your box and what prop are you running thunder can make any boat preform if you have the $$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
What kind of gearbox do you have and what prop? How fast are you turning the prop you have now?
 
Add pitch to your prop and see what happens.

A new motor is a lot of $ when you can probably adjust or swap out your prop and get what you're looking for.

Speaking of which, what are you looking for? Will your boat run dry now? What kind of goround are you running?
 
If you could change the gear box to a 268 to 1 you would have a lot better performance and the boat would plain easer you can put a bunch of pitch in the prop and the boat will work alot better I have a 2.12 to 1 box and I'm going to get a 268 I have seen first hand how much better the boats run... THE BEST PERSON TO TALK TO IS WATERTHUNDER
 
If you are only turning your engine 2900 rpm you have way to much pitch already. Your not getting into the horsepower curve on your motor. I can't believe a dealer would sell a boat without running it first but I guess they do. You can email basketcase about the zz4 from classic he grenaded one with about the same hours you got on yours and they put him a 454 BB in it. I will let him tell you about that.
 
Sure you didn't mean 4900 rpm.(engine should be turning aruond 5200.) a few of my friends run diamond backs with the zz4 and composite propellers and they our strong on the hill .At work we have a 330 hp with a power shift on a diamond back and it even does a fine job , might want to have somebody to check it out thats familar with chevys before spending big bucks.just my thoughts.
Hows the polymer on the bottom?
 
WFO=2900 RPM sounds like way too much pitch in the prop to me.
If you've got a 2 to 1 gear box that means the prop is only turning 1450 RPM, you are not even close to the operating range.
If you want my opinion....
take pitch out of the prop until you get close to 5000 RPM on the motor and you will see your boat come alive. I have a 3 blade Powershift on a 454 with a 2.09 to 1 and it doesn't even start to really push until 3000 RPM-4000 on dry ground.
Sounds like the boys at dback pushed that one out the door before fine tuning the setup, I guess everyone gets in a hurry now and then. It's the little things that mean alot
Hope this helps.
 
sounds like to much rpm, way out of the power band, most zz4's ive been around do real good from 4800 to 5200 ,put some more pitch in the prop and you should gain power
 
zz4 power and torque curve:

zz4graph.gif


Jim
 
Look at the Sensenich site to see what they recommend at the optium RPM for that propeller. Set the pitch so the maximum RPM is within 50 rpms of that and try that out.

Trying a 3 blade propeller would not be a bad idea. Costs less than a new motor or gear box.

I would stay away from a 454 with that boat for several reasons.
1. 454 weights to much for the back of 14' for my taste.
2. Different headers are required and maybe motor mounts & reduc drive.
3. You are adding lots of weight with that 454, 383 would provide near same power and alot less weight.
 
I have the same boat with a 350 2.1-1 rotator and powershift when I upgrade it will be with one of waterthunders 500lb 550hp engines it will bolt right in and run like hell
 
A 454 will bolt right up to what you have accept the headers. Since you have a 14 foot boat I would recommend a small block perhaps a 500HP 383 it’s as easy as falling from a tree to make 500HP from a pump gas 383 and keep it very reliable. I have several 500 plus horsepower 383’s on airboats for years now and have yet to even freshen one up. They are the best configuration for a conventional small block Chevy to run in an airboat. They utilize the stronger 350 block 4.00 bore with a 400 stroke 3.75. I would strongly recommend a Vortec block that uses hydraulic roller lifters and install a set of aluminum heads. I don’t recommend the G.M. crate motors that run aluminum heads. I will also start selling a 383 LS-1 I have one going on the dyno in a few weeks. She will make a few ponies.
 
Duece

I have the same boat with the same motor and It does every thing I could ever ask for thanks to waterthunder I have a 2 to1 with a 2 blade powershift prop and before you go spend the big bucks on a new motor you might think about doing what waterthunder told me to do to mine I put a MSD racing marine distributor on it with the spring kit so it would go to full advance at 2000 RPM and a spring kit in the diaphram secondaries because what I found was the motor was not turning enough rpm in the boat to get everything working the way it was supposed to I bet if you check you back two barrels they are probably not comming open like it was doing in my boat and the best thing on top of that was I put some top of the line Crane 1.6 roler rockers on it so my motor now is puting out close to 425 hp at 5300 rpm and keep the temp low mine never gest over 175 degrees that is a must with a ZZ4 and the heads that are on it.I have 80 hrs on it and no problems and since the mods it is a totaly different boat it runs fantastic thanks to WaterThunder and the mods are a hell of a lot les money than a new motor and I have run dry ground with 5 people in the boat with no problem.
 
Duece,

That's also what I'm leaning toward as soon as I can gather up the dough!

Wanna buy some nice buggy running gear?

Basketcase
 
Duece,

I'm in the same boat(LOL)!

Hey Waterthunder, how much weight difference between the 383 to the LS1 and the 454 to the LS1?

Thanks,

Basketcase
 
General weights that I have personally weighed. I will weigh an Iron head big block today. I will also weigh a Stinger and rotator gear box separately.

LS-1 WITH 2.68 ROTATOR GEARBOX 460LBS
383 WITH ALUMINUM HEADS AND WATER PUMP AND ROTATOR 640LBS
383 WITH IRON HEADS AND ALUMINUM WATER PUMP AN ROTATOR 674LBS
 
Waterthunder,

My stomach hurts all of a sudden!!! Seems like I've got about 4 to 5 hundred pounds i could shed off of the boat.

How about a trade for a low hour,(29) 454 and some boot for one of your bad to the bone LS!'s?

Basketcase
 
Folks,

We are really lucky to have two very knowlegible engine builders on this site. (Waterthunder and Felber) I have learned a ton from them. Thanks.

Jim
 
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